In this post I would like to share a simple recipe I found myself making on occasion. For me, it was usually done as a post workout snack which is crucial. Consuming some food immediately after a workout goes a long way towards the recovery process. For when you are exercising, you are intentionally putting your body through a prescribed amount of physical and mental stress. Fueling your body the moment this ceases not only nourishes you with key vitamins and minerals expended during said physical sojourn, but it also rewards your mind for such efforts. Not to mention you will get a big head start on all the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) that will aid in your body repairing itself.
When I came up with this recipe, I must have been bored with my prior post workout snack. And when I get bored, I get creative. So I had some walnuts, honey, and cinnamon lying around and figured they've got to taste good together. And they do. So here is the recipe.
Ingredients
→ ½ cup (~2 oz) Walnuts, preferably organic
→ ½ teaspoon Honey, preferably raw and locally sourced
→ dash of Cinnamon, preferably Ceylon Cinnamon
Instructions
Step 1:
In a cup, or bowl, mix together all ingredients.
Step 2:
Warm up mixture in a microwave on medium to low power for a desired amount of time. Experiment with time settings. Try 30 seconds at first. The idea is to warm up the mixture just enough, so the honey becomes more viscous to more easily coat the walnuts. The heat will incorporate the flavors better as well. Another method is to add the honey and cinnamon to toasted walnuts when they are still hot. But I am lazy. The microwave method is much faster.
Step 3:
Remove from microwave. Stir. Allow to cool. Enjoy…!
And that's it. The idea is to use as little honey as possible. Just enough to coat the walnuts without it dripping off. If after heating you have a pool of honey at the bottom of your cup or mixing bowl, that is really too much. We have to watch our overall sugar consumption (more on this in the future).
The first time I did this the flavor profile was giving me Baklava, as these are the key ingredients in this delicacy.
The quality of the ingredients do make a difference. If you read my Bougatsa recipe (link below) you will see that I called for local, raw honey there as well. But if you don't have any, including the preferable ingredients listed, it's ok.
Keep in mind that consuming organic as much as possible is a good idea. Not always affordable, or available, but when these are not a factor…go organic.
Honey is such an amazing sweetener juxtaposed to all others. Ceylon Cinnamon holds special benefits over the normal style cinnamon commonly available for purchase. And the mono and polyunsaturated fats in walnuts are a heavy dose of the GOOD FATS our bodies need to function tip-top.
Food for thought, almost literally.
Below I have the nutrition information for this snack based on the quantities in the ingredients list. Truthfully, the amount of honey used will differ slightly. So consider this as an approximation.
The macronutrient mix is as follows (calories from fat, protein, carbohydrate):
—> 81% fat
—> 9% protein
—> 11% carbohydrate.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Such an amazing way to nourish your body and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time…!
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