Runner Recipes - Eat like an Elite

I've always enjoyed spending time in the kitchen, and I honed my cooking skills by watching my grandmothers and my mom prepare meals that nourish and celebrate. My family jokes that we show our love through food, baking for every birthday, anniversary, or holiday that comes around. Food is one way we say "I care about you!"

Runners also connect through food - we bond over post-long run brunches, shared gels that save a friend from bonking mid-run, swapped recipes and healthy eating tips. As athletes, food is our fuel, our recovery tool, and sometimes our reward for a run well done! 

I didn't always have a healthy relationship with food. 10 years ago in college, food was my enemy, resulting in the Freshman 15 as I binged and purged my way through the difficult transition to college and Division 1 running. I'm grateful for the support I received that helped me get back to a healthy place with food, but I'm saddened to say that my story is not unique; far too many collegiate runners struggle with disordered eating. 

My hope is that fewer young runners will go through the difficulties I did, and that their relationship with food is a positive one - breaking bread with family, friends, and teammates while celebrating a shared love of running. In that spirit, I'm starting a new series on Running Joyfully, called Runner Recipes - Eat like an Elite. Each month, I'll profile an elite running friend and share one of their favorite recipes with you. We're not nutritionists, but we've been in the sport a long time and know how to healthfully fuel our bodies to run fast. I hope you'll enjoy this view into the kitchens of Olympic Trials qualifiers across the country! 

Here's to eating well, sharing, and connecting through food!
Bon appetit!

My go-to recovery food - Mean Green Smoothie

As a busy professional working 9-5 while also training at a high level, time is a precious commodity. If only there were a few more hours in the day! Mid-week, you can usually find me racing from a workout to a client meeting with barely any time to eat. When squeezed for time like this, it's easy to make poor choices about recovery food, choosing something that is quick and easy but not necessarily nutritious. I'll admit, I'm guilty of grabbing just a granola bar - definitely not the best choice post-run. 

Thankfully, I've been making better recovery food choices since the addition of a new blender - this is hands-down our most-used wedding present :-) My go-to snack is now the Mean Green Smoothie, chock full of protein, fruits, and vegetables AND tastes amazing (if I do say so myself!). I can make it in less than 5 minutes and sip on it while I'm rushing to get ready for a meeting. The smoothie provides me with nutritious, needed calories directly after my workout, and can hold me over til I have time for a proper meal. Read on for my shopping list and Mean Green Smoothie recipe!

SHOPPING LIST

• Nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I like Fage)
• Fresh spinach
• Frozen mango chunks (great to have on hand for when you're too busy to make it to the grocery store)
• Black chia seeds (a good source of omega-3 fatty acids aka brain food!)
• 1% lowfat milk or vanilla soymilk
• Honey (to sweeten, if you used dairy milk)

RECIPE

In a single-serve (16 oz.) blender cup, add 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup frozen mango, and a handful of spinach. Add vanilla soymilk until you reach the max fill line on the cup, or lowfat milk and 1 tablespoon of honey (to sweeten) if you prefer dairy milk. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of black chia seeds to add some healthy fats and fiber to your smoothie. 

Blend your smoothie and you're good to go! Enjoy and recover well!

Special thanks to Whole Foods Market University Heights in Providence for keeping me well-fueled!