The Best Post-Workout Drinks

Here's my list, I'm stickin to it.

1. Beer

I bet some of you could be real surprised by this one. But I'm not! I'm somewhat of a beer snob and love a good brew. Whats so cool about beer is that it is built on a lot of the stuff that you just lost in your workout! It can also replenish some calories and carbohydrates too. A lot of athletes and heavy work-out-errrrsss...(whatever) tend to feel uncomfortable eating after an intense session. Drinking a beer can also help loosen up the body and help it relax. It is a depressant you know. The trick here is to not get carried away. Obviously don't drink a ton of beer. Limit it to one pint, sometimes two. If you are watching calories, try light beer. If this isn't one of your concerns, stick with the tastier regular version. Also, don't be drinking and driving please.

2. Chocolate Milk

This stuff is awesome. I've given my speech on milk before, but it is packed to the brim with the good stuff: protein, carbohydrate, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, multiple B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, sodium,and the list goes on. Basically all that stuff you just worked with (glycogen) and sweated out (minerals), you can replenish with milk. But why chocolate you ask? Because chocolate itself has some awesome qualities. Depending on the quality of chocolate milk you are getting, you can be adding some antioxidants to your recovery that you want. Also, it tastes sooo good. Try a glass of choco milk (or even just milk) the next time you are done with your work out. Tell me how you feel the next work out.

3. Yogurt Smoothie

So with yogurt you can get some awesome protein (especially Greek yogurts) along with some beneficial bacteria for your gut (helps digestion, as you all know). By adding fruit, you are punching this thing with a lot of natural carbohydrates that your body needs to recover. Plus these fruits will also provide fiber making it an awesome long term energy source. This alone is one reason to invest in a blender. You can be so creative with smoothies that it's impossible not to get a lot of use out of it. Plus with smoothies, it's really easy to add anything you want to help post workout like whey protein, flax seed, and chia seeds.

Pretty basic stuff. I'm sure a lot of you already figured those three things are good for after work outs. But I like to remind people exactly why its so good for ya. Take home message? Get carbs, protein, and electrolytes after a work out (in that order of preference too).

A Summer Salad

Wow.

So first, let me explain what I just went through: Flying from Milan to Minneapolis through Amsterdam, seeing my family finally and being surprised by the girlfriend, unpacking, repacking to move to Chicago, fun homecoming activities like American food and the Mall of America, moving, getting set up in the new apartment, job searching, furniture searching, and more! For this I apologize for the lack of posts. Life had gotten crazy!

So. Summer Salad

I was just home and of all the foods that I was enjoying having again for the first time I enjoyed a salad the most. It was my sister's homemade strawberry/pecan/green bean salad. She even made the dressing! A balsamic vinaigrette.

Now, I'm not here to give you another recipe though. Not today. You can ask Emma about that one. What I did want to say is how awesome salad is in the summer for you.

Did you know that the darker the greens, the more packed they are with micronutrients like calcium, antioxidants, and vitamins? It's true. Spinach is one of the best greens to add to the salad. If you don't like the taste, mix it in with the other greens. Use a nice light dressing and the flavor gets somewhat masked.

I hadn't eaten a salad yet with strawberries in it. It was a great addition! But what it really got me thinking was how easy it is to add whatever you want to a salad. It's true! Just throw it in and see what happens. For a nice salad lean towards these:

• strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• cherry tomatoes
• corn
• fresh mushrooms
• all kinds of peppers
• tuna and white chicken meat
• egg whites
• flax seed, chia seeds, and soynuts
• olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette
• no dressings!

and turn away from:

• bacon
•  fried chicken
• tortilla chips
• ranch dressing, creamy Caesar, Bleu cheese, any creamy dressings
• Iceberg lettuce (mostly water!)
• cheeses

The more fresh your salad, the better the availability of awesome natural micronutrients. Once you cook these kinds of fruits, veggies, and legumes, they can lose a lot of the "bioavailability" of the micronutrients (that's how easily they can be used by the body and absorbed into your system). A salad can easily be the entree, side, and dessert all rolled into one dish. And by doing it this way, you can be getting a lot of your servings/day of these groups! 

It's kind of funny...I have looked into some of the salads that restaurants offer and they can be worse to eat compared to burgers, fried foods, and french fries! (Thanks Eat This, Not That) Just remember that when it is called a salad it doesn't mean it's good for you.

As a last note, there's nothing against making a giant salad and proportioning out daily what you want or storing it in 4 tubberwares so that it is available right from your fridge. For the most part, making these salads just needs a giant bowl and a little vegetable chopping!

Using the Farmer's Market

I love the farmer's market. The idea. The environment. The awesome food. All of it!

Many people feel my same feelings for this food. It is so much tastier, and if you are wondering how now, go and try it yourself!!! Unfortunately many people have no clue where to begin when it comes to grocery shopping this way. Let me give you some pointers for this summer!

First of all, realize how the farmer's market works. Bring cash and ask questions! This is the best rule to follow. Cash is always easier for them to use, and some places may not even take any other forms. Wen you run into an herb or some other kind of produce or food that you've never seen, go ahead and ask how to use it! Maybe you love zucchini but want to try another way of making it. Ask! These people are foodies by life. They really know their food and can probably teach you something new.

Don't go into the farmer's market with necessary ingredients. The best method is to have an idea of what you want to do (veggies with pasta, meat and potatoes, etc.) and build your idea at the market. This works better because sometimes things aren't at the market or not looking so fresh. Also, if you run into some great deal or cool looking food, you don't want to turn that down!

The idea behind the farmer's market is being fresh. It uses the idea of eating foods in season to bring them to the masses at good prices and better tastes. There's much more enviro-friendly reasons to eat in season foods, but let's not get into that right now. Your best bet to save some buck is to buy in season. For this summer, look for these guys!

• apricots
• bell peppers
• cantaloupes
• grapes
• blueberries and blackberries
• corn,
• cucumbers
• green beans and sugar snap peas
• Yukon potatoes
• tomatillos
• jalapenos 
• and peaches.

Use your local market! You will find the tastes to be unbelievable. My favorite is getting any meat from the farmers. My mom has the most amazing guy for fish in Minneapolis. Realize that sometimes you pay for the quality but in the end you are investing in a great meal and a healthier you!

Here's a link to help find a farmer's market near you: http://www.localharvest.org/