Fuel Up with Food To Recover: Hydration

We kicked off Week 1 of the Fuel Up with Food To Recover Challenge this week! This is a 3 week challenge with a different sports nutrition topic each week. This week, the topic was hydration. We talked about the importance of hydration, how to tell if you are hydrated, when drinking a sports drink is needed, and then we made our own sports drinks. If you were not able to attend, see below for helpful information and the sports drink recipes!

Why is Hydration Important?

50-60% of your body weight is water! Water is very important for the body to function properly. Water is needed for chemical reactions in the body, moving nutrients and waste through the body, and regulating body temperature. Muscles and blood are also 75-80% water. You can see why being hydrated is important for athletic performance, too.

Fluid Goals

Goal is Balance: Fluid In = Fluid Out

Fluid In = Food and Beverages

Fluid Out = Urine, Sweat, Breathing

Average Fluid Losses Per Day: 2-2.5 liters (~65-85 ounces)

During exercise, you want to replace the fluid you are losing:

Before Long Runs/Workouts: Hydrate Before You Start

     -2-3 cups of water 2-3 hours before activity

     -1 cup of water 1 hour before activity

During: Try to Estimate Your Sweat Rate and Replace What You Are Losing

·     Average needs: ~2 cups per hour

·     Try to take a few gulps every 15-20 minutes

·     Drink 1-2 cups at aid stations during long races

Post: Drink Immediately After and Throughout the Day

*Fluid needs are highly individualized! These recommendations are just averages. It is important to monitor your body, watch for signs of dehydration, and find what works for you!

Dehydration

   When you don’t replace the fluid that you lose:

·     Your blood becomes too thick

·     Your cells shrink 

·     Your heart rate raises

·     You lose your ability to regulate body temperature

Just a 2% decrease in weight can hurt athletic performance

Signs of Dehydration:

·     Confusion

·     Fatigue

·     Muscle weakness

·     Nausea or vomiting

Monitoring Hydration

• You can weigh yourself before and after a workout (if this causes any type of anxiety, do not do this)
• For every pound lost, drink 2-3 cups of water
• Example: If you lost 2 pounds, drink 4-6 cups (32-48 oz) of water
• Monitor your thirst
• Check urine color and compare it to the chart below

Sports Drinks

• Contain fluid, electrolytes, and carbohydrates to replace what you are losing during long workouts
• Not an everyday drink
• Only may be needed in endurance events lasting longer than 1 hour (exceptions may be when exercising in very hot or humid conditions for a shorter time)

Hydration Drink Recipes

Homemade Gatorade

1 1/2 cups 100% pure coconut water

1/2 cup 100% fruit juice

1 tbsp honey

1/8 tsp sea salt

2 cups water

1-2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice

Combine all ingredients, mix, and enjoy!

Warrior Drink (post-workout drink)

1 cup coconut water

1 cup tart cherry juice

1 cup filtered water

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp chia seeds

1.    In a quart size jar or pitcher, combine the coconut water, cherry juice, lime juice, chia seeds, and salt. Seal tightly with the lid and shake to combine. 

2.    Chill for 15 minutes or linger in the fridge to allow the chia seeds to gel. Shake again just before drinking.

Shalane’s Natural Sports Drink

*from cookbook Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow

2 cups water

2 cups coconut water

½ cup tart cherry juice

2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp blackstrap molasses

¼ tsp sea salt

1.    In a large pitcher, combine the water, coconut water, tart cherry juice, lemon juice, molasses, and salt. Shake vigorously to combine. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Maple Sports Drink

*Developed by Nancy Clark, RD

3 ¾ cup cold water

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together. Shake well and enjoy!

Runner’s Kool Aid

1 packet unsweetened kool aid

½ cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt substitute (containing potassium and chloride- Mortin’s Lite Salt)

2 quarts water (8 cups)

Pour ingredients into a pitcher. Shake vigorously and enjoy!

*The favorites from the challenge participants were Runner's Kool Aid and Homemade Gatorade

Fuel Up with Food To Recover

The Fuel Up with Food To Recover Challenge starts Monday! Join us for 3 sports nutrition workshops on hydration, pre/during workout, and post-workout nutrition. See more details below:

Community Meal Prep

If you can't tell, we have a good time during Community Meal Prep. This awesome crew cooked together to make 5 meals for their busy week. Join us next Tuesday from 5:30-7:00pm to connect with others in the FTR kitchen, and feel ready for your week with 5 fully cooked meals.

On the menu for this week: 

1. Roasted Vegetables with Gnocchi 

2. Shrimp Cobb Salad

3. Taco Stuffed Tomatoes  

4. Hummus Crusted Chicken Wraps 

5. Skillet Mediterranean Chicken Pasta

Post-Workout Snack:

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 1/2  cups whole milk

1 cup mashed sweet potato

4 tbsp butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sweet potatoes, and butter.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

4. Add more milk if needed to think the batter. Eat a large pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Add a small amount of butter or oil to the pan to prevent sticking. Spoon the batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles begin to form in the center of the pancakes. Flip the cakes and cook until browned.

6. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week or the freezer up to 3 months.

Serves 6

Nutrition Tip of the Week: Eat breakfast! There are so many reasons to start your day with breakfast. Breakfast gives you energy to start the day, gets your metabolism going after an overnight fast to help stabilize blood sugar levels, stimulates the brain, and sets the tone for you day to lead to healthier choices all day long. A balanced breakfast includes complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Try to incorporate a fruit and vegetable for extra nutrition.

Upcoming Events for Food To Recover:

Fuel Up with Food To Recover Challenge:

March 11th, March 18th, and March 25th from 5:30-6:30pm

Community Meal Prep:

Every Tuesday from 5:30-7:00pm

One-on-One Counseling:

Have personal nutrition goals? Contact cassidy@fit2recover.org to make an appointment

Welcome March- National Nutrition Month

Goodbye Free February, Hello March

Free February flew by! Community Meal Prep was a blast this month with so many new faces in the kitchen. Community Meal Prep will still be happening and will return to the low price of $20. You come home with 5 meals for only $20! You also get to connect with others in the FTR community and get the chance to cook a variety of foods. March is also National Nutrition Month so it's a great time to try a new healthy habit, such as meal prepping! I hope to continue to see so many of you in the kitchen.

On the menu for this week:

1. Soup and Salad Combo: Brocolli Cheddar Soup and Cranberry Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken

2. Chicken and Veggie Lo Mein

3. Roasted Vegetable and Turkey Sausage Stuffed Pitas

4. One Pot Beef and Broccoli
5. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

                  New CMP Loyalty Program Coming Soon

Meal prep may not be free every week anymore, BUT you can earn free meal preps by frequently attending! We will be starting a new loyalty program soon with punch cards. After attending 3 meal preps, you get the 4th for FREE. That equals one free meal prep a month. We love and appreciate all of you who continually come and want to reward you for doing so!

Join the Fuel Up with Food To Recover Challenge

Have a spring or summer race on the schedule? Have you ever felt your energy tank during a long workout or race? This is the challenge for you! 

This challenge is aimed towards fueling for endurance events (running, cycling, triathlons), but anyone who is interested is welcome to attend!

Click here to get your ticket

Did you try this week's post-workout snack?

Energy Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup oats

1 cup flax seed

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup dried fruit or chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup of each)

2/3 cup honey

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Form into bite size balls. Refrigerate or freeze until you are ready to enjoy!

Nutrition Tip of the Week: I heard many FTR members loved this snack (I do too)! This snack is packed with carbohydrates, fiber, healthy fats, and protein to nourish you after a workout. These are called energy bites because they have all of this nutrition packed into a bite size ball. One or two of these bites are plenty for a snack because of all of the energy they contain. Try to slow down and eat them mindfully so that you are satisfied from just one :) 

Happy Friday!

Another full kitchen with new faces and friends this week for Community Meal Prep. Free February has been full every week and you all have done amazing coming together to cook meals for the week! The last meal prep in Free February is this Tuesday. To claim your spot, sign up at the front desk or email cassidy@fit2recover.org. Hurry, it is already almost full! :)

On the menu for this week: 

1. Chicken and Dumpling Soup

2. Pesto Chicken Bake

3. Ground Turkey Skillet with Green Beans

4. Mac N Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

5. Thai Quinoa Salad

Coming Soon: New Community Meal Prep Loyalty Program

Sad that Free February is ending? Don't worry, coming soon is a new loyalty program for CMP. We will be starting a punch card system where you will be able to earn free Community Meal Prep tickets! 

This week's post-workout snack:

Ginger Molasses Quick Bread

1 1/2 cups dark rye flour or whole wheat or spelt flour

1-inch knob fresh ginger, or 1 tsp ground

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg 

1 cup whole milk yogurt

1/2 cup molasses

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with butter.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, molasses, butter, and raisins. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just enough to bring the batter together. Do not overmix. The batter will be very thick.

4. Pour into the loaf pan and bake until a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. 

5. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a wire rack and allow to cool completely prior to slicing.

Nutrition Tip of the Week: Molasses is a byproduct of the sugar making process. Compared to white sugar, molasses contains many vitamins and minerals including iron, potassium, copper, and magnesium. Try using molasses in baked goods, sauces, and glazes to add some extra nutrients!

D0 you have personal nutrition goals you want to meet?

Contact cassidy@fit2recover.org to make an appointment for only $20 for FTR members!

Happy Valentine's Week!

We had another full kitchen this week for Community Meal Prep! There were 12 people in the FTR kitchen cooking. Everyone came home with 5 meals for the week. Free February continues this week, but CMP is already full! If you haven't joined us yet, reserve your spot for the last meal prep for Free February on the 26th. 

On the menu for this week: 

1. Thai Chicken Soup

2. Chicken Curry and Veggies 

3. Rotisserie Chicken Salad Sandwiches with sweet potato fries

4. Lime chicken thighs with fiesta salad

5. Roasted Veg and Chickpea Pesto Quinoa

We hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day with all of your loved ones. Food To Recover kicked off Valentine's week with a Couples Cook event! Cooking can be a great way to connect and show the people in your life you love and appreciate them. The couples in the kitchen worked together to cook a 3 course meal for themselves. 

Did you try this week's post-workout snack?

Morning Glory Muffins

2 cups almond meal

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 cup walnuts

3 eggs

1 cup grated Granny Smith apple (about 1 apple)

1 cup grated carrots (about 2 carrots)

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

1. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper muffin cups. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, oats, walnuts, currants or raisins, if using, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.  

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, zucchini, carrot, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups filling each to the brim. Bake until the muffins are nicely browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 to 35 minutes.  

Nutrition Tip of the Week:  Our post-workout snack this week contained walnuts. Many people think of fish for omega-3 fatty acids, but walnuts are also a good source of them! Omega-3's help decrease inflammation in the body, support the brain, and may help stabilize moods.

Free February Kickoff

We had a full kitchen this week for Community Meal Prep! We had 10 people in the kitchen that worked together to make 5 meals for the week. This was our first meal prep in Free February. If you missed out on the fun, join us this Tuesday! For all first time meal preppers, it will still be completely FREE. For all of those who have previously attended meal prep, you get to cook for only $10 (half price)!

On the menu for this week:

1. Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

2. Sweet Potato Salad

3. Teriyaki chicken, rice, and veggies

4. Turkey meatballs with spaghetti and veggies

5. Lentil Sloppy Joes

Sign up at the front desk or email cassidy@fit2recover.org to reserve your spot. Hurry it is filling up fast!

There is still time to buy tickets for this month's event- Couples Cook! Valentine's Date Night. 

Grab your valentine and enjoy a night of cooking, connecting, and eating! You get to cook a 3 course meal for the both of you for only $20. Choose one dish from each of the categories below for your dinner. Cooking can be a great way to show people in your life that you love and appreciate them. Buy your ticket by Sunday (February 10th) by clicking here 

Menu:

Did you try this week's post-workout snack?

Fruit and Seed Granola

*recipe from Food52

Makes about 3 cups

• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar or agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons salted roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil  
• 1/2 cup dried fruit, minced (I used a combo of dried apricots and cranberries)

1. Preheat the oven to 250F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except the dried fruit and mix well with your hands.

2. In a small bowl, mix the honey, molasses and vegetable oil together until well combined. Add to the dry mixture and mix well with your hands until everything is well coated with the honey-molasses-oil mixture.

3. Spread evenly in a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes. It's important to stir the mixture every 8-10 minutes pulling all the mixture from the edges and corners into the middle of the baking sheet and re-spreading the mixture. You might also want to rotate the cookie sheet after each stirring.

4. It's done when the mixture starts to darken a shade or two and you can smell the spices in the mixture. Remove from the oven and immediately fold in the dried fruit. Keep folding for a minute so that the dried fruit is warmed by the mixture.

5. Let dry until crispy and store in sealed baggies or jars. 

Nutrition Tip of the Week: Satisfy your sweet tooth with foods that contain natural sweetness, such as fruit! Fruit contains natural sweetness, but also has fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You can often reduce sugar in recipes by swapping out part of the sugar it calls for with applesauce, smashed bananas, or dates. In the FTR kitchen, we're a fan of adding in beans or sweet potatoes to our desserts too. If you think that sounds crazy, you haven't tried a black bean brownie! See below for the recipe :)

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well) 

2 tbsp cocoa powder (10g)

1/2 cup quick oats (40g) 

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave (75g)

2 tbsp sugar 

1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil (40g) 

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup to 2/3 cup chocolate chips (115-140g) 

optional: more chips, for presentation

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Really blend well. (A blender can work if you absolutely must, but the texture—and even the taste—will be much better in a food processor.) Stir in the chips, then pour into a greased 8×8 pan. Optional: sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Cook the black bean brownies 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. If they still look a bit undercooked, you can place them in the fridge overnight and they will magically firm up! Makes 9-12 brownies. 

Welcome to Free February!

You read that correctly...if you haven't been to Community Meal Prep yet, February is the month for you! The first time you come will be absolutely FREE. You will come home with 5 meals for the week at no cost. For all of you that have come to CMP before, we didn't forget about you! February will be 1/2 off ($10!) for everyone that has previously attended meal prep.

On the menu for Tuesday (2/5):
1. Turkey Taco Soup
2. Mexican Quinoa Salad
3. Chicken Pesto and Veggie Flatbread
4. Stuffed Acorn Squash
5. Roasted Butternut Squash Penne Pasta

Instead of signing up online, please sign up at the front desk for the month of February. Remember to bring your containers to take the meals home. All food will be provided.

Food and cooking can be a great way to show someone important to you that you love and appreciate them. Grab your valentine and enjoy a night of cooking, connecting, and eating. For only $20, you will be provided ingredients to cook a 3 course meal for the both of you. You can choose one recipe from each of the following: 

Starters

Mini-Bell Pepper Nachos

Roasted Butternut Squash & Ricotta Crostini

Cranberry Spinach Salad with Avocado

Main Dishes

Cherry Tomato Burst Linguine with Shrimp

Mexican Skillet 

Chicken-Parmesan Stuffed Spaghetti Squash 

Desserts

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Pecan Butter Chocolate Truffles

Click here to sign up!

Did you try this week's post-workout snack?

Were you able to guess the secret ingredient? If you guessed beets, you were right!  See the nutrition tip of the week to get more information about the power of beets. 

Can't Be Beet Smoothie:

*This recipe was developed by professional runner Shalane Flanagan

1 cooked beet, peeled and quartered

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 small banana

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1 cup coconut water 

1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled

1 tbsp nut butter

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and enjoy!

Nutrition Tip of the Week: Beets are loaded with nutrients including fiber, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, and B Vitamins. Beets also contain nitrates, which have been shown to be beneficial for blood pressure control and endurance performance. Think you don't like beets? Try to eat them in different ways! Throw them in smoothies, pickle them, shred them in salads, or roast them with other vegetables.


Join Us For:

Community Meal Prep 

• 2/5 from 5:30-7:00pm (see menu above)

Couples Cook! Valentine's Date Night

• February 11th from 5:30-7:00pm

One-On-One Counseling

• Contact cassidy@fit2recover.org to make an appointment