Apple Time - Fun and ...Fun

Two favorite late summer and fall treats of mine are candy apples and fresh apple cider.
A juicy fresh apple dipped in sweet sugary glaze and eaten on a stick is pure heaven.
Chase it with iced cold tangy cider then it become sinful.

To recapture the fun and enjoy the benefits of the apples I added it to my regular veggie / fruit smoothie selection.

County Fair - Apple Smoothie


1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup rice or soymilk
1 Tbls. natural peanut butter ( almond or cashew butter OK)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp Flax / Hemp oil
1 tbls Raw Honey
6- 8 ice cubes
1 medium apple

Blend all well in the blender, serve immediately.

OPTIONAL:
Freeze apple slices and use in smoothie
Freeze cider in ice cube tray and 4-8 cubes for ½ cup cider.

Drink and enjoy the season.

Black Bean- Avocado Salad- Great Summer Fuel

Now that summer is approaching and the City market (Farmers market) is hopping,

This salad uses great goodies from the market and a few from produce section at the local market.

AVOCADO-BEAN SALAD

2 avocados (diced)

1 large red onion ( diced

1 bunch of green onions[6-8] ( chopped fine)

1 bulb garlic, 6-7 cloves (smashed/chopped)

1 bunch cilantro (chopped fine)

1/4 up chives (chopped)

1 green bell pepper (diced

1 red bell pepper ( diced)

1 yellow pepper (diced)

1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper (more /less to taste)

Juice from 2 limes

3 Tbs Extra Virgina Olive oil

1 can Black beans (no salt/ drained)

Combine all ingredients. Store in Fridge for 2 hours.

Serve alone or put over a plate of your favorite greens. Can also be used as a salsa.

This is an amazing and refreshing combination.

Hydration Season ( Getting Sweaty Now !!)

As the sneaky warm pre-spring days come many of us that have been active begin to really sweat and with that we need to focus more on drinking enough water and remaining hydrated. Hydration is a year round sport- even though we aren’t sweating we are losing fluid as we are active daily, but it is much more apparent and important when we drip with sweat as the warm –hot weather approaches.

The recommended daily two quarts (8 cups) water can come from many drinks but water is the best source since it is free of calories, sugar, coloring, caffeine and alcohol. Studies have shown that maintaining proper hydration (64 ounces is just a starting point) is helpful for the immune system, skin, digestion and many other health issues.

If you have an illness that is causing coughing, sneezing, nausea, diarrhea or sweating, you will need to increase fluid intake to make up for the extra loss. Added water also helps in recovery from many ailments.

Extra fluid is needed in hot weather and when you exercise. In temperate weather we need plenty of water but as the thermometer rises we need to increase our intake.
Time Water needs
15 minutes 1 cup
30 minutes 2 cup (16oz/pint)
60 minutes 4 cups (quart/liter)

These are just starting points- pay attention to your body and adjust accordingly.

Another tool is to weigh yourself before and after sweating- 1 pound of weight loss should be replaced with a pint of water.

Remember to eat properly after sweaty workouts to replace the important minerals as you replace the fluids.

Sports drinks with electrolytes as well as electrolyte supplements (modern version of the old school salt tablets) can be beneficial along with a proper balanced diet. The key electrolytes can be found in many of the foods we eat.

The electrolytes to focus on : sodium, potassium, calcium, chlorine, magnesium, and Bicarbonate. Include foods that have these important minerals in your diet- greens, broccoli, cabbage, whole grains, fruits.

* Start hydrating early. Drink 1-2 cups of water when you first get up in the morning. Like Chicago voting- Drink early and Drink Often.
* Keep a water bottle with you all day long. Carry a 1 or 2 Quart/Liter bottle- Empty it !
* Drink 1-2 cups of water- 30 minutes before exercise.
* Drink 1 cup of fluid every 15 minutes of exercise.
* Replenish lost fluids (2 cups of fluid for every pound lost during exercise).
* Keep drinking even after your thirst is quenched.
* Water OR Sport Drinks – sports drinks may be a good option for longer bouts of exercise because they contain valuable electrolytes.

Drinking water at every opportunity can cause serious problems, such as hyponatremia or water intoxication. As the water content of the blood increases, the salt content is diluted. Consequently the amount of salt available to body tissues decreases, which can lead to problems with brain, heart and muscle function. Eating properly and appropriate supplementation can pr3vent this problem.

The Blender- A Runnersbest Kitchen Friend

I have been using a blender for a couple of years as a regular tool in my vegetarian kitchen.

I make smoothies, mix dressings and sauces. As a Vegan athlete I have found it to be extremely valuable in making smoothies for post-workout refueling and recovery as well as daily consumption of greens, veggies and fruit.

To eat the amount of greens I can blend( 1 pound plus) and drink would take me- with a human mouth- 60-90 minutes. I can make a smoothie( with some good water) and drink in 10-30 minutes.
I can add a veggie protein powder (hemp is a current fave) to a celery, grapefruit,banana, frozen berry, soy yogurt and water smoothie and have a great carb , electrolyte and protein recovery drink for after a workout and my belly has an easy time digesting and extra blood can go to the recently used and abused muscles.

I recently bought a blender from Blendtec , http://www.blendtec.com/Blenders.aspx and love it. I had worn out 2 smaller blenders in the last year and the Blendtec blade and motor (3hp) were appealing in the speed potential. And I have not been disappointed.

I can blend a pound of kale or other heavy green in a few minutes compared to the 15 minutes in the past. I can have the smoothie in a cup and bottle ( for consuming during the day) and the blender clean in 15 minutes total.