Friday, January 7, 2011

Favorite things Friday!

Hey all!  I'm feeling better these days and working out well the last couple of weeks.  Been following my Ironman St George plan from this time last year which is fun.  I've been asked if I'd do it this year if I kept following the plan and we didn't get pregnant and I'd probably still say no.  Probably.  I would absolutely LOVE to do Ironman again, including IMSG, but where I just wasn't planning on it 3 weeks ago and I don't have all the base I did last year this time, I'm not sure.  I want to do really well and smash up my time a bit, so I'd like to be really prepared.  I am really excited to watch the action this year too.  We shall see.  For now I'm just enjoying being active again.  I'm going nordic skiing (skate style) tomorrow for the first time in a year, we'll see how that goes!  I really like it, it's an amazing hard workout, but I'm not great at it.  Hopefully I come home unbroken with everything intact  :)

So, haven't done one of these for a while, but have been meaning too.  This is a product we use at my house ALL the time, like daily.  And what's nice is it's cheap.  These Nature Made Immuni-C packets are great!  Just like Emergen-C, I just get the 72 packet Costco version to save some money, but you can find name brand Emergen-C on sale fairly often.  Anyway, this baby is packed with 1000mg of a very absorbable kind of Vitamin C (better than pills), as well as 17 other vitamins and minerals.  I put it in all of my smoothies or recovery drinks.  Here's a quick recipe for the smoothies we do around here in our Magic Bullet (we have a Kohls generic one too that works great, just get em when they're on sale for like $20)

  • 1 cup 100% juice, usually apple, sometimes orange, grape, or some other 100% blend
  • However much more water you need for your desired consistency
  • Packet of Immuni-C
  • Splash of Flaxseed Oil (maybe a tablespoon?)
  • Handful or raw spinach (no you really cannot taste either the spinach or oil)
    Blend - the first blend is optional, it just helps blend the spinach finer
  • Add a cup or so of frozen or fresh fruit - superfood blueberries are my favorite, bananas, pineapple are good too.  We get a bag of blueberries and a bag of mixed fruit frozen from Costco to use
  • A scoop (roughly 12-20grams worth) of protein depending on the workout length, intensity, and body weight.  I use 100% whey isolate for long or hard workouts and post race, a blend of isolate and concentrate like Interphase for not as intense workouts.
  • A scoop of HEED or Carbopro  (if you use HEED and juice together the drink will be really sweet, just fyi) to get to that 3:1 or 4:1 carb to protein ratio
    Blend and drink!

If I don't have time for a smoothie or I'm away from home I'll just do the water, Immuni-C, protein, carb powder in a water bottle and shake it up.  You can even add the powders in there before hand so you just have to add water, no measuring away from home.  The recovery powders like Ultragen or Recoverite are great, I just prefer the fresher nutrients and lower cost of my shakes when I'm home.  I will use the powders after races sometimes though for convenience sake.
If the shake is not a recovery shake, just something during the day, leave our the carb powder, and the juice for that matter if you want, which is just in there for more quick absorbing carbs.  We don't usually need more help getting carbs in our regular everyday diet.  You may also use less protein.  And if I haven't had a shake at all in a day (which is rare, I try to get all that good stuff in every day) or if I'm feeling a cold or illness come on I'll just have a Immuni-C packet in a 6oz glass of cold water.  I'll do 2-3/day with a cold.  Doesn't taste horrible alone, but some people think it's an odd taste, I don't mind it for what it gives me.

So there you go.  Want a packet or two?  I'm not going to do this contest style, you just leave me a comment in the comments and I will send the first 10 people some!  Unless we see each other regularly, email me at leslie@powertri.com with your address and a message mentioning this post and I'll send some out.  Happy Friday all!

* NOTE:  My costco stopped carrying this brand, so you'll want to look for Emergen-C.  5-31-11

8 comments:

Sarah Jarvis said...

Hey! I'd LOVE some. And I cam going to make your shake soon! Sounds yummy! Sooooo glad you are feeling better! Yay! And hey, if youa re not going to race it, let's cheer together, shall we? I had a blast last year biking the loop backwards. Definitely planning on that again!

Sara said...

Sweet, I'm only the second one to comment on this. Glad to see you're feeling better and having fun workouts. A shake every day, wow. I go through phases. But we can definitely use some good Vit C stuff around here.

Mare said...

I'd love to try these! And your smoothie sounds similar to the one's I make minus the flax seed oil--I'll have to try that! Thanks!

Unknown said...

Sounds good send me some!!!

JessWilson said...

Sounds great, I would love to try some too! Thanks!

Jill said...

I've been wondering if you were thinking of another IM this year. I understand about not feeling like you have the base...have you thought about onen in the fall, like isn't there one in Arizona? A few bloggers are big IMer and I think that was one I read about. Another is Lake Placid. Well, either way, yes or no, you are still awesome and I'm glad you're feeling better and getting your training turned up again!

I never thought about putting vitamin C powder in a protein smoothie, but what a great way to get it all in at once! As you know, I'm a spinach in a smoothie girl :). I aso never thought about the Heed, I just usually put in frozen fruit and count that as my carbs. But hum...

Thanks, Leslie, for popping by the other day, was great to see you there and I am so happy you are feeling well and picking up the training. :)

Leslie said...

I'm a slacker, sorry guys, but your Immuni-C is sealed up and in the mailbox!

Jill, I've thought about a late season, the problem is just that they all sell out a year in advance...except for IMSG

And about the Heed, yeah frozen fruit is always a source of carbs, it's just not often enough after a really hard workout or race. Most often I use the juice as a liquid base and get enough carbs that way. It absorbs well and tastes better :)

Mare said...

Got mine in the mail! Thank you so much! I tried the tangerine one last night and I think you sold me!! I'm excited to try one in a smoothie like you mentioned. Thanks again!