We all know that the post workout meal is essential to restocking depleted glycogen stores, that protein post workout assists with muscle repair, that you need to restore the fluids and electrolytes lost from sweat, and on and on. There is no good reason to not take in a recovery meal post workout. For me, sometimes the post workout meal lacks creativity, simply, a means to an end. Protein powder. Smoothie. Chocolate milk. Eggs. Turkey. Carbs. A cycle of major staples. If it works, it works. But, I am thankful to our resident team chef aficionado, Nikki, who brings us her kitchen creations and perfect post workout fuel to our various workplaces, to our homes, for post group runs. She’s a saint. And adds to our lives that creativity that goes missing when you’re shoveling or groveling to get in the right calories. She takes the thought out of the depleted mind, by being thoughtful. Last weekend she shared her Super Recovery Salad with the highlight of the meal being roasted stokes purple sweet potato, a favorite of hers. Below is the recipe full in carbs, protein and rainbow with optional add on’s. Enjoy!

Super Recovery Salad

Handful or two of your favorite greens – For this salad we chose kale, purple cabbage & arugula
Bevy of:
Carrots
Bell pepper
Roasted asparagus
Roasted chickpeas
Roasted stokes purple sweet potato
Fried egg for protein
Apple cider vinaigrette
*Potential additions: Chicken, your other favorite vegetables, goat cheese, accompanying toasted baguette, recovery smoothie, etc.

Apple cider vinaigrette recipe (one variation)

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tblsp dijon mustard
1/4 c raw apple cider vinegar
2 tblsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 tblsp raw honey, as needed for sweetness
1/3 c virgin o.o.
salt & pepper to taste

The Hows and Whys

To roast the stokes purple sweet potatoes, you’ll scrub the skin with water, dress with olive oil, and put on a baking tray at 350 degrees, cooking until you’re satisfied via the fork test (usually 1 hr). To expedite the process, I like to quarter the sweet potatoes at the start. You can also wrap your potatoes in foil, but I prefer not to. A higher heat will speed up the process, but keep your eye on them, and give them a toss every now and then for a thorough cook through.

The chickpeas and asparagus can handle a higher heat (425 deg. F), so wait until after your stokes purple sweet potato party to put them in. Drain and rinse your chickpeas, mist with oil, sprinkle with preferred spices (I like turmeric or paprika), and at 425 deg. F, let roast for 40 minutes, giving a stir every 10 minutes. The asparagus takes at most 12-15 minutes, so throw these in near the end of the chickpea party. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper, and bake until just tender (I like mine al dente). You can also roast your carrots and bell pepper (a charred veg is sexxy); cooking vegetables can “make the cell walls less rigid, which makes it easier to absorb certain nutrients and digest food better. Compared to raw carrots, cooked carrots, for example, have more beta carotene, an antioxidant that can be converted to vitamin A…” Also, some produce is most nutritious uncooked…here are some general findings:

• Steaming asparagus ignites its cancer-fighting potential
• Beets lose more than 25% of their folate when cooked. Eating them raw will preserve this brain compound
• Broccoli is best raw. Heating deactivates myrosinase, an enzyme in broccoli that helps cleanse the liver of carcinogens
• Heating mushrooms (sautee, boil, grill, roast) brings out more muscle-building potassium
• Eat onions raw. You get less hunger-busting phytonutrient allicin when you cook them
• Eat red peppers raw. Their vitamin C breaks down when roasted, fried or grilled above 375 deg.
• Eat spinach cooked – you’ll absorb more calcium, iron and magnesium
• Eat cooked tomatoes – your body will absorb more of their cancer-fighting lycopene

The stokes purple sweet potato carries antioxidants that help prevent disease, boosts immunity, are anti-inflammatory, and keeps your bones and skin healthy, and they are a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, iron and complex carbohydrate. Bell peppers, red to be specific, are rich in vitamin C and a broad range of antioxidants. Asparagus hosts fiber, folate and vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Chickpeas offer protein, fiber, manganese and folate. Apple cider vinegar/vinaigrette is like a blanket of goodness, enhancing and increasing the benefits of vitamins/minerals in your food, reduces bloating, alleviates GI distress, prevents indigestion, and on and on.