(The following is an article I wrote for North Fitness last year. With training volume increasing, the B.L.I.N.D. dates have made a reappearance to supplement the usual gels/GUs/Shotblocks that are starting to bore the palate)... Enjoy!
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| B.L.I.N.D. Dates (Blended Lime juice In Nutty Deliciousness) |
“There’s nothing worse than almost
marrying someone, breaking if off, and having to start over with a blind
date. It’s like failing your senior year
of high school and having to go back to kindergarten.”
-Cindy Chupack
Ahh, the month of February.
Heart-shaped chocolates and truffles.
Romantic dinners with wine and red roses.
However, for those individuals whose significant ‘others’
take the shape of a bike, a running trail or a pool, perhaps now is a good time
to start thinking about ‘dating.’
At the peak of Ironman training when I was juggling
double-workout days and working full-time, it was hard to properly fuel my
workouts given my time constraints. As a
result, I would go into a training session either starving and burn out too
soon, or I’d eat a substantial snack that would in turn, need substantial time
to digest. By that time, the sun had
set, and so had my motivation.
Enter, the blind date.
A colleague of mine noticed my dilemma and kindly shared her creation- a
mixture of natural energy consisting of dates, lime juice and nuts. Oh, the joys of simple nutrition! I appropriately nicknamed them B.L.I.N.D
dates (Blended Lime juice In Nutty Deliciousness).
Just as real-life blind dates can sometimes be a pleasant
surprise, these little creations were surprisingly delicious, and served their
purpose well. Not only were they easily
digestible, but the energy from the dates was quick-burning, and the
monounsaturated fats and protein from the nuts kept my stomach satisfied. They conveniently fit into a gym bag or into
the back of a jersey pocket for energy on the go. Try it for yourself!
B.L.I.N.D. Dates
-2 c. nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, pistachios)
-2 c. pitted dates
-1/2 c. dried sour cherries
-2 Tbs. flaxseed
-juice from 1-2 limes
Directions: Using a food processor, combine the above
ingredients. Add enough lime juice to
bind the ingredients enough where they can be easily rolled into balls. Enjoy!
Feel free to get creative with this basic recipe…try adding
a scoop of protein powder, other dried fruit, shredded coconut, or even morsels
of carob or chocolate for a sweeter variety.
Love is complicated enough.
Keep your nutrition simple. Happy
“dating!”
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