Replenish protein and carbs

Life

January 25, 2010

By JIM ROMANOFF The Goshen News Mon Jan 25, 2010, 09:42 AM EST

Sports drinks can be so much more — and so much healthier — than those brightly colored, sugar drinks sold alongside the sodas.

Those drinks are fine for hydration, which is essential for a healthy workout. But when you’ve just finished exerting yourself, what your body really craves is a good jolt of carbohydrates and protein, and a protein shake is a delicious and satisfying way to get it.

Carbohydrates replenish your supply of glycogen, which is the fuel stored in your muscles that powers physical activity. Protein helps your body repair muscles after strenuous exercise.

Fruits and whole-grain breads are a good, natural source of unrefined carbohydrates. For proteins, consider low-fat dairy products such as yogurt or low-fat cheese. Nuts and nut butters also can provide plenty of protein. While these are somewhat high in fats, it’s the kind of heart-healthy fats that won’t undo all the cardio benefits of the exercise you just finished.

While there are many protein powders and canned products on the market that can be used as the base of a protein shake, there is another ingredient that can give you surprisingly creamy results — tofu.

Tofu is available in several textures ranging from extra-firm, which is best suited for stir-fries and salads, to extra-soft (often called silken), which has a custard-like texture and is good for using in desserts, such as puddings.

This sweet and tangy blueberry-pomegranate protein smoothie uses silken tofu as a base and is nutritionally fortified with two antioxidant rich fruits. Blending in a banana enhances the creaminess, and also helps neutralize tofu’s sometimes chalky flavor. Any frozen fruits can be swapped for the blueberries. Look in the freezer case at your grocer for bags of individually quick-frozen strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, along with conveniently diced peaches, melons and various tropical fruits.

Blueberry Pomangranate Protein Smoothie

Start to finish: 10 minutes

Servings: 2

8 ounces extra-soft silken tofu

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 medium ripe banana, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 to 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste

1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ (optional)

In a blender, combine the tofu, blueberries, pomegranate juice, banana, honey and wheat germ (if using). Blend until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 241 calories; 29 calories from fat; 3 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 49 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 4 g fiber; 16 mg sodium.

The following recipes are from the Web site dole.com.

Berry Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients1 can (20 oz.) DOLE® Crushed Pineapple, drained

2 ripe, small DOLE Bananas, peeled

2 cups DOLE Fresh Frozen Strawberries, sliced

1 pint frozen vanilla yogurt

Directions1.Slice bananas into blender or food processor container. Add pineapple and strawberries.

2.Cover; blend until smooth.

3.Add yogurt; blend until thick and creamy.

Note : This recipe fills a 5-cup blender. For smaller blender, make half of recipe at a time.

Banana Raspberry Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups DOLE® Pineapple Juice

1 cup vanilla yogurt or frozen yogurt

1 cup DOLE Fresh Frozen Raspberries

2 ripe, medium DOLE Bananas, peeled

Directions: Combine pineapple juice, yogurt, raspberries and bananas in blender or food processor. Cover; blend until smooth. Garnish with raspberry and banana slices, if desired.

Dole Sunrise Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 cup DOLE® Pineapple Juice

1 cup vanilla low fat yogurt or frozen yogurt

1 cup DOLE Frozen Strawberries, partially thawed

2 ripe, medium DOLE Bananas, peeled

Directions1.Combine pineapple juice, yogurt, strawberries and bananas in blender or food processor container. Cover; blend until smooth. Garnish with strawberries and banana slices, if desired.

Pineberry Smoothie

Ingredients1 medium, ripe DOLE® Banana, quartered

1 can (6 oz.) DOLE Pineapple Juice

1/2 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt

1 cup DOLE Fresh Frozen Strawberries, Raspberries or Blueberries, partially thawed

Directions1.Combine banana, pineapple juice, yogurt and berries in blender or food processor containe Recipe: Fruity Smoothie

Ingredients1 large, ripe DOLE® Banana , peeled

1 can (8oz) DOLE Pineapple chunks, drained

1 DOLE Fresh or Fresh Frozen Strawberries , partially thawed

8 ounces strawberry yogurt

2 tablespoons soy protein or whey power r. Cover; blend until thick and smooth. Serve immediately.

Text Only

Life

In the end, I'll take the peace of love and family
I should warn you: My brain is especially dense with thought these days. Elbow-deep in philosophical essays — the kind that demand three or four reads — I’m taking an ethics class required of us would-be health professionals.

February 12, 2012 1 Photo
Finding the perfect filler for your garden
Rose mallow is a great garden filler. It’s origins are the genus malvaceae (mallow family) and if you are like I am, the mallow family gets rather confusing.

February 10, 2012 1 Photo
The ‘evolution’ of homeschooling
“Benefit number 9,267 of homeschooling.” That’s one of my favorite lines. I use it — any four-digit number is fine — when I hear something about public schooling I find objectionable, sad, mildly amusing, downright ridiculous or about which I’m simply glad to not have to bother.

February 5, 2012 1 Photo
COLUMN: It’s a new year for all you gardeners
Believe it or not it’s countdown time until spring— maybe I’m stretching it a bit but planting time at all the greenhouses is about to begin. Cuttings will be arriving in just over a month and that means activity.

February 3, 2012 1 Photo
Electoral homefront leaves mom the clear winner
It was the morning after the Iowa caucus. An eager nation had waited into the night, breathless, for an unnamed citizen in a pickup truck to arrive with the last of the votes.

January 30, 2012 1 Photo
When babies bite while nursing and other thoughts
It’s too soon for toilet training — in my house, that is. My toddling, teething baby starts his second year next month (meaning he turns 1).

January 29, 2012 1 Photo
Longtime church secretary retires
GOSHEN — For 15 years visitors to the office of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Goshen were greeted warmly with a big smile by former church secretary Veronica Gouker. And visitors or callers would soon find out what a wealth of information was stored within Gouker as she swiftly and efficiently handled requests.

January 28, 2012 1 Photo
Grapes are a passion in southwest Michigan
Lake Michigan has an impact on the rolling hills of southwest Michigan for grape growers. All the way from the Indiana/Michigan state line, north to the Kalamazoo River, and west to the city of Kalamazoo, where the bulk of the growing is done, moist lake breezes prevent the extremes of heat and cold in the spring and summer months.

January 27, 2012 1 Photo
What keeps you going during the lull of winter?
I’m never quite sure about January. First, there’s the cold, chilling to the bone. When I’m out walking the dog, a sharp western wind numbs my brain as well as my fingers.
Then there’s the realization that winter is still here for a couple of months. After the magic of the holidays, each day turns into every day.

January 23, 2012 1 Photo
ICE ESCAPADES IN ELKHART
Winter was slow in coming to the Elkhart County area this year, but now it’s arrived and with it the traditional winter activities are finally available, such as snow-shoeing, sledding and ice skating.

January 22, 2012 3 Photos
More Life Headlines

The Goshen Housing Authority has a $571,050 shortfall. Should the Goshen City Council use money from its $4.7-million “rainy day” fund to pay the debt and maintain the current level of service provided by the voucher program?

Life

Search Results