Nectarine Ginger Smoothie

We've been fortunate to know a lot of amazing athletes in our lives. 

Natalie often wakes up pre-dawn to workout with the awesome people from November Project. I rowed in college with guys that have since become Olympians. A National-Geographic-shooting, Kauai-wave-charging, Mt.-Everest-expeditioning adventure photographer crashes at our place when he zooms through San Francisco.

Even my 70-year-old dad is en route to a 192-mile bike ride this weekend (The Pan-Mass Challenge).

The one sure thing about trying to hang with this bunch of rad individuals (besides a lot of early mornings), is getting sore.

We've all done it - whether through sports, dancing, hiking, moving, construction, etc. - pushed a little harder, gone a little longer, and the next day our bodies let us know with wobbly legs and aching joints. When this happens to us, we ask: what foods will make us feel better?

Now, I know people may roll their eyes at the suggestion of foregoing Ibuprofen when feeling stiff (I grew up calling it "Vitamin I"). But the smoothie below is tasty enough to try, regardless of its anti-inflammatory ingredients.

"Food as Medicine" sounds like a nebulous idea, rather than a solution to a problem.

But, that's how our bodies function: a complex system, rather than a simple machine of inputs and outputs. While it's true that working hard = getting sore, there's a lot more going on.

The benefit of eating herbs, spices, superfoods, and just real foods, is that regardless if they treat our symptoms, we still end up consuming stuff we need - anti-oxidants, proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. With many non-food-based drugs, at best we just mask our symptoms.

And, foods can help us heal. Ginger and turmeric, two ingredients from this smoothie, are powerful anti-inflammatory foods. They even helped ultra-runner Scott Jurek recover from a sprained ankle days before running a 100-mile trail race.

Nectarine Smoothie with Ginger and Turmeric

Natalie came up with this smoothie because stone fruits have been so tasty lately. It's balanced with healthy carbs, fats, and proteins, and has rose hips (one of the highest sources of vitamin C), and flaxseeds (a good source of omega-3 fats). The ginger and turmeric should help soothe those achy muscles, too.

We've had it after a workouts as a quick snack before making a meal. Haven't tried it after a 100 mile run... yet...

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

• 12 oz cashew milk (or any other nut milk)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp rose hip powder
• 1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 Tbsp flaxseeds (use ground flaxseeds if you don't have a powerful blender)
• 2 Tbsp nut butter (we used cashew)
• 1 large nectarine (or peach)
• 1-2 carrots (100g), chopped into small pieces
• 1 small frozen banana (125g), chopped into smaller pieces

PROCESS

• Add the ingredients to a blender, layered in the order of the ingredient list, bottom to top.
• Blend until smooth - time will depend on speed and power of your blender

Awesome Readers

Another group of people that's inspired us recently is, you, our readers!

We were scared to start this blog. A lot of doubt came bubbling up: can we make something tasty? Can we continue to take creative photos? If we write about our lives and share some ideas, will anyone care?

But, at the least it keeps us busy, and at best it attracts people who are inspired to explore food and health in the kitchen.

We'd love to hear from you. How did you find us? Are there recipes or other topics you'd like to see covered?