Feed Me! I’m Hungry!

I’m Hungry! I’m really hungry! (great link!)

I can deal with muscle ache (Ben-Gay/Icy Hot/Advil).  I can deal with fatigue (good ol’ sleep works wonders).  What I find most difficult about triathlon training is the raging hunger pangs and food-cravings that I experience post-training, and throughout the day.  Yeah, I know my last post discussed my pre and post-workout eating habits, and they work, for the most part.  However, there are just some days where you just want to do this.  Or this.  Or this (maybe the best one of the three links – and many of you have probably done exactly what happens at 1:00 into the video).

Rather that fight the overwhelming hunger pangs, I try to roll with them, doing my best to avoid junk (as best as I can) and eat filling and healthy meals.  However, as many of you might note that healthy is often a code word for bland or tasteless.  There is only so much oatmeal and grilled chicken that a person can eat.  So, in an effort to find foods that are filling, healthy and meet my needs for carbs and protein, not to mention taste, I reached out to a friend of mine, Serena Palumbo.

Serena was a popular and successful contestant on The Food Network’s “The Next Food Network Star,” not to mention an attorney and avid gym-goer.  Serena’s solution:

“Quinoa,” she said.  “It’s a powerful grain packed with protein, and if you mix it with a nice combination of vegetables and spices it can taste amazing.”  She then sent me over to her website where she has a great video on how to cook quinoa (not such an easy task for some of us) and an amazingly delicious quinoa recipe, which I will be trying in the very near future (sans olives; I don’t like olives).

But wait, there’s more!  “Quinoa is a seed but considered a grain because of its texture,” Serena explained, “You can find quinoa pasta, which is very similar to whole grain but packs a serious punch in proteins too.”

Pasta with protein; you don’t say… Throw in some sautéed veggies, spices and some salt (electrolytes!) and you have yourself a healthy, tasty and filling meal.