The Best Post-Paddle Protein Drink

Three months ago,  I finally decided to join an outrigger team. It’s an ass kicking workout with 5 other people in a skinny boat powered by aloha spirit!  Its as close to feeling like you are part of the ocean as surfing or SCUBA/free diving. The boat sits deep in the waves and every paddle stroke has your hands touching the water. Paddle mates yell positive comments back and forth and everyone is in sync with the same thought in mind…go forward.

After an hour and a half on the water splashing and wind blowing, the sun is setting and the first thing I want to do is GET WARM! However, we all still have to bring the boats in from shore and sometimes I am unable to grab my Surf-fur right away. This means I am even more frozen by the time I reach my car. First thing I do is throw on the Surf-fur, blast the heat and then grab my tea that I have ready and waiting in my thermos. Since I just burned about 1200+ calories, I am also starving! Remembering what my trainer has said about post workout snacks, I try to bring some kind of protein bar to refuel my body and recharge my muscles, but bars get old fast.

My neighbor recently turned me on to bone broth (follow the link for more about the benefits of bone broth) and now this is my new post-workout drink. Not only is it a densely packed protein snack, but it is warm! It is my new obsession after every practice. I started to look into many different recipes for making bone broth at home (since it is about $8 a cup at the store) and there are many versions. Some are simple with just the bones and vinegar and some have some herbs and vegetables. The two most important ingredients are the organic bones and the vinegar, which releases the marrow from the bones. After trying several recipes, I decided that chicken and pork bones were the best after a workout. Then, I slowly added different spices that didn’t overpower the broth too much… Cabbage and onions can sometimes do this.

Here is my recipe that I use by combining a bunch of different ones found on-line:

Bone Broth

1 LB poultry or pork bones from an organic source (grass-fed beef or poultry) and some skin

2 sticks Celery

2-3 carrots

2 cloves garlic

1/2 onion (optional)

1 Tbl apple cider vinegar

2 Tbl lemon

1 Tbl kelp powder (optional)

lots of pepper

Filtered water (I use Carlsbad alkaline water)

Add a pinch of all or some of my favorite herbs- tarragon, cardamon, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves

Sea salt to taste

Directions

Put the bones in a crock pot and fill it with water to the top. The recipe calls for organic chicken and pork so I usually get an organic roasted chicken from Whole Foods and save all the bones to use. If I don’t have time to make the broth immediately after eating the chicken, I put the bones in the freezer for future use. You can also buy organic bones in the freezer section in Whole Foods or Jimbos. Roughly chop up all the veggies and add to the pot. Set it on high for 24 to 48 hours.

When it is done, turn off the crock pot and let it cool in the ceramic pot for about an hour. Using a large stew pot, put a strainer inside and line with a coffee filter. Pour the broth into the pot to remove all bones and veggies and get rid of herbs. Put into the refrigerator for an hour or so. Pull out the pot and remove any fat that has hardened on the surface- if you want. Store the broth in a container in the fridge to use within a week or freeze 2 cup portions in small ziplock bags. Reheat in a pot on the stove. Do not reheat in the microwave! I add some more lemon and pepper at the end.

After 24 hours, the broth tastes pretty good and done. I try to go longer if possible to really get that protein out of the bones. The author of Nourished Kitchen has broth going in her house all week long and never turns off her crock pot. She has figured that it costs about $2 to $5 a week to always have it on.

Benefits of eating bone broth taken from Nourished Kitchen.com:

Homemade broth is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace minerals.   The minerals in broth are easily absorbed by the body.   Bone broth even contains glucosamine and chonidroiton – which are thought to help mitigate the deleterious effects of arthritis and joint pain. Rather than shelling out big bucks for glucosamine-chondroitin and mineral supplements, just make bone broth and other nutritive foods a part of your regular diet.

Further, homemade bone broths are often rich in gelatin.   Gelatin is an inexpensive source of supplementary protein.   Gelatin also shows promise in the fight against degenerative joint disease. It helps to support the connective tissue in your body and also helps the fingernails and hair to grow well and strong.