I was wildly excited when we found out that Cuppow was sponsoring our team. Their awesomely positive attitude and focus on local manufacturing make them a great sponsor (and amazing friends). Plus, everyone likes tasty beverages.

Juicing is becoming more and more popular with cyclists. It's easily digestible, portable nutrition. The transformation of solid to liquid in juices and smoothies recalls images of magical elixirs and potions to aid and cure the body. (Bonus tip: beet juice is awesome for its ability to balance oxygen use to improve blood flow during exercise and will stain everything in sight.) In reality, being selective about what you drink and making your own coffee/juice/smoothies is not only delicious but enormously beneficial for training but overall health.

I worked as a professional juicer and smoothie maker at an independent café in Brooklyn for a few years while I was in grad school. Not only did that job feed me, keep me healthy, and give me balance through long, busy days but it taught me so much about natural health. Eventually I was able to develop my own recipes to fuel a cycling life.

Last week, Greg from Cuppow biked down to Firefly with his Vitamix in tow to try out some of my concoctions. Here are two of our favorite recipes:

Power Smoothie (my personal post-ride favorite) :: Makes 1 serving

1 frozen Acai pack

1 banana

approx. 12 sprouted almonds (raw almonds soaked in water for at least 8 hours)

Squeeze of agave nectar

3-5 ice cubes

½ tsp. Maca powder

2 T coconut oil (warm it slightly so it liquefies, to blend easier)

1 scoop of protein powder of your choice

Almond milk, unsweetened



Put ice cubes into the blender. Crush the Acai pack into a few pieces and add to the blender. Add all remaining ingredients, leaving the Almond milk for last. Pour enough almond milk to fill ¾ to the top of the pile of the other ingredients. Blend until smooth!

...

Firefly glow :: Makes 1 serving

1 ½ cups of fresh squeezed orange juice

½ cup tart cherry juice

2 T soaked gogi berries (soak dried berries overnight in water)

Squeeze of agave nectar

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

3-5 ice cubes

Add all ingredients into a blender, blend until smooth!

Super top-secret ingredient: find a beach to enjoy your creations with friends while watching the sun go down.