Very Cherry Recovery Smoothie

August 22, 2014

Very Cherry Recovery Smoothie


If you’re a runner, a triathlete, a cross-fitter or just a gym-goer, you know there’s no shortage of new supplements and other products that claim to promote faster recovery.
Most of us have learned to ignore them, we just don’t believe it.
Speed of recovery is subjective and hard to measure. On top of that, the evidence is often pretty weak and even when it’s there, I tend to be skeptical.
Plus, supplements have weird/funny names. Few have catchy ones, but some are…well questionable at best.
Have you ever heard of “Green Bulge”? It’s a supplement for enhancing strength and performance. I’m dead serious, it exists.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it could very well be a good product, but the first time I saw it, I thought it was an arousal supplement for the Hulk.
What about those Boost-Punch-Burn-KaBoom-XXXL supplements? If we were to judge a book by its cover/name, I would say that those are the kind of product with side effects that would include growing a few limbs, glowing skin or turning you into a mutant.
Supplements are expensive too. 50 bucks for a tub of chemical stuff? No thanks.

Very Cherry Recovery Smoothie

But cherries are different, they’re the real deal.
For starters they’re 100% natural.
There’s a growing body of evidence saying that they actually promote recovery, and the fact that the craze in the fitness world stuck around a while – since at least 2009 – also bodes well.
What’s most intriguing to me about cherries is that there’s much more to them than recovery properties.
Studies have shown that cherries reduce inflammation thanks to compounds called anthocyanins.
This makes them extremely well-suited for endurance athletes, where pain more than anything else eventually becomes the limiting factor.
In a nutshell “Active people of the world: EAT.MORE.CHERRIES!”

Very Cherry Recovery Smoothie


Moving onto this very cherry recovery smoothie I concocted.
It helps muscles bounce back after a grueling workout or an intense training session thanks to the cherries and the protein powder. It also replenishes the body of lost fluids and minerals.It tastes delicious too. Sweet, dark cherries compliment the orange juice and almond milk. A touch of sweetness from the honey. I love how the flavors balance each other.
Talking about a super smoothie.

Very Cherry Recovery Smoothie                                                                     Print this recipe! 
Ingredients
Serves 2 

1 cup / 250 ml milk of your choice (I used almond milk)
¼ cup / 60 ml fresh orange juice
1 cup / 4.7 oz / 135 gr frozen sweet cherries
1 tablespoon raw organic honey (or maple syrup)
2 scoops protein powder (I used Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Natural)
Crushed ice to taste

Directions 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Serve immediately!

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 114 calories, 2 grams of fat, 29 grams of carbs and 23 grams of protein.

29 comments:

  1. This would be great for me! I am in the thick of my chicago marathon training right now, and need all the recovery fuel I can get for my 85 miles a week. My body is tiiiiiirreedd! I am loving cherries right now, so will have to give them a go! Thanks so much for the great idea....now I just need some orange juice :)

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    1. Cherries really work for muscle recovery, it's incredible. Give it a try, you'll be surprised!

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  2. I just posted a granola recipe featuring cherries, great minds think alike! ha

    Love the sound of this!

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    1. That granola of yours looks amazing T. Care to swap some for a smoothie?

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  3. I think fruits are some of the greatest recovery foods - so many of them are anti-inflammatory. The sweet cherries with the almond milk sounds delicious!

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    1. Sweet cherries are the best recovery fruit ever, you should try after one of your fantastic hikes!

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  4. Amazing, Mike. As always. I need something like this. I worked out so hard yesterday and feel like I was in a car wreck this morning!

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    1. Good for you man for killing at the gym. Better sore than sorry, that's my saying!

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  5. Methinks you need to add some beets to that (Sally ducks away quickly..... )


    (sorry, could not resist!)

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  6. You know your dislike of beets - well that's how I feel about cherries! But I don't think I've ever had them in a milk-oj-honey concoction like this before...hmmm...all that doctoring up might just get me to try them again - I had no idea they were so good for recovery!
    Hope you have a wonderful Mike!

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    1. Wait, what? You don't like cherries?
      I don't think we can be friends Shashi... ;)

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  7. Wow, Mike - this sounds wonderful! It would make a great snack even if not recovering from a workout. I love that it has a good amount of protein in it (I always do better with more protein). Definitely want to try this one.

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  8. When I printed this I was very disappointed to find that the nutrition info did not print with the recipe. Is there anything you can do to make it so the nutrition info is included in the printout? I like to keep the nutrition info handy for when I'm meal planning. Thanks.

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    1. Readers in the past complained about having to print the nutrition info with the recipe (I think they felt like wasting paper ad ink) but since you're asking for it, I'll give it a thought...

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  9. Thanks for the idea. I'm going to try this for breakfast. Out of interest, what camera/lens do you use? I do similar food photography. Gotta love those mason jars with the handles.

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  10. I love cherries, but didn't realize they had so many health benefits. Thanks for the extra info, Mike!

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    1. Let's just say that the health benefits are an added bonus to cherries deliciousness!

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  11. When I first saw 'recovery,' I totally thought you were referring to a smoothie for the morning after a long night out on the town. Haha! Either way, this smoothie looks amazing. Way to do the Wolfpack proud! #WolfpackEats

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    Replies
    1. Well this smoothie can totally be used to recover from a hangover, it's pure magic ;)

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  12. I could totally do with one of these right now after my long bike ride! Sooo refreshing and healthy! And the cherry + orange combo sounds unreal! This is definitely so much better than those weird recovery supplements they sell! Ugh they sound sooo yucky, don't they?
    Have a nice Sunday! xx

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  13. My kinda smoothie for sure! thanx for posting the nutritional info.

    xoxo

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  14. The Green Bulge... that's hysterical!!! This smoothie looks pretty great, even for a non-athlete like me hahaha

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  15. love this recipe! can i use fresh pineapple instead of orange juice because i don't have any at home right now. Thanks!

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  16. I hope notifications still get pushed for posts this old... Would this be technically a "snack" smoothie? As in, after a workout but not in place of a meal? I am trying to incorporate smoothies into my life and I'm having trouble figuring out when a smoothie is an addition or a replacement. Regardless, this is delicious and I am excited to use cherries in a smoothie!

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