Knowledgeable runner since 2015, Quigley is greater than used to recording major workouts. However, it seems that practicing three different sports at the identical time – swimming, cycling and running – has one big difference: “I’m very hungry on a regular basis!” she says. “I’ll eat my meal after which literally an hour and a half later I’ll go about my life attempting to be productive, and it will be like, ugh, I’m hungry again.”
The morning we spoke, she had just come back from a six-mile run and was about to go to the pool for an hour of heavy tons of, then planned to rest for a couple of hours before hopping on her bike. No wonder she’s hungry: crushing workout after workout, day after day, takes some serious fuel.
Quigley has a level in nutrition from Florida State University, so she knows the worth of supplementing with nutritious, whole foods. Although many endurance athletes depend on gels and bars to take care of energy (and glucose stores) during their workouts, Quigley likes to organize her own training meals each time she will be able to. “Every time I could make snacks that are not prepackaged, that is a win,” she says.
her place? Date balls. “I used to see them in fancy grocery stores they usually’re normally quite expensive, but so delicious,” she says. Knowing that dates are a wonderful source of natural sugars that the body can quickly turn into fuel, she decided to make her own.
In developing her recipe, she added almond butter for a tasty dose of protein, fiber, magnesium and monounsaturated fatty acids, chia seeds for a healthy boost of omega-3s, whey protein powder for muscle recovery and occasional grounds for a performance boost due to the caffeine.
Today, he makes a batch about every two or three weeks. They take about 20 minutes to place together (it says a blender or food processor will do many of the be just right for you). Quigley keeps them within the freezer for straightforward storage, then normally grabs a couple of to thaw and munch on before training, or stashes some in her purse for a delicious boost on long bike rides.
the very best part? You can mix and match ingredients depending on what happens to be in your pantry – pistachios, chocolate chips, coconut flakes will not be listed within the recipe, but they’re all fair game. As Quigley says, “You really cannot screw it up.”
Colleen Quigley date balls
Ingredients
20 medjool dates (stones removed)
1/2 cup almond butter (or peanut butter of your alternative)
1/2 cup roasted cashews (or other nuts)
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 tablespoons of finely ground coffee
1/4 cup protein powder (Quigley uses Vital Performance Chocolate Protein Powder or Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen Peptides)
1/4 cup oatmeal
1. In a food processor or blender, mix the dates with a couple of tablespoon of water (or more if needed) until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the date puree with almond butter, chia seeds, coffee, and protein powder.
3. Grind the cashews in a blender/food processor (no need to wash it first) until you get small chunks and a few finer dust.
4. Add the cashews to the bowl and blend until smooth and sticky. If the combination is too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water. If it is just too wet, grind more cashews or oats and add to the mixture to dry it out.
5. When the consistency is true, form the dough into balls – as large as small. (Quigley measures his spoon with a heaped spoon.) Roll out along with your hands until smooth and place on a plate.
6. Put within the freezer for a couple of hours until they’re firm and spring off the plate. Then store in a plastic bag within the freezer until you are able to play!
