November begins my favorite season – my birthday season, that is.
Technically, my 32nd trip around the sun concludes Nov. 28. However, I am inclined to celebrate not just my birthday, but my entire birth month. This year, I decided to kick off festivities with a daylong paddling adventure, from Coolidge Park to Prentice Cooper State Forest.
It was further than I’d ever paddled before, so proper nutrition was paramount – as was carrying compact snacks, since kayak storage space is limited. Leading up to my voyage, I experimented with which foods worked best to sustain energy. After much sampling, I give to you my perfected plan, composed of small meals throughout the day.
- Breakfast (before leaving my apartment): A big bowl of oatmeal drizzled with honey. Oatmeal packs more protein than you might guess; 1 cup of dry oats offers about 12 grams of protein, which keeps you feeling full longer.
- Snack No. 1 and 2: GoMacro bars, which, after taste-testing energy bars to the ends of the earth, I have chosen as my favorite. They are certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture, gluten-free and verified non-GMO, among other au-naturel accolades. I recommend the “Protein Pleasure” peanut butter chocolate-chip bar, which tastes remarkably like cookie dough.
- Snack No. 3, 4 and 5: Two bananas and a bagful of cherries, all of which have relatively low glycemic indexes. That means they help stabilize blood sugar and keep you from crashing, figuratively and literally.
- Snack No. 6: The biggest chocolate chocolate-chip cookie around, which I procured from Whole Foods bakery.
Why the cookie? Because it’s my birthday. Duh. Happy birth month to me! And happy late-season outdoor adventures to all.