Photo Credit: Phil Wayes

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Butterfly's Ultimate Dancer/Foodie Post

Alternate Title: The Food Article That You Will Never See In Any Proper Dance Publication Or Blog, Anywhere, Ever.

This is list of vegetarian and easy-to-prepare dancer foods that I love. But keep this in mind: I'm not a nutritionist or or a chef, just a dance lady who likes munchies; so read this with a grain of salt.

1. The Ultimate Breakfast of Champions: Two Morning Star Veggie Sausage Links wrapped in two slices fat-free American Cheese (I use Kraft American Singles) and a whole-wheat tortilla (Mission's Carb Balance tortillas work best). It's ready in under two microwave minutes (I recommend nuking the links for about a minute, then adding the tortilla with the cheese slices for another 20 seconds); and it has twenty-three grams of protein. I swear by it. Special thanks to my awesome partner-in-crime for introducing me to this. Thanks, buddy!

2. The Saturday Breakfast of Champions: You ate healthy-like all week; ya gotta let loose on the weekends. The perfect start to a Saturday of ballet lessons and Nutcracker rehearsals? Hash browns and orange juice. For extra white-trash credit, you can substitute the hash browns for tater tots. This travels well....which is great if, say, you have to drive between Houston and Katy and Sugar Land and then back to Houston.

3. How to have a big ol- greasy hamburger that is not greasy nor a hamburger: This is a great for post-rehearsal light lunch: A vegan "burger" (veggie patty) on a warm sugar-free whole-grain bun with a slice of melted cheese (skip that one if you're vegan). And ketchup. Lots and lots of ketchup. If you think you have enough ketchup, put a little more on just to be safe (Hey, I'm from the northeast, where we're raised to appreciate Heinz). Delicious? Hell yes. Atery-clogging? I wouldn't worry.

4. Eating for student matinee performances: You know, the kind where you're at the theater and doing plies by 8am? For breakfast, I prefer can of red bull and a cigarette. Heh. A bunch of nutritionists and health-nuts are now trying to track down my address so they can beat me senseless for that one, so here's my explanation: I'm one of those people who can't really eat before performing, and in the thick of performance week I really don't have the time or energy to think much more about it. PROTIP: If you like to brush your teeth/use mouthwash as part of your pre-show ritual, you might want to wait a few minutes before you take a sip of your Red Bull. Trust me, I learned this one the hard way.

Most people usually want a pick-me-up between performances, so I recommend a light granola bar or energy bar. My personal favorite? Nature's Market Hemp Plus Chewy Granola Bars, especially the ones made with cranberries. So good, you kind of forget they're healthy. I also keep B12 Vitamins or Redline Power Shots handy in case we're really dragging.

Post-matinee, I tend to stick with an all-organic vegetarian burrito or that non-greasy non-cheeseburger I mention. Except for....

...5. Closing Night Post-Performance Food Fest: If you and your cronies have at least a full day before you have to put on a leotard/a tutu/body paint, this is when everybody goes on al all-out feeding frenzy. Here in Houston, we like Tex-Mex (my fellow dancers and are fans of La Tapitia). My recommendation? Frozen Strawberry margarita and cheese enchiladas. When the shows are over, everyone deserve a little greasy carb-laden indulgence. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

6. One last thing: Veggie Corn dogs are God's gift to hungover people.

Anyway, since there are now a bunch of nutritionists and personal trainer-types rioting outside my window, I better boogie. Have a great Sunday, y'all!

1 comment:

none said...

Veggie burgers=love
:)

Selly