You know the drill: With a storm cycle moving in, a zing fills the air as everyone is getting ready for powder. At the end of a dry spell that’s turned us all into groomed-run-skiing-zombies, a palatable relief fills the collective ski town soul with the sight of snow coming in on the horizon.
We all have our routines to prepare for the onslaught: Maybe you re-waterproof your jacket and pants or check to make sure your beacon doesn’t need new batteries or locate your low-light lens goggles. And if you’re like me, you gather up all your gear the night before your early snow day wake-up time. But just as important is the food you eat to prepare yourself for a day (or week) of hard-charging pow.
Jessica Vandenbroeke, a certified food, health and weight loss coach here in Jackson, shared with me her secret recipe for fueling up for the powder cycle: homemade, pre-packaged breakfast burritos.
“One of my favorites that I prepared for a weekend of skiing a couple weeks ago when we got all that snow was breakfast burritos,” she said. “I basically made a bunch of them ahead of time, wrapped them in foil and just threw them in the oven to warm up each morning while getting ready to go. They kept me fueled for the powder long into the day.”
So, the day before your next powder cycle begins, line up the following ingredients, take 45 minutes to prepare them, and wrap yourself up some breakfast burritos for the coming storm adventures. Mix and match veggies. Make larger burritos for breakfast and snack-sized ones to throw into your pack for a mid-morning munch. And more than anything, take the idea and run with it, throwing in your own twist along the way.
“This breakfast is full of vitamins, quality carbohydrates, healthy fats, protein and delicious flavors,” Vandenbroeke said. “The key to an athletically sustaining breakfast is a quality combination of all of these important macronutrients.”
It might take a little extra time to make your own burritos, but you’ll find the extra time spent will yield you a high reward on all fronts. These burritos are a healthy and economical alternative to daily $9 high-fat, simple-carb breakfast from order-out joints. And remember: your body is your secret tool to those adrenaline highs that you crave so much. Pay it in, and it will pay you out.
Ingredients
- Sprouted grain tortillas (sprouted grains are a low glycemic index food, which means your blood sugar levels won’t spike right after you eat them, and the tortilla will act as a longer-lasting carb fuel to your body)
- Free-range, hormone-free, vegetable-fed, Omega-3 organic eggs
- Raw cheese (if you can afford it; if not, pasteurized cheese will do)
- Carrots, onions, kale, garlic, spinach, green chilies, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc.
- Himalayan sea salt, fresh ground pepper (sea salt is cheap, and full of nutritious trace elements and minerals like potassium, not to mention that it’s full of flavor)
- Canned organic black beans
- Breakfast sausage (you’ll get more protein bang for your fat-content and cash-money buck with sausage than you will with regular bacon)
- Spices: tumeric, cumin, chili powder, cilantro, Sriracha (basically, whatever you like)
Instructions
- Saute your onions in olive oil until soft and translucent, just before browned.
- Scramble your eggs.
- Add salt, pepper and spices to taste.
- At the end of your scramble, stir in cheese.
- If you’re adding meat, cook, and drain off the fat from your protein of choice.
- Slice or dice the carrots.
- Add them to your onion saute.
- Cook until tender and slightly browned.
- Rinse the black beans.
- Add chopped kale, garlic, green chilies (and whatever else you might like) to your carrot and onion sauté.
- Cook until the kale is soft.
- Soften the tortillas in a warm oven for just a moment, just enough to make them pliable.
- Load up your tortillas.
- Layer egg, meat, veggies and maybe a layer of fresh tomato or spinach on top.
- Wrap them individually in tin foil, and throw them in the fridge.
- If you’ve made a bunch, freeze them for future use.
- On your ski day morning, throw the burrito in the oven to warm up while you’re making coffee, checking the snow reports and getting your gear together.
- Finally, and most importantly, enjoy an epic day of lapping your breakfast-sausage-and-cheese-biscuit-eating friends.