Show Day Eats

Yesterday I had my first show of the season with River North. It was held at The Ruth Page Center for Dance and it was for the kids taking the River North Dance Chicago Summer Intensive. We only performed four pieces, so it was an easier show for the company, normally our shows are twice as long, lasting about two hours. Regardless, I have to prepare myself just the same on any show day. One of the questions I get asked the most is, "what do you eat on show days?" Well, it is your lucky day because I am going to tell you exactly how I fuel myself for a hard days work, and how I treat myself at the end of it all!

5:00 am- I am up for spin class and I get my day started with a piece of Ezekiel bread, toasted, with peanut butter and coffee, lots of coffee. Ezekiel bread is a sprouted whole grain bread, that is a complete source of protein, contains 18 amino acids, high in fiber and low in sugar. If you are going to eat bread, this is my healthy pick!

6:00 am- Because I have an easier show tonight, I go to spin class. I have to be careful about extra exercise on show days because I do not want to tire my legs out. On this day, I think it will be a good warm up.

8:00 am- More coffee. And a plain croissant, because it is Friday.

9:30 am- Ballet class. Some people may think ballet class is for little girls in tutus, but it is really not. A professional dancer's ballet class is very intense and you have to be very focused to learn difficult combinations and perform at your best.

11:00 am- On this particular day, because of the workshop going on, I get a break. Time to eat again! I have an apple and a peanut butter, chocolate Quest Bar. Some good carbs and protein to fuel my rehearsal.

12:30 am- Rehearsal time for the show tonight! We space through the pieces with lighting and we are ready to go!

2:15 pm- Physical therapy. Athletico,  the local PT company who works with many of the Chicago sports teams also works on us. Today I have them work on my left metatarsal which I injured last season. Injuries are something you have to stay on top of, otherwise they will keep returning. We don't want that!

2:30 pm- Another break! I meet #thesweetest in the park. At this point I have not really had a "lunch." That is because on show days, when I wont be eating dinner until late, I like to break up my lunch into two parts so I do not feel too full and I do not get too hungry. Today I have another apple and Fage Greek Yogurt. I know, another apple, but there are worse things than having two apples in one day.

5:30 pm- Showtime!

7:00 pm- I am finally done for the day! Me and #thesweetest head across the street to Italian restaurant, Nico Osteria, one of Paul Kahan's many restaurants in the city. Others include Big Star, The Publican and Publican Quality Meats. All equally delicious! After about a 15 hour day at the office, a show and a grueling week I think it is time to treat myself. The dinner we had did not disappoint. When most people think Italian they think heavy cheese laden dishes. Not at Nico! We had the freshest of the land and sea! Oh and some pasta of course!

 (Front) Beef Tongue with, sepia, Persian cucumber and sea urchin aioli (Back) Octopus with favetta, grapefruit and preserved lemon

 Softshell Crab alla Romana with Bibb lettuce, salsa verde and agro mosto

Goat Cheese Caramelle with English peas, morels, hazelnuts and saba

Back to Work: What's for Lunch?

Being a dancer, I often get asked, "what do you eat for lunch?" It is a common misconception that dancers don't eat but the reality is, we have to eat! Without fuel I could not get through my day, which usually consists of yoga or spin class at 6 a.m. followed by a 9:30 a.m. ballet class that leads into about 5 hours of rehearsal. As you can see I have a very physically exhausting schedule. By eating small snacks throughout the day and getting good rest I am able to execute my best work.

I though it would be fun to show you all what I eat for lunch each week. In order to save money and time, I usually make one large grain and vegetable salad accompanied by fruit. For my first week back to work I made a quinoa tabbouleh with chickpeas. It is filling and light so it gives me the energy I need without weighing me down. Enjoy!

Using a mason jar makes is easy to measure portions

Quinoa Tabbouleh
(Makes enough for about 5 days worth of lunch. About 1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 cups quinoa dry
1 can chickpeas (drained)
1 cup parsley chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in half
3 Persian cucumbers diced
Olive oil (enough to lightly coat salad)
Juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare quinoa and then add  the rest of the ingredients. Chill overnight for the best flavor!

800 Followers! ...and a Blog!

As many of you know, this blog started as an Instagram account that was meant to document my culinary experiences as a traveling dancer with River North Dance Chicago. selfishly, I only wanted it for my own personal use. The more I toured, the more pictures and followers I accumulated. When at home in my tiny Chicago kitchen I began to recreate or create new recipes inspired by the food I ate during my travels. My followers began to ask for my recipes. Now that I have reached 800 followers, I figured it was about time I gave this blog thing a shot!

On Olive Eats you will be able to follow my travels and access my recipes! I can't wait to share my upcoming adventures with you all!