The conversation went something like this. Brother you look tired as I looked into the blood shot eyes of my training partner in the dojo. “Yup, I worked my normal 8 and then had to pull some mandatory OT.” There has been a spike in violence over the last few weeks and all LEO’s in the city have been pulling OT, some 8 hours on top of the 8 they just worked. “To top that off I have been eating like garabge….no time to make and bring my food.”
This is a big problem in not just LE but in all of public safety, food should heal not harm! So instead of berating you with tips, ideas, psychology or even guilt I thought that this month we should just focus on some simple recipes that I developed during my time on the street. These recipes are quick, budget friendly and healthy. Another plus is that they are inexpensive and most of them can be eaten hot or cold.
1. Fit Responder Bars: A homemade protein/meal replacement bar that you can modify to fit your taste.
a. pre-heat the oven to 295
In a mixing bowl add:
b. 2 cups oat meal
c. 4 scoops of vanilla egg white powder (the scoop in the tub & egg whites taste the best when cooked)
d. 1 cup almond meal
e. 1 cup raisins
f. ½ cup diced nuts of your choice
g. 2 tbsp. almond or peanut butter
h. 1 cup almond milk & 1 cup water
i. 2 tbsp. apple sauce
Mix well to desired consistency, more moisture is better than less!
Bake in a round cake pan for 16-18 minutes DO NOT overcook.
Cut into equal pieces, each piece will have roughly 12g of protein.
Keep the bars in the fridge until your shift, a bar will be fine unrefrigerated for at least 12-14 hours.
2. Responder Wraps: A tasty and healthy meal on the go.
Gluten free, spinach or whole wheat wraps.
a. 4-5 slices of reduced sodium turkey breast (tuna or chicken works too)
b. Mustard
c. Hard cheese (provolone or cheddar)
d. loose leaf spinach or kale
Make 2 wraps and cut each in half after rolling them. These are easy to eat between calls no matter where you are. 1 wrap will keep you going for at least 2 hours and will help to control your portions. Drink water as you eat each wrap to feel full and stay hydrated.
3. Basic Base: Every good meal comes with a good base to enhance it. One of my favorite and easiest bases allowed me to add any protein of my liking and it always tasted good. PLUS it can be eaten hot, cold or in-between depending on when the tones go off.
a. In a rice cooker add 2 cups brown rice and cook per directions.
b. When the rice is finished immediately add 1 can of black beans and 2-3 diced tomatoes. Season to your taste or not at all.
c. When cool place the mix in a storage container and throw it in the fridge.
d. Before your shift combine the rice mix with loose leaf spinach, and a protein source.
**Fit Responder recommends pre-cooking 3-4 chicken breasts, that way you can add ¾ of a breast (diced) into the mix.
This will make a tasty meal hot or cold. Often a salad dressing like Newman’s own™ honey mustard really taste’s it up!
4. Make Ready Oat Meal: Recently we came across a very healthy, tasty and easy recipe for a pre-made breakfast or even a meal.
Step 1. Assemble these ingredients & supplies:
- old fashioned rolled oats (not instant, quick, or steel-cut)
- Greek yogurt
- Almond or soy milk
- chia seeds; YES chia seeds, they are a super food and tasteless.
- half pint (1 cup) mason jars, find them at Walmart.
Step 2. Add in this order; oats, milk, yogurt, and chia seeds to jar, along with desired sweeteners or flavors.
a. blueberry delight: frozen blueberries
b. Peanut butter banana
c. apple cinnamon (apple sauce and cinnamon)
*the options are really endless.
Step 3. Gently mix and place in the fridge overnight. Enjoy the next day. We have found that you can make 2-4 jars at a time and they will keep for a long shift week.
5. Easy Calzone: Using whole wheat pizza dough. Pre heat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a pizza stone (or baking sheet) with olive oil.
a. Roll out your pizza dough into a circle and set aside.
b. In a separate pan add in diced veggies of your choice and lightly sauté. We prefer zucchini, broccoli, onion, garlic and at the end spinach (fresh or frozen) BUT any green veggie will do.
c. Add in a chicken breast or protein of your choice (pre-cooked)
d. Add the lightly sautéed veggies to the pizza dough and carefully fold to make a calzone. You can of course add a bit of cheese and we like to add extra leaf veggies like kale, greens or spinach as they cook down very quickly.
e. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is done.
f. Makes a great meal and will feed 4-5 people or it will keep you fed for 4-5 shifts. A little pasta sauce on top completes this awesome meal.
We often make nutrition to difficult and too complicated. While all these tips take some pre-planning I can tell you one thing, when yours truly was on the street running calls in a busy urban system I would make exactly what you just read the day before a long week of running calls and I was able to eat well, save money and control myself from the high sugar and low health foods that seem pervasive in our world.
Bryan Fass
is a leading expert on public safety injury prevention. As the president and founder of Fit Responder Bryan’s company works nationally with departments, corporations; state and local governments to design and run targeted injury prevention and wellness programs. He is frequently contacted for expert opinion and content contribution for all aspects of public safety fitness, ergonomics and wellness. Bryan authored the Fit Responder book used by departments and schools plus writes for numerous web and peer-reviewed journals including the NSCA-Tactical Strength & Conditioning journal, officer.com, ems-1.com & best practices in EMS. Bryan holds a bachelors’ degree in sports medicine with over 17 years of clinical practice, was a paramedic for over 8 years, and is certified as an Athletic Trainer (ATC, LAT), Strength Coach (CSCS) and the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). Fit Responder developed the nation’s first validated pre-hire Physical Abilities Test for EMS. Bryan is a sought-after speaker on a variety of topics including risk reduction, employee self-care, real world wellness and How to Eat on the street. www.fitresponder.com
Every Lift Counts!
