TREAT YOURSELF TO TENDER GREENS

It can be tough finding a healthy food option in a pinch when you work downtown. You need to refuel, but when your choices are limited — that’s when the fast food starts calling. …Then cue the 2pm feeling, slumped over and sleepy at your desk. Sound familiar?

When it comes to choosing our mid-day meals, most of us go for convenience over quality. We need a nutrition-packed meal that’s going to energize us, not slow us down — but when you only have 45 minutes for lunch, where do you go?

When you work out like us, re-fueling is key. Whether you squeeze in an early-morning class or plan on an after-work ride, that mid-day meal is crucial for your energy levels.

Many people mistakenly believe that you can eat a greasy meal so long as your counteract it with a heavy workout, but this is not the case. Eating a 300-calorie donut does not provide the same nourishing satisfaction nor energy levels as eating a 300-calorie salad with whole chicken.

High-sugar foods like donuts go through your body quickly, making you hungrier sooner. By having high-protein, well-rounded meals, you can keep your focus strong and steady throughout the day.

Take our lead and treat yourself to Tender Greens!

We love Tender Greens because of its variety of healthy options, fresh ingredients, and quick and accommodating service. We know they take wholesome living as serious as we do.

One gaze at the Tender Greens menu and you’ll find all sorts of awesome options fitting various dietary restrictions and preferences. Their environment is cool and casual, with a bar of bright and beautiful side dishes that look freshly plucked from a farmer’s market.

One of the keys to Tender Greens’ success is their work with local farmers and ranchers to provide the best quality ingredients to their customers, farm-to-table style. They believe that healthy eating starts with learning new ways to eat, bringing balance and variety into your everyday routine — and we agree.

Make sure you try Tender Greens for your next post-ride meal!

Thankful for this Thanksgiving Table Treat!

This Thanksgiving, be thankful for the foods and dishes that are good for your muscles and your fitness. While we may all want to take a day off from our workouts and hectic schedules on Thursday, there’s no doubt that most of us will feel that urge to fit in that pre-Thanksgiving workout, or the potential post-food-coma workout on Friday. For this reason, we’ve collected our insiders tips for what to eat before and after your workout (whenever it may be!).

Pre workout: You’re going to want to go for something high protein, with some carbs and even fat. MYTH BUSTER: Working out on an empty stomach does not burn more calories, and in fact working out after having a high protein snack or breakfast generally leads to burning more calories because of the energy you gain from your snack! A home blended green juice or a banana and peanut butter are quick and easy options.

Post workout: Carbs and protein (Yet again? Yes, trust us). What you eat after your workout is just as important as before, and you want it to be something that keeps you full and also refuels your body. What you ate yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner is in the past, and your body still needs the same proteins that you give it every day, so stick to your normal meat or chicken dinner, along with some veggies. Can you say stir fry?!

Speaking of veggies…brussel sprouts are one of the best power-packed greens out there. They fight for good health in more ways than one! Low in sodium and fat content, but high in Vitamin C, they’ re ideal for fighting off stress and keeping your heart healthy for that next time you hop on the bike! Don’t like sprouts or not sure what to do with them? Here’s a simple recipe for you to try out, Enjoy!

Bespoke’s Badass Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients:

½ cup diced Apple

1 pound of Brussel Sprouts

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Thyme

salt & pepper.

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, individually peel the leaves of the Brussels sprouts off as much as you can, creating a “salad” of brussels sprouts.
2. Then combine all the ingredients in the bowl, allowing each sprout leaf to get fully marinated in the seasoning.
3. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or more, until desired crispiness.
4. Enjoy!

Meet Our New Instructor, JEFF!

“Hey, I’m Jeff!”

My main source of inspiration comes from a consistent and persistent passion for growth from within.  Whether it be spiritual, mental, creative or physical I believe we can grow much bigger and achieve so much more by effectively including and honoring one another. Being in the moment and accomplishing clear and present goals one at a time.. I aim to create an intense, exciting, ever-changing and safe environment in each class.

I wanna move.

I wanna dance.

I wanna push.

I wanna sprint… and

I want you with me.  

My expectation is that you’ll not only have a blast… you’ll leave wanting more.  

Q. What’s a word of inspiration you can give your riders? Plain and simple, the badass in me.. absolutely wants to meet the badass in you. So…BRING IT!!

Q. What’s a simple playlist riders can expect from you? TV On The Radio, Prince, Phantogram, Drake, Kendrick Lamar , Kanye. I really do have SO many!  I’m ALWAYS listening to new stuff.  Like daily.

Q. Where are you from originally? Suburbs of Detroit

Q. If you could have any superpower, what power would it be and why? I’m obsessed with comic book stuff. Magneto has one of my favorite powers. Deadpool is EVERYTHING… but if I could have any power I’d either be a witch or a magician. Something that could grow with me and gain power as I wanted.

Q. What are five interesting or random facts about yourself?

I’m a pretty strict vegetarian.

I practice yoga everyday.

ART IS LIFE.

My best dance moves are on the bike.

My favorite color is Purple.

Make This Dinner For the Best Sleep of Your Life

Let’s be real: when it comes down to it, having a quality 8 hours of sleep is one of the best feelings in the entire world. As we get older, getting just one night of uninterrupted rest feels harder and harder to come by.

That’s why we were beyond-excited when we came across this recipe. It combines healthy ingredients like whole wheat pasta, vegetables, and chicken to form a snooze-inducing dinner that’s both tasty and healthy to boot. Get the sleep you deserve! No meditation or sleeping pills required.

Why does this make you snooze? The combination of complex carbohydrates from the pasta keep you full, while the protein from the chicken and other ingredients increase levels of tryptophan, easing you into that good night.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound whole wheat spaghetti of your choice
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¾ teaspoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 chicken cutlets
• ½ cup raw broccoli
• ½ cup raw spinach
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 6 garlic cloves
• Finely grated parmesan and lemon wedges to taste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

PREPARATION

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water (about 3 cups) until al dente. Drain well.
2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, a dash of paprika, and the Italian seasoning. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute evenly until the skin in crispy brown. Remove and chop into bite-sized pieces on the side.
3. Add the garlic to a separate saute pan with the olive oil and saute until fragrant. Add the raw broccoli and spinach and saute evenly. Add the pasta and mix together with the tomato sauce. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat.
4. Remove pasta and pour into a bowl. Add the chopped chicken and stir together evenly. Add additional seasonings of your choice, along with the sliced lemon. Add parmesan last and set.

          Serves 4

          Note: When planting, make sure you distribute pasta and veggies evenly.

Why Isolations Burn Incredible Calories

You’re in the middle of class, sprinting down a mountain, then the Instructor calls for a round of isolations. You look around as the entire class freezes instantly. Even though your legs couldn’t move any slower, you find yourself sweating harder than ever. But why is that?

It may seem counter-intuitive that the less we move, the harder we sweat. In this case, it’s a combination of elements that spike our heart rate and keep that calorie burn strong.

By mixing different spin patterns (climbing one minute, sprinting the other, then frozen in isolation) our body burns more calories struggling to catch up. Though, there’s something specific about isolations that keep our calorie burn strong.

For us, it’s all about proper form. Consider isolations to be similar to kind of squat where most of the work is coming from your glute, core, and leg muscles keeping your pedal-stroke smooth as you keep your upper-body frozen.

When you isolate, you contract these muscles more than when you’re just pedaling. This provides a kind of “power boost” to your calorie burn, spiking your heart rate higher and burning more calories.

Make the most of your isolations, by keeping your body posture hovering over the back of the saddle with your arms outstretched with a slight bend. Make sure you don’t let your knees come over your handlebars and don’t forget about tightening that core!

See You on the Bike!

• Your BESPOKE Community

Get Buzzed with this Boozy Pasta Recipe

Usually our nightly routine is sipping wine AS we make dinner, but combining the two has taken our cooking game to the next level! Join the mind-blowing movement with us with this light and savory twist on a classic. All it takes is a bottle of red wine (the cheaper the better!) pasta, walnuts, and a handful of ingredients you already have in your pantry. Don’t forget to save extra for next day left-overs! (Just trust us on this one).

For the full recipe, click here.