Fit Fare

Even though it may seem counter-intuitive, occasional decadent treats are crucial to losing and maintaining one’s weight. The key word there is “occasional.” If you spend your life depriving yourself of treats - no sugars or fats, no chocolate or ice cream - you are more likely to overindulge once you can’t stave off the craving any longer. However, if you allow yourself the occasional, scheduled treat, you are more likely to feel satisfied and able to withstand temptation down the road.

As an endurance athlete, it’s very easy to find a good time to reward myself with a treat. When I go for a long run, usually around 10-15 miles on a Sunday, I burn somewhere around 1200 calories. The first food that I crave immediately after running is usually something salty, preferably a savory meal with some protein and carbs. However, after that, dessert is a welcome treat.

One dessert that I’ve grown to love recently is panna cotta. It is surprisingly easy to make and can be flavored any way you want, from a basic vanilla to a more complex ginger-infused panna cotta. In addition to being delicious, the ginger has the benefit of being an anti-inflammatory which is exactly what the muscles need to recover. It is crucial to use fresh ginger for this recipe, as the powdered ginger isn’t nearly as flavorful. The recipe is also great prepared the day before so that you don’t have to worry about doing much when you’re exhausted from your workout.

Depending on how cautious you’re being about calorie counting, you can replace the half and half with all skim milk, cutting the amount of calories in half. However, for my recipe, I use milk and half and half, because it is after all a reward.

Ginger-Infused Panna Cotta

1 tsp. agar agar
1 cup half and half
1 1/4 cup milk (low fat)
½ cup brown sugar
4 slices of fresh ginger

Pour the milk and the half and half in a medium saucepan and add the ginger. Bring to a simmer then cover and let the ginger infuse for about fifteen minutes. You can taste the milk at this point to see if the flavor is strong enough yet. When you’ve reached the desired flavor, add the sugar and sprinkle the agar agar into the milk. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes until the agar agar is dissolved. Mix over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and tiny bubbles appear around the edge of your pan, remove from heat. Pour the cream mixture through a strainer into small well-oiled ramekins and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least an hour, up to overnight. Serve with fresh fruit.