This New York Times article on Crown Maple Syrup inspired me to create a salad dressing using maple syrup. Madava Farms, where Crown Maple is made, is where we held my baby shower last December. Since visiting the farm, I’ve been using Crown Maple all over the place: in my favorite granola recipe, as a topping for yogurt and pancakes, and as a sweetener in my coffee. But I hadn’t yet thought to make a salad dressing with it until this morning.

Over the weekend my mom visited for 24-hours. I've always looked forward to visits from mom, but now as a mom myself, I get how helpful they can be. Even though I've been able to manage everything okay on my own, just having my mom around made me feel like I was on a spa vacation. Well, I shouldn't say I've been managing on my own, most of the credit should be given to our baby nurse. Having a nurse for the baby is a big luxury, but it allows me to do the essentials:  sleep and focus on getting back into shape.

Now that Laurel is back into full-time training mode and I'm in full-time mom mode, the idea of taking the time to cook a healthy meal seems as unlikely as running a four minute mile. That's where our Athlete Food editor Melissa steps in. She's assured us that we can still prepare quick, easy, and nutritious meals on our limited time budgets. Melissa suggests preparing simple foods with just a few ingredients and throwing in a some shortcuts that we otherwise wouldn't normally take (think simmer sauces, frozen items, pre-cut veggies). 

We brainstormed ideas over email and came up with a bunch of fast, easy recipes. Over the next couple of weeks we'll be sharing them with you. We're starting off the recipe that got Melissa through the first few weeks of life with a newborn. Laurel and I think this makes a perfect salty snack for athletes and are hoping it wins over some chips & salsa fans when we serve it during the Super Bowl. 

--Bec