3 Savory Recipes For Athletes

Nutrition is important for athletes because it provides a source of energy required to perform the activity and achieve your goals. Every high-performing athlete is well aware that the food you eat is having a huge impact on your body and it is crucial to get the needed metabolism, the nutrition balance, the required strength, agility, and recovery after a tough workout.  

It is a golden rule that you should eat two hours before exercising and the meal should be high in carbohydrates, low in fat, and low to medium in proteins. Carbohydrates are the main source of fuel that powers you and helps you make it across a will-bending workout. Proteins on the other side are what helps your muscles grow and recover. After exercise, you need to replace the carbohydrates that you have lost and get your muscles repaired by the proteins. Being essential for many sports, you probably already know that. 

If you are an experienced athlete, you are well aware of what we said above. You are probably already used to low fat, less spicy, and high protein foods. If you stick to that regime of eating for a long time, there is a high chance that you will eventually get tired of eating boring and not so tasty meals. Can you keep your flawless condition and continue to perform on the highest level while eating savory, spicy rich, and tasty meals? We have good news for you. Yes, you can! Here are three savory meals that you can include in your athlete diet regime and nutrition facts about each one of them. Learn more about how you can become a better athlete through training, nutrition, and preparation on TheChampLair.com

Quick spicy cheese pate

Tasty recovery snack on the go!

If bread is not your enemy, and you sometimes like to eat a slice of appetizing homemade pate, this pleasant and simple option will probably find its place on your menu. If you are a fan of spicy food – this one is perfect for you. Spicy foods are proved to speed up metabolism, so as an athlete you benefit additionally. Grab some whole-grain bread and get back your lost carbohydrates! You choose to add chili, tabasco, or go straight with some hot pepper. If you don't like spicy foods, go for the clean version. You can even easily take it with you on the go. Quick to prepare and quite delicious!

What are you going to need:

• 4 boiled eggs
• 200 g of cottage cheese
• 1/2 avocado
• Salt to taste
• Hot pepper to taste
• Spices (optional)

Preparation:

1. Use a chopper, blender, or kitchen robot, blend all the products to the desired homogeneity.
2. Serve the pate on a slice, with crackers or alone.

This savory meal ideal purpose is to be a good starter or a great afternoon snack that any athlete can incorporate in his regime. Perfect for those who have to work out more than once a day. A wonderful option for those who decided to get to the podium meat-free.

Nutritional composition of the recipe:

Turkey meat with red wine and basil

Our fastest contender yet

This is a wonderful single portion savory option for a dinner or а lunch that is both quite nutritious and really tasty. It’s a great way to recover torn down muscles as it consists of a large portion of proteins and therefore it’s perfect for strength athletes. No worries if you are tired after working out, this one is pretty easy and fast to be made.

What are you going to need:

• 300 g turkey meat (from a leg)
• 20 g butter

For marinating:

•  1-2 tbsp mustard
•  60 ml. Red wine

Spices:

• Salt, pepper, red pepper, dried basil, dried garlic (all to taste)

Preparation:

1. Slice the turkey into pieces as with a thickness of about 1 inch. To make them tender, let the steak hammer come into use (if you don't have one, the knife handle does the job, but be careful).
2. Spread the pieces with mustard, salt, and season with black and red pepper to taste.
3. Put the meat in a pan and sprinkle with a pinch or two of dried basil and garlic. Pour over the wine and leave it to stay cool for an hour or two (this stage is optional, it can be missed, especially if you are starving!).
4. Heat a pan, melt the butter in it, and put the marinated meat to stew, not to fry. After 2-3 minutes, turn it over and let it get cooked. It will only take a few minutes until ready for serving.

Delicious and aromatic protein meal with moderate fat content. Thus prepared, this savory meal is self-sufficient for a single portion of a low carbohydrate diet. In case your diet must include a larger amount of carbohydrates, garnish with boiled rice or boiled quinoa. Garnish sets with no carbs: lettuce, cooked beets.

Nutritional composition of the recipe:

Chilli con Carne

 Ultra recovery for you and your teammates

This is another high protein savory meal, but this time for multiple servings and comes with a large number of carbohydrates which makes it perfect for swimmers and track athletes. A tasty savory meal that can give you an edge over your rivals. You gotta be in! Actually it’s a classic recipe reworked for athletes.

What are you going to need:

• 500 g lean minced beef
• 1 large onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 400 g can peeled tomatoes
• 400 g can red beans     
• 3-4 tbsp smashed tomatoes paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• Ground coriander and oregano - 2-3 pinches
• 1 pinch of red pepper
• Chili powder (adjust the spiciness according to your taste)

Preparation:

1. Chop the onion and crush the garlic. Fry them for a few minutes to turn yellow, then put the mince and stir/crush for another 5-10 minutes until it gets brown. 
2. During this time, put the spices, followed by a row of the canned tomatoes, the mashed tomatoes, and the red pepper, and stir until the tomatoes are crushed and mixed with the mince.
3. Then you put the can of beans (drain it from the water before that) and leave everything for 15-20 minutes. You may need to add some water (about half to one cup, hot). You should be boiling it on medium-high heat. 

Bon Apetit, you are ready!

The so-called Chilli con Carne is served in two large portions and you can add a side dish if desired. Rice or risotto with vegetables, roasted or cooked potatoes, and mashed potatoes are suitable. You can never go wrong with beef as it will give you tons of explosiveness and stamina in competitive sports. Oh, and that awesome taste, let’s not forget it!

Nutritional composition of the recipe:

Savory taste and healthy nutrition can definitely go together and make your daily regime more delicious. Having in mind what kind of diet your sport requires you can go ahead and pick one of the recipes above. Hopefully, they can lead you to even better results!