5 Simple Meals for Athletes
Everyday Athlete Plate Series
Week 3
Nutrition science is complicated, but how you implement the recommendations in your diet doesn’t have to be. Amplify your plates by packing in nutrient-dense foods in a way you actually enjoy. Focus on practices you can implement day-in and day-out. What you do over the long-term is what will have the most impact on your health.
These five meals offer simple tips and tricks for including your favorite foods every day.
As always, the Everyday Athlete Plate Series has a few ground rules:
Each meal has a photo along with a description and links within where needed for recipes or products.
A brief recipe is included if it isn’t clear how the food was prepared. However, for something like a hard boiled egg, no recipe is included.
Questions? Email me or comment below - allison@anewwell.co.
BBQ Chicken Wrap
Easy Day Plate
1/4 protein | 1/4 carb | 1/2 vegetable
BBQ “chicken” wrap with collard greens and shredded carrots plus a side of cherry tomatoes.
Preparation Tips:
Heat BBQ “chicken” in a saute pan or in the microwave. Add to wrap with chopped collard greens and shredded carrots. Wrap into a burrito-style sandwich.
Choose a wrap with no trans fat and one that is made with whole grains. Aim for 3g of fiber or more per wrap. Sodium can vary significantly between brands. For example, this whole wheat wrap has 150mg sodium per wrap while this brand has over 350mg sodium.
Add a side of your favorite vegetable or choose a side of whole grains to boost carbs and turn this plate into a moderate or heavy day plate.
Vegan Pad Thai
Heavy Day Plate
1/2 carb | 1/4 protein | 1/4 vegetable
Soba noodles with sauteed frozen, mixed vegetables tofu, and a pad thai sauce.
Preparation Tips:
Cook soba noodles or rice noodles. Rice noodles are usually gluten-free while soba noodles are made from wheat. This is all about taste preference and availability. Use what you have on hand.
Saute vegetables of your choice until mostly cooked.
Press firm tofu to remove excess water. Bake sliced tofu for 25-30 minutes in a 350F oven if you prefer extra firm tofu. Otherwise, add sliced tofu directly to the pan with sauteed vegetables and store-bought pad thai sauce of your choice. Note: most pad thai sauce will contain fish oil, so check the ingredient list if looking to avoid fish and/or are choosing a vegan dish.
Vegetable Pasta Bake
Hard Day Plate
1/2 carb | 1/4 protein | 1/4 vegetables
Penne pasta with zucchini, tomatoes, “beef” crumbles, marinara, ricotta, and parmesan cheese.
Preparation Tips:
Cook penne pasta according to package directions.
Saute garlic and vegetables of your choice (zucchini and cherry tomatoes used here, but squash, leafy greens, onion, eggplant, or mushrooms would also work).
Add “beef” crumbles and heat through. Add marinara sauce of your choice.
If using regular beef, cook in a separate pan until browned and cooked through before adding to vegetable mixture.
If marinara sauce is not available, use canned tomatoes and add basil, thyme, and garlic powder to taste.
Mix ricotta cheese in with the vegetable and meat sauce. Add pasta and mix well. Put all in a baking pan and top with parmesan cheese. Cover and cook at 350F for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil for the remaining five minutes.
“Pepperoni” Pizza, Simple Green Salad
Moderate Day Plate
1/3 carb | 1/3 protein | 1/3 vegetables
“Pepperoni” pizza with a simple, homemade pizza crust plus a side salad with parmesan, lemon, salt, and olive oil.
Preparation Tips:
This pizza dough is the easiest dough to make! It doesn’t require yeast and it comes together in less than 10 minutes. Add half whole wheat flour for a crust that is slightly more dense, but higher in fiber.
Top with your choice of toppings. This photo shows “pepperoni” and banana peppers plus mozzarella and a marinara sauce. (Marinara sauce also used in pasta bake)
To make the side salad, add greens of your choice to a bowl plus a drizzle of olive oil and juice from half of a lemon. Massage with clean hands until combined and the leaves begin to break down. Add parmesan cheese and mix well. Salt is optional.
Spicy Asian-Inspired Salad
Easy Day Plate
1/4 carb | 1/4 protein | 1/2 vegetables
Baby spinach with sliced radish, carrots, and pepper, plus boiled edamame and a homemade spicy soy dressing. (Chicken or shrimp optional)
Preparation Tips:
Add tofu, chicken or shrimp to up the protein.
Increase carbs with rice or noodles.
To make the dressing, mix 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp chili garlic sauce, 1 tsp maple syrup (or honey if not vegan), and 1 tsp fish sauce (if not vegan or vegetarian). Stir well and drizzle over salad.
