Looking for a tasty something that will help you get back on your A-game? These meals are packed with the goodness your body needs to refuel and recover after hard exercise.
We all know that what we eat in the hours after a tough workout counts, because a healthy balance of the right nutrients will give your body what it needs to replenish glycogen stores and rebuild muscle tissue damage, but what if it’s mealtime and you’re lacking inspiration? Then it’s high time you expanded your fitness fuel menu.
During exercise, small parts of your muscles get broken down and damaged, This means it’s important to get the right kind of carbohydrates and protein in your post-workout meals, to repair your muscles quickly and decrease how much they get broken down next time.
What should you be putting on your post-workout plate? Look for lean proteins like chicken, turkey, eggs and fish, or combine different plant-protein sources such as pulses, beans and nuts, plus complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, quinoa, rice and oats. ‘If I’m training in the evening, our honey chicken with stir-fried rice makes for the perfect meal, with a healthy balance of protein, fats and carbs, plus three of your 5-A-Day.’
Hungry? Read on for three post-workoutworthy meals for after your next sweat session. Each meal boasts more than 40g of protein, plus are gluten-, dairy- and refined sugar-free, so you’ll feel stronger rather than sluggish.
MEXICAN HAKE WITH BLACK BEANS & GUACAMOLE
Cook time: 15 mins
Per serving: 516 cals, 43g protein, 33g carbs, 25g fat
Ingredients for 2
• 4 spring onions
• 1 handful of fresh coriander
• 1 lime
• 110g baby plum tomatoes
• 2 hake fillets (skin off)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 240g black beans (drained)
• 50g sweetcorn (drained)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 avocado, destoned
• 1 little gem lettuce, sliced
• Oil, for frying
1. Thinly slice the spring onions. Roughly chop the coriander. Halve the lime. Halve the tomatoes.
2. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan with ½ tbsp oil on a high heat. Season the hake with black pepper and half the paprika. Pan-fry for 2-3 mins on each side, until golden and cooked through. Keep warm in the pan.
3. Drain the beans and sweetcorn, then rinse. Heat a second frying pan with ¼ tbsp oil on a medium heat. Add half the spring onions, cook for 1 min, then add the beans and sweetcorn followed by the tomatoes, cumin and remaining paprika. Cook for 4 mins, add half the coriander, then season with black pepper.
4. Meanwhile, make the guacamole; add the remaining spring onions and half the remaining coriander to a bowl with the juice from half the lime. Spoon the flesh of the avocado into the bowl and roughly mash with the back of a fork. Season.
5. To make the dressing, add the remaining coriander, remaining lime juice and ¼ tbsp olive oil to a small bowl.
6. Serve the warm beans topped with the fish, and the guacamole and sliced lettuce on the side. Drizzle over the dressing.
TOFU SAAG WITH CORIANDER QUINOA
Cook time: 20 mins
Per serving: 633 cals, 46g protein, 55g carbs, 29g fat
Ingredients for 1
• 40g quinoa
• 280g naked tofu
• 1 shallot
• 2cm fresh ginger
• ½ red chilli
• 1 handful of fresh coriander
• ½ lemon
• 2 garlic clove
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1½ tsp Mindful Chef Sri Lankan spice blend (coriander, fenugreek, cumin, fennel, cayenne, cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves, clove)
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 80g baby spinach
• 150g peas
• Oil, for frying
1. Fill a small saucepan with salted boiling water. Add the quinoa and boil for 13-14 mins, until cooked, then drain.
2. Drain the half block of tofu, pat dry with a paper towel and cut into 3cm cubes, put into a small bowl and toss with half the spice blend. Heat a medium frying pan with 1 tsp oil on a medium heat. Cook the tofu for 8-10 mins, turning occasionally, until golden. Season with sea salt, then remove from the pan.
3. Meanwhile, finely slice the shallot. Finely chop or grate the ginger. Finely dice the chilli (remove the seeds for less heat). Roughly chop the coriander. Zest and quarter the lemon.
4. Reheat the empty frying pan over a medium-high heat with 1 tsp oil. Add the shallot, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and remaining spice blend. Cook for 2-3 mins, until softening and fragrant. Add the tomato, cook for 2 more mins, then return the tofu to the pan along with the spinach and peas. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 more mins, until the peas are hot and the spinach is wilted.
5. Stir half the coriander through the quinoa and the other half through the tofu saag. Season the saag with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
6. Serve the quinoa in a bowl with the tofu saag on top.
HONEY CHICKEN WITH STIR-FRIED RICE
Cook time: 30 mins
Per serving: 538 cals, 45g protein, 47g carbs, 20g fat
Ingredients for 4
• 160g brown rice
• 2 red pepper
• 4 spring onions
• 150g sweetcorn (drained)
• 20g white sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 25g honey
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• ½ tsp Chinese five-spice
• 600g diced free-range chicken breast
• 1 head of broccoli
1. Rinse the rice, then add to a saucepan with 800ml boiling water and a pinch of sea salt. Simmer for 20-25 mins, then drain. Set aside the rice; reuse the pan for the broccoli later.
2. Cut the peppers into bite-sized pieces. Cut the broccoli into florets. Thinly slice the spring onions. Drain the sweetcorn. Toast the sesame seeds in a large, non-stick dry pan on a medium heat, stirring constantly, until evenly golden. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Keep the pan for later.
3. Make the sauce. In a small bowl mix together the tamari, honey, vinegar, tomato purée and five-spice. Heat the pan used earlier with 1 tbsp oil on a medium-high heat and cook the peppers and sweetcorn for 5 mins, until softening. Add the cooked rice and mix thoroughly. Season with sea salt and black pepper; cover to keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, heat a separate large pan with 1 tbsp oil on a medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 6 mins, turning occasionally. Season, then add the sauce with 50ml water. Cook for a further 2 mins to reduce slightly. Check the chicken is cooked through; cut a large piece in half, the flesh should be white and the juices running clear.
5. Simmer the broccoli in a pot of lightly salted boiling water for 2 mins or until it is cooked but still retaining a slight bite. Drain; season with sea salt and black pepper.
6. Serve the fried rice, broccoli and chicken garnished with the spring onions and sesame seeds.
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