Fuel Your Fitness recipes

I ran a small promotion recently, highlighting some ways that you can use your diet to help you exercise more efficiently.  All of the recipes are below...

Spanish style chicken with spinach, chickpeas, spinach and tomatoes

1 red onion
1 garlic clove
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 bag of baby spinach which will help your blood utilize oxygen
1 tin chickpeas contain  slow release carbohydrates
1 lemon
1 red pepper diced have loads of vitamin C to boost your immune system
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 skinless chicken thighs are full of protein to help muscle recovery

Fry the chicken in a little rapeseed oil until browned then add the peppers, onion and garlic.  Cook until the vegetables are soft.  Strain the chickpeas then add them to the pan along with the chopped tomatoes and paprika. Bring the contents of the pan to the simmer for 6 minutes until the chicken is cooked, then drop in the spinach, cook for a further 2 minutes.  Before serving, grate in the zest from the lemon and squeeze in the juice.    Serve with a green salad. This dish is equally good served cold.

Homemade electrolyte Drink

A perfect drink to help to perform to your maximum during exercise

1/2 cup orange juice or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
5 tablespoons of table sugar
3/4 teaspoon of salt
2 liters of filtered water

Mix all of the ingredients in a bottle and shake until dissolved. 

Banana and fresh fruit recovery drink

This easy to make and delicious recovery drink ticks all the boxes. It supplies a near ideal blend of carbohydrate and protein; the milk and yoghurt supply a mix of quick digesting whey and slower digesting casein proteins, while the fruit, milk and honey also supply a mix of quick and slower releasing carbohydrate. There’s also a good slug of vitamins, minerals and fibre and the added salt provides a little bit more sodium, which helps rehydration. However, this can be omitted for anyone following a low-sodium diet. The ingredients are inexpensive and easily available. Most importantly, when you’re feeling worn out after a heavy-duty work out, it’s dead easy to knock together and, of course, tastes great!

Ingredients

150g of plain low-fat yoghurt

1 pint of skimmed milk
4oz of fresh fruit: apples, pineapple, mango, strawberries, peach, nectarines, raspberries etc…
1 banana
1 tablespoon of honey
¼ teaspoon of table salt
handful of ice cubes (optional)

Simply add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until a smooth consistency is achieved.

Serve immediately

Variations

Banana, milk and yoghurt make a good base, but you can substitute the pineapple for a variety of other fruits – apricots and peaches make for a smoother and slightly sweeter drink; berries such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries create a more aromatic flavour and also seriously boost the antioxidant content!