Part 4: You’re not hardcore unless you live hardcore – How to Eat like an Athlete
Many people ask us how we manage to do all the things that we do. It’s true, we pack a lot of stuff into 24 hours / 7 days a week. A big part of our active lifestyle stems from what and how we eat. And lets be honest, who doesn’t LOVE food?
Jake and I eat about 5-6 times per day (minimum). We eat things like burgers, fries, fish n chips, pizza, enchiladas, steak, pasta, etc… The list goes on and on. How can we eat like this and still be fit and healthy???
The secret to our health and fitness-levels is that we cook almost all of our meals, rather than going out to eat. We use high-quality ingredients; substituting unhealthy foods w/ healthier versions, which often end up tasting better than anything we could get at a restaurant. It is also A LOT cheaper to cook your meals, and can be a really fun / entertaining activity for everyone.
A fast metabolism is key to staying fit, feeling healthy and keeping off the pounds. If you eat lots of food, consistently throughout the day (rather than skipping meals, starving yourself and then binging, or eating a few really large meals etc.), your body will respond by burning fat rather than muscle, giving you more energy and making you feel great. The type of food we eat allows us to have energy to workout as much and as hard as we do, plus it makes us feel really good. And ultimately that’s most important!
So, we decided to document what/how we eat during 1 week. This is how we eat regardless of what we are doing, training or not. We included a shopping list of all of the ingredients we needed to accomplish this week’s menu as well as recipes.
Thursday
Breakfast | Smoothie |
Morning Snack | 1 Banana, 12 Almonds, 1 Larabar |
Lunch | Turkey Sandwich |
Afternoon Snack | PB & J Sandwich, 15 tortilla chips |
Dinner | Southwestern Meatball Skillet |
Ingredients: 1/4 cup soy milk, 1/2 cup OJ, 1/3 cup blueberries, 1/3 cup mango (frozen), 1/4 cup granola, 1 tbsp honey, 2 scoops whey protein powder, ice (to top of blender)
Ingredients: Gluten-Free Bread, 3 slices smoked turkey, 1 slice cheddar cheese, spinach, tomato, broccoli sprouts, organic canola mayo, mustard, avocado slices
Ingredients: 1lb grount turkey breast, 1/4 cup Gluten Free panko, 2 egg whites (or 1 full egg), 1 clove garlic, 1 cup brown rice, 1 tbsp canola oil, 1/2 cup vegetable broth, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 can organic diced tomatoes, 1 can organic black beans, 1 cup frozen corn, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, 1 tsp cumin, salt & pepper to taste.
Recipe:
1. Prepare brown rice in separate container or rice cooker
2. Mix turkey, panko, garlic, egg, salt and pepper and form 12-15 golf-ball size meatballs.
3. Preheated skillet with oil, add meatballs and let sear for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden.
4. Add broth, lime juice, tomato, beans, corn and cumin to skillet and let simmer for 15 minutes.
5. To serve, pour skillet over brown rice and top with cilantro
Friday
Breakfast | Oatmeal w/ PB & blueberries |
Morning Snack | 6 celery sticks, hummus, 1 Larabar |
Lunch | SW Meatball leftovers, small salad |
Afternoon Snack | Greek yogurt w/ granola, 1 Banana |
Dinner | Fish n’ Chips w/ Tartar Sauce |
We modified this traditional dish with homemade tartar sauce (canola-mayo and yogurt and many other yummy fresh things), and Zucchini chips (which were spicy, crunchy and delicious!). Entire meal was gluten and dairy-free. We also shared a beer to replenish our sugars, carbs quickly.
Ingredients: 2 zucchini cut into 3″ long sticks, olive oil cooking spray, thyme, salt & pepper to taste, 1/2 plain greek yogurt, 1/3 cup sliced sweet pickle (or relish), 3 tbsp organic canola mayonnaise, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup gluten free flour, 1 large egg, 3/4 cup gluten free panko, cayanne pepper, 1lb boneless halibut fillet
Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. In large bowl, add zucchini sticks and toss with salt, pepper and thyme. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile prepare tartar sauce. Combine yogurt, pickle, mayo, lemon juice, dijon, salt & pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
4. Combine flour, seasoning, salt and pepper in one bowl. Combine egg, 2tbs water, salt and pepper in 2nd bowl. In 3rd bowl, add panko, flour and salt/pepper. Dredge fish in bowls 1, 2, 3 and transfer to oven. Cook for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Ingredients: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion slices, broccoli sprouts, sprinkled cheddar cheese, 1/2 hardboiled egg cut up, shaved carrots, with a side of parmesan caesar dressing
Saturday
Breakfast | Smoothie |
Morning Snack | 1 Larabar, 10 Almonds |
Lunch | Breakfast Melts |
Afternoon Snack | Chips and Salsa |
Dinner | Orange Chipotle Chicken w/ Cilantro Rice |
Ingredients: 6 english muffins, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes – cut in half, 3 scallions – diced, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp mayonaise, 1 tsp pickle relish, 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt, salt, pepper, eggs (optional)
Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. In a small bowl, combine mustard, mayo, relish, yogurt, salt and pepper. Set aside
3. Open english muffin slices and spread sauce evenly on each one
4. Top with tomatoes, cheese and scallions (and egg optional) and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown
Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts, 1 orange, 1 small can chilis in adobo sauce, 1 cup brown rice, cilantro, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, chilli powder, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1tbsp vegetable oil
Recipe:
1. Cook brown rice according to instructions (prep this first since it may take awhile to cook)
2. Preheat pan medium-high adding oil.
3. Season chicken with cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Add to pan.
4. Let chicken cook about 5 minutes per side, until lightly browned.
5. Remove 1-3 chilis from container and cut up (they are spicy!). Add 3tbsp adobo chili sauce and 1-3 chilis to chicken.
6. Cut orange in half and squeeze all juice over chicken in the pan. Turn down heat and let simmer for 2-3 minutes
7. Add maple syrup and turn on low heat (covered) for another 5 minutes.
8. Once rice is complete, chop up cilantro (about 1/4 cup) and mix in with rice. Add salt to taste.
9. Plate rice and top with chicken and pour sauce over top. Top chicken with remaining cilantro and orange zest and serve.
Sunday
Breakfast | Mango French Toast |
Morning Snack | none |
Lunch | Small salad, Hummus and Crackers |
Afternoon Snack | Cereal and Fruit |
Dinner | Traditional Pad Thai |
Ingredients: 6-8 slices of bread, 2 eggs, cinnamon, salt, pepper, sugar in the raw, 1 mango, syrup (optional)
Recipe:
1. Mix egg, cinnamon, salt, sugar in container
2. Coat bread on both sides with mixture and add to preheated pan.
3. Cook until brown on each side (3-4 minutes)
4. Cut up fresh mango slices and top. Serve w/ Syrup
Ingredients: 8oz brown rice thai noodles, 1 package firm tofu, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 3tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar), 1 tsp tamarind paste (optional), 1 lime, 2 thai chili bird chilis, 3 medium shallots, 3 scallions, 1 package bean sprouts, 1/2 cup peanuts-chopped, 1/4 cup cilantro, salt, pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp peanut oil, 2 large eggs.
Recipe:
1. Preheat 1 skillet medium-high. Add 1tbs peanut oil.
2. In a separate container, heat up water for rice noodles. Cook according to package and set aside.
3. Dice up shallots, scallions, cilantro, peanuts, garlic and set aside. Cut up tofu in 1″ squares and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, combine fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind paste, half of lime (juiced), and thai bird chilis. Set aside.
5. Add all onions, garlic and 1/8 cup cilantro to pan. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add in 1/2 package of bean sprouts, 1 tbsp peanut oil and tofu. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add in noodles and thai sauce and mix everything. Let cook for another 3-4 minutes.
7. Scoot contents of container to one side of the pan, and add last of peanut oil and two eggs…cook until firm and remove from heat.
8. Add contents to a large bowl, and top with peanuts, bean sprouts and a lime wedge and enjoy!
Monday
Breakfast | Oatmeal and Fruit |
Morning Snack | PB+J, grapes |
Lunch | Turkey Sandwich |
Afternoon Snack | Yogurt and Granola |
Dinner | Stuffed Poblano Peppers |
Ingredients: 4 poblano peppers, 1 package chorizo or sausage, 2/3 cup brown rice, 1 can black beans, 1/2 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, chili powder, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup vegetable broth, 1 tomato, 1 avocado, cilantro.
Recipe:
1. Cut, wash and seed peppers in half (seeds add more heat, keep if desired)
2. Cook rice according to package.
3. Add vegetable broth, chili powder and rice to skillet. Add black beans and cook for 5 minutes until heated through.
4. Place peppers on a pan (greased) and fill with rice mixture, top with chorizo/sausage
5. Bake for 20 minutes (or grill) until meat is fully cooked.
6. Add cheese and cook for another minute or two, until it melts.
7. Serve and top with chopped tomato, avocado and cilantro
Tuesday
Breakfast | Cereal, Granola bar |
Morning Snack | Celery, Carrots and Hummus |
Lunch | Leftover Peppers, chips and guacamole |
Afternoon Snack | Clif Bar, Fruit |
Dinner | Turkey Wraps and Strawberry Spinach Salad |
Ingredients: tortillas (flour or gluten-free), turkey, cheese, lettuce, spinach, mustard, mayo, parmesan dressing, broccoli sprouts, avocado, tomato and cucumber
Ingredients: 1 package spinach, fresh strawberries, goat cheese, almonds or cashews, raspberry vinigarette dressing.
Wednesday
Breakfast | Eggs and Toast |
Morning Snack | Apple and Almonds |
Lunch | Leftover salad topped with turkey |
Afternoon Snack | PB+J, crackers, banana |
Dinner | Braised pork and peach sammies w/ potatoes |