This was last night's dinner. Rosemary, lemon & garlic grilled chicken with grilled asparagus. The chicken is based on a recipe from Fuel Up. Thank you Georgie!
That is what a typical dinner looks like for me since I started eating the PN way. Before PN there would have been potatoes with that. For sure. And I would have felt stuffed. Now I just feel satisfied.
I could go on but I digress.
My post from Sunday piqued a few people's interest and I had several folks ask me just what on earth do I eat to fuel my longer workouts. When I started the PN program, I did try eating eggs before my swims and long runs. They did not sit well. I didn't really experience any energy crashes per se though. My stomach just felt funny. And all I could taste was eggs. Not a pleasant thing on a long run, let me tell you.
So, I went back through the PN binder and checked out their post workout meals, figuring that I could use them for PRE workout if I was doing a long cardio effort.
What I noticed was that in addition to carbs, these meals all had a hefty dose of protein in them, either in the form of protein powder, cottage cheese or greek yogurt. Interesting. Before PN, I would have oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar, almond milk and some walnuts and maybe dried cranberries or other fruit. And I would usually be STARVING by the time I finished my workout. Even if it was only an hour long swim or 1.5 hour run. Now, I make sure I add some protein to my meal. My current fave thing to eat before a long run or swim is quinoa. "Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Not only is quinoa's amino acid profile well balanced, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, but quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair." (taken from www.WHFoods.com) It is also an excellent source of magnesium which can help stave off cramps. Very handy for a long run in the heat.
Needless to say I've become a big fan of quinoa. I usually top it with some greek yogurt and some berries with a bit of agave nectar or honey. YUM. If I don't have quinoa, I will use oatmeal, the quick cooking kind and treat it the same way, adding protein from greek yogurt or a scoop of protein powder.
So a typical day of food for me on a swim or run day might look like this:
Quinoa for breakfast
Post workout smoothie with protein powder and a banana with some other kind of fruit.
If I'm really hungry I usually have half a bagel with this - usually sprouted grain and then I'll top it with natural peanut butter (no sugar added).
Lunch will be a protein with veggies and a healthy fat - like a grilled chicken breast with a spinach salad, with walnuts, pears and avocado + a honey dijon vinaigrette.
Afternoon snack: hummus & veggies. Or a couple of hard boiled eggs and veggies. Always veggies.
Dinner would be somewhat similar to lunch. Or maybe it's a homemade pizza on chick pea flour crust (good source of protein!).
Either way, I never seem to get bored. And considering how much I love to eat, that's a good thing!
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