You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides you with the energy you need to get up and go. If you’re planning to go for a run that makes it even more critical. These are the best recipes to provide you with the fuel you need to run whether you’re a professional or just a casual runner.
Green Means Go Smoothie
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 160g strawberries
- 160g baby spinach
- 1 small avocado (halved and scoop flesh out)
- 150ml bio yogurt
- 2 small oranges, juiced (keep half a tsp of zest)
Method
- It’s as easy as putting all the ingredients in the blender and blitzing it until it’s smooth. You can always add a bit of water if it’s too thick for you.
“Keep hydrated and healthy with this smoothie. It’s the perfect way to get in plenty of your fruit and veg. That means vitamins and lots of them. Perfect for prepping your body to run,” says Debra Sims, fitness blogger and writer for Last Minute Writing and Researchpapersuk. Spinach contains nitric oxide which helps to reduce the amount of oxygen your muscles need, helping to protect you from injury as well as making your run easier.
Energy Porridge
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 150ml milk, plus 1tbsp
- 100g porridge oats
- 2 small bananas, sliced
- Seeds from 2 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
- Mix the tahini with 1 tbsp of a milk and 1 tbsp of water.
- Put the oats, 1 sliced banana, cardamom, 100ml milk and 300ml water in a pan with a pinch of salt. Cook over a medium heat for 5 mins, stirring, until hot and has a creamy texture.
- When done divide it up and pour over the remaining milk and top with the rest of the banana.
- Finally top it off with the tahini mixture and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
Bananas are packed full of slow-release carbohydrates which provide you with plenty of energy for your run. Plus, they’re high in potassium, a mineral you lose when you sweat. The oats also contain carbs which provide you with long-lasting energy. Tahini is high in lots of vitamins and minerals including iron – needed for red blood cell production. “The sesame seeds are also packed full of minerals and are a great source of protein and fibre. All in all, this is a fantastic meal that will keep your energy levels topped up ready for a long run,” adds Thomas Cimino, nutritionist and contributor to Draftbeyond and Writinity.
Runny for Runners
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 2 whole wheat crusty bread rolls
- 2 Medium eggs
- 2 slices smoked salmon
- A pinch of snipped chives
Method
- Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4
- Slice top off each roll and make a hole inside big enough to house a slice of salmon and an egg
- Place the rolls on a baking sheet and brush the inside and edges of the rolls with a little melted butter
- Put a slice of salmon into each roll and crack an egg on top of the salmon (season to your liking)
- Bake for 10 minutes so the eggs are cooked but still have nice runny yolks
- Sprinkle the chives on top, toast the tops of your buns and slice into soldiers for your eggs
This dish is a fantastic post-run dish. You get a good amount of protein from both the salmon and the eggs which will help your muscles to recover. The whole-wheat roll will help to top up your carbs and is also easy to digest. Also, it tastes delicious, which is a definite bonus!
The Sweetest Run
Ingredients (makes 10-12 pancakes)
- 50g self-raising flour
- 50g wholemeal or wholegrain flour
- 2 small eggs, separated
- 150ml skimmed milk
- Berries and low-fat yogurt to serve
Method
- Sift the flours into a bowl
- Add the egg yolks and a splash of milk, stir into a thick paste
- Add the remaining milk a little at a time
- Whisk the egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks
- Fold the egg whites into the batter, without beating the air out
- Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat and pour in enough batter to make a pancake (aprox 10cm across)
- Cook for just under a minute, until bubbles begin to pop and the edges look a little dry
- Carefully flip the pancake over and cook until a golden brown
- Serve with your favourite toppings, we recommend bananas, cherries and blueberries
These low-fat pancakes are perfect for the sweet-tooth runners. They’ve got plenty of carbs to keep you going and can be adapted with whatever topping serves you best. You already know bananas are great, cherries can help your recovery and reduce muscle damage, blueberries are full of nutrients and antioxidants too. Really, you can pick whatever you’d like to go on top as long as it gets you ready to run!
Guest post / Inna is a business analyst born in Russia, living in Springfield, MA. She enjoys healthy cooking, playing tennis and writing on all aspect of business development at Lucky Assignments and Gum Essays. She helps clients define business goals, find market opportunities and standardize their workflows.
