Eat Healthy! Five Delicious Evening Meal Ideas for Athletes

Food is integral to performance, and while it is essential to ensure appropriate fuelling throughout the day most of us still tend to have our main meal in the evening.

To help make sure you're getting the best out of your main meal, here are some ideas for some delicious dinners, all of which are nutrient dense, support recovery after a training session, and help to prepare your muscles for the following day.

Sausage Casserole

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6-8 Vegetable or Meat sausages

• 400g Vanned chopped tomatoes

• 400g Canned baked beans

• 1-2 Large courgette, cut into chunks

• 2 Large carrots, cut into chunks

• 2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 4cm Piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

• 150g Fine green beans, halved or broccoli heads

• 1x Teaspoon of paprika

• 1x Handful of rosemary leaves

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4.

2. Put all the ingredients in a casserole dish and stir well. Cover and cook for about 1 hour until the sausages and vegetables are cooked through.

3. Serve with wholegrain toast or baked sweet / potato.

MORE FROM RENEE: Why You Should Avoid Fasted Training

Sweet Potato Parcels

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 Medium to large sweet potatoes

• 1 Bunch of spring onions, chopped

• 200g Feta cheese, crumbled

• Green salad leaves, cherry tomatoes and toasted seeds, to serve

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas mark 6.

2. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork, then bake for 40–45 minutes until cooked through and tender.

3. Remove from the oven and cut in half.

4. Preheat the grill / broiler to medium.

5. Very carefully, use a spoon to scoop out the sweet potato flesh, keeping the skins intact.

6. Mix the flesh with the spring onions/scallions and feta cheese, then spoon the mixture back into the empty skins.

7. Grill / broil the sweet potatoes for 5–10 minutes until golden brown.

8. Serve with green leaves, tomato and toasted seed salad.

Magic Fish Pie

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 Sweet potato (about 300g), chopped

• 2 Large carrots, chopped

• 1 Large parsnip, peeled and chopped

• 670ml Skimmed milk

• 100g Cream cheese with chives

• 2 Tablespoon plain / all-purpose flour

• 1 Smoked haddock fillet, cut into bite-size chunks

• 1 Smoked mackerel fillet, cut into bite-size chunks

• 1 Salmon fillet, cut into bite-size chunks

• 300g Mixed vegetables, such as frozen peas, sweetcorn / corn kernels and spinach

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Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4.

2. Put the sweet potato, carrots and parsnip in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain, then mash with 100ml of the milk and the cream cheese.

3. Put the flour in a small saucepan and stir in enough of the milk to make a paste.

4. Put the pan over a low heat and whisk in the remaining milk, then stir until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens into a white sauce.

5. Put the fish pieces into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish and add the mixed vegetables. Pour the sauce over the top and stir together gently. Spread the mash mixture over the top.

6. Bake for 30–40 minutes until the pie is piping hot and the top is crisp. Serve straight away.

Aubergine Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 Aubergines

• 1 Onion

• 1 Clove garlic

• Small pieces fresh ginger crushed

• 1 Tin of tomatoes

• 1-2 Large tomato chopped

• 1/4 Teaspoon of salt

• 1/2 Teaspoon of garam masala

• 1/4 Teaspoon of chilli powder

Cooking Instructions:

1. Take 3 aubergines and place them in the grill.

2. Keep turning them and let them cool all the way through - the skin will go all crispy.

3. Once they are cooked, leave to cool.

4. In the meantime, dice one onion and add to some hot oil in a wok or balti pan or deep frying pan.

5. Add some crushed ginger and 1 clove of garlic.

6. Cool these three over a very low heat.

7. Keep turning until golden brown - so more than translucent.

8. Then add 1 x large tin of chopped tomatoes and 1 x large fresh tomato chopped.

9. Cool all ingredients together until you have a fairly smooth sauce.

10. Add all spices and mix these all in.

11. Remove the skin of the cooled aubergine and now add the pulp to the tomato sauce.

12. Mix it all together and let it cook on a very low heat for 30-45 mins - the longer you leave it, the better the flavour.

13. Serve with yoghurt, chapatis or pittas and dhal or chickpea curry.

Chickpea Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 Can of chickpeas drained

• 2 Can of tin tomatoes

• 2-3 Carrots peeled and chopped

• Broccoli florets

• 1 Clove garlic finely chopped

• 1 Fresh chilli finely chopped

• Thumb size piece ginger finely chopped

• 1 Tablespoon of cumin seed

• 1/2 Teaspoon of Garam masala

• Pinch salt

• Pinch turmeric

• Oil for cooking

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Cooking instructions

1. Fry the garlic, chilli and ginger on a low heat until lightly brown.

2. In a separate pan dry fry the cumin seeds until you get an aroma.

3. To the garlic add the tin tomatoes, salt, turmeric, garam masala and cumin seeds.

4. Let the tomatoes pull down so you have an almost smooth paste and darkened in colour.

5. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on a low heat for about 30-40 mins until vegetables are tender.

6. Serve with rice or naan bread, Greek yoghurt and mango chutney.