Fuel the Fire

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What you eat is just as important as how you train because if you’re not eating right, you’re not going to be training right. Eating plenty of real foods with lots of fruits and vegetables will provide the fuel you need to train and allow the body to recover from the training workloads.

However, sometimes it’s tough to find something quick and easy to make that gives you the fuel you need. So, I’ve put together a few different recipes that you can use to fuel your training/racing fire. These recipes can replace common store-bought products and are filled with flavor because there’s nothing worse than eating bad food.

Give them a shot and thanks for reading!

Homemade Salsa (makes 2-3 cups):

  • Remove the husks from ~1lb of tomatillos (can also use tomatoes but they say geniuses pick green…), cut in half, and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Also add ~1/4 of an onion, 1-2 peppers (Coach Jim used habaneros so you’ll think he’s tough, but you can use poblano peppers for much less heat), and 2 garlic cloves in their skin. Roast these under the broiler in the oven for ~5 minutes.

  • Add the roasted ingredients to a food processor (having taken the skin off the garlic) along with ~1/2cup of cilantro and the juice of 1 lime (some leftover green onion was added here too). Blend and enjoy!

Mediterranean Couscous (makes 3-4 servings):

  • In a pot, combine 2 cups of water with a 15oz. can of diced (fire) tomatoes (with their juice) and bring to a boil. Take the pot off the heat and pour in 2 cups of couscous. Give it a quick stir and then let it sit covered for a few minutes.

  • Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain the liquid from 2 cans of garbanzo beans, mix the beans on a baking sheet with some olive oil, and roast under the broiler in the oven for ~5-8 minutes. Slice 1 cucumber into bite-sized, quarter circle pieces. Chop 1 bunch of cilantro (or parsley) and ½ cup of almonds.

  • Combine the couscous, garbanzo beans, cucumber, cilantro, almonds, ½ cup of raisins, and ~6oz. of feta cheese. If you’re extra hungry, add in some cooked chicken (buying a roasted chicken from the store is a great way to keep this recipe simple). Enjoy!

Spaghetti Carbonara (makes 3-4 servings):

  • Cut ½ lb of bacon into bite-sized pieces and cook over medium-high heat (you may want to get rid of some of the excess bacon fat). When the bacon is nearly cooked, add 1 minced small onion and 4-6 minced cloves of garlic. Stir to mix things together and once the onion and garlic are softened, turn the heat to low.

  • Meanwhile, cook 1 lb. of spaghetti.

  • Whisk together 4 eggs, ¾ cup of milk, 4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and a healthy amount of black pepper.

  • Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Combine all of the ingredients and stir for about a minute. Cover the pot and let sit for another couple of minutes to let the egg fully cook. Top with more pepper and Parmesan to taste, serve, and enjoy!

Homemade Pancakes (makes 25-30 pancakes):

  • Whisk together 3 cups milk, 6 tablespoons melted butter, and 3 eggs. Next, combine that with 1.5 cups of white flour, 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 6 tablespoons sugar, 1.5 teaspoons salt.

  • Cook the pancakes over moderate heat. When cooking the pancakes, you can add chocolate chips, berries, walnuts, diced apples (with some cinnamon), sliced bananas, or any other combination you can think of. Enjoy!