Pasta lover? Go plant-based!

 

There's a good chance that you have a box of pasta in your pantry. This affordable and easy-to-make dinner staple is a great source of energy (carbohydrates) and nutrients - such as iron, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, manganese, folate and selenium.

Over the years, nontraditional pastas have made their way on to the grocery store shelves. Plant-based pasta alternatives offer many health advantages. With the main ingredient being chickpeas, edamame, beans or lentils, these unconventional pasta blends are loaded with protein, fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals. And without compromising taste, quality or nutritional value, nontraditional pastas offer a great alternative to traditional pasta if you are looking to boost your nutrient intake.

Here are a few plant-based pasta options:

• Explore Cuisine
• Banza
• Tolerant Organic
• Ancient Harvest POW!
• Barilla
• Modern Table

To learn more about these plant-based pasta brands, you can read more here. 

For more education, inspiration and recipes, subscribe to the FREE Trimarni newsletter HERE.

Recipe: Skillet Pesto Steak and Pasta

Skillet Pesto Steak and Pasta
By Joey Mock, RD, LD, CLT

This recipe includes your carbs, protein, and fat in a one pot and one skillet meal. Not a red meat eater? Try substituting chicken and chicken broth or tofu and vegetable broth for the steak and beef broth. This dish is very flavorful and the leftovers are delicious! 

Ingredients

1 lemon, for zest (2 tsp) and juice (2 Tbsp)
2 tablespoons basil pesto
1 lb. beef steak (such as sirloin or round)
~1 ½ tablespoons butter or olive oil
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp dried oregano
~5 oz dry pasta (such as bow tie, rotini, or penne)
8 oz presliced fresh baby portabella mushrooms
6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup reduced sodium beef broth
1 (5-oz) package fresh baby spinach
¼ cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Preparation

1. Zest lemon (2 teaspoons) and squeeze for juice (2 tablespoons).
2. Combine pesto, zest, and juice. Coat steak with 1 tablespoon pesto mixture (reserve the remainder for later).
3. Preheat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat about 2–3 minutes. 
4. Place butter, garlic powder, parsley, basil, and oregano in pan and swirl to coat. Add steaks and cook 3-8 minutes on each side or until brown and they reach desired doneness.* Transfer steaks to cutting board; let stand about 5–10 minutes before slicing.
5. Cook pasta following package instructions in a separate pot. When cooked to desired doneness, drain pasta and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, increase heat to medium-high on the same pan used to cook the steak.
7. Add mushrooms, minced garlic, pecans, and salt. Cook mushroom mixture 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender. 
8. Stir broth, spinach, pasta, and remaining 3 tablespoons pesto mixture into mushrooms; simmer 3–4 minutes or until sauce thickens. Slice steaks and stir into pasta mixture.  
9. Divide into serving bowls and top each with cheese and serve.
10. Enjoy! 

*For medium-rare (an internal temperature of 135 degrees F), medium (140 degrees F) or for medium-well (150 degrees F). For beef steak, the USDA suggests a minimal internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes.

Adapted from: Aprons Pan-Roasted Steak Pasta with Pecans recipe.

Quinoa pasta with sauteed veggies and tomato sauce

Before I share with you my latest creation, made with Supergrain Pasta Spaghetti (corn and quinoa flour), I'd like to tell you the reason why I don't label my creations as "gluten free" "Metabolically efficient" "Paleo" "Whole 30" or by any other name than what's in the recipe.

I'm on a mission to help athletes learn how to have a better relationship with food. Far too many athletes have a dysfunctional relationship with food and this can create resistance to eat enough of the right foods, at the right times to meet training demands.

Labeling, worrying or feeling guilty about food makes it quite difficult to eat according to your personal dietary needs. Combine that with issues with your body image and you will constantly struggle to meet your health and energy needs.

Of course, I find great value when a recipe is labeled gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian or vegan, as I work with many athletes who need to follow a restricted diet (ex. personal, ethical, religious, medical, etc.) and this makes ingredient deciphering much easier. And let's be honest, 99.9% of the recipes on this blog are vegetarian because I am a vegetarian, so maybe you come to this blog to see vegetarian recipes (even if I don't label them as vegetarian).

It's unfortunate, but true, that many people need permission to eat something by a diet name.
Don't believe me...... 

 
How considerate. ✓ - Paleo approved foods
Whole Foods gives you permission to eat anything on this salad bar if you follow a Paleo diet. Since I don't follow a Paleo diet, am I allowed to eat from this salad bar? Is this salad bar healthier than the other salad bar? I see carrots but am I allowed to eat paleo carrots?
What makes carrot paleo?  

Outside of the context of eating a restrictive diet, for the reasons I mentioned above, giving yourself permission to eat something simply because it doesn't fit into your "bad food" or "off limit" category is no way to foster a healthy relationship with food.

Take this quinoa pasta as an example. 

If I titled my recipe "Gluten free pasta with sauteed veggies and tomato sauce" would you suddenly assume that I am endorsing this pasta as a more healthy option than the regular alternative?
What's makes it healthier if the calories, carbohydrates and protein content is relatively similar?
Because it's made from quinoa?



What about this pancake mix? Is it healthier because it's gluten free?

If Quinoa is on your good food list and gluten is on your bad food list, and you have no allergies or intolerance's to gluten, you are have created a list of bad foods, which limits your ability to eat a varied diet.

So does this strategy of eating according to a good food vs. bad food list work when it comes to improving your health or performance as an athletes?

In your quest to improving your relationship with food, unfortunately no, it doesn't help.

When you select foods simply based on a diet trend, you are learning to eat per food rules and not according to your own needs. A diet doesn't understand your physical needs and many times, a diet leaves a void in your life as it pertains to eating for pleasure. And with constant restriction comes the risk for overindulging.

With rules comes guilt if you break those rules.
With a diet, you create a style of eating that can not be broken, or else it causes frustration, anxiety, fear and failure.

It's time to stop the diet mentality.
I give your permission to eat without food rules.

-------------------------------------
So why did I select this quinoa pasta over regular pasta?
Well, why not? Isn't it fun to try new foods, made with different ingredients, to excite the taste buds and to make your tummy happy? 

Quinoa pasta with sauteed veggies and tomato sauce

1 box quinoa pasta (or pasta of your choice)
Water, salt, oil for cooking pasta
1 small can tomato paste w/ garlic, oregano and basil (or add your own herbs)
1 medium yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 small white onion (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
Olive oil

Cheese

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. 

2. While pasta is cooking, sautee chopped pepper and sliced onion and chopped garlic in skillet with olive oil on medium heat.
3. When veggies soften after a few minutes (toss frequently to evenly coat), add 1 can tomato pasta + 1 can water. Cover the veggies in the tomato paste.
You can also use tomato/marinara sauce.
.4. When pasta is finished cooking, drain and rinse under cold water. Reheat in microwave if necessary to bring pasta to your preferred temperature.
5. Dress your plate with pasta along with veggie filled sauce and top with shredded cheese.
Enjoy and don't forget to yum!

3 Explore Cuisine product recipes

As promised in my last blog, here are three delicious recipes using Explore Cuisine products. 

PRODUCT OPTIONS
Bean Pastas: Organic adzuki bean spaghetti, organic black bean spaghetti, organic edamame and mung bean fettuccine, organic edamame spaghetti, organic soybean spaghetti.

Product Spotlight: Organic black bean spaghetti
Per 2 ounce dry serving:
215 calories
2g fat
23g carbohydrates
1267mg potassium
12g dietary fiber
4g sugar (natural)
25g protein
32% daily iron (based on 2000 calorie diet)
15% daily calcium (based on 2000 calorie diet)


Black Bean spaghetti with kale cilantro pesto
1 cup kale
1 cup cilantro
1/3 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1 garlic clove
1 small sweet banana pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
Pinch of salt
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ cup olive oil
1 box (8 ounce) Explore Cuisine Black Bean Spaghetti

1. Blend first 7 ingredients in food processor. Add cheese and slowly pour in olive oil.
2. Boil 8 cups of water and pour in Organic Black Bean Spaghetti. Cook for 8 minutes and drain.
3. Top spaghetti with pesto.
(recipe adapted from Explore Cuisine website)

-----------------------------------------------

Pulse pastas: Organic chickpea fusilli, organic chickpea spaghetti, organic green lentil lasagna, organic green lentil penne, organic red lentil penne, organic red lentil spaghetti.


Product Spotlight: Organic Chickpea fusilli

Per 2 ounce dry serving:
200 calories
2.5g fat
35g carbohydrates
5g fiber
11g protein
15% iron
4% calcium

Organic Red Lentil Penne Mac n’ Cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion (finely chopped)
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1.5 cups 1 or 2% milk
2 cups shredded cheese (sharp cheddar)
1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¼ tsp pepper
Pinch of salt
8 ounce organic red lentil penne (cooked)

1. Heat deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and onion and sauté until golden brown. Remove to plate on side.
2. In skillet, add butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. When butter melts, add flour and stir to combine with heat-resistant whisk until smooth (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Slowly add milk while whisking.
4. Bring milk to a bubble while stirring so that milk can thicken. Then stir in sharp shredded cheese, one handful at a time. Keep stirring. Add pepper and a pinch of salt.
5. Add cooked penne to the sauce and coat completely by turning over and over into the sauce with a spatula.
6. Transfer penne and cheese mix to a baking dish and top with parmigiana cheese.
7. Place baking dish under hot broiler and brown the cheese. 

--------------------------------------------------

Product Spotlight: Organic Red Lentil Penne

Per 2 ounce dry serving:
190 calories
1g fat
35g carbohydrates
3g fiber
11g protein
15% iron
2% calcium

Baby tomato, peptias and goat cheese chickpea fusilli 

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped baby tomatoes 

1 cup chopped white onion 

1 large garlic cloves (finely chopped)

8 ounce package sliced mushrooms

½ cup dry roasted pepitas 

½ cup chopped basil

Pinch of salt 

2 cups baby spinach

1 tbsp lemon juice

8 ounce Organic chickpea fusilli (cooked)

½ cup goat cheese (soft, crumbled)

1. In medium skillet, heat to medium heat and add olive oil chopped tomatoes, onion and mushrooms. Gently toss until soft and lightly brown (around 6-8 minutes). 

2. Add garlic, salt, pepitas, basil, lemon juice and spinach. Gently toss and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat. 

3. Add cooked pasta to veggie mix. 

4. Top with goat cheese.

---------------------------------------------------

Food to Thrive Foundation

Explore Cuisine is committed to fair trade and sustainable living. Two percent of all Explore Cuisine worldwide proceeds go directly to the Food To Thrive Foundation, providing education, empowerment and advancement in farming programs to every Explore Cuisine team member. 

Breakthrough IM swim and baked pasta casserole

The funny thing about training, or fitness in general, is all the highs and lows that come with it. Of course, who doesn't love to have a good workout but then again, considering the complexity of the human body, perhaps we should be thanking the body more often for any workout for it is easy for the body to fail and I think many times, we take it for granted. All the muscles, organs and metabolic processes working perfectly just for us to swim, bike and run or zumba, yoga or jazzercise. 

As a long-time athlete, I recognize that great performances are not made in weeks or months but overtime. The key is consistency and always giving your best effort. I find that for many athletes, there's an expectation as to how the body is to perform each day and for others, just getting out the door is success...anything else that follows is a bonus. But no matter your reason for working out (or training), the most important component is making progress to reach your short and long term goals. There's no point of an action plan if you don't have a goal to reach. 

As usual, I have been enjoying my swim sets in the pool. I have designed swim sets to help both Karel and I improve in the water but also to improve our efficiency as triathletes. The past three weeks have been challenging and they were all leading up to the big set which was done yesterday (Friday). 

3 x 1000's @ IM pace

I have had mostly good days in the pool over the past few weeks but I did have a few days when I couldn't get into the groove. Although I found myself a bit frustrated based on my own fitness level at times, it's really hard to for me to regret any workout  for I love using my body and if I am not able to "train" I still love to exercise. Oh, and the fact that I have been swimming for about 20 years makes me a big lover of water....I'm a fish. It's not hard for me to get in but very hard for me to get out. 

After a 500 warm-up, I told Karel we would go right to the main set. Karel was having an off day (which is normal and expected due to 3 tough weeks of training so he was just being smart by backing off) so I kept to my side of the lane and Karel did his own thing.

Having the extra motivation of high school (and young) swimmers in the pool made it easy to push myself but I sure to wish I was young again! Those kids were just blowing by me in the other lanes!!

Not knowing what my body would give for this set, I made up  my mind that I would not count myself out until I tried...for all three of them. I didn't have the best swim (to my standards) on Thurs so I found myself getting into doubting thoughts during warm-up but I  knew if I wanted to have a good set, I would need to jump out of self-doubt and enter a place of "I can". 

1st 1000 - 1:26 pace per 100 yards

Wow, shocker. I could not believe it!! I was so thrilled considering I didn't think I had it in me as was just hoping for 1:30 pace.

After resting 2.5 minutes and sipping on my sport drink (I fuel before and during every  workout in endurance training), it was time for #2. 

2nd 1000- 1:23 pace per 100 yards. 

Holy cow! Again, another shocker! I started to get my groove on for #2 and I felt so smooth in the water and I was able to pace myself so well which was a great confidence booster. I use my Garmin 910xt in the pool and I am able to look at my watch to see my pace (and distance and time). As a long-time swimmer, I think this is just natural in that I can feel my pace, just like an experienced biker can control his/her watts and a runner kinda knows varying paces without looking at his/her watch. 

Ok - so time for #3. I figured I had surprised myself enough that anything around 1:25 would be great. BUT, I told myself, just try and see what happens. 

After 2.5 min rest....

After catching my breath on the wall and Karel telling me I was swimming way to fast in the water, I decided, time to call it a day for me. Scratch the 4500 yard workout planned on the schedule. I warmed down after this last 1000 and went for a recovery spin (90 min) with Karel. Training is a lot like gambling. Stop while you are ahead before you dig yourself into a hole. 

I must have looked at my Garmin 10x's in the morning after the swim because I seriously did not think I had it in me to do those times because I have not been able to execute like that in training. But then again, it only took my mind to help me step up to another level. Amazing how the mind can play an impact on our actions. Positive or negative......be careful with your thoughts. Thank you Gloria for continuing to help me realize the power in our/my thinking in all areas of my life. 

After a busy day, it was nearing meal prep time in the evening and I still had a few more emails to respond to. Karel and I have been eating similar foods before weekend training as we would/will before race day, for the past few weeks so for his Friday evening eats, I know he likes either rice or pasta. I have a few favorite pre-race foods but I know what always works best for me before an endurance event (sweet potato, egg, salad, bread/rice) so I am happy to enjoy Karel's pre race meal with him....sacrifices in marriage :) 

Rather than the standard pasta, I decided to do a pasta bake. What made this even better was that I could forget about it for a while and didn't need to "cook" while answering emails. Feel free to add your own veggie options and protein. Enjoy!

Baked Pasta Casserole

(ingredients to serve 2)

Pasta - 4 ounces dry (2 ounces equals about 1 cup cooked - plan for leftovers)

Marinara sauce (1/2 - 1 cup)
Veggies - spinach, corn, peas, onion

Bread crumbs (a few spoonfuls)
Cheese (I used asiago for a nice peppery taste)
Garlic (1 tbsp powder or 1 clove chopped)
Protein of your choice (for animal protein, ~3-4 ounces per person, for other protein, about 20-25g per person of protein)

*Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1. Cook pasta as normal. Drain. 

2. Lightly spray bottom of casserole dish with cooking spray. 

3. Place protein on bottom of dish. 

4. Layer veggies. 

5. Spoon pasta on veggies until covered (I used about 1.5 cups I think). 

6. Spoon marinara on pasta until covered. 

7. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on marinara (light covering). 

8. Top with garlic and a little cheese. 

9. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until pasta is a little crunchy on top. 

My secrets to long workout eats

What a beautiful weekend! The highlight of my weekend was being on my bike for 4 hours/80 miles on Saturday morning with the wind gusty like normal and meeting up with a group ride filled with fast guys with big ego's (or a lot of testosterone - or both). There were two other females on the ride and they were impressive as well. I didn't  have the legs to rotate as just drafting was enough for me. It hurt so good :)

After I warmed up, did the ~90 min group ride and after little extra "social" time with friends for ~20 minutes, I finished the workout with 4 x 10 min Z3 low w/ 5 min EZ spin in between. To cool down, Z2 steady effort (I tried keeping my cadence steady but so hard for my legs at that point + the wind would not let up) until I was back at my starting point.

It's interesting that as I progress with my journey of living a balanced lifestyle, my body is typically in a happy place most days of the week. My life doesn't revolve around working out or food but instead, both are balanced in a way that I am excited to wake up with energy and finish the day satisfied that I can do it all again tomorrow.

As an athlete, I know all about exercise-induced cravings especially when training for longer distance races. I welcome these cravings as I rarely get cravings within my normal diet. As much as I love veggies and fruit and other staples in my diet, my body doesn't seem to "crave" anything in a "I have to have it NOW" type of way. Maybe that is due to a diet that is centered around satisfying and balanced meals (filled with variety) as I have taught myself to rely less on snacking to keep me satisfied and energized but instead the composition of my meals. Maybe it is due to balanced meals and having enough protein and fat to slow down digestion of carbohydrates. Perhaps maybe those cravings are lessened due to my growing appreciation to sport nutrition and how nutrient timing can be a wonderful thing to an athlete or fitness enthusiast with health and fitness related goals. Regardless of the reason, I may not crave foods on a daily basis but with longer training sessions, there are often times when a specific food is the only thing that will make me feel even better than I do after a quality workout.

I wanted to share a few of my secrets to maintaining a "healthy" diet (however you would like to define this) while training for a sport. I do not feel that we need to compromise our health by giving into all exercise-induced cravings (as we all know sometimes they can be quite extreme and indulging and not always performance-enhancing beneficial) but at the same time, there are a few ways that you can still enjoy balanced meals all while re-fueling with some of your favorite cravable foods. As an athlete, I understand how it can be to eat around others. Some people believe that as athletes we have the freedom and luxury to eat whatever we want because we can burn it off in training. Despite having a little more wiggle room due to our calorie burn, we aren't professional athletes and we still have to fuel in a way that encourages consistent training. Additionally, some people may say as an athlete you eat "too healthy" and I find that is often an issue for individuals who worry about eating around workouts due to wanting to burn calories for weight loss. Certainly, without the right fuels we can't adapt to training stress and create a stronger, more metabolically efficient (and injury free) body. So don't worry about what others tell you to do or think of you, worry about yourself and your own nutritional needs.  Enjoy!

Side not: one of the most beautiful things in my diet is that I have no restrictions in terms of calories. I welcome food that can give my body nutrients and so I am not limited as to what I can't eat because I am afraid of calories. On the flip side, I don't go overboard and feel the need to reward myself with anything and everything because I earned it. I don't like how I feel when I overeat (I only had to experience this a few times to learn from it and now I act before I have to react) so I listen to my body and eat until I am satisfied (on a hunger scale 1-10, 10 being uncomfortably stuffed, I eat until I am a 7-8 and I start a meal being hungry but not weak, lightheaded or famished). I also don't like how I feel when I can't have a quality workout because I am underfueled. Learn how to see food for nutritional value and tweak the diet so that you are eating in a way that you have energy before and during your workouts, you recover quickly after a workout and you feel nourished throughout the day. Then snack with a purpose.

Beans and Rice

Who doesn't love the ease and yumminess of rice? While eating out, rice can be super heavy in sodium and portions are ginormous. Store-bought? Even the boxed version can be high in sodium. Either buy plain rice (ex. wild rice and brown rice in picture or your favorite grain/pasta) and season to your liking with fresh herbs and spices or 1/4 flavor package in box is what I recommend. Decide on a serving that will make you happy - perhaps 1/2 -  1 cup for starters (cooked). Then top with your favorite veggies and as I always say, look forward to something in the meal. Maybe a little cheese, crumble some chips on top or spoon some of your fav marinara sauce or salsa on top. Don't limit yourself from this flavor overload creation as this can be a great meal later in the day after a long workout to help you recover and still get in those awesome vitamins and minerals. I recommend sauté veggies in a little olive oil to soak up fat soluble vitamins. Also, canned beans, lentils, chickpeas are quick and easy. Give a rinse for ~1 minute to reduce ~30-50% sodium from the can (or pre-make from raw beans).

Pasta and veggies

I consider myself more of a pizza lover whereas Karel is a pasta lover. Good thing for both of us in that we can always enjoy Italian food either in or out of the home. There's nothing I love more than traveling somewhere new and finding out where I can find the best local brick-oven pizzeria.

Just like with rice, it's easy to over do it with Italian food - high in sodium, portions and sometimes fat. So you have two options - use a small bowl and portion control to 2-3 ounces or use a large bowl and pack with veggies. This meal should sit well and should not leave you hungry for more after consuming the recommended portion of pasta so add in a little protein (3-4 ounces animal protein, lean or ~20-25g plant based protein) and drizzle a little olive oil on your veggies to help slow down digestion. Pass on the bread as the pasta will do the trick to refuel and fuel your body and will allow you an opportunity in a few hours to refuel again (perhaps a light snack of 1 slice bread w/ 2-3 tsp nut butter and banana slices, dates  and cinnamon topped with 1-2 spoonfuls yogurt as a snack instead of stuffing yourself with pasta and not eating again for 6+ hours, thus causing blood sugar to drop and missing opportunities to nourish and refuel?).  What pasta do I recommend - I do like the higher fiber options but the whole wheat is not yummy to my liking (nor Karel). We prefer whole grain or the regular pasta/noodles and then to add more fiber, serve a salad as the main course (pasta on the side) and for protein, take your pick from your favorites. I recommend to avoid high fat proteins before or after long workouts as the protein/fat takes a while to digest and before racing (nigh before meal) we want moderate protein and low fat/low fiber with our carb selections.

I used a new kind of pasta which I discovered after a parent of one of the young swimmer athletes that I work with on nutrition (daily and sport) asked me my thoughts on it. The downside is that although you get 1 serving of veggies with each serving, the serving size is 4 ounces (not 2). But the taste is great - not starchy and slimy like some whole wheat pastas and although it is semolina based, you can not taste "veggies" but instead it tastes like a regular pasta. I also like that it is fortified with iron and folate. Instead of bulking up on more pasta at meal tim, throw in some veggies with your marinara sauce and bulk up the meal to become more plant strong. Bowl of veggies with pasta on top sounds good to me!

Crunchy salad

I don't see anything wrong with wanting veggies after a workout. But certainly, veggies won't cut it for refueling and repairing damaged tissues. It's amazing how many athletes will go a full weekend without eating more than 2-3 servings of veggies due to those constant salty/sugary/crunchy cravings after long workouts. I love helping athletes learn how to incorporate more veggies into the diet on long training weekends without compromising performance. If anything, more veggies = stronger immune system for more consistent workouts.

I have been known to crumble chips or granola on my salads just to give it a little crunch. I don't eat snacks from a box or a bag and if we have snacky food in the house, it usually takes weeks to months to consume (or gets stale so we have to throw it out which is something I rarely do in that I don't like to throw away food) so instead, I find a way to incorporate whatever I want that is not emphasized in my daily diet, into my diet on occasion.

This weekend I needed to re-fill my water bottle after my long bike workout and at the gas station, this bag (which is 4 servings if you find yourself eating the entire "small bag") was just needing a home...so I gave it one.

I try to not think of weekend eating as breakfast, lunch and dinner because my morning workouts typically start in around 7-7:30 thus no breakfast but instead a pre-training snack. Finishing around 10-1 depending on the workout, it is nearing "lunch" time but of course I haven't had a meal yet for the day and before my first meal, I have a recovery drink or shake. Like many of you, I LOVE "breakfast' style foods after training so I may eat French toast w/ eggs or pancakes with my smoothie around 12 or 1 as my first meal but knowing I still need to keep refueling throughout the day, I don't think of my day as I need to get in two more meals but instead, making sure I nourish my body and keep blood sugar from dropping by eating every few hours and not overeating at any one time. I enjoy some type of veggie dish in the afternoon - I suppose it can be like a meal but not super calorie dense because I typically have a meal around 4:30-6 (I honor my hunger, I don't watch the clock so my eating times vary on the weekends for meals).

This creation was a bed of dark greens topped with sautéed leftover veggies w/ brown/wild rice (thank goodness for leftovers on the weekend!) and grilled tofu topped with shredded cheese and a handful Chex Mix. The perfect combo to leave me satisfied and fueled.

The key with meal planning on the weekends is to not overlook the importance of your sport nutrition. So many issues like cravings, fatigue, mood changes, sore muscles, etc. can be reduced or eliminated by working on your nutrition before during and after your workouts. Think about when you body is under the most stress as that is the time when it needs fuel the most. You can reward your body in so many ways after a workout but perhaps, thanking it for what it allows you to do is best achieved with real food....that tastes awesome.