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Recipe: proteins for recovery

Super easy meals for recovery

After a physically demanding class, recovery is very important. If your body recovers well after class you will be better prepared for the next class. Students who can practice better during the lessons, will make more progress and will be able to perform better on stage.

Recovery is influenced by a number of factors. In terms of nutrition fluids, carbohydrates and proteins play an important role in recovery. This month we focus on proteins.

Proteins for recovery

During a high intensity training muscles are damaged a little bit. That doesn’t sound very good, but it’s actually not a problem. Your body is will repair your muscles and as a result your muscles become stronger. This is why you can improve your performance by regular practice. Proteins are very important for repairing the muscle damage. Proteins are the building blocks of our body. From research we know that the optimal amount of proteins per meal is 0,3 – 0,4 grams /kilogram of bodyweight. This means that you should consume around 20-30 grams of proteins per meal. Make sure you always have this amount of protein in your meal after a high intensity class.

Of course you have a very busy schedule, so you may not have a lot of time to cook. Or you might just lack the energy to prepare a meal after a tiring day at school. That’s why we give you these two very easy and fast meals + inspiration to ‘build’ your own super easy recovery meals. 

RECIPE 1 – Grilled vegetables with couscous and (fake) chicken

Cooking time: super quick

Portions: 1

Nutritional values: Proteins – 35 grams (preparation with chicken) / 28 grams (preparation with ‘fake’ chicken)

Ingredients  

  • 1/2 bag of grilled vegetables from the freezer (400-450 grams/bag)
  • Wholegrain couscous (+- 60 grams)
  • 80-100 grams chicken/ ‘fake’ chicken
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tbs fresh mint/parsley/basil
  • Oil
  • Pepper and salt

Preparations

  • Put the couscous in a bowl and pour +- 150ml boiling water over the couscous. Let is sit for a few minutes until all the water is taken up by the couscous.
  • Cut the (fake) chicken and cook it in a little bit of oil for a few minutes.
  • Take the chicken out of the pan and heat the vegetables for two minutes in the pan.
  • Put everything together on a plate. Squeeze 1tbs of lemon juice over the dish and add pepper, salt and fresh mint/parsley/basil to taste.

RECIPE 2 – Ultra fast ready to eat bean stew with rice or tortillas

Cooking time: super quick

Portions: 1

Nutritional values: Proteins: 23 grams (preparation with 1 bag of ‘bonenschotel’) / 21 grams (preparation with 1/2 bag of ‘bonenschotel’ + 250 grams of brown rice)

Ingredients

  • 1 bag HAK/Bonduelle/AH bonenschotel (Albert Heijn calls it ‘bonenmix’, Bonduelle calls it ‘bonen gerecht’ and HAK calls it ‘burrito schotel’)
  • Your choice: (pre-cooked) wholegrain rice (zilvervliesrijst in Dutch) or wholegrain tortillas

Preparations

This meal doesn’t even include cooking. Just heat everything and you’re done. And the good news is, it’s a healthy dinner packed with vegetables and a good amount of protein. For sufficient protein take: 1/2 bag of bean stew + 250 grams of wholegrain rice/ 2 tortillas or 1 complete bag of bean stew and if you want wholegrain rice/tortilla.

GET INSPIRED FOR MORE SUPER EASY MEALS

Choose a minimum of one product per category to make your own super easy and fast meal. All products below are ready to eat or just take a few minutes to cook/boil.

Category protein: 

  • Legumes (jar/can)
  • Vegetable burger/fake meat or other vegetarian products
  • Egg (fried/boiled)
  • Smoked chicken (ready to eat)
  • Feta, mozzarella or other types of cheese
  • Pre-cut chicken
  • Fish from cans or smoked fish

Category carbohydrates:

  • Wholegrain couscous
  • Wholegrain tortillas
  • Wholegrain bread/crackers
  • Wholegrain rice (zilvervliesrijst in Dutch)
  • Noodles
  • Fresh (wholegrain) pasta
  • Pre-cooked potatoes

Category vegetables:

  • Vegetables from the freezer
  • Pre-cut vegetables
  • Vegetables in jars/cans
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Scraped carrots

 

Examples

  • Wholegrain tortillas with hummus, grilled vegetables and falafel
  • Noodles with (pre-cut) vegetables, chicken and ketjap (sweet soy sauce)
  • Fresh wholegrain pasta with pesto, cherry tomatoes, zucchini and cannellini beans
  • Wholegrain bread with fried egg and lots of vegetables like onion, mushrooms, tomato and bell pepper