5 Easy Healthy Meals To Make After The Gym
With summer slowly and sadly coming to an end, you might be planning to work off that weight you gained while drinking cocktails and eating pizzas on holiday, or maybe you are just looking to start the back to school season with a healthy new routine. Regardless, if you are already hitting the gym or looking to start doing so soon, you might be wondering about what you should be eating and more specifically, what quick and easy but healthy meals you can make after the gym. Well, after trialling a load of recipes, I have come up with five of the best healthy meals that take little effort, time and money to make but will also make for great healthy options after the gym! Check them out below:
1. Chicken stir fry
Stir fries are renowned for being really quick and easy healthy meals to make, in fact I’ve made stiry fries in as little as fifteen minutes in the past – I used to come home from work, cook up a stiry fry, eat it and then get back to work all within my one hour lunch break! So, there is no denying that stiry fries are quick and easy to make, but they also won’t break to bank. With a pack of three bell peppers available from Tesco for as little as 91p, diced chicken on sale for less than £2, and an onion costing just 10p, you can cook up a super tasty stir fry there for just over £3 – and that should leave leftovers for you to re-heat the next day! Stir fries are certainly healthy too, they’re super interchangeable so you can just add in whatever veggies you like, be it carrot, sweetcorn, broccoli, courgettes, basically whatever you like, throw it in!
So, if the idea of a stir fry takes your fancy, give this recipe below a try, it is my favourite after gym meal to make!
Ingredients:
3 medium bell peppers
1 red onion
1 tin of 325g sweetcorn
2 chicken breasts
2 handfulls of spinach
Rice or noodles (whichever you fancy!)
A stir fry sauce (optional)
To cook the stiry fry, I simply wash all of my veggies, chop them up and throw them into a wok with some extra virgin olive oil (olive oil is great for you, and extra virgin is even better, so keep it healthy by using olive oil!). Whilst the veggies are simmering away, I boil either some rice or noodles. I then either add some seasoning to the stir fry (just add whatever you like, I usually go with salt and pepper) or you can add a stir fry sauce – just beware that store-bought sauces often have added salt and sugar so watch these if you’re trying to keep it super healthy! Then after ten to fifteen minutes, I take the veggies and rice/noodles off the heat and plate up – it’s as simple as that! Within half an hour of returning home from the gym you’ve got a super healthy, filling meal that cost very little! Beware, these ingredients will make two portions though, so you can either treat your other half or you can pop a portion in the fridge for an easy work lunch the next day.
2. Egg omelette
If the stir fry isn’t quick enough for you, an omelette definitely will be – these honestly take no more than ten minutes. Omelettes are great for packing in that protein and just like with a stir fry, you can add virtually anything you like into an omelet! I sometimes add peas, sweetcorn and ham, or sometimes I had spinach, tomatoes and a sprinkle of cheese – this is a great one for just using up whatever needs eating in the fridge. Below is my favourite post-gym omelette recipe for you to try:
Ingredients:
1-2 eggs (depending on how big you want your omelette)
A knob of butter
A small handful of reduced fat cheddar cheese
A handful of spinach
A handful of sweetcorn
3 chopped cherry tomatoes
Omelettes are super easy to make, even if you consider yourself an awful cook, you can probably manage an omelette. Simply whisk the eggs in a bowl until they’re combined, heat the butter (go for reduced fat or vegetable spread for a healthier omelette) until it begins to sizzle, then add the eggs and swirl and shake the pan until they cover the whole surface (like you would a pancake). Before it starts to set, sprinkle in your other ingredients. Finally, once the edges start to crisp and there is no liquid left, slide the omelette onto a plate – folding it in half as you do so. Then you’re done! In as little as ten minutes, you have got yourself a cheap, easy and filling healthy meals.
3. Fruity porridge
Now, if you’re more of a morning gym person, you might be looking for a healthy breakfast option – well no worries, we’ve got you covered! Porridge is really cheap, will keep you full for hours, and can be really tasty when mixed with fruits and seeds. Here is my favourite fruity porridge recipe for after the gym:
Ingredients:
50g of pirrdge oats
350ml of semi-skimmed milk (or a milk alternaitve)
2 tbsps of golden syrup
A handful of raspberries
A handful of blueberries
2 tbsps of flax seeds
It’s personal preference how you make your porridge, you can either do so on a hob or in the microwave, but if you’re in a hurry, the microwave is definitely the quickest option. I simply whack my oats and milk in a bowl and pop it in the microwave for two minutes. Once it’s done, I stir in my golden syrup and flax seeds and then sprinkle on my berries. Just like that, in a few minutes you’ve got a breakfast that is great for digestion, will keep you full for hours, and is full of protein, antioxidants, and little fat.
4. Salmon and sweet potato fries
Salmon is a great option for after the gym, it’s a good source of both protein and omega 3 fatty acids. Sweet potato is also a great alternative to regular fries, you can make them yourself or buy them from grocery shops, but they’re really healthy carbs that will help to replenish your body after the gym and help to keep you full. You really can’t go wrong with this meal, and it takes very little time as it’s a case of simply popping it all in the oven!
Ingredients:
1 salmon fillet
1 tbsp of olive oil
A handful of sweet potato fries (or half of a sweet potato if you’re making your own)
A squeeze of lemon
For this meal, you simply want to pop your fillet of salmon in some foil and cook for whatever time it suggests on the packaging. For your sweet potato fries, pop them on a baking tray and sprinkle with a little olive oil and cook until they’re crispy! Finish off the meal with a squirt of lemon on the salmon – and there you go!
5. Avocado on toast
Avocado on toast is great at any time of the day, so whether you’re an early morning gym-goer in need of breakfast, you’re a mid-morning gym-goer in need of a light lunch, or you can double this meal up for a post-gym dinner! It takes two minutes at most to make – depending on how long your toaster takes and is really healthy if you use the right kind of bread.
Ingredients:
2 slices of seeded brown bread
1 large avocado
A sprinkle of salt and pepper (optional)
Of course I don’t need to tell you how to make toast, which is what makes this meal so simple! All you have to do is mash up an avocado in a bowl with a fork and then pop it onto a slice of toast. Feel free to mix some salt and pepper into your avocado if you want to!
