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NOTE:
This post-workout recipes article is 1692 words. If you want a simple quickstart guide that will teach you what to eat (and what not to eat) post-workout during each phase of your menstrual cycle, get it right here. It’s free.
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This may surprise you but your nutrition is just as important (if not more important) as your workouts are when it comes to improving your body composition.
The catch is, of course, who has the time to cook long, elaborate meals?!
These meals are great anytime and do not take a lot of skill or prep.
You can prepare most of these ahead of time and quickly warm them up when they are ready to serve, use them as a post-workout refuel, or on busy weekday meals when you have limited time to pull together a healthy meal without resorting to UberEats.
In this blog, I’m going to share some of my favorite recipes that you can easily whip up at home.
And before we dive in, let me address one frequently asked question I get from my Betty Community.
“Do I have to eat immediately post-workout if I’m not hungry?”
The simple answer is no.
It’s important to follow your body’s natural cues.
Sometimes, when I have a lighter workout, I’m not hungry either.
But on leg days, on the other hand, my body is screaming “Girl, feed me now!”
So I run upstairs from my home gym and have one of the meals below.
With that said, let’s get to the recipes!
5 Post-Workout recipes to torch fat and build lean muscle
Pesto Egg Muffins
This is one of my favorite breakfast meals.
It’s 100% keto and 100% yummy.
What you’ll need:
- 2/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed and excess water removed (3.5 oz/ 100 g)
- 3 tbsp pesto (45 g/ 1.6 oz)
- 1/2 cup kalamata or other olives, pitted (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (28 g/ 1 oz)
- 4.4 oz soft goat cheese or other soft type of cheese such as feta (125 g)
- 6 large eggs
- Salt + pepper, to taste
How to prepare:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C)
Squeeze the excess water from the spinach, remove olive pits, and chop the tomatoes.
Add the eggs and pesto, and season with salt and pepper.
Whisk everything together till smooth.
Place the spinach, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives in a muffin pan, spreading evenly.
(You may want to add a bit of olive oil to make sure the pan doesn’t stick)
Pour the egg and pesto mix on top.
Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Voilà! You’ve got yourself a healthy, filling, delicious meal to start the day.
Steak With Béarnaise Sauce
This is one of my favorite recipes from the Estima Diet™.
The total prep time is only 5 minutes plus 40 minutes to rest before cooking, and another 5 minutes to rest after.
The total cook time is 10 minutes which makes this post-workout recipe perfect for a busy weeknight.
Here’s what you’ll need (serves 4):
- 2 T-bone or rib-eye steaks (about 2 lbs/32 oz/908 g total)
- 1 tbsp sea salt (or to taste)
- 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
- Melted coconut oil
- Butter Bearnaise Sauce:
- 1 tbsp/15 mL plus 1 cup/250 mL (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp shallots, minced
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp/15 mL fresh tarragon, chopped
How to prepare:
Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Let the seasoned steak rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
Meanwhile, prepare the Béarnaise:
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add shallots and stir in vinegar.
Reduce heat to low, and cook until vinegar is evaporated, 3–4 minutes.
Continue cooking shallots, stirring frequently, until tender and translucent, 5 minutes longer.
Transfer shallots to a bowl and set aside.
Melt remaining 1 cup/250 mL butter in a saucepan over medium heat and then transfer butter to a bowl to cool.
Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, and 1 tbsp/15 mL water in a blender.
Puree mixture until smooth. With blender running, slowly pour in hot butter in a thin stream.
Continue blending for 3 minutes. Pour sauce into a medium bowl.
Stir in shallot reduction and tarragon and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat a grill pan to high heat.
Melt the coconut oil or lard. Place the marinated steaks on the hot grill and do not move them for about 2 minutes. Use tongs to flip the steaks and grill for 2 more minutes.
Cook 3 more minutes for rare, 4 more minutes for medium-rare, 5 more minutes for medium, 6 to 7 minutes for medium-well, and 8 to 10 minutes for well done.
Remove steaks from the grill and let them rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into them. Serve with the Béarnaise sauce.
Blast your favorite 80s music and enjoy!
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Congratulations, you are about halfway through my geeky magic carpet ride. The nerd in me loves and honors the nerd in you. Just a reminder that if you want a simple quickstart guide that will teach you what to eat (and what not to eat) post-workout during each phase of your menstrual cycle, get it right here. It’s free.
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Post-workout recipes: Niçoise salad
Don’t be fooled – this is not the typical salad that will leave you hungry and wishing you had ordered an actual meal.
My Niçoise salad is a beautiful blend of protein, slow carbs, and fat making it the perfect combination of ingredients for post-workout recipes.
Here’s what you’ll need:
For the Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup lemon juice or red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano or tarragon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
2 to 3 (5-ounce) cans tuna, drained, or 2 (8-ounce) grilled or otherwise cooked tuna steaks
- 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 1 1/4 pounds small young red potatoes or fingerling potatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium heads Boston or butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 3 small ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup Niçoise olives
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and/or
- several anchovies, optional
First, we’ll make the Vinaigrette.
In a jar, place the oil, lemon juice or vinegar, shallots, herbs, and mustard.
Cover with a lid and shake until well blended.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Then, marinate the onion slices in some of the vinaigrette:
Place onion slices in a small bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.
(The onions soaking in the vinaigrette will help take some of the bite out of them.)
Cook the potatoes, cut, and dress with vinaigrette:
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt.
Heat on high to bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer.
Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or so, until the potatoes, are fork-tender. Drain.
While the potatoes are still warm, cut them into halves or quarters, depending on the size of the potatoes.
Place them in a bowl and dress them with about 1/4 cup of the Vinaigrette.
Next, boil the green beans.
While your potatoes are cooking, fill a medium-sized pot with water to about half, and add 2 teaspoons of salt.
Bring to a boil on high heat.
Add the green beans to the boiling water.
Cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 3 to 5 minutes depending on how tough they are.
Drain and either rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Now, let’s get to the creative part!
Arrange a bed of lettuce on a serving platter.
If you’re using tuna steaks, cut them into 1/2-inch thick slices.
Mound your tuna in the center of lettuce.
Sprinkle the tomatoes and onions around the tuna.
Arrange the potatoes and green beans in mounds at the edge of the lettuce.
Arrange the hard-boiled eggs, olives, and anchovies in mounds on the lettuce bed.
Finally, drizzle everything with the remaining Vinaigrette and add your capers.
This salad is best-consumed when room temperature.
The recipe is packed with 35g fat, 28g carbs, and 22g of protein making it a wonderful post-workout recipes favorite.
Herby salmon with zucchini post-workout recipes for fat burn
Here’s a mind-numbingly easy recipe that is delicious, tastes fresh like the summer, and is keto-friendly.
What you’ll need (estimate the quantities based on how hungry you are):
- salmon
- olive oil, salt, pepper
- zucchini
- parsley and citrus (optional)
How to prepare:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Brush skin-side and flesh-side of salmon with olive oil (this helps crisp up the skin and makes it super tasty. Salt & pepper to taste.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slice your zucchini and eggplant on an angle, drizzle both sides with olive oil and a touch of salt & pepper, about 1/2 inch thick.⠀
Throw on a HOT BBQ or HOT preheated grill pan. This is so important! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We’re not talking “sort of warm” here. It has to be HOT.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When grilling the salmon, put it skin side down first and resist the urge to peek to see if it is cooking. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Use the force if you have too. No touchy.⠀⠀
You will the flesh slowly turning pink. After about 2 minutes (approximately, you have to watch it) flip the salmon over.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If it is fully cooked, it should lift off the pan easily.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Serve with parsley, and citrus to brighten the flavour. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Bonus: I usually put one basil leaf per vegetable on my plate as well.⠀⠀
My gut-healing post-workout recipes platter
When you’re working out regularly, you need to remember to take care of your gut.
Which is why I always recommend this gut-healing platter.
What you’ll need:
- Sauerkraut
- Brussels sprouts
- Choline
- Arugula
- A glug of olive oil
- Eggs (either sunny-side up or boiled)
- 1/2 avocado
How to prepare:
The only ingredients that need to be cooked are the eggs and Brussels sprouts (roasted).
The rest comes pickles or raw.
All you need to do is combine all these goodies on a platter and devour after your workout.
Pro tip: roast your Brussels sprouts and boil a couple of eggs on a Sunday afternoon to have everything prepped for the week and slash your cooking time.
Cooking, in my opinion, is a form of intimacy.
I cannot think of anything more intimate than being able to create beautiful food for yourself to eat, or for someone you love.
And when you add the benefit of strategic ingredients that fuel your fat-burning and lean muscle gains, you’ve got the ultimate recipe for success!
And if you’d like more post-workout recipes or breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks – treat yourself to the Estima Diet™.
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P.S. Want more resources like this?
You’ll also love…
- These Blog Posts
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- These Free Guides
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