Cheap and Easy High Protein Meals For Athletes
Tuna Toppers- a simple high protein meal
Recovery meals for sportspeople
Protein is a vital part of any athletes diet and is vital for recovery and muscle repair after training.
Many athletes resort to protein meal replacement products to obtain more protein for their recovery meals however these can be expensive. Especially when many athletes would rather spend their hard earned money on new sports items such as running shoes or bicycle components.
Banana Smoothies- a great high protein meal for an athlete
Fruit smoothies are a great way for athletes to get a healthy meal or snack. If you make them with lots of fruit and use a base of fruit juice they're a great source of additional fruit and nutrients to your diet
Cheap high protein food: skimmed milk
By using skimmed milk as a high protein base for your smoothies they can become an excellent recovery meal post exercise.
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Ingredients for a high protein Banana Smoothie
- 1 large (or 2 small) Banana
- 500 ml Skimmed Milk
- Optional- 1 cup Protein powder
Instructions for making a high protein banana smoothie
- Pour all the milk into your smoothie maker
- Remove the banana/s from it's skin and chop into 2 cm deep rounds before dropping into the milk.
- Optional Add a cup of your favourite protein powder if you're looking up further increase the protein content of your banana smoothie
- Blend the mixture in your smoothie maker for 10-15 seconds
- And serve and savour straight away
Consider and Omelette- Eggs are great for making cheap high protein meals
Cheap high protein food number 2- Eggs
If you're looking for a relatively cheap and easy to make high protein meal for post exercise recovery you can't go wrong with if eaten in moderation. A large egg yolk contains around 3 grams of high quality protein whilst the egg white will contain around 4 grams of quality protein.
Consider making yourself an omelette or scrambled eggs on toast for a fantastic high protein meal on a budget.
Please be aware however that excessive consumption of eggs can lead to high cholesterol and the resultant health problems that may arise so restrict those omelettes to a couple a week at most.
Tuna is an excellent low cost source of high quality protein
Tuna Toppers- a great cheap high protein snack
When you head up to the supermarket fish counter you often see just how expensive tuna steak is!. It's definitely not a cheap source of protein.
However canned tuna steak offers a great high protein food for athletes to incorporate into meals.
Cheap high protein food for athletes number 3- Canned Tuna
Ingredients for making Tuna Toppers
- 4 slices of medium/ thick cut bread (White brown or granary is fine depending on preference)
- 1 small tin of tuna chunks/ flakes in brine or saltwater (These are usually around 185g with a net weight of 130g after draining the liquid away)
- 20g Low fat mayonaise
- A small handful of grated cheese (optional for additional protein)
Step by step instructions- Tuna Toppers
- Lightly brown one side of your bread under a grill. Ideally use a baking tray with some tin foil over the top to save cleaning up of any spillage later
- Drain off your tuna and mix into a paste with the low fat mayonaise
- Spread your mixture evenly over the non toasted side of the bread
- Add a small helping of grated cheese over the top for extra protein and artistic effect
- Finish under the grill
- And tuck in to your delicious high protein meal!
