Amy Stephens
MS, RDN, CSSD, CEDS
Licensed dietitian
specializing in sports nutrition
and eating disorders
Easy Nutritious Meals for Athletes
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By Amy Stephens RDN CSSD
- Sonia Paraschac, intern
In college, when focusing on countless things such as school work and athletics, it can be difficult to find nutritious balanced meals on campus and time consuming to take all that effort to cook something complicated. Prioritizing all three macronutrients in one’s diet is essential for all college athletes to continue to boost daily energy, help with muscle recovery, and additionally leads to preventing injury (Web).
The Macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and protein)
Glucose, from carbohydrates, provides the body’s primary energy source during intense exercise. Proteins made from amino acids are responsible for repairing muscles and tissues and are crucial for cellular functioning. In our bodies, we have non-essential amino acids that the body makes on its own and essential amino acids that the body needs to get from food sources. Fats play a large role in cell membrane structure, fat-soluble vitamin absorption, as well as a stored energy source (Bytomski).
Making sure that all three of these macronutrients are present at all meals of the day is very important, but can be very difficult to achieve. Here are 5 lunch recipes and 5 diner recipes that are perfect for college athletes who are in a hurry and want to prioritize balanced nutritious meals.
Quick tips
As a college student myself I realized how difficult it can be to cook easy meals and prioritize nutritious foods when maintaining a busy lifestyle. Over the past two years, I have started doing things that make eating balanced meals much easier on the go. Some of the ways that I make cooking easier are:
- Planning and meal prepping large quantities of my favorite dinners on Sundays before the week.
- Scheduling my grocery shopping on the same day of the week each week.
- As someone who is a little squeamish around raw meat, I get a rotisserie chicken from the store and take the meat off and use that in my recipes during the week.
- Try to make cooking fun and switch up the meals I make so they are not always the same.
Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Recipe:
- makes around 12-14 pancakes
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups of whole oats
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup blueberries
- Optional topping:
- ¼ cup of greek yogurt
- Drizzle of maple syrup
- Fruit of choice
Directions:
In a small blender, blend your 1 ¼ cups of whole oats until it forms an oat flour. Place the flour into a medium size bowl and stir in the baking powder. Blend cottage cheese, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla until you get a smooth mixture with no chunks. Stir the wet ingredients into the bowl with the oat flour. Heat up a pan on the stove with medium heat and add butter or oil of choice. Pour in small dollops of the batter to the pan and add blueberries. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Add a scoop of greek yogurt, fruit, and a drizzle of maple syrup and enjoy! These pancakes are packed with protein from the cottage cheese and still taste delicious. This is one of my favorite new recipes and is super easy.
Avocado Toast With Eggs and Greens
Recipe:
- 1 whole medium avocado
- 2-3 eggs
- 2 slices of bread of choice (my favorite is whole wheat sourdough)
- 1 handful of arugula or spinach
Directions:
Toast your two slices of bread until golden. Scoop your avocado into a bowl and mash it with a fork. Add any desired seasoning such as salt and pepper to taste. Cook your eggs on the stove, I prefer mine scrambled with salt and pepper. Spread your avocado mixture on your pieces of toast. Add a handful of arugula or spinach to each piece of toast, and then add your eggs on top. Avocado toast offers the perfect balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein to fuel you for your day.
Kale Caesar Salad
Recipe:
- Two cups of kale
- 1 cucumber
- ½ cup of croutons
- ½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese
- Protein of choice: sliced Turkey, rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken (whatever is available), cubed tofu
- Caesar dressing
Directions:
Start off by chopping up your kale and removing any large fibrous stems in the middle. To make the kale less tough, I lightly massage the kale with olive oil and salt for 2-3 minutes. Slice the cucumber and add it to the kale. Add parmesan cheese and croutons to the top of the kale as well. Top with whatever protein you have. I recommend getting a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to add to meals all week long. Add a scoop of your favorite Caesar dressing and stir! This salad is a staple in my life and takes under 15 minutes to prepare. Serve with sour dough toast!
Turkey, Veggie, and Hummus Wraps
Recipe:
- 1 whole wheat wrap
- 3- 4 pieces of sliced turkey breast ⟶ deli or prepackaged at the grocery store
- 1-2 spoonful of hummus (esti is my favorite)
- 1 cucumber
- Sliced bell pepper
- Handful of grape tomatoes or pieces of sliced tomato
- Handful of spinach
Directions:
Heat up or toast your whole wheat wrap, and then spread the hummus on the bottom and layer your toppings starting with the turkey. The veggies I listed above are just suggestions. You can put whatever leftover vegetables you have in your fridge which makes this the perfect easy college lunch.
Chopped Salad Sandwich
Inspired by Baked by Melissa
Directions:
- One piece of toasted bread
- Lettuce of choice
- Veggies of choice (cucumber, tomato, carrots, peppers, avocado, leftover cooked vegetables)
- Protein of your choice (tofu, tuna, rotisserie chicken, sliced turkey)
- Balsamic vinaigrette (you can even just do a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, and salt)
Instructions:
Put your bread in the toaster. I would recommend using a larger piece of sliced whole wheat sourdough for this open-faced chopped salad sandwich. Add all your salad components to a bowl, chopping each ingredient very finely before adding it. Mix in the vinaigrette or whatever dressing is available and desired, and then add the chopped salad to the top of the bread. When the bread is toasted it offers a really satisfying crunch and is a perfect way to use up extra ingredients in the fridge. This recipe is SO easy for on the go and is very nutritious.
Mediterranean Bowls
Mediterranean Bowls
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup quinoa
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Bell Pepper
- Handful of tomatoes
- 1 can of Chickpeas
- Greens of choice
- Protein of choice such as chicken or tofu
- Sprinkling of feta ⟶ good quality feta
Dressing:
- balsamic vinegar
- dijon mustard
- olive oil
Directions:
Cook one cup of quinoa on the stove. While it is cooking, wash and chop your veggies. In a bowl combine the quinoa with the veggies and add salt, pepper, olive oil, and any other desired seasoning. Top with your greens and protein of choice. This is another great recipe to use pieces of a store bought rotisserie chicken. Add a sprinkle of feta and enjoy. This recipe makes a large serving and is perfect to store and meal prep for the week. I will usually get 3-4 meals out of it. This meal is the perfect dinner or lunch. Quinoa is a complete protein and a carbohydrate as well giving you plenty of nutrients to fuel your day!
Chicken Teriyaki with Avocado, Cucumber, Edamame Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 piece of chicken breast
- Store bought teriyaki sauce
- 1 cup of rice (brown for extra fiber)
- 1 cucumber
- 1 avocado
- 1 package of frozen edamame
- Extra cooked vegetables
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Directions:
Take your piece of chicken breast and place it on a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Pour some of your store bought teriyaki sauce on top of the chicken and place it in the oven at 400-425 degrees until fully cooked (around 30 minutes). Add your one cup of rice to a pot and let that cook. While that is cooking, chop up your cucumbers, and avocado and microwave your edamame beans per the bagged instructions. Add those ingredients to a bowl and pour over the soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar. Stir to combine. You can add any other type of cooked veggie that you have on hand such as broccoli or green beans if wanted. Place your rice and cooked chicken in a bowl and add your salad on top with a drizzle of the dressing. This is one of my favorite new diner recipes and the salad is delicious. If you do not want to cook the chicken, you can add store bought rotisserie chicken or substitute tofu or other types of fish. This recipe can make more than one service and is also great for meal prepping.
Pasta With Meat Sauce
Ingredients:
- Jar of tomato sauce ⟶ I like Rao’s
- 1 package of ground meat (turkey or beef), 1 pound
- White or Whole Wheat pasta
- Cooked Veggies (optional)
Directions:
This is a super easy recipe. Add your raw ground meat to a pan and place on the stove at medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and other desired seasonings as well as a drizzle of olive oil into the meat. Cook until all the meat is brown. If you have a little extra time you can add extra veggies like a carrot, zucchini, eggplant, and onion to make it more veggie happy. Add in your jarred tomato sauce and pour over the whole wheat pasta. This recipe is super easy, satiating, and satisfying. You can easily make it vegetarian by adding just the veggies to the sauce over the pasta.
Burrito bowl
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of brown or white rice
- 1 can of black beans
- Protein of choice (ground chicken, beef, turkey or tofu work best)
- Around 1 cup of spinach or kale
- 1 bag of frozen corn
- Handful of fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, avocado or other fresh veggies
- Shredded cheese
- Tortillas
Directions:
This meal is amazing because once you prepare all the ingredients, you can make them into a bowl, taco, burrito or quesadilla. I normally start with the meat. I love to take ground turkey or ground chicken and cook it in a pan with olive oil and taco seasoning. For this, I would make one package of meat. This recipe is also great with chicken in the oven or that store bought rotisserie chicken. Tofu or extra veggies can be used to make it more vegetarian friendly. After you cook the meat, cook the rice in a pot, and pour your beans in another pot and season as desired. You can cut up your raw veggies as extra toppings, and microwave your frozen corn as well. For spinach or kale, I like adding it to a pan with a little olive oil and garlic and cooking it until wilted. I love to add this to my bowls for extra iron and greens. Take all the components you just prepared and make it into whatever your heart desires. This is another great meal to prepare for the week!
Sheet Pan Salmon
Ingredients:
- 6 – 8 oz of skin on salmon filet
- 1 Tbsp mustard
- Cracked pepper to taste
- 1 bunch of asparagus (washed and ends trimmed and cut)
- 1 potato
Directions:
The best part of making a sheet pan meal is it’s done in one sheet making it super easy! To start, take your potato and cut it into cubes. Place them on one side of a large sheet pan with parchment paper under. Drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper, and other desired seasonings. The potatoes will need a little longer in the oven than the salmon and asparagus, so cook for around 15 minutes with just the potatoes in the oven at 425 degrees. After 15 minutes, take the potatoes out and place your piece of salmon on the sheet as well. Take your tablespoon of mustard and spread it across the salmon. Crack black pepper on top to taste. Take your bunch of asparagus, wash and trim them and place them on the other open side of the sheet pan. Like the potatoes, drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper, and whatever other seasoning you like. Cook this for another 15 minutes and enjoy! Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids and is a great food to add to your diet. This meal is easy and so delicious!
References
Bytomski, J. R. (2018). Fueling for performance. Sports health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5753973/
Web. (2024, August 26). Nutrition for athletes: Fueling your performance. UMMS Health.
