An Athlete’s Christmas: Recipe Ideas

We've established you can have some leeway over Christmas and enjoy yourself. Those extra calories and carbs will help your finely tuned body recover, fend off illness and build muscle while those same calories and carbs will make your lazy, sedentary friends and family start January carrying even more blubber than they were last year.

Make Your Own Mash

Don’t fancy fat-laden white mashed potato? Try a sweet potato mash instead. Keep the skins on for their fibre content, and use coconut oil along with some cinnamon for a sweet mash, or go for organic grass fed butter with some paprika or cayenne pepper for a savory twist.

Pie: The Healthy Way

Pumpkin is a pretty solid food for any athlete. It’s high in fiber, low in sugar and has plenty of vitamins and minerals too. The downside to regular pumpkin pie though, is the sugar content, not only in the pie filling itself, but in the crust.

Use oats and a small amount of butter to make your base, then leave it to set in the fridge. For an awesome topping, use chopped pecans or walnuts, along with light whipped cream, or a protein sludge, made by mixing whey or casein protein powder with a dash of milk or water.

Double Protein Turkey

Turkey is a pretty fantastic source of protein as it is, but there’s always room for more protein.

Cover the whole bird in bacon for roasting, or if you’re cooking breast or wing on its own, just wrap a rasher around each piece. For an added protein hit when cooking the whole bird, make a stuffing using chestnuts and bacon lardons.

Protein-Packed Sprouts 

Bacon to the rescue again.

No one can argue against the many benefits of the vitamins, minerals and fibre in sprouts, but they certainly have an acquired taste. Fortunately, bacon not only makes everything taste great, but they give sprouts a much needed protein boost. Along with garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil this makes the ultimate veggie, protein and fat combo.

Read More: Staying on a Weight Loss Diet during this Christmas: Healthy Holiday Treats

Leftovers 

Crush all your leftover veg, form it into fist-sized patties and pan fry them in just a small amount of butter, olive oil or coconut oil. Serve them with cold meat, and for a low-sugar condiment, opt for hot sauce, English mustard, or horseradish.