Ever wonder what a triathlete eats in a day? Well, below is a one-day food diary for Patrick (my fiancé) and me (all measurements are estimates, as we do not measure food). Every triathlete and person is different, and every day for me is different. Below is a day in the ‘food life’ of me from a random Tuesday a few weeks back. This does not include what I drink in a day (lots of water-maybe 3 liters, a sip of Patrick’s coffee, sparkling water, and usually a Silver Edition Red Bull if I have a bike ride). It also does not include treats. I have dark chocolate after every meal (yes, even breakfast). If you see something you like, I encourage you to make it tonight!
Breakfast: Oats with Eggs
I absolutely love this breakfast and never get sick of it! I would say I eat a variation of Oats with Eggs at least six days a week. It is also usually my race morning meal.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups oats
Handful of walnuts
4 cups water or milk
1 tsp salt
Handful of raisins
2 bananas
2 Tbs coconut oil
4 eggs
Dash of vinegar
Boiling water
DIRECTIONS
Soak the oats and raisins overnight in water or milk (soaking the oats gives them a creamy, delicious texture and makes them easier to digest)
In the morning, slice two bananas and add the bananas and a pinch of salt to the oats with extra water or milk, if necessary
Slowly heat the oats on the stovetop
While the oats are cooking, boil a pot of water with a dash of vinegar to poach your eggs. When the water boils, crack four eggs into the water and cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on how you like your eggs cooked)
Once the oats are cooked and warm, stir in 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut oil, walnuts, and any other mixings you enjoy (some of our other favorite mix-ins: yogurt, berries, dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter)
Top the oats with the poached eggs and enjoy
My sister says "This looks disgusting!" However, I don't think you will be disappointed if you try it!
Lunch: Lamb Beef Curry
I usually come home from the pool and lunch is sitting on the table ready for me to eat (thank you, Patrick!). Lunch is almost always rice-based (Mexican casserole, chicken pesto rice, moussaka with rice, rice/veggies/meat and some sort of sauce). Curry is also a staple and one of my favorites.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups rice
1 pepper
80g mushrooms
1 large onion
2 large carrots
1 small head of broccoli
80g frozen peas
500g lamb mince
Coconut oil
3-4 cloves garlic
1 Tbs fish sauce
1 heaping Tbs curry powder
1 can coconut cream
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
DIRECTIONS
Cook vegetables (except peas) in coconut oil in a frying pan
Start cooking the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop (we use a rice cooker)
Add coconut cream, peas, and spices to the vegetables. The longer you let this cook, the more flavorful this dish will be – patience is a virtue (good thing I don’t normally cook this dish!)
Cook meat in a separate pan with oil. When the meat is cooked, add to the vegetables
Combine ingredients and enjoy. For a different flavor of curry, add lemongrass to the dish
Curry
This lunch (and a piece of chocolate) satisfies me; however, I usually need a snack before the afternoon workout. Today my snack was rice cakes with peanut butter, yogurt, and raisins.
Rice cake bar: Peanut butter, Greek yogurt, jam, honey.
I did not eat this on this day, however this is a typical snack for me (below is an enlarged photo). Photo was taking by Patrick, who came home and caught me snacking on the couch.
Up close photo of a snack I sometimes have.
After my afternoon workout, I ate muesli for a protein-packed snack. Fellow Wollongong Wizard Charlotte McShane shared with me her tip for delicious muesli: Use orange juice instead of milk to hydrate the oats. It adds a sweetness without having to add sugar or other sweeteners.
Snack: Muesli
One of the things I love about the muesli I make is that every batch is different (and delicious!). I always have a batch in the fridge. It’s perfect when I come home after a session or as a snack before bed.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup oats
Dried fruit (raisins, dates, dried apricots, prunes, dried unsweetened mango, etc.)
2 cups juice (I use orange)
Chopped nuts (macadamia, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
1 to 2 cups yogurt
Fruit (bananas, grapes, peaches, fresh berries, or whatever you have on hand)
Peanut butter
DIRECTIONS
Pour oats into a large storage container
Fill the container with juice so there is about double the amount of juice to oats
Add a little yogurt, and a lot of dried fruit, fresh fruit, and nuts
Let the mixture sit at least overnight before scooping into a bowl with extra yogurt, peanut butter and some honey if you need more sweetener (I find the honey is not necessary when using orange juice)
My sister says this also looks disgusting, but it is delicious! I was actually just in Auckland with Team USA and Joe Maloy asked Patrick and me "Have you ever heard of this Bircher Muesli?? It's amazing!"
For dinner, we usually have some sort of potato dish – I love when we have mashed sweet potatoes; however, tonight we had a typical Patrick one-pot dish.
Dinner: Salad without Lettuce
When we make a salad, the ingredients always change, but feta, meat, potato and veggies are always used.
INGREDIENTS
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 large red onion
1 large cucumber
4 big stalks celery
1 pepper
1 avocado
Coconut oil
Brussels sprout
2 chicken breasts
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
200g feta cheese
DIRECTIONS
Chop vegetables
Fry sweet potato, brussels sprout, chicken, and onion in coconut oil
When cooked, combine chopped fresh vegetables with cooked vegetables, feta cheese, and chicken. Add a generous amount of balsamic vinegar and good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salad for dinner.
Tonight’s dinner was finished with a special treat Patrick brought home (see picture below). Before bed I had a bit of muesli and a sip of Patrick’s beer.
Two desserts from a local Mediterranean restaurant
And that concludes one day at the table with me. Hope you enjoyed!
