3 Meals To Fuel Your Workout Performance

What and when you eat affects your gym performance. Eating to improve workout performance increases energy and helps your muscles recover quicker.  

The DishQuo meal planning app provides members with 1500+ nutrient-dense recipes. In this article, we’ve highlighted three recipes we recommend before working out. Each of these fitness recipes should be eaten one hour before exercise. They’re small in size, therefore not overloading your digestive system.  

Good hydration is just as important for maximizing your gym time. The Mayo clinic recommends drinking 2-3 cups two hours before working out and an additional 2-3 cups during exercise.  

You can batch cook these small meals for workouts at the beginning of the week. Have them on hand so you’re ready to fuel up and work out. Here are three delicious, pre-workout meals to improve your performance.

1. Grab & Go Easy Breakfast Cookies

Who doesn’t love a cookie? And a healthy cookie is even better! Oats are an excellent choice for sustained energy during your workouts.  A variety of nuts and seeds in these cookies stabilize your blood sugar, providing a consistent and slow release of energy. Bananas sweeten it up and provide much needed potassium helping prevent muscle cramps. Potassium is lost while sweating, so preloading with banana is a great choice.

Preparation Time: 8 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

Serving: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• • • 1/2 banana
    • 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
    • 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
    • 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
    • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/8 cup  chopped almonds

Directions

1. 1. 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
      2. Mash the banana and place it into a medium-sized bowl.
      3. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
      4. Scoop and divide into several equal portions.
      5. Place the cookie dough into a baking sheet lined with parchment.
      6. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
      7. Bake for 15 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
      8. Remove and let it cool before serving.
      9. You may place the cookies in a tight jar once cooled down.

2. Healthy Egg Muffins

Healthy egg muffins are a great pre-workout meal, especially if your gym time is closer to 2 hours away.  This high protein recipe keeps hunger at bay and flavor high with a splash of Sriracha. With plenty of fiber from vegetables, you won’t be hungry while hitting the gym. Bring an extra egg muffin to the gym for post-workout protein recovery as well. 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• • • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
    • 2 large eggs whisked
    • 1 cup organic spinach
    • 1 tsp Sriracha
    • 1/8 cup sliced button mushrooms
    • 1/8 cup almond milk
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
    • 1/2 zucchini squash, finely diced 

Directions

1. 1. 1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
      2. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.
      3. Pour the mixture into muffin tins.
      4. Bake the egg muffins for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
      5. Serve immediately.

3. Peanut Butter Balls

A quick, portable and kid-friendly recipe, these power-filled peanut butter balls are great to have on hand.  They’re ready in minutes and require no baking. If you’re dropping kids off in the daycare room while you hit the gym, they’ll love it as a quick snack as well. Perfectly blended with carbohydrates, protein, fat and fiber, your energy levels will be ready to go. With a nice touch of agave and cocoa, you’ll feel like you’ve gotten a treat before you’ve even worked out. 

Preparation Time: 13 minutes

Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 13 minutes

Ingredients:

• • • 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
    • 2 tbsp peanut butter
    • 1 tbsp agave nectar
    • 1 tsp cocoa powder

 Directions

1. 1. 1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
      2. Divide into several bowls.
      3. Freeze for 10 minutes.
      4. Serve chilled.

DishQuo meal planning app has plenty of portable, pre-workout meals to fuel your gym time.  Find your favorites with a 2 week free trial on DishQuo.