If you’re like me, you fall into a rut of eating the same breakfast over and over again. If I eat another plain piece of toast with peanut butter again I’m going to lose my mind!
Thankfully, there are so many creative options to fuel correctly for our morning or afternoon workouts – and it all starts with breakfast.
Breakfast has long been argued to be the most important meal of the day. And for runners, it sets the tone for the rest of the day and fuels our next workout.
During our research for the Nutrition for Runners program, Anne (a Registered Dietitian) and I spoke with many nutrition and fueling experts. And they were ALL clear on a few issues:
- Breakfast IS critical for energy management throughout the day, especially for runners
- Calorie counting or calculating macronutrient percentages is a bad idea
- Runners should not “diet” while training for a race, nor should they follow a specific diet (like Paleo, Zone, etc.)
In the program itself, we include how to plan your meals (without obsessing over any numbers), example meal plans, our 5 Principles of Nutrition, and how to fuel for each race distance of 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon.
But we also go into the specifics of the actual foods to eat. Along with a “dietitian approved” grocery list that shows you what foods are best for runners (and why), we have an entire digital guide with meal ideas, specific foods to eat before, during, and after runs, and guidelines for how to structure your eating based on when you run during the day.
We’re really proud of the program, especially when we heard from Nicole and Johna just last month:
“I love the simplicity of your approach to nutrition in this program, without having to track servings of every food group. It’s so much more sustainable. I can naturally adjust portions based on training volume, and follow the same patterns while traveling too.” – Nicole
“I looked through the recipes and snack ideas and I LOVE them! You weren’t lying when you said they are quick and easy and have ingredients that you can actually find in your local supermarket!
I have spent so much money on healthy recipe books to find that the ingredients are all weird and you have to go hunting for them at specialty stores. I don’t have time for all that.” – Johna
Today I’m excited to share an excerpt with you – one of my favorite breakfast recipes that can be made in less than 15 minutes.
And if you want to learn more about the program (and get a free nutrition e-course!), you can sign up here.
The Easy Breakfast Pancake Recipe
This pre-run meal idea is perfect for before an easy or moderate run when you don’t need an enormous amount of carbohydrates. For long runs or challenging workouts, you’ll want to eat more carbs.
You can read more about long run nutrition here. Alright, on to the recipe!
High Protein, Flour Free Breakfast Pancake
Makes 1 pancake
Prep time: <5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
*gluten free
The secret to this pancake? Egg and banana! It sounds gross but it’s good. The combination is a great way to enjoy a pancake that’s higher in protein than usual, and they have a nice texture, too. The ground flaxseed acts as the “flour”.
- Ingredients:
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 medium very ripe banana, mashed
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- Few shakes of cinnamon
Instructions:
1. Mash the banana in a bowl, then add eggs and whisk together. Next, add the flaxseed, vanilla extract, and cinnamon and mix gently.
2. Pour the mixture into a pan (that has been greased or sprayed with cooking spray) over medium low heat. You’ll want to use a small omelette pan (about 8″) – the pancake is too runny for a large pan and will spread out too much, making it hard to flip.
3. Leave the pancake sitting over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Don’t touch it – it will take awhile to cook. Go do something else and ignore it for a little while.
4. After about 10 minutes, check to make sure the pancake is solid enough to flip. If it is, flip away! It will only take about another minute on the other side.
5. Eat it plain or top with fresh or frozen fruit or nut butter.
Breakfast for Runners Doesn’t Need to be Hard
I love this particular recipe because it’s an “in between” breakfast: not as simple as grabbing a banana from the counter, but it’s also not a 17-step gourmet breakfast that takes 45 minutes to prep and an hour to cook.
It’s for days when you have just a little more time.
But if you have no time, then we recommend make-ahead foods – those that you can cook in batches. They still don’t take a long time to make, but they can be stored for an entire week and give you the energy you need to rock your runs without spending hours in the kitchen.
In our nutrition program, we include a collection of these type of recipes, including:
- 5 Minute No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Almond Butter Banana Breakfast Bars
- Whole Wheat Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
- and a lot more…
The best part? They’re a helluva lot healthier than grabbing a breakfast bar or chugging a sugary coffee drink, which will undoubtedly leave you with a blood sugar crash.
These pre-run breakfast ideas are created specifically for runners, so you know you’re eating the right foods (and we tell you exactly when to eat them, even if you’re a morning or evening runner).
I hope you found this recipe yummy and helpful for your next morning run!
If you want to learn more about nutrition for runners – and get my favorite smoothie recipe – hop on the nutrition email list here.
