What does it take to keep a body healthy to train 35 hours a week? The answer: a lot of nourishing food! We asked blueseventy sponsored athletes Laurel and Bec Wassner, founders of the blog Athlete Food, to talk about the foods that power their training and podium performances.
Home is in New York City for the twins, but racing professionally as triathletes take them all over the world. Athlete Food documents journeys to the starting line, travels to race destinations, and the constant search for healthy food on the road and at home.
While Bec doesn’t find the whole overnight oats thing super appealing, she did hit the mark with this make-ahead breakfast that is tasty enough to eat regularly (we agree: we're big fans of overnight oats - super easy, nutritious and delicious).
I always try to get a hotel room with a microwave so that I can do some in-room cooking. I make dinner with ingredients I brought in my suitcase and prepare a hot bowl of oatmeal the morning of the race. – Laurel
A post swim greasy bodega fried egg sandwich led Laurel and Bec to come up with this healthy alternative in the form of mini muffin-sized bites. They are little flavor-protein powerhouses and are the perfect way to refuel after a workout (sorry bodega). We have to agree – after firing up a batch last week we found ourselves craving these little bites after every workout.
Swim. Bike. Run. Hike?? The Wassner twins agree that hiking is a great way to build fitness in the early season and we couldn’t agree more especially for the change of pace and scenery. This smoothie bowl makes a perfect pre-hike boost since it’s both thirst-quenching and, with its toppings, hearty. It’s like eating a yogurt bowl with a smoothie for a base instead of yogurt.
Baking bars is likely high on every athlete’s should-do list, but why spend time cooking something one can buy so easily? This recipe was created by the owner of The Bakery in New Paltz, NY where the Wassner twins do a lot of their training. These bars hail all the way back to the 70’s and are still sold at the shop to this day: They are that good! 40+ years of fueling hungry athletes!
If you’re like the Wassners, you’ve likely stopped at Chipotle after a long hard day of training. It’s convenient, reliable and filling. But you know how sometimes it just feels like too much? Like, oops I just undid my whole workout right there! So, they came up with their own take on a Chipotle burrito bowl. The result is a cleaner take: Zucchini noodles instead of rice and the beans, squash, fresh salsa and toppings help flavor the zoodles. Yes, it is a lot of food, but it all feels healthy and fresh - especially with a little squeeze of lime on top.
From my experience, the best way to get the body back on track after one of these super hard races is to eat a few big, comforting meals, drink a lot of coconut water…and maybe have a few extra scoops of ice cream. - Bec
Just look at that picture! Simply amazing. If you needed any more reason to still make these, here's three:
1) it is healthy to have treats (...sometimes)
2) there are only 5 ingredients
3) they are gooey, sweet and super easy to make
For more recipes, triathlon training tips and other healthy living ideas, be sure to follow Bec and Laurel on Instagram. Bec is @athletefood and Laurel is @athletestyle. They post a ton of great content that doesn't quite make it to the blog, especially the more spur of the moment stories and as well as some fun videos. They love to interact with their followers, so be sure to give them a follow.
