Nutrition | Meal Plans - SAMMAMISH ROWING ASSOCIATION

Nutrition Thoughts

How do you optimize your performance through food intake? Hear these rowers talk about their food philosophies!

Sammamish Rowing Association

Recipes and Meal Plans

Meal Planning Advice:
Rowers benefit from exercise that burns many calories. That usual leads to large appetites and large quantities of food being eaten every day to replenish lost energy. However, with the boathouse closed as well as local gyms in accordance with Washington's Stay at Home order, you might find your appetite dwindling as you burn fewer calories than normal.

To avoid unnecessary weight gain by consuming the same amount of food you normally do with a less intense and less frequent workout schedule, try downloading an app like MyFitnessPal to track your new current calorie intake and fitness activity throughout the day. Create smaller portions at meal time and have small snacks throughout the day.

Tips:

Eat a small breakfast and try setting specific hours to eat between such as 8:00am-7:00pm, or a more strict intermittent fasting method of 11:00am-7:00pm
Try not to shop for unhealthy snacks and keep plenty of cut up veggies and fruits to have at your work station such as baby carrots, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and bananas (for more flavor add hummus or peanut butter)
Write out what you intend to eat for each meal so you're never left guessing or just reach for the convenient foods or resort to take-out, try the meal planning guides by clicking the button below
Eat with family to promote social time, and have them help you with cooking and cleaning. This might be a great time to teach kids the basics of cooking and will be an activity you look forward to rather than a chore
Consider making meals ahead of time to store in the fridge or freezer if your days are still tight on time
Stick to the rule of consuming at least 5 servings of fruit or vegetables each day
Challenge yourself to drink at least 64oz of water a day, preferably more

Community Recipes

Below you'll find both healthy and indulgent recipes from our community. Rowers, coaches, staff, and members can submit their recipes along with a photo to be enjoyed by our entire community! If you try a receipt be sure to post a photo on social media sites and tag @sammamishrowing. To submit a recipe, please email your recipe and a photo to elizabeth.wilson@srarowing.com!

Coach Liza's Chicken Enchilada

Easy Chicken Enchiladas, Salsa Verde Style
Recipe by Liza Dickson

This is one of my favorite dinners. It comes together quickly on a weeknight and it packs some great, powerful flavors. It feels very indulgent, but you are still getting a good mix of proteins, carbs and veggies..

Servings: For the recipe as written below, I call it two with lunch leftovers in our house, because I will serve it with a healthy green salad with a lime cumin vinaigrette and maybe some extra chips and salsa and guacamole to keep the hungry crowd quiet while I cook!

This recipe is very easily multiplied to feed a bigger crowd. And it can be prepared up to the point or the final baking the morning before you want to eat it.

Time: about 40’

Here’s what you need:

12 ounces of uncooked chicken breast , cubed. Pat it dry. Season with salt and pepper . You could use skirt steak . if you want to skip the meat, go with 14 oz of canned, drained black beans. It’s just as good and we eat it that way often. When i call to add the chicken , use the bean and you just won’t have to cook it as long.
1 poblano pepper chopped ( he's a mild guy. If you like spicy, keep him, but also add a chopped jalapeno )
1 - 2 roma tomatoes , diced
3 scallions chopped , greens and whites separated
2 tablespoons of Liza’s house fajita seasoning, divided. ( Liza’s house fajita seasoning is: 4 parts paprika; and one part each of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin and italian seasoning. Plus an optional ½ part smoked chipotle chili powder if you want some smoky heat . It’s always on hand in bulk in our house!)
Handful of fresh spinach ( green things are good )
6-8 small flour tortillas ( corn works too, but i like the texture of flour better if you are able to eat them)
8 0z prepared green salsa of choice. I usually choose a mild one , choose hot if you like heat or add a can of green Chiles to a mild salsa .
¼ - ½ cup of monterey jack cheese. It melts well. Cheddar works. As does a prepared mix of shredded mexican cheese
Sour cream crema : sounds fancy. It’s easy. Take some sour cream and mix it with some lime juice, salt and pepper and hot sauce ( i’m partial to cholula ) to taste. This crema takes any Tex mex dish to the next level!
Optional : Fresh chopped avocado; cold diced tomatoes, cilantro
Vegetable oil, butter, water, salt and pepper as needed.

Here’s what to do :

Preheat your oven with a rack on the highest level to 475
If you have prepared your ingredients above as described beforehand, this goes really easily . If you haven’t done that, do that now !
Heat up some vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add your chicken and poblano pepper and 1 tablespoon of the house fajita seasoning
Cook chicken with poblano until chicken is cooked through.
Add diced tomato, scallion whites, and rest of house fajita seasoning and ¼ cup of water and 1 tablespoon of butter. Simmer until liquid is reduced and season with salt and pepper.
Add in a handful of spinach and allow it to wilt.It won’t take long. Remove pan from heat.
Make your enchiladas: you can cook them in a cast iron pan or a baking dish . they do best in tight quarters, simp I’m a vessel that seems smaller than you need, not bigger . Spoon the cooked chicken mixture on a tortilla and roll it up, placing it seem side down in the baking vessel. Repeat until done with all enchiladas. Don’t worry If stuff is falling out the sides - you can spoon this over the Cooked enchiladas at the end !
Once all enchiladas are assembled, spoon the salsa verde over to generously coat. Top with cheese
Into the preheated oven until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. 3-5 minutes
Remove and top with scallion greens, crema, and fresh avocado, cold diced tomatoes and cilantro as desired.
Enjoy !

Coach Elizabeth's Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

Fresh greens (preferably butter lettuce)
Thinly sliced radishes
Goat Cheese
Pistachios (chopped)
Walnuts (chopped)
Blood orange (navel orange will work as well)
Light balsamic vinaigrette or light dressing of your choice

Directions:

Chop your walnuts and lightly toast them in a pan (do not burn)
Chop pistachios, slice radishes thinly, and cut your orange into small slices or thin wedges
Wash and dry your lettuce with cool water
Grab a salad bowl and put in your lettuce first followed by your desired amount of goat cheese (half a stick or more), radish slices, blood orange slices, and sprinkle the top with your pistachios, walnuts, and dressing. Mix if desired.

Coach Liza's Banana Muffins

I took my favorite banana bread recipe and simplified it down to simple pantry items. They are delicious in their simplicity, however, if you want to jazz them up a bit, I have suggestions at the bottom.
Happy baking!

Coach Liza’s Banana Muffins

Makes 12-14 regular muffins, or 8-10 large. My personal preference is the regular size

Ingredients:

½ Cup room temperature butter
½ Cup white sugar
½ Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3-4 overripe bananas
1 tsp. Baking soda
2 Cups flour

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350
Line muffin tins with paper liners, or grease lightly with butter and dust with flour
Cream butter and sugar - you can do this by hand or with a mixer. It won’t necessarily get totally smooth just yet
Add eggs and mix until as smooth as you can get it.
Mash bananas, mix into above mixture
Sprinkle baking soda on top (don’t mix yet)
Add in flour. Fold with a spoon until just incorporated (do not overmix or the muffins will be dense and tough)
Fill tins ¾ of the way full. (if you want a crunchy top you can sprinkle with some coarse sugar)
Bake 23-25’. When a toothpick comes out clean they are done.

Optional add-ins: dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, fresh berries. Add 1 T of honey; ½-1 t of vanilla; ½ -1t of cinnamon; ¼ to ½ t of ginger. Add grated apple, lemon zest or orange zest.

Substitutions: For one of the eggs you can substitute any of the following: ¼ c applesauce; ¼ cup yogurt or sour cream; 1 T chia seeds mixed with 3T water. I don’t recommend taking out both the eggs as it will really impact the quality of the muffin.

Coach Matt's Banana Pancakes

Banana pancakes ingredients

1 C whole wheat flour
1.5 t baking soda
dash cinnamon
½ dash ginger
~1 T butter
3 T lemon juice
1 C - 3 T milk
1 large egg
1 banana
1 splash vanila
(choc. chips?)

Toppings (essential)
natural crunchy peanut butter
maple syrup

Toppings (optional)
sweetened (fruit?) yogurt
fruit
Ice cream

Follow the video for instructions and to watch Coach Matt make his delicious banana pancakes!

Coach Liza's Spring Salad

Spring salad: Artichoke , edamame and asparagus

I love a great seasonal salad - and this one hits all the right notes for spring! It’s healthy and tasty. This is a great side salad with a simple piece of grilled chicken or fish or a skewer or grilled shrimp. I like to serve it on a bed of spinach ( or kale )and arugula to pump up the nutrition. The arugula adds a nice peppery balance to the dish. I also love that this dish is easily adaptable to fit your tastes and dietary needs. Read on...

The edamame is a plant powerhouse - packed with protein and fiber. If you aren’t a fan( you should be !) or don’t have it , frozen peas can substitute. Most people don’t realize that peas have a good amount of protein and should be a part of any athlete's diet.

Artichoke hearts pack fiber and amazing antioxidants- especially detoxifying for the liver .

Asparagus is an amazing green spring veggie - but broccoli crowns work just as well, if you prefer .

If you don’t have a lemon - any citrus will work ( I’ve made it with grapefruit and it was amazing !)

Parmesan cheese is important because it adds some calcium as well as salty, sharp balance to the dish, but feta is another good choice .

Add some raw, thinly sliced red onions or chopped shallots if you like a little more onion flavor .

It’s easily expandable to a full meal: add some pasta ( orzo is my fave for this, but any pasta will do ), or mix in some cooked quinoa for carbohydrates and extra protein. Need a little more protein? White beans or chickpeas can be added .

If you add a bunch of extra stuff beyond the basic recipe below, you will want to double up the dressing. Or maybe just do that anyway- it’s light and refreshing!

Here we go!
As written below ; this serves 4.( the leftovers taste better the next day)

Step 1: gather your ingredients:
1 garlic clove , peeled and halved lengthwise
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil( avocado is great too )
1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of zest
½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
14 oz can of artichokes ( not the marinated kind , though you can use them - drain them and substitute the oil that drains off for the EVOO above and you won’t need as much of the Italian seasoning ) either way, chop them into quarters .
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1 lb asparagus , woody ends trimmed , cut into thirds
1 oz shaved Parmesan
If you’ve got some fresh herbs around - it brightens it up - dill, chives , parsley or cilantro

Step 2: make the dressing . In a large glass bowl, rub the inside with the cut side of garlic and discard . Add oil , lemon juice , Italian seasoning and salt and pepper and whisk well . ( you can also do this in a mason jar )

Step 3: add artichokes to bowl and toss well. Place in fridge .

Step 4: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add frozen edamame and cook for 2’. Add asparagus . Cook until edamame and asparagus are tender , but still crisp . ( 3’ ish ) Immediately remove , and run under cold water . Drain well and blot with a paper towel .

Step 5: add asparagus and edamame mixture to artichoke mix . Toss to combine . Add shaved Parmesan on top. And any fresh herbs as noted above .

Serve and enjoy!

In good health,
Coach Liza

Coach Matt's Peanut Butter Veggie Pasta

Peanut Butter Veggie Pasta
Follow the video to see how Matt makes this yummy pasta dish!

Base:

8 oz. pasta (cooked)
2 carrots
1 zucchini
1 bell pepper
1 onion

Sauce:

⅔ C natural peanut butter
⅔ C hoisin sauce
2 T lime juice
1 T (heaping) minced garlic
1 T Sriracha (or to taste)
1 T powdered ginger (or ~1 in. shredded fresh)
⅔ C boiling water
(add ~ ⅔ C peanuts if you have them)

Matt's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
2/3 - 3/4 c natural peanut butter
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
4-5 T flour
1 t baking powder

Instructions

Cream butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.
Add peanut butter and mix until homogenous NOTE: if you’re using natural peanut butter, stay on the low sid (2/3 c), to avoid getting chalky. If you’re using unnatural, no-stir peanut butter, you can get away with a little more.
Sift baking powder and flour together separately, then mix into the wet ingredients on low power just until combined. NOTE: start with 4 T and check the consistency of the dough (should be fairly smooth and fluffy but hold its shape)
Plop dough onto cookie sheet in ~ 1 in. blobs and chill in the freezer for ~ 10 min or until oven is preheated.
Preheat oven to 350 °F
Bake for ~12-14 minutes (They won’t change color much, but I don’t like crumbly, dry peanut butter cookies, so I take them out on the early side) If they come out too crumbly, try a little less peanut butter next time, or mixing the dough less vigorously after PB is added.