Nutrition tips: Quick dinner ideas for busy runners, walkers

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When it comes to making quick healthy meals, my No. 1 advice for runners is to choose nutritious and fast cooking ingredients that provide a combination of carbohydrates, good quality protein and healthy fats.

Here are four dinner ideas that will make weeknight meals fun and tasty:

1. Vegetarian Chili

One-pot meals like vegetarian chili are easy to make, packed with quality carbs and fibre and make perfect leftovers.

What you need: Chop sweet potatoes and onions and sauté with olive oil in a large pot until tender. Cover with water and let boil until potatoes are cooked. Add low sodium canned, diced tomatoes and black beans. Mix in anti-inflammatory spices to taste: chili powder, cayenne, cumin and paprika.

Serve with avocado toast for an anti-inflammatory bonus.

2. Crockpot Meals

You don’t have to be a master chef to whip up a fantastic meal with a slow cooker. For any runner who has little time to cook, crockpot is the way to go.

What you need: mix baby potatoes, stewing beef, canned tomatoes and any leftover veggies (celery, onions, carrots, etc.) in a crockpot. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, oregano and let cook for six to eight hours on low.

3. Homemade Pizza

Load up on antioxidant rich veggies by whipping up a homemade pizza.

What you need: whole grain thick pita bread, pesto or tomato sauce (can be pre-made or store bought), top with your favourite veggies and mozzarella cheese. Enjoy it with a side salad or with a hearty soup.

4. Pasta Dishes

Think outside the box and try a Mexican-inspired ground meat and pasta dish.

What you need: In a large skillet, sauté diced onions with olive oil until tender. Add extra lean ground beef and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until fully cooked. Add diced bell peppers, 1-2 tbsp. tomato paste and chili powder, and cook until peppers are tender. Mix in cooked penne pasta and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

• Melissa Kazan MSc, RD, is SportMedBC’s registered dietitian and sport nutritionist. She is from Fortius Sport and Health

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