5 Great Post-Workout Recipes for the Morning

Eating after a morning workout is crucial. That’s, if you are looking to optimize the results you worked so hard for in the gym to build muscle and recover faster. This is why the right post-workout nutrition is essential to replace nutrients, amino acids and glycogen that have been lost during a workout.

Specifically the muscle building process requires protein synthesis and retention of nitrogen. Providing your body with the right amount of protein and carbohydrates after a hard workout can do this more effectively and efficiently. But you can’t always rely on the same old protein shakes or rice and chicken. In addition to them being boring, your body needs nutrient-dense foods to perform at your best throughout the day.

Here are a few post-workout recipes to shake up (no pun intended) your morning. These will be a brake from the daily regiment while providing your body with the proper nutrition. All of these are sure to wake up your flavor-deprived palate and will have you craving more.

Each of the meals consist of the three main building block to build muscle, burn fat and recover faster:]

The Right Ingredients to a Post-Workout Meal

Protein benefits:

• Manufactures hormones, enzymes, cellular messengers, nucleic acids, and immune-system components
• Used for the production of and protection muscles
• Helps with recovery and growth of muscles to avoid injury

Carbohydrates benefits:

• Helps with recovery and growth of muscles
• Replenishes glycogen in the muscles, which is the storage form of glucose.
• Glycogen chain is a factor in generating ATP, which transports chemical energy and is crucial for muscle contractions.

 

1. Chocolate Chia Recovery Smoothie

This protein shake from the minimalist baker is packed with 13 grams healthy fats, 6 gams fiber coming from chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds and 32 grams of carbohydrates. It has 8.6 grams of protein and 400mg of potassium contents coming from the added nut butter and banana.

The banana will also provide your body with magnesium, which will help replenish the electrolytes in your body to retain healthy muscle function.

Plus, it’s made of chocolate coconut water, which tastes great, is another source of electrolytes and is packed with antioxidants. This will help you rehydrate and stimulate your brain to perform better during the day. It also gives the protein shake a little more body.

This is a great post-workout recipe if you want to retain muscle tissues and lean up. The slow-digesting proteins in this shake will keep a steady flow of amino acids so your body can remain more anabolic.

The combination of chia seeds, banana, nut butter, flax seeds and hemp seeds makes this shake a fresh and satisfying recovery drink after an hour or so of working out.

Have it for breakfast after a morning workout or drink it in the afternoon after hitting the gym. Try it out

2. Avocado toast with hard-boiled eggs on bread with juice

You can’t go wrong with this avocado toast with hard-boiled eggs on top. From heathers dish the meals low sodium content helps in replenishing what has been lost during your sweaty workout. It also only has 210 total calories so if you’re a looking to cut some weight this is a perfect meal.

The avocado adds some freshness and a boost of 4.5 grams of healthy fats (Saturated, Polyunsaturated , Monounsaturated) along with 150 mg Potassium. To add the much-needed carbohydrates, it uses whole-grain bread that contains 17 grams, which will surely satisfy your hunger and appetite. The carb spike will up the insulin levels to force nutrients from this meal into your muscles.

Finally he hard-boiled egg packs in 6.3 grams of protein to replenish your energy stores. It’s easy to make, which is perfect for your busy morning. It’s also cost-effective as the ingredients are simple. You may already have some of them in your kitchen.

But be careful in adding avocado. It may contain healthy fats but it can cancel out the benefits of this post-workout recipe if you add more than a half of ripe avocado.

For additional benefits add a post workout freshly squeezed juice to you meal. Try it out

HYDR-AID Fresh juice

A juice will provide electrolytes to rehydrate you after a workout. Hydr-Aid from my fit station is great recipe; it’s made of celery stalks and cucumbers, which are two of the most ideal veggies for a post-workout nutrition.

The celery will calm you down and will help reduce inflammation after a training session. It contains vitamin K, molybdenum, folate, potassium, fiber, manganese and vitamin B2. The cucumbers have tons of antioxidant properties and contain multiple B vitamins as well as vitamin C and beta-carotene.

The lemon and pears contain electrolytes making this drink a healthy alternative to sports drink for hydration. They all contribute in giving your RBCs a healthy boost.

The lemon will provide a boost in energy and enhance your mood. It’s also hydrates your lymph system and promotes healing. The pears will help detox your body and contain fiber, to keep you feeling full longer. They are also a good source of vitamin B2, C, E, copper, and potassium.

This post-workout juice recipe is easy to make. And it’s low in calories, so it’s perfect if you’re trying to become lean or lose weight. Pairing the juice with the avocado toast with hard-boiled eggs on top will be a perfect balance of protein, carbs and vitamins your body needs to recover after a morning workout. Check out this just and a pre-workout juice recipe.

3. Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

These protein bars from 12 minute athlete aren’t only perfect as a post-workout breakfast but they’re also an ideal pre-workout nutrition any time of the day. The bar includes a nice 17 grams of whey protein, almond milk, and peanut butter to include a balance of healthy fats, carbohydrates and fiber.

The protein-rich ingredients can boost protein synthesis while keeping the calorie count low, only about 214 total calories per bar. The fat content of these protein bars are also under control, only 9.5 grams. Finally the bar includes 18 grams of carbohydrates, which is also important to replenish the muscle glycogen burned during your workout.

The cinnamon and oats contain healthy minerals that aid in boosting your metabolism and enhancing immune function. They also support healthy cell production, which you’ll need to avoid fatigue.

Overall, the healthy ingredients of these homemade bars restore your tired muscles while replenishing your energy stores. Unlike commercial protein bars on the market, these homemade ones are low in sugar. Try these homemade protein bars

4. Mini Avocado & Hummus Quesadillas with a Protein drink

Now this is something different from cookin canuck, but it’s another tasty post-workout recipe that includes avocado. This time, this fruit is paired with hummus and whole-wheat tortillas.

It’s a great carbohydrate, healthy fat and protein combination. A post-workout recipe that includes fruit should contain protein to keep your energy high. One of these little quesadilla’s includes only about 2.2 grams of protein with 7 grams of carbohydrate. So you can pop about 3 or 4 of these little snacks after a morning workout with you favorite protein drink for a nicely balanced meal.

You may not think of quesadilla as a post-workout recipe. But it’s a perfect bodybuilder carbohydrate source. Digesting it is slow so you can keep your energy levels as high as possible. It may cause a spike in your insulin but the increase is enough to feed your muscles.

Another great thing about it is that it’s only 66.2 calories per serving. Try these pita with hummus and avocado quesadillas

Protein drink

The perfect pairing with the quesadillas would be BSN Syntha 6 protein drink. This powder includes protein from six different sources, which will absorb over time into your body to provide a nutritional boost throughout a full day period. The different forms of protein it will digest into your system at different rates. So if you workout in the morning, afternoon or night you can drink this and it will help you recover.

The other great thing about this powder is that it only focuses on providing a high quality protein source. Compared to other powders it doesn’t include additional bonus supplements such as creatine, BCAAs and other ingredients that take down the protein content in each drink.

Syntha 6 include a total 22 grams of protein per serving along with 15 grams of carbohydrate. The drink is a little higher in calories, which is about 200. So combining a drink with a few quesadillas will provide your body with the nutrition it need to recover and build more muscle. It will also taste great and break up you routine to keep you motivated and getting back to the gym for more. Buy BSN Syntha 6 Now

5. Powerhouse Protein-Packed Pancakes

Did we say pancakes? Yes but these bad boys from foodista and are a little different from your average. You might think pancakes are not the right fuel to build muscle, lose weight or lean up. However, if you load them up with protein and healthy carbs you’ll have a perfectly balanced meal after a workout. Otherwise, you’ll truly hurt your fitness goals.

These protein pancakes contain a rich amount of protein. Per serving, about two pancakes, they have 53 grams of protein, making them a healthy post-workout breakfast after hours of working out in the morning. The old fashioned oats provide 27 grams of carbohydrates along with a low amount of healthy fats and vitamins.

They’re also made with Greek yogurt, which boosts your fiber needs. With natural applesauce, vanilla extra, maple syrup and raspberries, these pancakes provide a subtle sweetness and fluffy texture.

If you like pancakes with vanilla, you’ll love them. Try these out!

Conclusion

All of these post-workout recipes are easy to prepare. They won’t take an hour to finish. You can prepare them before heading to the gym so you can have them immediately right after working out.

These recipes are perfect for those who want to achieve leaner body, build muscle or lose weight. Although most of them are designed as a breakfast meal, they can be consumed as a snack or after an afternoon workout. Enjoy and Push it!