Fueling Your Fitness Journey: Athlete Inspired Recipes

This week we’ve been searching for those top-tier sports people who look beyond ‘chicken and rice’ in their pursuit of nutrition.

We’ve collated options from Chris Bumstead, Jodie Burrage and Lionel Messi, all tweaked to embrace the time-saving benefits of our Steam Cooked Chicken Breasts.

Chris Bumstead’s Stir Fry Chicken Recipe

Whilst scouring the internet for athlete-inspired recipes we found a super interesting read on CBum’s diet over at Jacked Factory. From their sample ‘Off Season’ meal plan, we’ve built a quick recipe you can create yourself, read the full article here.

Approx. 52 g protein, 68 g carb, 10 g fat, 570 cals

Ingredients:

• 280g white rice
• 2 tsp rapeseed oil
• 15g ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• 2 small red onions (160g), cut into wedges
• 160g broccoli, broken into florets, stem finely chopped
• 2 carrots (160g), halved lengthways, then cut into diagonal slices
• 1 bell pepper, red or yellow
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 Steam Cooked Chicken Breasts
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp hummus
• 1 tbsp wheat-free tamari
• 1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

Method:

1. Cook the rice following pack instructions, then drain.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick wok over a high heat and fry the ginger and red onions for 2 mins. Add the broccoli stem, carrots, and chilli, if using, and cook for 1 min.
3. Tip in the chicken and cumin, stir-fry briefly, then add the broccoli florets and 3 tbsp water. Cover and leave to steam for 3-4 mins, or until the broccoli florets are just tender and the chicken is cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, mix the tamari and vinegar. Stir the sauce into the veg and chicken, then serve over the cooked rice with the hummus on the side.

Chris Bumstead, known around the world as ‘Cbum,’ is a highly dominant IFBB Classic Physique bodybuilder from Canada. He is the current reigning five-time Classic Physique Olympia (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023). – Fitness Volt

Jodie Burrage’s Family Hunter’s Chicken

Credit to ASDA for this one, their series of recipes from athletes’ parents is a great read! Check them out here. We’ve adapted this one to make use of our Steam Cooked Chicken Breasts, saving a nice chunk off the prep time and ensuring consistent protein levels.

Approx. 66g protein, 86g carb, 11g fat, 450cals

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 1tsp vegetable oil, plus extra for the tray
• 50g 30% less fat grated cheese
• 2 rashers lean bacon – substitute for medallions for a cleaner meal
• 2tbsp sticky BBQ sauce
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced around 7mm thick
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 50ml semi-skimmed milk
• 10g unsalted butter
• ½tsp Very Lazy Garlic in White Wine Vinegar
• 2 Steam Cooked Chicken Breasts
• 180g pack runner beans, ends trimmed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
• Optional 10g grated parmesan

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200c /fan 180c/gas mark 6. Grease a small baking tray.
2. After defrosting as per the pack instructions, slice the chicken breasts and insert about 15g of the grated cheese into the centre of each.
3. Lie the bacon medallions over the breasts and secure them with a cocktail stick.
4. Brush with a little of the BBQ sauce, place on the prepared baking tray and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through.
5. While the chicken is cooking, fry the onion in 1 tsp of oil until golden brown and soft. Also, put the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft. Steam the runner beans and carrots over the potatoes.
6. Drain the potatoes and put them back in the pan with the milk, butter and garlic. Mash until smooth and then stir through the fried onions.
7. Once the chicken is cooked, pour over the rest of the BBQ sauce and scatter over the parmesan and remaining cheddar. Return to the oven for 2 mins until the cheese has melted. Slice the chicken into 1cm thick pieces and serve with the mash, carrots and runner beans.

Jodie Anna Burrage is a British tennis player with a career-high WTA singles ranking of 85 and a doubles ranking of 147. Notable highlights include her debut at Wimbledon in 2021 and her first major win at the US Open in 2023. Burrage’s achievements also include reaching her first WTA Tour singles final and winning her maiden WTA Tour title at the 2023 Transylvania Open, alongside Jil Teichmann.

Lionel Messi’s Root Veg Tray Bake

We found this super simple recipe via Barcelona FC, who did a series of recipes during lockdown. “A recipe designed for cooking beginners that will please all palates and that provides all the necessary nutrients for a balanced diet”. We especially enjoyed their suggestion of switching the potatoes for pumpkin for a lower calorie version – bookmark this for Spooky Season! You can find the source article here.

Approx. 58g protein, 95g carb, 19g fat, 650 calls per portion

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 30g olive oil
• Salt, 2 pinches (optional)
• 4 smashed garlic cloves
• 1 red onion
• 2 large carrots (peeled and cut on the base)
• 1 leek, rinsed and quartered lengthways
• 700-800 g quartered potatoes
• 2 Steam Cooked Chicken Breasts
• Fresh thyme

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Coat an oven dish with the olive oil, sprinkle the salt if you’re using it.
3. Spread your veg evenly throughout the oven dish – garlic, onion, carrots, leek, potatoes and thyme.
4. Pop in the oven for 35 mins, reducing the temp to 190°C
5. Defrost 4 Steam Cooked Chicken breasts as per the pack instructions, when your timer goes off add these to your oven dish, mix well and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Lionel Messi (we may not need the bio for this one…)is widely held to be one of the greatest football players of his generation — and with good reason. The record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has conquered nearly every piece of football real estate there is to claim over the course of his illustrious football career. – Olympics.com

These recipes provide essential nutrients and cater to your taste buds. Plus, with the convenience of healthy frozen food options, like our brand offers, you can easily prep and freeze portions for later use, making healthy eating a breeze. Incorporate these dishes into your meal rotation to stay fueled and focused on your fitness journey.

Although we’ve used our Steam Cooked Chicken Breasts in these examples, our Flavoured Chicken Bites will also work well for the tray bake and stir fry, explore the range below.

Happy cooking and here’s to a healthier, more vibrant you!