14 Recipes and Packaged Options for Runners

“Have a protein-rich snack after your run to immediately start the muscle-building process,” suggests Marie Spano, RD, a sports dietitian in Atlanta. “Athletes who eat protein and carbohydrates shortly after finishing their workout tend to have more energy that day and run better the next day.”

For more protein-rich snacks you can turn to after a run or other workout, we’ve rounded up both quick recipes and packaged options. Add them to your fueling plan to boost your recovery and prepare your body for the next effort.

1. Easy-to-prepare bagels

This is perhaps the simplest baking recipe ever. All you need is two cups of self-rising flour and 1 to 2 cups of plain fat-free Greek yogurt (plus an egg wash and all the seasoning!). Cook the recipe ingredients in advance so you have a protein-rich snack to take with you after a run. A bagel contains 9 to 10 grams of protein and also offers sodium and carbohydrates to replenish.

2. Cheese and Turkey Wraps

Simply wrap a slice of turkey around a stick of string cheese and you’ll get about 11 grams of protein, or more if you double that number.

3. Gluten-Free Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes

This homemade special recipe is a Spano family favorite. It’s high in protein thanks to cottage cheese, eggs, and milk, with each four-inch pancake containing 4 macro grams.

Make them ahead and freeze them for a quick post-run bite during the week, or make them right after a workout and top them with nut butter and berries for added protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates and antioxidants.

4. Chomps Grass-Fed Beef Jerky Strips

Chomps Jerky comes from grass-fed beef and contains no sugar. “Jerky products are typically high in sodium, so they help rehydrate after a long run or tough workout,” Santiago says. This support for rehydration comes from the role of sodium in water retention.

In a beef stick, you get 9 grams of protein.

5. Egg and vegetable muffins

Spano recommends using a slice of ham in place of a baking pan for these egg bites, which contain 7 grams of protein per bite (9 grams with the ham).

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen eggs
• ¼ cup 2% milk
• roasted vegetables, cut into small cubes
• a cup of spinach leaves, torn
• ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
• ½ teaspoon of salt; pepper to taste
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray
• Sliced ​​ham

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine eggs and milk. Add the diced vegetables, spinach and cheese. Stir to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Use thin slices of ham as muffin cups. Pour the egg mixture into each muffin cup until it is ¾ full. Cook for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. The toothpick should be clean and the egg should be firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let sit for five minutes. To remove, use a knife to loosen the side of the egg from the pan.

6. “Chicken” chips

If you’re tired of the jerky, go wild Savage protein “chicken” chips. They’re high in protein – 10 grams per serving, or about 20 chips – due to ingredients that include chicken and egg whites.

7. Thomas’s Protein and Cream Cheese English Muffin

Thomas’ Cinnamon Protein English Muffin is higher in protein (9 grams) than regular muffins, thanks to the addition of whey. And while cream cheese naturally contains protein (about 1 to 1.5 grams), try Green Mountain Farms Cream Cheese and Greek Yogurt to get four times the protein (4 grams in 2 tablespoons). ).

8. Tuna and crackers

Santiago suggests a simple snack of canned (or packet) tuna, which is convenient, shelf-stable, and doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Try adding it to crackers for a quick snack. A can of tuna contains about 27 grams of protein.

9. Cottage cheese on cauliflower sandwiches

Try classic cottage cheese on a grain-free round outdoor aisle sandwich. If you eat two sandwiches with ½ cup of cottage cheese, you will get 28 grams of protein.

10. Steel-Cut Overnight Oatmeal with Protein Powder

This personal favorite from Spano contains 30 grams of protein thanks to milk, yogurt, and protein powder.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup steel cut oats
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• Cinnamon, nuts or other toppings

Instructions: Mix the oatmeal, yogurt, milk and protein powder in a bowl. Refrigerate overnight and serve cold, garnished with fruit and nuts, if desired.

11. Rx Protein Bars

With 12 grams of protein per bar, Santiago likes that they are convenient, individually packaged, and available in several different flavors.

12. Hard-boiled eggs

Cook them ahead of time for an easy source of protein to snack on after a workout. Sprinkle with hot sauce, salt and pepper or any seasoning for added flavor. You’ll get almost 7 grams of protein per egg.

13. Kodiak Oatmeal Cakes

Made from pea protein, this brand contains 14 grams of protein. With 38 grams of carbs, it also offers a carb-to-protein ratio of nearly 3:1, which is what most dietitians recommend after a workout.

14. Kefir Smoothie

Meghann Featherstun, CSSD, RD, sports dietitian, runner, and founder of Featherstone Nutrition, loves a kefir and Greek yogurt smoothie, using ½ cup of each protein source, plus frozen berries, bananas, or both. This combo contains up to 20 grams of protein, along with carbs and fluids, which are also essential for recovery.