7-Day Meal Plan For Athletes
This 7-day meal plan for athletes is based on an average 2,300 kcal diet.
Depending on your age, height, weight, body composition goal, medical history, fitness status, training regimen and diet your fuelling needs for optimal athletic performance could be above or below this Calorie goal of 2,300. This 2300 Calorie meal plan is based on 50% carbohydrates, 25% fat and 25% protein. This specific meal plan has been made for a female aged 28 years old, 5 '5'’ tall and about 145 lbs (~66 kg) who is active five days per week at a moderate intensity and wants to maintain weight. Other weeks, she might exercise at a higher intensity 3-4 times per week and this would be relatively the same meal plan.
Each meal plan day resembles a different time of working out in which the type of food before and after (pre-workout and post-workout) snacks and meals are accounted for.
Pre-Workout
Pre-workout foods highlight carbohydrates to be utilized as energy. If it is an early morning workout, you want to choose simple carbohydrates, especially if you do not have much time to digest before beginning exercise. Simple carbohydrates could be: graham crackers, low-fiber cereal, toast, english muffin, granola bar, pretzels or sports drink.
If you have more than 30 minutes before your workout, you can add some more fibrous carbohydrates, moderate protein and or moderate fat. This will help slow down digestion, before you exercise. For example, the english muffin with peanut butter, apples and soy milk would be a meal I would want to digest for a couple hours before the mid morning exercise versus an english muffin and peanut butter perhaps I could exercise in the next 30 minutes. If I am awake and out the door running in under 5 minutes, I'm choosing graham crackers or a sports drink to absorb the carbs quickly to be utilized for energy right away.
You also want to think about the type of exercise, duration and intensity. For example, if I am waking up and doing an easy 3-mile walk, I don’t necessarily need to eat simple carbohydrates such as graham crackers right before. If I am waking up and going on a five mile run, I might want some carbs to fuel this type of activity. If I am waking up and going to do a High Intensity Interval workout then I NEED to eat some carbohydrates before this type of activity because my body is burning carbohydrates at a faster rate.
Post-workout meals & snacks
The post-workout meals and snacks focus on protein, but we aren’t forgetting about carbohydrates. It’s easy to get your post-workout meal of carbs and protein if it is a typical mealtime such as lunch or dinner. Other times, you could be done working out at 3pm and need a high protein snack to start muscle protein synthesis and muscle recovery. If you are working out late at night, such as a club soccer game, a protein shake might be easy right before bed rather than a full on dinner. Make sure to have dinner before the game, but go easy on the fiber and fat as this takes longer to digest and can make you feel sluggish. Day 5 is an example of a day of eating for nighttime exercise. Take note, the Chicken Pizza, Sliced Tomato & Feta Salad dinner should be eaten with at least 2-3 hours before activity so that you can give yourself some time to digest the protein, fat and fiber.
The 7-Day Meal Plan For Athletes
DAY ONE: Mid-morning Exercise
Breakfast: English Muffin with PB & Apples with Soy Milk
Exercise
Post-workout Lunch: Chickpea Wrap with Baby Carrots, Yogurt and Sunflower Seeds
Snack 1: Yogurt and Pear
Dinner: Turkey and Cheese Meatball Sub, Parmesan Broccoli
Snack 2: Popcorn Snack Bowl
DAY TWO: Early Afternoon exercise
Breakfast: Chicken sausage and sweet potato hash
Lunch: Chicken pita with an orange, cheese and crackers
Exercise
Afternoon Snack: english muffin with cottage cheese, fruit and baby carrots
Dinner: High protein jerk chicken breast with quinoa, lime cucumber salad
DAY THREE: Active Recovery Day
Breakfast: PB banana toast with blackberries
Snack 1: almonds and tangerines
Lunch: Chicken, brown rice and salad with banana and PB
Snack 2: apple with string cheese
Dinner: Baked Chicken and veggies with spaghetti and honey roasted brussels sprouts
DAY FOUR: Early Morning Exercise
Pre-workout snack: Berry Rice Chex
Exercise
Breakfast: Strawberry Maple Overnight Oats with Raspberries
Leftover Lunch: Chicken, Brown Rice, and Salad, banana with PB
Post-workout Dinner: Gluten-Free Greek Burger & Cucumber Salad, Peas
DAY FIVE: Night Time Exercise
Breakfast: Strawberry Sunbutter Toast, Orange
Lunch: Black Bean, Couscous, and Salad, Grapes, Sunflower Seeds & Greek Yogurt
Pre-workout snack: ½ banana with 1 graham cracker sheet
Dinner: Chicken Pizza, Sliced Tomato & Feta Salad
Exercise
Post workout snack: Protein Shake with Skim Milk
DAY SIX: Rest and Recovery Day
Breakfast: Ham and Peppers Scramble with Apple, Tangerine
Leftover Lunch: Black Bean, Couscous, and Salad, Grapes, Sunflower Seeds & Greek Yogurt
Snack: Pineapple and Cottage Cheese
Dinner: Salmon, Couscous, and Tomato Salad, Asparagus and Sliced Almonds
Dessert: Apple with pb, cinnamon and mini chocolate chips
DAY SEVEN: Late Afternoon Exercise
Breakfast: Eggs and Turkey Sausage, Apple
Lunch: Chicken, Pretzels, Snap Peas, and Fruit, Pear, Trail Mix & Yogurt
Pre-workout: English Muffin with Strawberry Jelly
Exercise
Post workout Dinner: Simple Chicken Burger with Blueberries, Simple Brussels Sprouts
Day ONE Ingredients and Directions for a 7-day meal plan for athletes
Breakfast: English Muffin with PB & Apples, Soy Milk
Quick and Easy Breakfast in under 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 whole wheat english muffin toasted
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 apple sliced
1 cup soy milk
Directions:
1. Toast the English muffin.
2. Spread peanut butter on toasted muffin
3. Slice apple and place on pb muffin and enjoy with a cup of milk
Snack 1 : Greek Yogurt and Pear
Quick and Easy Snack in under 5 minutes
Ingredients:
⅔ cup Greek yogurt
1 pear
LUNCH: Chickpea Wrap with Baby Carrots
Prep lunch in under 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup chickpeas drained & rinsed
¼ cup red grapes rinsed and halved
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
¼ cup low fat Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
1 whole wheat tortilla
1 ¼ cups baby carrots
Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine chickpeas, grapes, almonds, yogurt, curry powder, and chilli powder.
2. Spread chickpea mixture on tortilla and roll up. Serve with baby carrots.
Snack 2: Popcorn, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries and an orange
Quick and Easy Snack in under 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups Air-Popped Popcorn
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons dried cherries or cranberries
1 orange
DINNER: Turkey and Cheese Meatball sub with Parmesan Broccoli
Prep dinner in under 10 minutes
Ingredients:
4 ounces ground turkey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cooking spray
½ green bell pepper diced
½ cup tomato sauce
½ tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
1 hotdog bun
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Mix ground turkey and oregano and roll into 1 1/2" balls. Place
meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes
until fully cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, coat a skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium.
Add bell pepper and sauté 8-10 minutes until tender. Add tomato
sauce, lower heat and simmer for a few minutes.
4. Place meatballs in bun and coat with sauce. Top with cheese.
Parmesan Broccoli ingredients:
½ tablespoon olive oil
2 cups broccoli cut into florets
2 tablespoons water
1 clove garlic minced
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli and stir to coat with
oil. Cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add water, cover, and cook 1-2 minutes until water evaporates.
3. Stir in garlic and Parmesan and cook another minute until broccoli is
tender.
Day TWO Ingredients and Directions for a 7-day meal plan for athletes
Breakfast: Chicken sausage and sweet potato hash
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
⅛ cup onion diced
¼ green bell pepper diced
½ sweet potato diced
1 link (3 oz) chicken sausage, precooked sliced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
½ bagel
1 tablespoon Raspberry Jam
Directions:
1. In a large skillet, add olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onions and
bell peppers to the skillet and cook 2 or until tender.
2. Add sweet potatoes and sausage. Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes to
help brown sweet potatoes. Gently mix and stir. Allow to cook for
another 3 minutes.
3. Season with salt, pepper and rosemary.
Lunch: Chicken pita with an orange, cheese and crackers
Ingredients:
1 whole wheat pita halved
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
3 ounces rotisserie chicken
1 cup cucumber sliced
1 dash tabasco
1 orange
Directions:
1. Spread mayonnaise on the inside of the pita halves.
2. Stuff with chicken and half the cucumber slices and finish with a dash of tabasco.
3. Serve with orange slices and remaining cucumber slices on the side.
Afternoon Snack: english muffin with cottage cheese, fruit and baby carrots
Ingredients:
1 English muffin
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup no salt added cottage cheese
½ cup Pineapple sliced
½ cup strawberries sliced
½ cup carrot cut into sticks
½ cup water
Directions:
1. Brush cut sides of English muffin with olive oil and toast till golden
brown.
2. Spread cottage cheese on English muffin halves and top with pineapple and strawberries. Serve any remaining fruit on the side with carrot sticks and a glass of water.
Dinner: High protein jerk chicken breast with quinoa, lime cucumber salad
Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 ounces chicken breast chopped
2 teaspoons jerk seasoning
1 red bell pepper sliced
¼ cup black beans drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic sliced
¼ jalapeño seeded and minced
1 green onion sliced
2 tablespoons orange juice
Directions:
1. Add quinoa and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower to
simmer until quinoa is tender and has absorbed the water, 10-20
minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Toss
chicken with jerk seasoning and add to the skillet. Cook chicken, stirring
occasionally, until no longer pink and cooked through, 5-10 minutes.
Transfer to a plate.
3. Add remaining olive oil to the skillet. Once hot, add bell peppers, black
beans, garlic, jalapeño, and green onion. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Stir in chicken and orange juice. Heat for 30 seconds.
5. Serve over quinoa.
Day THREE Ingredients and Directions for a 7-day meal plan for athletes
Breakfast: PB banana toast with blackberries
Ingredients:
2 slices white bread toasted
2 tablespoons peanut butter
½ banana sliced
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup blackberries
Directions:
1. Toast the bread.
2. Spread peanut butter on the toast. Top with sliced banana and drizzle
of honey.
3. Add some blackberries on top of the bread and enjoy the rest on the side
4. Serve with a glass of milk.
Snack 1: almonds and tangerines
Ingredients:
10-20 almonds
2 tangerines
Directions:
1. Peel tangerines and serve with almonds.
Lunch: Chicken, brown rice and salad with banana and PB
Ingredients:
1 cup instant brown rice
1 cup water
2 cups rotisserie chicken chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
2 cups cucumber chopped
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons Italian dressing
1 banana
2 tbsp peanut butter
Directions for salad:
1. Bring water and rice to a boil in a pot on the stove. Cover and simmer
10 minutes or until water is absorbed.
2. Add cooked rice, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, and dried
cranberries to a bowl.
3. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine.
Enjoy with a side of banana with peanut butter
Snack 2: apple with string cheese
Dinner: Baked Chicken and veggies with spaghetti and honey roasted brussel sprouts
Ingredients:
4 ounces chicken breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch paprika
1 ½ cups zucchini sliced
½ cup Baby Portabella Mushrooms halved
2 ¾ ounces spaghetti
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Place chicken on one half of a baking sheet. Drizzle with half the
olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and paprika. Rub the
seasonings all over.
3. Place zucchini and mushrooms on the other half of the baking sheet.
Sprinkle it with remaining olive oil and seasonings.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through and veggies are
tender.
5. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti
according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
6. Toss the spaghetti noodles with the cooked veggies. Serve on a plate
with chicken.
For the Honey Roasted Brussels
1 cup Brussels Sprouts halved
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons honey(or more if desired)
½ teaspoon mustard
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Mix together olive oil, honey, mustard, and onion powder and set
aside.
3. Spread Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and roast for 10-15
minutes until tender.
4. Toss roasted sprouts with the mustard mixture and serve.
