The riders on EF Education Oatly at the Grio d’Italia Women this past month claimed this bent box as their favorite post-race meal of the week. This post-race bento box is a simple and enjoyable meal for athletes to check the recovery boxes (water or other beverage on the side for hydration)!
Post-race and post-training refueling is essential for recovery. Consuming carbohydrates, protein, and fluids soon after exercise is especially important during periods of high training volume, back-to-back training days, or multi-day competitions.
Aim to eat a recovery meal within about an hour after finishing your race or workout. This helps to more rapidly replenish glycogen (your body’s stored carbohydrate), support muscle repair, and restore hydration—so you’re better recovered and ready to perform the next day.
EF Pro Cycling Chef, Sven Coryn, put this bento box together (based on one of the team-curated recipes) for stage 2.
Ingredients:
Rice and Vegetables:
1 cup dry sushi rice, cooked according to package instructions
soy sauce
1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
1 mango, peeled and diced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Tahini chicken fillet:
3, 3oz chicken tenders or breasts
3 tsp tahini
3 Tbsp plain yogurt
pepper and salt
Omelette:
3 eggs
1.5 tsp soy sauce
Directions:
Chicken:
- Mix the tahini and yogurt in a medium bowl or container. Add a bit of salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken fillets or breasts and stir to coat.
- Cover the bowl or container and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to marinate. This could also be done a day ahead of time.
- Heat up a pan on high heat and spray the pan with a high-heat oil like avocado oil.
- Spread out the pieces of chicken in the pan, make sure the chicken is frying and not cooking. Stir continuously until the outsides are golden brown. The key is to make sure the chicken can color nicely on the outside while cooking to 165 degrees F internal temp for safety. Always check the internal temperature of your chicken to reach 165 degrees F internal temperature.
- Put the chicken aside on a plate and cut into strips.
- Wipe out the pan.
- Turn down the heat of the pan to medium heat.
Omelette:
- In a medium-sized bowl, scramble the eggs with a fork and add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce for every 2 eggs (1.5 tsp for 3 eggs).
- Spray the pan with oil and add the scrambled eggs. Let the eggs cook until cooked through (no longer transclucent) and flip once. Cook for 20 seconds or so to cook on both sides.
- Place the omelet on a cutting board and slice.
Arrangement:
- Once the sushi rice is cooked, fluff and season with soy sauce to taste.
- Distribute the rice to three separate reusable containers.
- Distribute the sliced chicken, sliced omelette, and vegetables on top.
Notes: This recipe makes 3 recovery meals. Batch cooking these meals will save time and energy down the road for a solid 3 day training or racing block! Meals can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe by Sven Coryn/EF Pro Cycling
Photos by Anouk Flesch
