Whether you're running the London marathon or you're a long-term long distance runner, feed your appetite and your muscles with these recipes from the BBC's Good Food
The London Marathon is this weekend and though we're sure you've got your training sorted, what about your mealtimes? Be inspired with these three delicious recipes from the BBC Good Food team which have an approximate 3 to 1 ratio of carbs to protein and antiocidant-rich fruit and veg to help your muscles recover post-training...
Seven-cup muesli
Ingredients
3 cups oats
1 cup mixed nuts including macadamia if possible
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried ready-to-eat apricots, chopped
To serve
soya or semi-skimmed milk
chopped fresh seasonal fruit, such as pears, banana, pineapple, papya, passion fruit and grapes
Method
1. Tip the oats into a large airtight container and add the nuts, seeds, raisins and cranberries. Stir in the apricots.
2. To serve, spoon a portion into a bowl, pour over the milk and top with chopped fresh fruit.
Herby rice with roasted veg, chickpeas & halloumi
Ingredients
2 red onions, cut into chunky wedges
3 peppers, sliced (we used green, red and yellow)
3 courgettes (about 600g), cut into batons
5 tbsp olive oil
200g brown basmati rice
small pack flat-leaf parsley
85g cashew nuts
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
200g halloumi, cut into chunky cubes
Method
1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the red onions, peppers and courgettes in a large roasting tin, toss in 2 tbsp oil and season. (You may need to do this in 2 tins.) Pop in the oven and cook for 25 mins until the veg is tender and beginning to turn golden.
2. Meanwhile, cook the rice following pack instructions. Whizz together the parsley, cashew nuts, remaining oil, the garlic and seasoning to make a pesto. Stir the chickpeas and halloumi into the roasted veg and cook for 10 mins more. Fork the parsley pesto through the rice, spoon over the veg and serve.
Veggie shepherd's pie with sweet potato mash
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 large carrot (500g/1lb 2oz in total), cut into sugar-cube size pieces
2 tbsp thyme, chopped
200ml red wine
400g can chopped tomato
2 vegetable stock cubes
410g can green lentils
950g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
25g butter
85g vegetarian mature cheddar, grated
Method
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then fry the onion until golden. Add the carrots and all but a sprinkling of thyme. Pour in the wine, 150ml water and the tomatoes, then sprinkle in the stock cubes and simmer for 10 mins. Tip in the can of lentils, including their juice, then cover and simmer for another 10 mins until the carrots still have a bit of bite and the lentils are pulpy.
2. Meanwhile, boil the sweet potatoes for 15 mins until tender, drain well, then mash with the butter and season to taste. Pile the lentil mixture into a pie dish, spoon the mash on top, then sprinkle over the cheese and remaining thyme. The pie can now be covered and chilled for 2 days, or frozen for up to a month.
3. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cook for 20 mins if cooking straight away, or for 40 mins from chilled, until golden and hot all the way through. Serve with broccoli.