BUDGET-FRIENDLY MEALS
How can the hungry triathlete save on cash without compromising on taste, health or portion size? Kate Percy explains and provides four budget-friendly recipes…
RECIPES KATE PERCY IMAGES STEVE SAYERS
I’m a firm believer that eating healthily doesn’t have to cost more. In fact, putting a little extra effort into thinking about what you eat and where it comes from can actually pay back in more ways than just saving cash. Try these top tips:
• Prepare foods from scratch at home; pre-prepared foods, such as grated cheese or pre-seasoned meats, cost more.
• Stick to seasonal fruit and veg as the’re locally produced and generally cheaper.
• Stock up on staples in the discount stores; cans of tomatoes, pasta, tuna, olive oil, nuts etc are all much cheaper than in the main supermarkets.
• Choose plant-based sources of protein such as lentils, chickpeas and beans over expensive meat. Or, experiment with cheaper cuts such as lamb neck or shin of beef – they make delicious slow-cook stews and curries. Try eeking out a whole chicken over two or three meals – e.g. a roast, a curry and a pasta, plus you can make stock with the bones to make your risottos and soups extra tasty and super nutritious. A pack of mince can make a spaghetti Bolognese, then a chilli con carne on day two with a can of kidney beans and spices.
• Fresh mackerel, herring, sardines and mussels are usually much cheaper than other fresh fish. But tinned fish is also extremely nutritious, packed with omega-3 and good protein.
• Limit highly-processed foods. They may be cheap, but they’re usually nutrient-poor and they won’t sustain your energy levels.
So, first up, a spicy Thai Carrot, Cashew and Chicken Noodle Salad to boost recovery, with minerals to replenish electrolytes, carbs to top up glycogen levels, as well as protein to help your muscles.
Next we have a Summer Vegetable Risotto, which uses any combination of green, seasonal veg such as peas, courgettes, chard, beans, or whatever you can find cheap in the veg shop (or use frozen peas). Packed with vitamins, fibre and slow-releasing carbohydrate, you can add more protein by making it with homemade chicken stock and topping with a good grating of parmesan cheese.
This Spanish Bean Stew is cheap, cheerful and packed with good stuff to help you recover post-long ride. Finally, Orzo Soup with Crispy Garlic Chickpeas. All the goodness, all the flavour. Just dip your spoon into this smoky lusciousness and enjoy as part of your training diet.
Sports nutrition cook and keen amateur athlete Kate Percy set uup the #GoFaster campaign in 2009 and, following the ppublication of several sports nutrition books, now produces a range of all-natural energy balls, Go Bites (katepercys.com).
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
THAI CARROT, CASHEW & CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD
PREP 5mins | COOK 10mins | SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
• 150-200g pad Thai rice noodles • 2 chicken thighs or breasts, sliced thinly • 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 carrots, grated • Handful cashew nuts, lightly toasted • 2 baby gem lettuces, shredded • 2 spring onions, finely sliced • 1 red chilli • Zest of 1 lime • Handful of coriander, finely chopped (optional) For the dressing: • 1 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce • 1 tbsp rice wine or white wine vinegar • 1 tbsp lime juice • 1cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated • 1-2tsps sugar
Step 01 
Step 02 
Step 03
Step 01 Place the noodles in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Set aside for 5mins until tender, or the time stated on the pack, then rinse in cold water.
Step 02 Heat a frying pan to hot and sauté the chicken in the oil for 5-10mins until cooked through. Set aside.
Step 03 Prepare dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of coriander or refrigerate for your lunchbox treat.
MIX IT UP
THREE MORE WAYS WITH THAI INGREDIENTS
CHEAT’S RAMEN
Use ramen noodles instead and add 750ml chicken stock to the dressing ingredients (omit the vinegar). Top with a hard-boiled egg.
NUTRIENT-RICH NOODLES
Swap rice noodles for gluten-free (made from buckwheat flour) soba noodles for some slow-releasing carbs, protein, fibre, calcium and iron.
TURN SALAD INTO CURRY
Heat a ready-made Thai curry paste with a can of coconut milk to replace dressing. Add a splash of fish sauce and top with coriander & cashews.
FIBRE-RICH
SUMMER VEGETABLE RISOTTO
PREP 5mins | COOK 20mins | SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
• 11/4–11/2 litres vegetable stock • 60g unsalted butter • 1 onion, finely sliced • 1 celery stick, finely chopped • 1 garlic clove, crushed • 350g Arborio risotto rice • 225ml white wine (optional) • 500g summery green vegetables (e.g. a courgette, handful frozen peas, asparagus spears, and/or kale) • 100g freshly grated parmesan •A little grated nutmeg • 25g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
METHOD
1. Heat up stock in a saucepan. Melt 50g of the butter in a pan and gently sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and celery, sauté for 2mins. Add rice and stir until the grains become glossy.
2. Stir in wine if using and cook for 2mins until completely absorbed. Add stock, a ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Make sure each ladleful is absorbed before adding next.
3. After 13-15mins, when the rice is almost cooked, stir in the veg and cook for a further 5mins, or until the risotto is creamy. Season to taste. Turn off the heat, stir in the parmesan, nutmeg, parsley and rest of butter. Serve.
ADD HEALTHY FATS
Top with toasted pine nuts – also full of iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and vitamins E & K!
POST-RIDE HERO
SPANISH BEAN STEW
PREP 10mins | COOK 1.5hrs | SERVES4
INGREDIENTS
• 400g can butter beans, drained • 4oog can cannellini beans, drained • 1/2 spicy chorizo sausage, cut into 8 large chunks • 4 pieces of pork belly (about 500g) cut into large 4cm chunks • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed •A few sprigs of thyme • 1 onion, 1 leek, 2 sticks celery, 2 red peppers, 2 carrots, roughly chopped • 1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes • 100g (small tin) tomato purée • 1 tsp each Spanish hot smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander • Large glug of olive oil • Flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve
METHOD
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160˚C, gas mark 2-3. Place all ingredients (except parsley) into a large, heavybottomed casserole dish. Top up with enough water to cover everything to a depth of 1cm.
2. Bring to boil, cover and then pop in oven for 1-1.5hrs until meat is tender and sauce thick.
3. After 50mins, check and add more water if required and skim off any excess fat from the surface. Taste for seasoning, top with parsley, and serve with chunks of crusty granary bread.
MAKE IT VEGETARIAN
Swap the chorizo and pork belly for another can of butter beans and a mix of sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash or potatoes.
SUB-20MINS
ORZO SOUP WITH CRISPY GARLIC CHICKPEAS
PREP 5mins | COOK 15mins | SERVES4
INGREDIENTS
For the soup • 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil • 1 onion, finely sliced • 1 celery stick, chopped • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 tbsp tomato purée • 400g can chopped tomatoes • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika • 150g orzo pasta • 700ml vegetable stock • 2 tbsp pesto, to serve • Large glug of olive oil, to serve For the chickpeas • 400g can chickpeas, drained • 1 tsp cumin • 1 tsp smoked paprika • 1 tsp olive oil
METHOD
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C, gas mark 6. Pat the chickpeas with some kitchen towel to remove any moisture. Lay out on a baking tray and sprinkle with the seasoning. Toss in the olive oil. Bake in the oven for 10-15mins until crispy. Set aside.
2. Gently sauté the onion, celery and garlic in a large saucepan until soft. Stir in the other ingredients except the pesto. Bring to the boil and cook for 8-10mins. Taste for seasoning.
3. Serve in warmed bowls with a swirl of pesto, a glug of olive oil and a few crispy chickpeas. Enjoy with chunks of crusty, seeded sourdough.
ADD MORE PROTEIN
Tear up some pieces of fresh mozzarella and add those in just after you swirl in the pesto in Step 3.