Workout Wednesday: What to Eat When There's No One Else

I'll admit it.

I was at a loss for what to write about for today.

I'm still dealing with the husband-at-bootcamp blues, and I'm also a wee bit stressed and spent about, oh, pretty much everything else in my life.

My blogging brain is struggling.

And then I sat down to dinner last night.

Or, more appropriately, plopped down on the carpet in front of LOST - still wearing my sweaty gym clothes - holding a mismatched Tupperware container in my hand filled with my own special sort of mush.

After all, it's what one is wont to do, considering I'm alone. With no one to cook for but myself.

When that happens, I opt for the easy, the cheap, the "Eh! I Guess This Can Count As My Dinner" meal.

I'll eat some salad, half a grapefruit and some peanuts on a good day.

I'll eat a few bites of leftover ravioli, some carrots and hummus, and a small carton of chocolate frozen yogurt on a bad one.

I've even been known to open a can of beans, cut up some tomatoes, heat it all throw, and eat the lukewarm mix with crackers. Because I'm totally classy like that.

I'm also a minimalist, i.e., easy and cheap.

After all, no one is looking at my recent meals but me.

This is, in fact, also how I survived college. I ate whatever combination of foods met my protein-veggie-carb requirements while simultaneously requiring little to no effort in the kitchen.

And, it's safe to say, I've reverted.

Because after all, no one is eating it but me.

Still, last night, I was eating a cheap, easy, quick meal that has a purpose. It's been my go-to for years. And I realized I've never shared it with you all.

Partly because the stuff doesn't really have a name. It's part porridge, part pasta, part fried rice.

And partly because I technically stole this little idea from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. (Although, not in person. My brother trained their one summer and managed to bring it back to the family. Because that's the kind of people we are. Some people come back from the Olympic Training Center with gold medals. My brethren? They return with a recipe for carb-filled goodness.)

Regardless, this "stuff" is designed to give athletes energy, along with light, balanced protein. Coupled with a side of veggies or a salad, it's a perfect meal you can make in five minutes, with three ingredients and little to no mess.

And that's why, as of late, it's become my Sorta-Single-Girl Dinner.

Because all you need is a can of chicken broth (14 ounces), an egg, and a box of pastina pasta (also known in some circles as Teeny, Tiny Star-Shaped Noodles - the technical term.)

source

And then all you have to do is...

1. Bring the can of chicken broth to a boil.

2. Pour in half the box of pastina, and stir while it begins to absorb the broth.

3. After a minute or two, you scramble up an egg in a different bowl, and then stream it into the boiling broth-pastina mixture, much like you would with egg-drop soup.

4. Boil for another minute.

5. Remove from heat.

6. Add what flavor you will (salt, pepper. I like soy sauce.)

7. Then eat.

Seriously, could that be any easier? I think not.

It's also great recovery food after a hard workout or a taxing race.

Now, it's not entirely perfect. For instance, I've yet to find a whole-wheat pastina, which would be a better carbohydrate option. But hope springs eternal, and you can bet there's probably some out there somewhere. (If, in fact, your store carries it, buy me 18 boxes. That should get me through my husbands' absence. I'll reimburse you.)

So, if you're left alone at the end of a hard day, and if you need an easy meal that fills up one hungry, sore gym rat, then try my, um, (slightly stolen) recipe.

And if you can think up a name for this "stuff" while you're at it, that would be awesome, too.

***

Happy Exercising everyone! Please feel free to leave me any workout-related questions below. Be back tomorrow with some normal ramblings!