Place green pepper slices in a large wide-mouth jar or bowl. Place sugar and salt in a separate bowl and add 2/3 cup boiled water; stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Stir in cider vinegar. Let cool for a few minutes and then add vinegar mixture to peppers. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to several days.
Cook lentils in a large saucepan of simmering, salted water until they are tender but still retain their shape, about 25 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and drain well again.
Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add freekeh and a couple pinches of salt. Reduce heat to medium/low and simmer covered until grains are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain any excess water.
To make the dressing, blend together olive oil, water, zucchini, lemon juice, parsley, scallions, jalapeño, garlic, tahini, honey, and salt until smooth.
To serve, spread hummus on serving plates and scatter on lentils, arugula, freekeh, cucumber, avocado, and sunflower seeds. Drizzle on dressing and garnish with microgreens if using.
In a world of green juice and chia seed pudding, this age-old dish is the original, and perhaps most powerful, superfood, especially for athletes competing at the highest levels.
“I’ve asked a lot of elite endurance athletes about their breakfast foods, particularly before races, and oatmeal comes up again and again and again,” says Matt Fitzgerald, endurance coach, nutritionist, and author of The Endurance Diet.
You’re most likely to see oatmeal served with a ton of fixin’s, but even a bowl of plain oats holds its own as a nutritional panacea. Oatmeal is a whole grain (unless you buy oat bran—just part of the seed—as opposed to rolled oats) filled with key vitamins and minerals, a low-glycemic carb that provides lasting energy for your workout and helps fuel recovery without causing a sugar crash, and high in fiber to aid your digestive and metabolic systems.
But a bowl of oats is also a big blank canvas, ready to be combined with a truckload of other high-quality, nutritious ingredients that make it even better training food. “That’s one of oatmeal’s great virtues. You can take it in so many directions,” says Fitzgerald.
Even energy bar companies use it. Picky Bars have Picky Oats, a lineup of better-for-the-athlete instant oatmeal chock-full of real ingredients to support performance, rather than added sugars or fake health foods. “I literally believe that besides energy bars, oatmeal is the next most pervasive food for athletes,” says Jesse Thomas, former professional triathlete and Picky Bars CEO.
It’s easy to make. All you have to do is boil a ratio of 1/2 cup rolled oats to one cup liquid—either water or a milk of your choice—and top it with whatever you need that day. (For steel-cut oats, change the ratio to 1/4 cup oats to one cup liquid.) Here’s how six athletes do it.
Carbs are a source of energy, which means they can keep you going strong while you exercise. Experts recommend fueling up 1 to 3 hours beforehand with a combo of carbs and protein, like oatmeal, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, or nuts and raisins. https://wb.md/2woXQB4