What to Eat When You’re Hungry After a Long Ride

You might look at a recipe from a vegan cookbook called Oh She Glows and think it’s probably not for you. But hold on a minute!

If you’re building your mileage, particularly at weekends, there’s a good chance you’ll finish a long ride around lunchtime or early afternoon. You’ve taken care of your immediate recovery nutrition, but a couple of hours later, you’re hungry again.

Sound familiar?

And, of course, life doesn’t stop because you’ve been out on the bike. There’s family time, weekend jobs and all the other things that make up life away from training. You might not want to spend another hour in the kitchen, and it’s probably too early for dinner.

This is where a good, substantial go-to meal comes into its own.

One of my favourites is this sweet potato and chickpea stew. It’s easy to make, full of flavour and keeps well in the fridge for two to three days. It’s also a great example of how a recipe from a particular dietary tradition can be useful for your recovery nutrition, whatever your usual way of eating.

Why I like it for athletes

• Sweet potato provides carbohydrate to support the replenishment of muscle glycogen after training.
• Peanut butter provides predominantly unsaturated fats, alongside some protein, making the stew more substantial and satisfying.
• Chickpeas contribute plant-based protein, carbohydrate and fibre.
• Tomatoes, peppers, spinach and sweet potato bring a variety of colours and nutrients to the bowl.
• It’s practical. Make a batch, keep it in the fridge and you’ve got an easy meal ready when hunger strikes.

The combination makes a satisfying meal between your immediate recovery nutrition and your next main meal. The amount of protein it provides will depend on your portion size, so if you’re using it as part of your recovery strategy, consider how it fits into your overall protein needs for the day.

And don’t worry if you’re not vegan. You don’t need to follow a particular style of eating to benefit from a good recipe.

For me, performance nutrition has never been about adopting a dietary label and sticking rigidly to it. It’s about finding foods that meet your performance needs, fit your preferences and work with your life.

I use recipes from all sorts of nutritional traditions. What matters is how they contribute to the bigger picture: your training, your recovery, your goals and the time you actually have available to prepare food.

Sweet potato and chickpea stew

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 purple onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1 cm pieces
• 2 × 400 g cans diced tomatoes
• 75 ml natural crunchy peanut butter
• 1 litre vegetable broth (use a little less if you prefer a thicker stew)
• 1½ tsp mild chilli powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 × 425 g can chickpeas, drained
• 2 handfuls spinach
• Black pepper and a pinch of salt

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for around five minutes.
2. Add the red pepper and sweet potato, followed by the chilli powder and cayenne pepper, if using. Stir well and cook for another minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, including their juices. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for five to ten minutes. Season with black pepper and a pinch of salt.
4. In a small bowl or blender, whisk or blend the peanut butter with around 250 ml of the vegetable broth until smooth.
5. Stir the peanut butter mixture into the pan, along with the remaining broth. Cover and simmer for 20–30 minutes, until the sweet potato is soft.
6. If you have a blender, remove a cupful of the stew and blend until smooth, then return it to the pan. This gives the stew a lovely, thicker base.
7. Stir in the chickpeas and spinach during the final five minutes and heat through.

Serve a generous bowl and enjoy.

This stew keeps well in the fridge for two to three days. It doesn’t freeze particularly well.

Make your nutrition work for you

The right nutrition strategy isn’t just about what you eat on the bike or immediately afterwards. It’s also about having practical choices available throughout the day, so that fuelling and recovery fit naturally around everything else you do.

It’s the everyday decisions, repeated consistently, that help support the bigger performance picture.

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If you’d like to explore how your nutrition could better support your training, recovery and everyday life, let’s chat