Fuel Up: 6 Easy Weeknight Dinners for Hungry Mountain Bikers

Budget Bytes


There's really nothing better than a meal complete with protein, carbs, and veggies that comes together in one bowl with massive flavour. The spicy peanut sauce in this recipe is by far the best I've ever tasted and I use it on any recipe that calls for peanut sauce. You'll probably want to double it because it's good enough to eat with a spoon... You can also sub out fresh or frozen broccoli, green beans for the snap peas depending on what you've got on hand and what's available at the grocery store. (Click here for the recipe.)

Recipe Runner


Pasta with cheese is pretty much the ultimate comfort food. Add bacon, lemon and pesto for extra flavour and brussel sprouts for nutrients (turns out veggies are good for you) and you've got a super fast to make and delicious dinner. Plus, brussel sprouts are a hardy vegetable that keep for a long time in the fridge, as do pesto and unopened bacon, so this is a perfect meal to keep on hand for a quick evening meal. You could also use sausage or ham for the meat and just throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand. (Click here for the recipe.)

Run Fast. Cook Slow.


Elyse Kopecky and Olympian Shalane Flanaghan's cooking books, Run Fast. Cook Slow and Run Fast. Cook Fast. East Slow are my go-to's for everyday dinners. Their blog has a few great recipes on it if you aren't tempted to buy the books yet, like this super easy and delicious roasted carrot and wild rice salad. It's super simple and there aren't very many ingredients, but for some reason when it comes together, it is way tastier you would expect. (Click here for the recipe.)

Gimme Delicious


Rolling the chicken in corn starch before cooking it makes it super juicy. Combine that with the sweet sesame sauce and you've got a sticky, sweet and savoury meal that is super easy to make. You could pair this with a slaw salad if you're so inclined. Chicken freezes super well and you can thaw it out within a couple on the counter, in the fridge, or under lukewarm water, so this is an easy one to keep all the ingredients on hand and make in a hurry. (Click here for the recipe.)

New Yorker


Apparently this soup recipe went viral on social media because of the somewhat unconventional conversational way that it is written. It's great if you're not super comfortable in the kitchen yet since it explains the minutiae of the cooking process more than usual recipes and helps you to learn how to make decisions in the kitchen. You can freeze the soup if there are leftovers or re-heat it for multiple lunches or dinners. I usually just throw in a bag of frozen kale instead of chopping up fresh kale. (Click here for the recipe.)

Minimalist Baker


This chili is as spicy as you want it to be and packs in a lot of flavour with the chili powder, cumin, and paprika. The list of ingredients might look long and intimidating, but once you get into the routine of cooking, you'll find you keep the majority of them on hand so you'll just have to pick up jalapenos and a red pepper at the grocery store when you have the "I don't know what to make" dilemma. (Click here for the recipe.)