6 Easy Pre-Workout Snacks to Fuel Your Fire

Time to work with your body, not against it, and fuel up for performance on the field, in the gym, for a class, wherever your commitment to health takes you.

Check out this collection of a half dozen winning reipes...

1. Apple Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins

Working out in the morning is great, but if you choose to do so, you’ll need a healthy pick-me-up to have for breakfast in order to power your body through your early routine.

Some folks turn to staples such as cereal and pancakes, but if you want to start the day in the best way possible, these apple oat Greek yogurt muffins will have you covered.

Eggs, oats, Greek yogurt, and raisins are some of the star ingredients here. You’ll get a healthy and natural energy boost to give your body the fuel it needs in a tasty, convenient package.

Diet Type(s): Vegetarian
Workout Type(s): Strength Training, Cardio

Find full recipe, text, and amazing photos at Running WIth Spoons

Ingredients

1 cup (120 g) whole wheat pastry flour*
1 cup (80 g) old fashioned rolled oats**
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 cup (225 g) plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium-sized apple (120 g), peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup (80 g) raisins

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F (176C) and prepare a muffin pan by spraying the cavities with cooking spray or lining them with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. Lightly beat the egg in a separate bowl. Whisk in the yogurt, applesauce, brown sugar, vanilla, and grated apple, stirring until well-combined.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined. Fold in the raisins.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling them almost to the top. Add a sprinkle of oats if desired.
6. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes, or until top is firm to the touch and toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in pan for ~10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in an air-tight container for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.

Notes
* You can also use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat. I'd suggest 1/2 cup (60 g) of AP and 1/2 cup (60 g) of whole wheat.
** Do not use quick oats. They are too fine and will dry out the muffins too much.

2. Chocolate Mint Avocado Pudding

Even if you’re trying to watch what you eat, there’s always a time and place for dessert. Finding sweet treats that you can have prior to a solid workout is often rather challenging, but we think we’ve got the solution with this chocolate mint avocado pudding.

With avocado as the base for this pudding, you’re getting a large dose of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and almost 20 vitamins and minerals that will make your body more than happy.

The chocolate and mint flavors are extremely pleasing, and the fact that this is vegan and gluten-free is icing on an already amazing cake (or pudding in this case)!

Diet Type(s): Gluten Free, Vegan
Workout Type(s): Yoga

Enjoy full recipe, discussion, and other great meal ideas at The Almond Eater

INGREDIENTS

1 avocado
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
¼ tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp organic maple syrup
1 tbsp dairy free yogurt (I used SO Delicious)
¼ tsp peppermint extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place avocado in a food processor and pulse until smooth. If you do not own a food processor, you can put the avocado in a bowl and smash it with a fork, working out all of the lumps.
2. Next, add cocoa and cinnamon and pulse/mix with an electric mixer.
3. Then add syrup, yogurt and peppermint extract.
4. Mix everything together so that pudding is smooth and place in two separate cups (or one larger cup). Put in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.
5. Top with dairy free whipped cream and enjoy!

3. Chia Cherry Crunch Bites

Getting a solid protein boost that’s also gluten-free is a very real challenge that many people face, but thankfully, these chia cherry crunch bites offer a phenomenal amount of much-needed protein without any of the gluten that often comes with it.

Some of the main ingredients include almonds, dates, chia seeds, and whey protein powder. You’ll need just around 10 minutes to put the bites together, and the end result is a quick snack that’s a great source of healthy energy before an intense workout session.

Diet Type(s): Gluten Free, Vegan
Workout Type(s): High Intensity Interval Training

Follow this link to Running to the Kitchen for the full recipe, photos, and more deliciousness.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup cashew meal
1/4 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup, divided dried tart cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup cacao nibs

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the almonds, cashew meal, dates, and protein powder in a food processor. Process for about 30 seconds until finely chopped and combined.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except the cacao nibs and 1/4 cup of the dried cherries to the food processor. Process for about 1-2 minutes well combined and a dough balls starts to loosely form.
3. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
4. Roughly chop the 1/4 cup of dried cherries and fold them and the cacao nibs into the mixture.
5. Roll into balls (about the size of a golf ball).
6. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

4. Butterbeer Energy Bites

Inspired by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Butterbeer Energy Bites are a great alternative to the chia cherry crunch bites if you’d like a similar kind of snack but with a different flavor profile.

These energy bites can be made in one single bowl, and in addition to being extremely high in fiber, these bites are also vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free!

Oh, and did we mention that these taste downright awesome?

Diet Type(s): Gluten Free, Vegan
Workout Type(s): Cardio, High Intensity Interval Training

Dig into The Big Man's World for this recipe, photogrpahy, travel, lifestyle content, and more.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 scoop unflavoured protein powder (optional)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup cashew butter (can sub for another very mild tasting nut butter)
1/4 cup honey (can substitute for agave/brown rice syrup if vegan)
1 T molasses
1/2 cup butterscotch chips, separated (swap for unsweetened chips for vegan)

Instructions

1. Line a plate with baking paper and set aside.
2. In a frying pan over medium heat, lightly toast the rolled oats and unsweetened coconut for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and pour into a large mixing bowl with the sea salt and protein powder if using it.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the cashew butter,honey and molasses and heat for 2-3 minutes, or until melted. Stir well to combine.
4. Add the liquid mixture to the dry and mix until fully incorporated. Slowly stir in the 1/4 cup of the butterscotch chips. Using your hands, form small balls with the mixture and dip them in the remaining 1/4 cup of butterscotch chips and set aside on the the covered plate. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Notes

You could try subbing extra for the molasses but it would really detract from the taste. I'd recommend brown rice syrup.

5. Green Smoothies With Avocado and Kale

Green smoothies are insanely popular with fitness enthusiasts everywhere, and this has to do with the fact that they’re wildly healthy and nutritious. This particular smoothie features prominent offerings of avocado and kale, and this is what really makes it special.

One single cup of kale has 133% of your daily Vitamin A needs, in addition to 134% of Vitamin C. As for avocados, just half of one has a load of vitamins and minerals, 12-grams of good fats, and only 130 calories.

All you need to do is take 1 cup of kefir, 1/2 of a ripe avocado, 3 leaves of kale, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, and 4 ice cubes, blend everything together, and that’s all there is to it.

Diet Type(s): Gluten Free, Vegan
Workout Type(s): Cardio, Strength Training, Yoga

Visit Taste of Divine for full recipe and other great smoothie ideas, travel, fitness, and resources.

Ingredients

1 cup kefir
½ ripe avocado
3 leaves kale
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (more or less, to taste)
4 ice cubes

Instructions

Blend all ingredients until smooth. That's it!

6. Healthy Cookies

All right. While these may not technically be “cookies” per say, they’re a sweet and nutritious treat that’s loaded up with a ton of healthy ingredients that would do any body good before a long, hard workout.

Featuring raw oats, coconut flakes, peanut butter, applesauce, bananas, and more, these cookies taste great and don’t contain any eggs, dairy, sugar, or gluten. It’s certainly far off from what you’d typically consider a cookie to be, but if all you’re looking for is a scrumptious, sweet, and healthy snack, these healthy cookies are difficult to deny.

Diet Type(s): Gluten Free, Vegan
Workout Type(s): Cardio, High Intensity Interval Training

Armelle Blog has plenty of other great recipes, photography, and lifestyle content—go see!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups old fashion rolled raw oats
1/4 cup unsweetened small coconut flakes
3 Tablespoons natural peanut butter (optional if you want to go nut free)
1 cup applesauce
3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon dried cherries or cranberries
2 Tablespoons raisins or craisins (any dried fruit works)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
2. Use a medium ice cream scoop or make 2 tablespoon round balls and place them on a baking sheet.  The cookies do not expand when you bake them, so you can get away with putting them fairly close together.
3. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
4. Store in fridge for up to 5 days.  We love to eat them for breakfast on the go.  You can heat them up in the microwave before eating them for 5-10 seconds.