Hearty Lentil and Veggie-Packed Omelette

Hearty Lentil and Veggie Suffed Omelette Recipe - Eat Spin Run Repeat

April marks my 5th month of triathlon training, and throughout the process so far I’ve noticed a few very clear trends in my hunger levels.

Hearty Lentil and Veggie Suffed Omelette Recipe - Eat Spin Run Repeat

At the moment, my coach has me in the middle of what he calls “a solid week”, meaning that it’s a tougher one in terms of intensity. Like the previous two weeks, volume had been around 12 hours but the intensity has definitely ramped up. I did a ride very similar to this workout on Monday and on the second interval I was sure my pre-workout breakfast was going to make a second appearance. (Luckily, that didn’t happen.)

kale and tomatoes

Recent Saturday mornings have involved about 2 hours and 45 minutes on the bike, followed by 30-45 min runs, and you’d think that with all this training time, I’d be ravenous afterwards. But you know what? That hasn’t really been the case. The week that follows these intense blocks however, is a completely different story.

lentils and tomatoes

Guys, it’s like my stomach becomes a bottomless pit. I want to eat #ALLTHETHINGS.

cherry tomatoes

Recently Jess (who is running Boston this weekend and is going to kick some serious butt) and I were talking about how the parts of our training that we detest the most are not the toughest, highest intensity bits, but that period of time between finishing a session and being able to eat. You know, that whole drive home, get in the shower, get dressed, do the hair, make yourself look like a girl again time? Yes, that one. Admittedly I’ll often zoom through (and sometime skip) all that if my stomach feels like it’s about to eat itself, but if I have to go to work, the shower is kind of a required courtesy for my co-workers.

cooked lentils

Since my training intensity will fall again next week (yay for periodization!), I’m fully expecting to be more hungry than usual. When I first started to notice this a few months ago, my coach explained that it’s totally normal, and it’s our bodies’ way of playing catch-up. He tells me not to hold back (which I love to hear!) so I like to prepare by having lots of hearty, nutritious foods stocked in my kitchen. And that’s where this Hearty Lentil and Veggie-Packed Omelette comes in.

Hearty Lentil and Veggie Suffed Omelette Recipe - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Not only does it come rammed with protein thanks to the eggs that hold all the veggie goodness together, but I’ve also thrown in some cooked lentils for an even bigger protein boost, and a punch of iron too. As an anemic athlete, keeping my iron topped up is something I’m always conscious of. I happen to adore lentils and they’re super cheap, so it’s a win-win-win!

Hearty Lentil and Veggie Suffed Omelette Recipe - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Hearty Lentil and Veggie-Packed Omelette

by Angela Simpson

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 7 mins

Ingredients (1 serving)

  • 3/4 cup sliced zucchini
  • 1 loosely packed cup of shredded kale
  • ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp minced parsley
  • 1 egg + 3 egg whites (2 eggs would probably work here too, but I only had 1 in the fridge when I made it!)
  • 3 tbsp almond milk or other milk of choice
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ cup cooked lentils (choose your favourite kind – I used green ones)

Instructions

  • Mist a frying pan with olive oil and sautee the zucchini, kale and tomatoes on high for 2 minutes or until the kale is bright green.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, egg whites, milk, oregano and paprika in a bowl.
  • Pour the egg mixture into the frying pan on top of the veggies. Swirl it around, then reduce heat to medium and let the egg begin to set.
  • As this happens, scatter the lentils into the pan. Let the omelette cook for 4-5 minutes, lifting the edge occasionally with a flipper and tilting the pan slightly so that any uncooked egg can run underneath.
  • Once set, flip the omelette in half and transfer to a plate. Serve with a green salad on the side if desired.

Click here to print the recipe.

Hearty Lentil and Veggie Suffed Omelette Recipe - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Now it’s over to you. Tell me…

  • If you follow a periodized workout schedule, do you find yourself hungrier on low-intensity weeks or on rest days?
  • What’s your go-to post-workout meal that hits the spot every time?

Last but not least, don’t forget to enter my great big mega Vega giveaway, announced on Monday in celebration of Eat Spin Run Repeat’s 5th blog birthday. Get the deets and enter here!

25 thoughts on “Hearty Lentil and Veggie-Packed Omelette

  1. That looks so darn good. Since starting Cross Fit just on 12 months ago I find I am craving all sorts of yummy healthy veggie packed food like this. That’s good right??? Yum!

    1. Haha yep, definitely a good thing! I haven’t ventured into Cross Fit yet but I’m always completely blown away by how strong Cross Fitters are…. I like to think I can lift heavy things but I’m sure you’d put me to shame!

  2. It is the biggest taper week and for some reason I am eating like a mad woman. I forgot about this conversation – I have the memory of a goldfish.

    All this to say, I have discovered a deep and profound love for lentils and this is a perfect recipe.

    Thanks for sharing!

  3. This looks like a fabulous, filling meal for any time of day. Go you for training for a triathlon! I want to #EatAllTheThings (love this hashtag!) even w/o training for anything, so I can only imagine your hunger levels!! Good luck!

  4. I’m not training for anything at the moment except general health and fitness, but oh my god just reading about you being on a bike for nearly three hours followed by a half hour run makes me want to run screaming into bed. I have no idea how you do it! I’m trying to muster up the energy to even make it to the gym at all today…but your post gave me the last kick in the pants I need! This omlet sounds delicious, by the way.

    1. Hehe it’s really not that bad once you get a few long rides under your belt, and having something to watch or listen to (my go-to’s are Netflix and podcasts) makes me feel productive and helps to pass the time quite quickly. I’m glad this motivated you to get moving, and I hope you have a wonderful workout!

  5. Hi Angela! I’ve been reading your blog a for few weeks now (I found you through Oh She Glows). I love your site! Your training and racing are such an inspiration to me.

    Good luck with your triathlon training. I was a competitive swimmer for most of my life (now a runner) and have always wanted to do one. In terms of hunger, I pretty much want to eat #allthethings all the time anyway, doesn’t matter how much I work out, heh!

    1. Hi Rebecca!
      Thank you so much for your comment and kind words! I’m so glad you found my blog and hope you’ll stick around. 🙂 That’s great that you’ve transitioned from swimming to running! I used to be a competitive swimmer between the ages of about 10 and 13, and while I wasn’t bad at it, I didn’t enjoy it that much – maybe because I didn’t like spending so many hours in the pool when I also wanted to play on community basketball and soccer teams with my friends. I’m not sure about you, but do you find swimming makes you more hungry than runs or other workouts of the same length? I don’t know what it is but swim days always seem to be super hungry ones! 🙂

  6. my husband is the same. it’s like he doesnt’ have time to be super hungry until he sits still, then he’s starving haha. dense foods are key! yes, love lentils.

  7. That looks delicious. I will have to make it. I’m not in any big training at the moment but I find I’m wanting to eat ALL things usually the day after intense workouts. My favorite post workout snack is a Vega smoothie (thanks for the coupon code, I just made an order). I added some coconut oil to my smoothie today and YUMM!!!

  8. This is my dream breakfast! I love lentils too, and they look awesome in here. Hate that when you can’t seem to stop hunger no matter what you put in your mouth. I’ve never trained for a triathalon, but some weeks of the month I definitely experience that phenomenon!

  9. I don’t follow a periodized workout schedule at the moment but I’m still always hungry. Is that normal? Haha!!

    If I’m working out in the morning, my go-to post-workout meal is usually a big bowl of oats with fruit and Vega protein. Hits the spot every time.

    Beautiful photos, Ange!!

  10. Lentils IN an Omelette? You’re crazy… and BRILLIANT! So into this. I always top my omelette’s off with cottage cheese. Throw some lentils into that mix too and it’s a protein fiesta!

    1. Oh my gosh, cottage cheese on an omelette? That sounds phenomenal! I don’t eat it often because it makes me break out like wooooahhhh but you’ve just reminded me how much I miss it. Pretty convinced this little protein fiesta needs to be tried in my kitchen asap! 🙂

  11. This was great! I used spinach because I had no kale and added some laughing cow cheese and it turned out delicious

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