Post-workout Healthy Fitness Sandwich For Runners
- Updated on Jan 04, 2023
Looking for the perfect healthy fitness sandwich to eat after a run? Try this one! It’s got to be one of the best healthy sandwiches we have ever come up with, and, what’s more, it’s optimised to refuel your body after exercise!
Download our free app Easy Vegetarian!
(4.7★, 100K+ Downloads in Google Play)
🥗 300+ High-Protein Recipes
📅 Grocery Lists & Meal Plans
🚫Totally Ad-free
After a good run or heavy workout your body typically needs many things to refuel. Some of the most important are the following:
Carbs – for replacing glycogen stores
Proteins – to aid muscle repair and growth
Electrolytes – including sodium, chloride, potassium and magnesium
Healthy Fats – used in so many essential body and brain functions
The sandwich fillings I use to make my runner’s sandwich contain all those things in balanced quantities, so you can be sure that this is going to provide you with the fuel you need!
What’s more, it comes in a delicious Mediterranean-inspired package, with tangy olives, salty capers and rich sun dried tomatoes. You know what, I might go on a run right now, just so I can eat one of these when I’m done!
Jump to
Ingredients
A quick glance through the ingredients in this healthy fitness sandwich will show you how great it is for post workout munchies!
Whole wheat bread
Whole grain bread will provide you with plenty of carbs. It is best to use brown bread as it also contains the most dietary fiber and nutrients. Rye bread or dark sourdough bread are good options.
Mozzarella or other cheese
Cheese contains protein, fat and even electrolytes! Yes – while we commonly think of electrolytes as coming from liquids, you can also get them in your food. Cottage cheese is a good option instead of mozzarella, because it has a good fat to protein ratio.
Sun-dried tomatoes
Sun dried tomatoes are a great way to add a zing of flavor, while also providing you with lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.
Olives
Olives add to the Mediterranean vibe of this sandwich. They also contain plenty of healthy fats and antioxidants.
Basil
Up the fragrant flavor of your sandwich and get those taste buds tingling with some leaves of fresh basil. Dried works too!
How many calories are in this healthy sandwich?
This vegetarian fitness sandwich contains 374 calories per serving, and it contains 19g protein per serving.
Here’s a quick overview of 1 serving:
At under 400 calories, it’s a great dish when you’re counting the calories, and it provides an awesome 19.5g of protein!
Health benefits
This sandwich provides many health benefits. For starters, it contains 42% of an average RDA of dietary fiber – so you can be sure it will keep you full for a long time, and help improve the health of your digestive system.
Secondly, it provides a solid portion of your daily protein requirements, at 19.5g per serving. Protein is super important for the healthy functioning of your body, and particularly for maintaining and/or building muscle.
It also contains notable amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron and Calcium.
How to make the perfect healthy fitness sandwich
- Chop: Roughly chop up the fillings and toss in a bowl in herbs salt and pepper.
- Toast: If you’re using soft bread, pop it in the toaster for a minute just to harden the outside. If you’re using hard bread, this step is optional.
- Stuff: Pile the filling on 2 slices of bread, top with the other 2 slices.
- Fry: Without olive oil, heat a pan and fry the sandwich gently for a few minutes. Press it down with a spatula occasionally. Flip so both sides become crispy and browned, with melty insides. You can fry with optional if you like, of course.
- Serve: Your sandwich is ready! Serve as lunch or a very light dinner.
FAQs
Got questions about how to make healthy sandwich recipes like this one? I’ve got you covered on topics from weight loss to meal prep.
Can I make this sandwich ahead?
You can make a big batch of filling ahead of time, but I wouldn’t recommend assembling the sandwich too far in advance, as the bread can get soggy ( though by all means, make it up in the morning and take it in your lunch box!).
What to serve with this sandwich?
A side salad of leafy greens is a great option to serve with this sandwich. Keep to simple ingredients: some spinach, lettuce and rocket, maybe a bit of red onion with an easy vinaigrette dressing.
What kind of sandwich is good after a workout?
A good post-workout sandwich includes a balance of protein, healthy fats and whole grain carbohydrates. If it has all these things, it is guaranteed to refuel your body after exercise!
What sandwiches are good for weight loss?
Sandwiches that are high in fibre, high in protein and with a focus on healthy unsaturated fats are the best sandwiches for weight loss. This combination of macros mean they will keep you full for the longest time, while providing your body with everything you need, so you are making the most of your calorie intake.
Are sandwiches good for muscle building?
Yes! If you load them with muscle-building protein, such as from cheese, tofu and/or eggs, they can definitely support muscle growth. Check out this high protein meal plan for more tips of how to eat to build muscle.
Variations and alternatives
If you need to eat gluten-free, just switch the bread out for your favorite gluten-free bread. To make this vegan, why not try smoked tofu, or your favorite vegan sausages instead of cheese? Or you could even pop some hummus in there.
If you are looking for possible ingredient swaps, you can really play around with this one. Swap mozzarella for your favorite cheese, add spinach or a handful of rocket. Why not a dash of chili oil or hot sauce for an extra kick? It’s also really yummy to spread pesto or tapenade on your bread.
More recipes
After more healthy sandwich recipes? Try my protein packed chickpea salad sandwich, my famous vegetarian banh mi or this incredible veggie coronation chick’n sandwich! And if you’re still after more inspo, why not get a load of my 37 favorite vegetarian sandwiches ever – from this blog and beyond!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices wholegrain bread (whole wheat)
- ½ ball low-fat mozzarella (1 ball = 125g) (low fat cottage cheese also goes great!)
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 4 tbsp olives
- 2 tsp capers (can be made without if unavailable)
- ¼ cup basil, fresh (dried basil is also fine, ¼ cup = 1 tsp)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 oz Cheddar cheese
Optional:
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 small handful oregano, fresh (1 small handful fresh = ½ tsp dried)
Instructions
- Roughly chop the cheese, tomatoes, olives and capers and throw into a mixing bowl. Grate the cheddar in.½ ball low-fat mozzarella, ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, 4 tbsp olives, 1 oz Cheddar cheese, 2 tsp capers
- Add the herbs, salt and pepper.¼ cup basil, fresh, Salt and pepper to taste, 1 small handful oregano, fresh, 1 tsp chili flakes
- Use a fork to mix up and mash the ingredients a little – not too much, we just want to get those flavours circulating.
- Lay the half the bread slices onto the pan.
- Spread the mix on the bottom slices, add the other slices on top. Squish down.
- Heat the pan on a low heat. Put a lid on the pan if you have one, don’t stress too much if you don’t. Cook for 3 or 4 mins, squishing down with a spatula occasionally, then flip and cook the other side the same way. Both outsides should be nice and crispy, the insides melting together.
- We want to cook this nice and slowly. Too fast and the bread will burn and the insides won't melt, so go easy.
- Awesome. What a sandwich.
NOTES
Nutrition
I hope you enjoyed trying this delicious healthy fitness sandwich! Let me know what you thought of it in the comments
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
Comments
Leave a comment below
17 comments
This is a totally delicious sandwich spread! I had it on toasted sourdough, and my husband had it in a wrap (also toasted). I’ve been vegetarian for about a month and my husband is not, and he said, “If this were at a restaurant, it would be my go-to order.” He also mentioned many times how he wants to have it again. I don’t like to cook or clean up after, and this was a breeze in both instances. We both focus on high protein. I used low fat cottage cheese because that’s what I had. I followed the rest as listed, including the optionals (except no salt and pepper because I forgot–not needed!).
Hi! I’m so happy you found this recipe and love it as much as I do! This has been a go-to of mine for YEARS and I still look forward to it :D. I also sub in low-fat cottage cheese depending on what I have in the fridge (most cheeses work well tbh). Thanks for writing, keep enjoying!
Those rolls look amazing!! Did you make them yourself and if so do you have the recipe?
They were from the bakery I’m afraid! They were really good though
I was skeptical, but this is AMAZING!
Yay!! I’m glad to have another convert, Annette 😀