Soups for runners

Here are two really good running soups that can be made early in the day for you to eat after you long runs or make a huge batch and freeze it so when you get home all you have to do is heat it up and eat. One of the most important things to do after a hard workout or long run is to get protein in your body. You have a half hour window when you first get home to get in as much as you possibly can. This is one of the reasons that I think these two recipes could really help runner who is busy. Both are extremely easy and I think people should not have a hard time making them.

Inca Soup

3 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup quinoa, rinse well in cold water and drain well (Can be bought at either Holland and Barnet or Thifties)
2 medium carrots
2 rib of celery
1 onion
1 yellow pepper
1 garlic clove finely chopped (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano (can be skipped if you don’t have it)
4-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup of frozen corn
1 can kidney beans (optional, any other bean would work as well) or chicken just to add more protein to the soup.
I like to put some spice in so I normally add pepper or some Tabasco.


Put oil quinoa, carrots, celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a pot and stir it for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, stock, beans and anything else you can think of. Gently simmer the soup for 20 minutes until quinoa and vegetables are tender. (Thin the soup with more stock if you find it too think. (This recipe came from a column by Eric Akis)

Lentil Soup

3 Tbsp of butter
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 large onion
425 g green lentils, make sure these are rinsed and drained
2 celery stick
2 large carrots
1 parsley sprig (optional)
¼ teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1 bay leaf
1.2 ml (2 pints) Chicken stock
900 ml (1 ½ pints) water
1 lemon slice
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter add garlic, onion and cook for 3 minutes. Lower heat and add lentils, celery, carrot, parsley, thyme and bay leaf to the pot. Pour in the stock and the water. Bring mixture to boil, skimming off the scum as it rises to the surface with a slotted (If you forget this don’t worry too much because I always forget). Add the lemon slice. Lower the heat and simmer for 55-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the soup is too thick then add more water. Remove the bay leaf and the lemon slice. Take about 600 ml of the soup and puree it in a blender until smooth then add back to the soup.

Sonja and I normally make up a whole pile of this soup and wolf it down because it is so good for you. Remember both of the soups can be easily doubled and frozen into smaller portions for a later date.