Starting with lunch, this nutritious and delicious meal plan will fuel you for play, aid your recovery and satisfy your cravings

Serves: 3 or 4 as an appetizer; 2 as a main course

You won’t find this combination of vegetables in a classic Italian dish, but what’s lost in authenticity is more than made up for by the nutrient-dense combination of sweet potato, kale, spinach, tomato and gluten-free brown rice pasta. It’s also highly adaptable, depending on your personal taste and what veggies are available.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces brown rice pasta

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 cup diced sweet potato

• 4 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a chef’s knife

• 2 cups sugar snap peas

• ½ cup fresh oregano leaves

• 2 cups diced red onion

• 3 cups kale, cut into thin strips

• 3 cups spinach leaves, tough stems trimmed and discarded

• 1 large tomato, diced, with its juice

• 1 cup fresh peas

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
  1. Heat the oil in a wide, deep sauté pan until shimmering but not smoking. Add the sweet potato and cook, stirring, until tender and golden brown all over, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and toss for a few seconds. Add the sugar snap peas and cook, tossing, just to heat them through, about 30 seconds.  Add the oregano, onion, kale and spinach and cook, tossing, until the kale is wilted.
  1. Add the tomato, peas and reserved pasta. Cook, tossing, until pasta and peas are warmed through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
  1. Divide the pasta among 2 to 4 plates or wide, shallow bowls and serve.