For the second installment of “What Elite Skiers Eat for Breakfast“, we asked Stratton Mountain School (SMS) athletes to share a photo of a typical breakfast for a weekday training day and describe what they eat. Here’s what they told us:
“When I have time, I like to make breakfast burritos filled with rice, eggs, Cabot cheese, baby spinach, and top it all with bbq sauce. It’s a good way to get a lot of carbs, and depending on the number of eggs a fair amount of protein as well. I know that bbq sauce isn’t for everyone but I would highly recommend introducing it to your breakfast lineup.”
“Big bowl of plain greek yogurt topped with banana and a mix of berries or other fresh fruit plus granola (my favorites are Elizabeth’s pumpkin fig and Ezekiel cinnamon raisin) and cinnamon. I always finish with a side of peanut butter toast (crunchy peanut butter!) topped with hemp seeds and a big french press for coffee plus some water if I am being a good athlete :)”
“I definitely try and keep things interesting (there is nothing worse than a breakfast burn out) but one of my favorites is some high protein homemade pancakes topped with all the fruit in the fridge (as local as I can find it) and a big scoop of Greek yogurt. And coffee — lots of coffee.”
“This is a smoothie bowl (mango, strawberry banana with yogurt) topped with granola, sliced banana, yogurt drizzle and honey drizzle.”
“I like a strong black coffee in my owl mug (the mug is an important part of my breakfast routine) and oats with berries, yogurt, nuts and honey.”
“English muffins with peanut butter, banana, and honey is a standard go to.”
“Then I typically mix it up with some kind of cereal and yogurt. If I can use home made gernola, that’s the best. On rest days when we have more time I’m the go-to pancake guy at the SMS house.”
“My breakfast varies depending on the day and what we have for food in our kitchen, but one of my favorite easy breakfasts is buttered toast, scrambled eggs, cheese, avocado, and salt!”
“First: Coffee. Then a large bowl (or two) of: steel cut oats, greek yogurt, crunchy peanut butter, homemade raspberry jam, cereal of choice (usually granola or Kashi) – when available add blueberries and/or banana.”
“My go-to breakfast would be plain greek yogurt with granola and lots of fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas and pineapple. I also like to add a touch of honey :)”
“I’m not too much of a breakfast guy if I’m training early. I definitely don’t enjoy the feeling of having a stomach full of eggs and bacon when I head out for a hard interval session or long OD. Most of the time, I just make myself a bowl of granola with Greek yogurt, almond milk, and some fresh fruit (usually either blueberries, strawberries, or a banana). Most days I’ll drink 2 cups of black coffee, but on days when I’m training a bit later in the day I’ll make some green tea. And I usually compliment everything with a glass of orange juice.” On off days, he sleeps in a bit and might make eggs, pancakes or waffles. While with his girlfriend and teammate Sophie Caldwell in her hometown of Peru, Vt., they’ll head to the local general store, “JJ Hapgood’s, for a breakfast sandwich (English muffin with an egg, local bacon, and local cheddar) and a cup of coffee.”
Which elite nordic team (in the U.S., Canada or elsewhere) would you like to hear from next for our breakfast series? Leave your recommendations in the comments section below!