Baked baby spinach omelette

GB Rowing Team Chef Marcin Mazur suggests a protein-rich breakfast – perfect after a hard session

Ingredients (serves two)

6 chicken eggs
100g of fresh baby spinach
2 beef tomatoes
100g of white onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp of olive oil
2 red peppers, finely chopped
25g of chopped chives
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
100g of grated parmesan cheese
Wholegrain bread

How to make it

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Wash and dry all the vegetables, then take the tomatoes and peppers and chop them into small cubes.
2. Heat up the olive oil in a medium-size pan. Add the onion and fry until golden brown. Next add the tomatoes and peppers, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for five to 10 minutes, stirring in between. After five minutes, add the spinach.
3. Then put the eggs into a bowl, add some salt and pepper and whisk them until smooth. Take the vegetables from the pan and add to the eggs, along with the chives and mix everything together.
4. Then take a 10-12 inch non-stick, oven-proof frying pan and pour all the mixture into it. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the top.
5. Bake the omelette in the oven for up to 12 minutes until the eggs are set. Then take it out and cool for about five minutes. Cut into portions and serve with some wholegrain bread.

Why’s this good for rowers?

Nutritionist Jacqueline Birtwisle says: “This recipe makes a great breakfast to be enjoyed after a morning’s session on the water – maybe on a weekend when you may have a second outing or strength training.

“It meets the protein needs of a vegetarian or meat-eating rower by providing 44 grams of protein per serving, giving all the essential amino acids needed for a strenuous total body workout, thanks to the eggs and cheese. However, it provides just 20g of carbohydrates (about the amount of a medium-sized banana), so definitely add in some thick wholegrain bread to mop up the eggy-veg juices as this will top up your muscle glycogen stores by providing more carbohydrates.

“Adults may need in the region of 5-7g of carbohydrates per kilo of body weight a day (350-490g for a 70kg rower) and perhaps more if training twice daily. Those rowers looking for a lower-fat recipe could use less cheese, perhaps experimenting with quark or cottage cheese and a sprinkling of parmesan instead.”