Put on your apron and enter the Coach’s Kitchen! Designed for coaches and parents to help support the dietary needs of their athletes, these recipes will offer ideas on what to eat and drink before, during, and after training or competition for optimal sport performance.

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 cups uncooked whole wheat/whole grain elbow macaroni
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 1 tablespoons onion, chopped
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon (or less) salt
  • ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
  • Pinch of pepper
  • 2 cups 1% milk
  • 1 cup part skim sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • ½ cup dry bread crumbs

Makes 4–6 servings

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Meanwhile, melt margarine in saucepan and add chopped onion. Cook until tender but not browned.
  3. Whisk in flour, salt, dry mustard, and pepper, and gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
  4. Add grated cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and mix well with cooked macaroni.
  5. Pour into lightly greased 2 L casserole dish. Sprinkle top with dry bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and browned.
NUTRITION INFORMATION (PER 1.5 CUP SERVING)
  1. Calories: 457
  2. Carbohydrate: 66g
  3. Protein: 21g
  4. Fat: 14g
  5. Fibre: 6g

Sport Benefits: A sure fire favourite among athletes, this lightened-up version has all of the tasty goodness of regular mac n cheese, but with much less fat. Most homemade mac n cheese pack in over 468 calories and 25 g of fat. So enjoy this leaner version pre-workout with your favourite side salad, or for a twist, add some peas or spinach for an antioxidant booster!

Recipe taken from PowerFuel Food, Planning Meals for Maximum Performance, by Angela Dufour, RD, CSSD, Performance Dietitian.