Book Review: Runner's World Meals on the Run

If you love running, you more than likely LOVE food. In fact, if you are like me, you RUN to EAT.


I mean, why else would I train for an ultra marathon? They were serving red velvet cake! I would be crazy to run 50 miles for any other reason! ;-)

Earlier this year, I purchased the Runner's World Cookbook, which was one of the best cookbooks I have ever used. I have made tons of recipes from it! Not only are they perfect for a runner's nutritional needs, but they are delicious!!!

Kale Pesto


A photo posted by Lindsey (Run Freckles Run) (@lindseyszakacs) on

I was recently asked by Runner's World to take a look at their new cookbook Meals on the Run and I didn't hesitate to say yes. After having much success with their last cookbook, I could only imagine the new delicious recipes I could have now!



Can you guess what's even more amazing about this cookbook? The meals can be prepared in 30 minutes or less! This is perfect for me! I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE to be in the kitchen.

And not just for cooking...planks are perfect here!
However, when I was contacted to review the recipes, I was super busy with JFK 50 Training. I had little desire to come home and prepare a meal after a 20+ mile long run. So upon seeing that these meals were super easy and quick to make, I was on board!

The first meal I prepared was the Southwestern Black Bean Wrap.


This is one of their breakfast items but I made it for dinner. Peter and I had a challenge to have breakfast for every meal for a week. This was one of the meals.

As I prepared the wrap, I managed to screw up something so easy...


The eggs were not supposed to be cracked into the beans and rice, BUT despite the mishap, I managed to complete the burrito!


Oh and I also screwed up the wrap by overdoing the warming-up of it.



As you can see, it was pretty sturdy. However, that didn't matter in the end. It was just a really yummy edible plate! And the Southwestern Black Bean Plate Wrap was really delicious! The combination of beans, salsa, cheese, and avocado really made for a unique breakfast dish. Though you could easily have it for lunch or dinner (just like I had it)!

So would I make it again? YES!

The next creation was the Spaghetti Carbonara.

Image from Runner's World Meals on the Run
This is one meal I have never made before! But it looked easy enough! And who can say no to a recipe with bacon?


I did have to make a modification to the recipe. It called for whole wheat spaghetti noodles, but because I chose to eat gluten free, I chose the rice noodles I had available.


In the future, I wouldn't chose the same noodles. These noodles were really thin like angel hair. I would definitely go for gluten-free spaghetti noodles or maybe even linguini noodles! Still, I thought it was good, but I feel that the noodles took away from the full potential of the dish. No offense to Runner's World, of course. This was all my fault! But I will try it again in the future!

The third meal I chose was something I have never tried before. I tend to get tired of having the same things over and over, so when I saw the Spicy Chickpea with Spinach recipe, I went for it!

Image from Runner's World Meals on the Run
This was the one meal that I think I got down pat...with exception of not having enough paprika! AHH! Do I ever get anything right?

Once again, I did make one modification to make it gluten-free. I switched the whole wheat breadcrumbs to a gluten free option. I just took out the Magic Bullet and shredded up my Rudi's Gluten-Free Multigrain Bread. TA-DA! Instant breadcrumbs!

Anyway, as I put everything together, my hopes for this meal escalated. I had a feeling that this was going to be magnificent. I even thought it looked better than what was in the picture!



I LOVED this meal and I have every intention on making it again. I liked that it was different from the typical dinners we have and that it is PACKED with protein! Perfect for a recovering runner like myself.

The final meal that I made (so far anyway!) was the Black and White Bean Sausage Soup because as we approach colder temps, warm soups are perfect! I also love that they usually give us plenty of leftovers!

The only thing with this meal was that it took me longer than the promised 30 minutes. That may have been because they called for mirepoix.  I never heard of mirepoix before. It's apparently a combination of chopped carrots, celery, and onion that you can buy. Since I didn't have it, I spent a decent amount of time manually chopping 3 cups of "mirepoix" which put me over the 30 minutes.


After the chopping though, the cooking sped up.


I do have to include that I did not use the same sausage they were recommending. Ours was prepackaged sausage, not fresh from the deli. So there wasn't casing to remove or cooking that needed to be done. Basically, I just had to cut the sausage into little bits and throw into the soup. Next time, I will definitely purchase the right kind. But that did not ruin the recipe by any means.


I LOVED this recipe. I had a hard time deciding whether I liked this more than the Spicy Chickpeas, but it definitely ranked as one of the top recipes attempted so far. I cannot wait to try more!

I think Meals on the Run is the perfect cookbook for those that are concerned with nutrition, are low on time, want to expand their recipe library and expose their taste buds to a delicious dish! It would make a great gift for you or a runner you know this holiday season! I fully recommend it!

Keep your eyes on my instagram to see future recipes I try!


Have you tried any of the recipes from The Runner's World Cookbook or their new book, Meals on the Run? Which ones did you try and love?

What is important to you when it comes to food? Taste? Ingredients? Nutritional value? Simplicity?

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