Pre-marathon recipe ideas

Thousands of runners are busy preparing themselves for the Flora London Marathon on April 14 and when you are faced with 26 miles of pavement to pound you need some decent fuel inside you.

According to the Food Standards Agency, it is important to tuck into carbohydrates the day before the big event.

We have compiled a list of tasty recipes from to pack you full of energy for the big event.

Pasta shells with chicken & pasta sauce -  (source: Sainsbury's Online)

Ingredients
150g pasta shells, cooked following instructions on the pack
190g Sainsbury's tomato pasta sauce
75g canned sweetcorn, drained
50g frozen peas, cooked
150g cooked chicken, diced
50g Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Place the cooked pasta in a saucepan with the tomato pasta sauce, sweetcorn , peas and cooked chicken.
2. Stir well to combine and heat through thoroughly until piping hot.
3. Spoon the mixture into a heatproof serving dish, sprinkle over the cheese and place under a preheated hot grill for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is golden.
4. Allow to cool slightly before serving
 
Information:
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Nutrition per serving:
313 calories, 8.5g fat (of which saturated fat 3.7g), 0.3g salt, 1.5g sugar

Warm pasta tuna salad - (source: Sainsbury's Online)

Ingredients
350g Trompetti pasta or an alternative type
2 x 150g cartons fresh 'Be Good to Yourself' Stir-In Arrabbiata sauce
2 x 185g cans tuna in brine, drained & flaked into chunks
100g black olives, halved
4 tablespoons capers, drained

To serve:
freshly chopped parsley

1. Cook the pasta as per pack instructions, then drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquor.
2. Return the pasta to the pan then add in the Arrabbiata Stir In sauce, reserved cooking liquor & heat through for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in the tuna, olive & capers & mix to combine.
4. Transfer to a serving dish & sprinkle liberally with the parsley & serve immediately.
 
Information:
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Nutrition per serving:
414 calories, 8g fat (of which saturated fat 1g), 4g salt, 5g sugar

Conchiglie pasta with Mediterranean vegetables - (source: Sainsbury's Online)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
255g pack Mediterranean vegetables
250g quick cook conchiglie pasta
3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

To garnish:
parmesan shavings / basil leaves

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan & cook the Mediterranean vegetables for approximately 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
2. In the meantime cook the pasta in water for 5-7 minutes, then drain.
3. Toss the pasta in the balsamic vinaigrette, stir in the Mediterranean vegetables & serve immediately.

Information:
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Nutrition per serving:
282 calories, 4g fat (of which saturated fat 0.5g), 0.05g salt, 9.1g sugar

Chilli Vegetable Noodles - (source: Tesco.com)

Ingredients:
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
½ red chilli, finely sliced
1 spring onion, finely chopped
½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
1 tsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli and garlic stir-fry dip
500 g medium egg noodles
4 sprays Fry Light sunflower oil
200 g pak choi, broken into leaves
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced
100 g shitake mushrooms
225 g sliced bamboo shoots in water, drained
220 g whole water chestnuts in water, drained

1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and heat a non-stick wok until hot.
2. Mix together the sesame seeds, red chilli, spring onions, Chinese 5 spice, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Set aside.
3. Plunge noodles into boiling water and cook until tender, according to packet instructions. Drain.
4. Spray the wok with oil and when hot, stir-fry all the vegetables for 3-5 minutes until tender.
5. Toss through the dressing and serve with the noodles.

Information:
Serves:4
Preparation time:5 minutes
Cooking time:5 minutes

Each serving contains: Calories: 578kcal, Sugar: 10g, Fat: 13g (saturates: 3g), Salt: 1.6g.

Pasta with chickpeas, tomatoes and rocket - (source: Tesco.com)

Ingredients:
90 g of pasta, uncooked weight
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
½ tbsp of chopped fresh mint
½ a fresh chilli
150 g chickpeas, canned and drained
5 cherry tomatoes
handful of watercress or rocket

1. Prepare the pasta following package directions, omitting any suggested fat or salt.
2. Meantime, make a dressing by adding a tablespoon of water to the yoghurt and stirring in the parsley, mint and finely sliced chilli.
3. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and place in a bowl. Stir in the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and watercress or rocket and toss in the dressing.

Information:
Serves:1
Preparation time:10 minutes
Cooking time:10 minutes
Diet type:High fibre, Low saturated fat, Low sugar

Pasta with Asparagus and Pancetta - (source: Tesco.com)

Ingredients:
250g bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed
250g dried pasta shapes (such as penne, rigatoni or fusilli)
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
125g pancetta, cut into strips
1 small onion, chopped
15g fresh chives, snipped
50g freshly grated Parmesan or Pocorino cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the asparagus in a large pan of boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then remove, drain and reserve the cooking water.
2. Cook pasta in the same water according to i