Post-workout meals in Australia usually default to two camps: a shaker bottle of whey, or chicken and rice eaten cold over the kitchen sink. There is a third option that delivers roughly 15g of protein (approximate, not lab-tested), complex carbs from wholemeal dough, and is ready in under 25 minutes from frozen. The Athlete from Argentum Empanadas, made in Bondi Beach and shipped frozen across Sydney, is a free-range chicken empanada built around recovery: wholemeal dough, green olives, mild curry, and meal-prep convenience.
What is the best post-workout meal in Australia?
The best post-workout meal is the one you will actually eat, on the days you would normally skip eating. That is a low bar that almost no Australian gym-goer clears with chicken and rice on a Wednesday at 9pm.
A good recovery meal needs three things: protein (to repair muscle), complex carbs (to refill glycogen), and actually being eaten (to do anything at all). The third point is where most Australian post-workout meal plans fail. Cold meal-prep containers lose against takeaway every time you are tired.
The Athlete solves the third problem first: 22 minutes in the oven from frozen, no thinking, no prep, no cleanup. The first two are handled by the recipe itself.
How much protein do I need after a workout?
Sports nutrition guidance in Australia (AIS, Sports Dietitians Australia) lands at roughly 0.3g of protein per kg of bodyweight per post-exercise feeding, or roughly 20 to 40g for most adults. That is the target for the meal that follows training, not the meal you eat three hours later.
| Bodyweight | Target protein per meal | Approx. Athlete empanadas |
|---|---|---|
| 60kg | ~18g | 1 to 2 |
| 75kg | ~23g | 2 |
| 90kg | ~27g | 2 to 3 |
| 100kg+ | ~30g+ | 2 to 3 |
Numbers are approximate and assume ~15g per empanada (estimated, not lab-tested). If you are training for hypertrophy, scale up by one empanada per meal.
Are empanadas a good post-workout meal?
For a recovery meal, yes, under a few conditions. The empanada needs to have real meat protein (not just a savoury pastry), complex carbs in the dough rather than just refined white flour, and a portion size that lets you eat 2 or 3 without overshooting.
Most retail empanadas in Australia fail at least two of these. The pastry is white flour, the filling is a thin layer of mince, and you eat one as a snack rather than a meal. The Athlete was built to clear all three bars: free-range chicken filling, wholemeal dough, sized for 2 or 3 per meal.
For context on protein-dense food across the day, see 30 high-protein snacks in Australia. For meal prep specifically, see high-protein meal prep Sydney.
What is in The Athlete empanada that makes it post-workout friendly?
The Athlete is the only empanada in the Argentum range built with recovery food in mind. The ingredients:
- Free-range chicken: the protein source, sourced from Australian free-range farms
- Wholemeal dough: complex carbohydrates rather than refined white flour, slower glycogen replenishment, more fibre
- Green olives: healthy fats and a flavour anchor (not black, despite what some older copy says)
- Mild curry spice: warmth without heat, sodium for post-workout electrolyte balance
- Onion, garlic, herbs: micronutrients and flavour
The wholemeal dough is the part most other empanadas skip. It is denser, slightly nuttier, and the carbs digest more slowly than white-flour dough. For a meal that lands within an hour or two of training, that is the right profile.
Approximate macros (estimated, not lab-tested): roughly 15g protein, complex carbs from wholemeal dough, healthy fats from olives and chicken. Treat all empanada macros as approximate until lab tested.
Can I eat empanadas if I am cutting?
Yes, with portion discipline. The Athlete is not a low-calorie food: it is a real meal in a pastry shell. For a cut, eat 2 empanadas as the meal (not 4), pair with a green side, and skip the dipping sauces. The wholemeal dough makes 2 empanadas more satisfying than 2 white-flour pastries, which is the only sustainable cutting strategy: real food, in the right portion.
If you are tracking macros, log roughly 15g protein per empanada and adjust once you have weighed a few yourself. Hand-made food varies piece to piece.
Are protein bars or empanadas better post-workout?
Protein bars win on portability and pre-packed protein content. Empanadas win on actually being a meal.
| Factor | Protein bar | The Athlete x2 |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~20g (varies) | ~30g (approximate) |
| Carbs | Often refined or sugar alcohol | Complex from wholemeal |
| Satiety | Low to medium | High |
| Real food | No | Yes |
| Time to prep | 0 minutes | ~22 minutes from frozen |
| Price per ~20g protein | $3 to $6 | ~$4 to $5 |
The honest read: if you are 20 minutes from home, eat the bar. If you have access to an oven, eat the food.
How quickly do I need to eat after a workout?
The old "anabolic window" of 30 to 60 minutes has been mostly walked back by current sports nutrition research. The window is closer to 2 hours for most general training, and longer (4 to 6 hours) if you ate a protein-containing meal within a few hours before training.
What this means practically: you do not need to inhale a shaker on the gym floor. You do need to land a real meal with protein and carbs within a couple of hours of finishing. The Athlete, baked from frozen in under 25 minutes, easily fits that window even if you bake the moment you walk in.
Can I meal prep empanadas for post-workout?
This is where empanadas beat almost every other meal-prep format in Australia. The Athlete is sold frozen, lasts 6 months at -18C, and bakes from frozen straight onto an oven tray. No defrosting. No microwaving cold rice. No Tupperware sitting in the fridge for four days waiting to be eaten.
Meal-prep workflow:
- Order a pack of 12 Athletes (or a Weekly Family Box for variety)
- Receive frozen, transfer straight to freezer
- Each training day: bake 2 to 3 at 190C for 18 to 22 minutes (under 25 minutes total)
- Pair with a simple side (greens, rice, salad)
For Sydney delivery logistics, see empanadas delivery in Sydney.
Where can I buy The Athlete empanada in Australia?
The Athlete is available direct from Argentum Empanadas, made in Bondi Beach. Sydney delivery is frozen, Sydney-wide. The full range and box options:
- The Athlete pack of 12: recovery-focused, the hero product
- The Carnivore pack of 12: slow-cooked beef brisket, higher protein density
- The Chef's Box: mixed pack, $85 minimum, taste the range
- Weekly Family Box: variety pack for weekly meal prep
- Full range: all 5 active flavours
For non-Sydney customers in Australia, get in touch via the contact form for current delivery options outside Sydney.
What about kids and family post-workout meals?
If you are feeding a family of athletes (junior sport, weekend rugby, swim training), the Weekly Family Box covers a week of post-training meals across mixed flavours. For lunchbox planning around school sport, see healthy kids lunch box Australia.
Pairing The Athlete with the rest of the range
The Athlete is the recovery hero, but it is not the only empanada that works post-training. The Carnivore (slow-cooked grass-fed beef brisket, golden dough) is denser in protein per piece, roughly comparable to The Athlete on macros but with red meat as the protein source. For evenings after lower-intensity sessions or weight days, alternating between The Athlete and The Carnivore is a sensible approach.
Patagonia, the vegan option, adds variety on rest days when you are not chasing protein but still want a real meal. Habibi Yalla (open-top Middle Eastern beef) and The Classic (cheese vegetarian) round out the range for non-training days. The point: a single freezer order can cover post-workout meals, easy dinners, and the days you simply do not want to cook.
Recovery meal mistakes to avoid
A few patterns that show up in Australian gym culture and are worth flagging:
- Skipping carbs. Protein alone does not refill glycogen. Wholemeal dough is doing real work here, not just being a delivery vehicle for the chicken.
- Treating every meal like it needs 40g protein. If you trained at 6am and ate breakfast, your 6pm meal does not need to hit a post-workout target. Eat normally.
- Confusing snacks with meals. A protein bar is a snack. The Athlete x2 is a meal. Track them differently in your day.
- Under-eating on training days. Recovery is built on enough food, not perfect food. Empanadas help here because they are easy to eat when you are tired.
"The Athlete is the one I eat on training days. Wholemeal dough, chicken, done in 20 minutes. It is a meal, not a snack." Argentum customer, Sydney (paraphrased from review)
FAQ
How much protein is in The Athlete empanada?
Approximately 15g protein per empanada (estimated, not lab-tested). Treat as approximate.
Is The Athlete dough wholemeal?
Yes. The Athlete is the wholemeal-dough empanada in the range, designed for slower-digesting carbs.
How long do The Athlete empanadas keep frozen?
Up to 6 months at -18C. Bake from frozen, no defrosting needed.
How long do I bake The Athlete from frozen?
18 to 22 minutes at 190C, under 25 minutes total. No need to thaw.
Can I eat The Athlete cold the next day?
It works cold, but is much better warm. If reheating from cold, 8 to 10 minutes at 180C restores the texture.
Does Argentum deliver outside Sydney?
Sydney-wide frozen delivery is the main service. For other parts of Australia, contact us for current options.
Are Argentum empanadas gluten-free?
Gluten-free is available on large catering orders by request with a week's notice. It is not a standard retail option.
Can I subscribe to regular Athlete deliveries?
Yes. The Weekly Family Box is available as a subscription with a price drop on subscribe orders.
Order The Athlete for your post-workout meal plan
Wholemeal dough, free-range chicken, ~15g protein per piece. Bakes from frozen in under 25 minutes.
Shop The Athlete
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