Emilee Cherry Australian Women's Rugby 7s Beef, The Greatest Meat on Earth Interview

Cook Like The Australian Women's Rugby 7s With Their Favourite Beef Recipes

Try these delicious and easy recipes made with the Greatest Meat on Earth that can help athletes and everyday Aussies perform at their best.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be one of the greatest gold-medal winning athletes? From tough training, to eating right, there's more to it than just what happens on the field.

Dietitian to the Australian Women's Rugby 7s team, Peta Carige, has shared four of the ultimate beef recipes that she recommends and prepares for the players as part of their nutritious weekly meal plans. The recipes include a favourite of players Charlotte Caslick, Demi Hayes, Shannon Parry, and Emilee Cherry – -Spiced Beef and Hummus', that you can now try at home.

Australian Beef is an excellent protein source of iron, with dietitians recommending 130g of cooked lean red meat to be enjoyed every other day as a practical way for busy athletes and any busy woman to get the nutrients they need to perform at their best.

With a variety of cuts available, beef offers multiple ways to create diverse, healthy and balanced meals for everyone – from elite athletes to everyday Aussies. Nothing beats Australian Beef when it comes to taste, quality, and nutrition!

Interview with Emilee Cherry

Question: What does a normal day on a plate look like for you?

Emilee Cherry: A normal day for me starts off with a big breakfast, usually overnight oats. During training days we are lucky enough to be provided with lunches. One of our favourites is a beef noodle stir-fry. Dinner usually consists of meat and veggies or salad. We have our own veggie garden and one of my favourite dinner meals is rump steak on the BBQ with silverbeet, spinach and bok choy with garlic.


Question: Does your diet change in the run up to a big game or competition?

Emilee Cherry: My diet doesn't really change throughout the year, even ahead of a big game or competition. Training loads are always quite heavy, so diet and nutrition is consistent with this to keep us performing at our best. We have an amazing team around us that helps support this, so it never feels like a laborious task to keep up with off-field priorities. We always get to eat really varied and delicious meals, so we're pretty lucky.


Question: What is your normal training regime?

Emilee Cherry: Normal training for me is four days a week. A typical week will be one field session (skills, gameplay and conditioning), one gym session and a PSS infield session, recovery and analysis.

Question: What role does beef play in your diet (e.g. frequency you eat beef and what)?

Emilee Cherry: At least 3 to 4 times a week. My favourite is the simplest form, a rump steak or cattleman's cut on the BBQ. Also been making beef jerky with a dehydrator.


Question: How important is meal prep for you? How often do you do it and what are your tips to ensure you get the right amount of protein throughout your full week?

Emilee Cherry: Meal prep is a weekly activity in my house. Usually on a Sunday I spend time planning out for the week. This includes making the beef jerky as a snack. Then usually just having a written plan outlining meals for the week and grocery shopping.


Question: What is your earliest and/or favourite beef memory? (e.g. a beef recipe you were cooked as a child, or did you grow up on a farm with cattle, etc.)

Emilee Cherry: I actually grew up on a cattle farm, so I remember mustering cattle with my parents as a very young girl. Beef was always a huge part of our diet and quality was always of prime importance. A great cut of beef on the BBQ is still my favourite go-to meal.


Question: What is your favourite beef recipe?

Emilee Cherry: I love beef on its own, so my favourite is always just a BBQ steak. I'm also a big fan of Mexican so beef tacos are my more exotic beef dish of choice.

Question: What are your plans for 2018?

Emilee Cherry: This year is the big one for Commonwealth Games in April. I am really determined to get on that field and hopefully we'll win ourselves another gold.

Summer Breakfast Pocket

Take your breakfast to the next level with this protein packed post-workout recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 (about 250g each) thick-cut beef rump steaks
1 punnet cherry tomato, halved
1 avocado sliced
2 cups watercress
1 brown onion (sliced)
4 eggs (optional)
BBQ sauce (optional)
4 wholemeal pita pockets
Olive oil, salt, pepper

Method
For steak:
Brush the steaks lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the barbecue flat-plate (alternatively use the char-grill plate or pan) to hot before adding the steaks.
Cook on one side until the first sign of moisture appears. Turn steaks once only. Test the steaks for degree of doneness with tongs. Rare is soft, medium feels springy and well done is very firm.
Remove steaks from heat, loosely cover with foil and rest steaks for 5 minutes before slicing.

For pocket:
While steak rests, place sliced brown onion into pan, cook until caramelised and set to the side.
Combine rested sliced steak, chopped tomato, avocado and watercress.
Open each pita and use tongs to evenly distribute the mixture between all four pockets.

To finish:
Crack each egg onto pan and cook to your liking.
Place 1 egg and ¼ of caramelised onion onto pita.
Finish with a small amount of BBQ sauce (or your favourite).

Essential Tips:
Thickly cut rump, flat iron or sirloin steaks work best for beef pockets like this one.
Preheat the char-grill pan to hot before adding the meat. Instead of oiling the pan, oil the meat. Either brush it lightly or rub a little oil into the meat.