Shawn Johnson East Just Told Us the High-Protein Dinner She Makes Every Week for Her Family

Plus the seasonal fruit she's loving right now.

Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RDReviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD

Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, the gymnastic trials are set to take place to lock down the men and women’s rosters for Team USA. Fittingly enough, I recently chatted with retired Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East who won a gold medal in the 2008 games for the balance beam.

Through her partnership with Barilla Protein+ pasta, I participated in an in-person 17-minute workout that Johnson East curated, which calls to the 17 grams of protein in each serving of Barilla’s high-protein pasta collection. Afterwards, I had the incredible opportunity to interview Johnson East one-on-one in her current hometown of Nashville. We talked about the high-protein meals that her family loves, the seasonal fruit that’s her “favorite part about summer,” how her eating pattern has changed since training for the Olympic games and more. Read below for the exclusive.

Related: Olympic Gymnast Jordan Chiles Has 8 Practices a Week—Here's How She Stays Energized

EatingWell: What made you decide to partner with Barilla Protein+?

Johnson East: I just love seeing companies do things like Protein+, especially for moms who are always looking for ways to sneak in more protein-packed ingredients into kids' meals. It's not just good for kids, it's good for the family, so it’s just a no brainer for me as a mom. I was so in heaven when I got a PR package of the Barilla Protein+ pasta, I thought it was genius. So when they called about a partnership, I was like, “Absolutely. My kids have gone through seven boxes already.”

EatingWell: Favorite high-protein meals?

Johnson East: Every Saturday night we go to the farmer's market and get these fresh made meatballs and a homemade pasta sauce, and we do pasta nights. Every Saturday. Meatballs on top of protein pasta is just, protein everywhere. And sometimes we’ll do fresh-made sourdough pasta with meatballs and sauce with a big, fresh farmer's market salad—and I’ll probably have a glass of wine. My kids also drink a lot of protein shakes, which is funny.

EatingWell: Your favorite foods or drinks that remind you of summer?

Johnson East: Peaches. Living in Nashville, the peach truck comes around and sells fresh Georgia peaches. It’s my favorite part about summer. I absolutely love peaches. We'll put them in drinks, we'll make peach cobbler, we'll do peach salads. Anything.

EatingWell: How has your eating pattern changed from when you were training as an Olympian to now? 

Johnson East: I would say eating back in the Olympic days, it was all about performance, so it was a very extreme diet. It was strictly for the performance of gymnastics. Now, it's all about moderation. I really don't believe in depriving my children of any category of food in the world because they should enjoy it. They should learn and try everything, but as a mom, it’s also teaching them moderation and purpose in food. I think my daughter can tell you what protein does for her: it makes her muscles strong and it helps her go ice skating.

Related: Katie Ledecky Just Told Us What She Eats in a Day While Training for the Paris Olympics

EatingWell: Favorite way to get movement into your day? 

Johnson East: Especially with my kids, we go on a lot of bike rides and jump on the trampoline. I feel like a kid when I get on it.

EatingWell: What about your favorite sneakers for everyday wear?

Johnson East: I live in my Nike Air Force 1s. That's all I wear.

EatingWell: What's your go-to form of "me time" as a busy mom?

Johnson East: My husband and I read a lot, we love the sauna, and we watch movies. I love movies, I'm a movie person.

EatingWell: Favorite movie at the moment?

Johnson East: The one we most recently watched was The Fall Guy, which was actually really funny. It was cute, very cheesy.

Related: Shawn Johnson East Just Told Us the Quick & Easy Meals She’s Making on Repeat Right Now

Read the original article on Eating Well.