Training & Nutrition - What are you eating?

Just wondering what others are bringing with them on long training rides. I have tried a few things, gels, Clif cubes, etc. but haven't found anything that doesn't seem weird to me. Anybody know of something that is organic, food like?

Figs, fig newtons, dates, bananas, mixed nuts, PBJ for lunch, and a few other items.
I'm sick of gels \ energy bars and trying to stick to more natural items this year. Perfect thread.

Figs, fig newtons, dates, bananas, mixed nuts, PBJ for lunch, and a few other items.
I'm sick of gels \ energy bars and trying to stick to more natural items this year. Perfect thread.

^^^ Me too. A good fig newton is just as good, if not better, than any energy bar. Cheaper too. Yes to the other items in that list too.

I pretty much never buy cookies, gels or energy bars; I prefer to make my own. It's usually at least an order of magnitude less expensive than store-bought. Besides, messing with recipes is fun.

I've got a couple of energy bar recipes I'm messing with. Usually they include dried fruit, oatmeal, roasted nuts and honey. Bananas are good.

I suppose this qualifies as "natural". I just think of it as "cheap". ;)

BTW, does anyone have a slick set-up for carrying slightly sticky items? I usually put my home-made bars in a zip-lock bag in a jersey pocket, but if it's full (e.g., at the start of a long ride) it can be a struggle to pull a snack out without stopping.

BTW, does anyone have a slick set-up for carrying slightly sticky items? I usually put my home-made bars in a zip-lock bag in a jersey pocket, but if it's full (e.g., at the start of a long ride) it can be a struggle to pull a snack out without stopping.

Bento bag.

If it works for my pastries, cheesies, beef jerky, and salted almonds ... it should work for your food too.

BTW, does anyone have a slick set-up for carrying slightly sticky items? I usually put my home-made bars in a zip-lock bag in a jersey pocket, but if it's full (e.g., at the start of a long ride) it can be a struggle to pull a snack out without stopping.


Wrap the bars individually in foil. No pocket mess, and easy to open one handed while riding.

Dried fruit - pineapple rings, mango, figs are all good. Cream cheese and jelly sandwich - yum!

Make your own sports drink, too - add a couple of spoons of sugar and a splash of lime juice to a full water bottle, shake and voila. In the summer I sometimes add a pinch or two of salt. Works about as well as expensive powders like HEED, tastes as good or better, costs a fraction as much.

I pretty much never buy cookies, gels or energy bars; I prefer to make my own. It's usually at least an order of magnitude less expensive than store-bought. Besides, messing with recipes is fun.

I've got a couple of energy bar recipes I'm messing with. Usually they include dried fruit, oatmeal, roasted nuts and honey. Bananas are good.

I suppose this qualifies as "natural". I just think of it as "cheap". ;)

Sorry for bumping this, but I found that if you buy Clif in bulk, they work out to be closer to $1 instead of a $1.50. Some stores sell the bars for a dollar each.

WalMart and Whole Foods sell Cliff bars for 99 cents all day every day. Whole Foods has every flavor they make, where Wally World has limited stock. later.

^

Very close to the amortized price of home-made energy bars. Plus all of the joy of laziness and procrastination!

Just wondering what others are bringing with them on long training rides. I have tried a few things, gels, Clif cubes, etc. but haven't found anything that doesn't seem weird to me. Anybody know of something that is organic, food like?

Try some whole wheat pancakes, substitute applesauce for the oil when making them & add a mashed banana to the batter, then slather on your PBJ between two of these! Make them 3-4" round so they fit into your baggies, great snacks for the road.

Depends on how long you'll be out and what you can carry for refrigeration. These are my staples: banana, chicken cutlet, raisins, short protein shake in fruit juice not milk, snickers bar, water & gatoraide. Don't forget some supplements like B6 & B12, also potassium.

Bananas are best known for slow release of energy...plus you can tie them easily to you bike cables for easy access and they have the protective coating of the banana skin from dirt etc. and even nicely curve with the cables for this attachment.. seriously!

I have done this with about four bananas and had to fight off people trying to nick 'em on a big ride, damn monkeys!

Hey, you could even strap em to your wheels instead of reflectors and be a true bananaman!

cheers,
spurt.

Bananas are best known for slow release of energy...plus you can tie them easily to you bike cables for easy access and they have the protective coating of the banana skin from dirt etc. and even nicely curve with the cables for this attachment.. seriously!

I have done this with about four bananas and had to fight off people trying to nick 'em on a big ride, damn monkeys!

Hey, you could even strap em to your wheels instead of reflectors and be a true bananaman!

cheers,
spurt.

Hey, do you have any pictures of this? I can only imagin bananas hanging from your bike.

buddy

this:
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee261/fattiebert/rijsttaart_gebakken_en_ongebakken.jpg

It are small rice pies.

And bananas, figs, frangipanes, sandwiches with jam... it depends on the ride.

http://www.slipstreamsports.com/2008/07/16/cooking-with-allen-rice-cakes

homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, soft chewy and tasty. I've been off the gels and store bought energy bars for a few months now and i love it. dried fruits are also a favorite. And always a big smoothie before the ride.
Smoothie normally consists of vanilla protein powder (syntha-6 protein) strawberries, bananas, and some uncooked oatmeal. The oatmeal and protein are slow release energy and the strawberries and bananas are simple quick carbs

naaah... that's not the recipe. :)