recklesscogniti

I'm preparing some research for cycling nutrition for my touring blog and wanted to include a homemade recipe section. I don't want to go around stealing peoples' ideas so I wanted to start a new post. If you guys have an secret weapons for touring that boost energy, increase recovery times, or raise morale, I'd love to hear about them. Recipes, tips, and tricks are welcome. Anything that can be pre-made at home before a trip or easily made at camp and packaged for later in the ride would be perfect. Please include your name and website if you'd like to be mentioned on the blog. I appreciate all your help.

foamy

Bourbon/Rum. It raises morale after a long day and has a wonderful relaxing effect. Save weight by putting it in a plastic flask. No mixing necessary, but ya could if ya wanted to.

reiffert

Fanny Farmer Baking Book has a Raisin Bar recipe that stores well, esp if you cut them to fit a refrigerator storage box. Ditto, the Lebkuchen (German Honey Cakes), and the Welsh cakes.

Any of those work well for breakfast or for dessert.

Machka 

Lunchtime sandwich recipe:

Bun
Cold meat
Cheese
Tomato
Margarine
Salt

Acquire above ingredients from local grocery store. Carry outside. Find nice place to sit. Make sandwich. Eat.

See my website in my signature line.

paxtonm

For breakfast, mix water and steel-cut oats 2 to one, add a few chopped dates, some chopped walnuts, a dollop of peanut butter. Bring to a boil until the whole thing thickens. Serve with yogurt or milk. This stuff powers me along for a loong time.

4000Miles

There's a great article on CGOAB on food for tours, but the one section I liked most was to a site that has very nearly a zillion different trail mix recipes. Click here for that site and here for the CGOAB article (which has many many more delicious recipes for hungry bikers).

I don't presume to take credit for these, I only found them.

aenlaasu

I think I've come to the conclusion that when I'm cycling, one thing I will cook for myself is my mom's version of dirty rice. It can be made in a single pot and if I've got the dog along, I'm sure he'd appreciate something more than his boring food as he'd get the 'extra' cooked meat I wouldn't be able to keep without a cooler.

Going to try it with:

2 dl of dry rice (I use brown or wild rice)
4 dl of water
200 grams of lean ground meat (5%)
half a small onion
2 table spoons of soy sauce
oregano (and what-ever other seasonings I pack with me)

Cook meat in the pot. Dump in rice, water, onion, soy and seasonings and let it cook for 15 to 20 min. I haven't tried it over a camp stove yet, but I have hopes. Pass through one of the many tiny villages in Sweden, grab fixings in the grocery and cook while at camp an hour or so outside the town. Decently high in protien and quite high in carbs and tasty.

jaypee

Yeah, this stuff is bomb. I toss some flax seeds in there as well (after cooking)

recklesscogniti

Thanks for the recipes, I hope some more keep rolling in

TheBrick

A nice simple warming desert help make you feel better.

I love stewed apple for this. Easy, one pot no long list of ingredients.

If I have to write down a recipe for this you need more help than I can give you.

balto charlie

While this is a great breakfast don't you think it takes too long to cook. I usually bring mine to a boil(at home) and leave it sit overnight to absorb the water. How long do you cook this? Lots of fuel use..... I'm thinking. Still the best breakfast for a loooong ride.

Roughstuff

The only meal i cook, in the 'recipe' sense, is dinner. My most common thing is a sausage stir fry/stew...kind of a middle of the two.

I take 2 sweet or hot suasage links (buy them separately in the deli section) and cook them up on moderate heat, then throw in sliced onion, potato, carrot, celery, and tomato (or some subset of these but at least 3). Cover it with a bit of water to steam the veggies and help the sausage juices, then let it dry enough that it caramels the vegetables a bit.

Yummy, and i write in my journal while its cookin. A nice alternative to the 'boil water and add whatever' school of cycling cuisine.

Breakfast and lunch aren't really recipes; yogurts, rolls, peanut butter, bananas, etc.


roughstuff

Gordo Grande

LOL! I agree! I always carried a small flask of whiskey. It helped to ease a few muscle pains and get a good nights sleep, and it was a lot easier to carry around then a six pack of beer!

Here's a breakfast tip: Put some cereal in a small zip-loc baggie, along with some powdered milk. Just throw in some cold water when you wake up, and shake it up. Not the best, but good ijn a pinch when you can't find anything else for breakfast.

jaypee

Let it sit over night in a sealed container sans cooking. It'll be soft enough in the morning to need minimal cooking time.

SweetLou

Has anyone tried using a thermos to cook their food? I found an article on crazyguyonabike.com about using a food jar or a thermos to cook their food.

I think this would be great if it worked. I could soak dry beans over night, then in the morning throuw the beans, seasonings and hot water into the thermos then later in the day have fully cooked beans.

I also like his idea of preparing the meal while on a break during the day, then have a hot meal ready to eat when you get to camp.

paxtonm

Jaypee is right. I'd overlooked that step. The next morning, it just needs a few minutes to get hot and thicken.

bikebuddha 

Camp risotto

Aborio rice
1 tsp of olive oil
3 bullion cubes
some parmesan cheese that doesn't need refrigeration
garlic and onion to taste

Dissolve bullion into water to make a broth bring to simmer
in another pan throw in the olive oil and rice (and garlic and onions if wanted).
slowly broth add about 1/2 a cup at a time while stirring rice. once broth is absorbed add another 1/2 cup
when all the broth is absorbed add cheese to taste.

Sit back and enjoy.

BigBlueToe

I try to always have at least one package of Top Ramen in my panniers. Ramen always hits the spot. I also carry a loaf of bread, some jam, and some peanut butter. It gives me more options. I don't have to tailor my route to food opportunities if I don't want to. It's possible to eat p.b.&j. sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've done it. I'm diabetic and eating proper food at the right time is important. P.b.&j. (with sugar free jam) sandwiches on wheat bread fit my diet.

cyccommute 

And clean up. Mornings are for cold breakfast (oatmeal squares, breakfast bars, etc), a cup of coffee, breaking camp and getting down the road. The last thing I want to do in the morning is wash dishes

And the peanut butter? It'd be like a brick in my stomach for the rest of the day. Ick!

cyccommute 

While on tour, I only eat one meal per day. I've found...the hard way... that I can't process really heavy food while riding. I live on granola bars, fruit bars, etc. for the rest of the day. Depending on how close I am to a grocery store, I have a couple of recipes that work very well.

Chicken Ramen

Boneless chicken
carrots
zucchini
1 or 2 packs of chicken flavored ramen
Italian seasonings
1 or 2 cups of water

For one person use 1 pack of ramen and 1 cup of water. 2 of each for two people

Cut chicken into chunks and brown in pan. Add water, seasoning packs from the ramen and Italian seasonings bring to boil. Add carrots (you can use sliced carrots or baby carrots) and simmer until carrots are slightly tender. Add zucchini and allow to cook as long as you wish...depending on how you feel about zucchini Break ramen into 4 pieces or so and add to water. Simmer until noodles are soft. Eat.

So Good Skillet

This one requires some canned goods so it's best near civilization.

Hamburger
carrots, sliced
onion, sliced
celery, sliced
1 can of beef broth or consume'
1 can of beef barley or beefy vegetable soup
1 can of water
4 to 6 oz of pasta. Elbow macaroni or penne work best.
soy sauce
hot sauce or salsa or both

Brown the hamburger and drain if necessary. Add onions and soften them a bit. Add carrots and celery. Allow them to soften a little. Add the soup, water and the broth (consume' makes it a little thicker). Add about a table spoon of soy sauce and some hot sauce (Louisiana Hot sauce works best). Add pasta and allow to simmer until the pasta is done. Serve with more hot sauce for individual taste.

Both of these are good and filling. Prep is minimal and the clean up is pretty easy since it's all one pot. A bit elaborate but after a long day of eating granola bars, I'm ready for something with more taste.

T-Hussy

Agreed, no dishes in the morning! A great trick is to buy single serving oatmeal packets (the organic or natural type have the least amount of sugar, look at healthfood stores) and add boiling water directly to the packets. Every brand that I have ever tried is either wax lined or foil lined and holds water with no problem. You need a good serving spoon (like the folding spoon made by MSR) to get the water in the packet without burning yourself. Let the oatmeal set up and cool down for a few minutes, then enjoy. When finished just throw the empty packet away and lick your spoon clean. The warm oatmeal feels good on cold hands too.

Rowan

Wash-up? That's what paper towels or tissues are for -- to wipe out the pot and dishes. If you cook so the food cakes on to the pot, then you're not doing so well. I've spent days bush camping by bike and used minimal water for wash-up.

Frying? If you reconstitute jerky, or use other packaged/tinned meat products, they generally have already been cooked. It's not impossible to keep fresh meat fresh, largely by freezing it and wrapping it in clothing and stuff, but generally it's got to be used by the second day, so preserved or dehydrated meats are a better choice.

I like TVP (textured vegetable protein) in granular form as a non-meat protein. It is light-as to carry, reconstitutes quickly with water, can be flavoured with just about anything, and has the final texture of minced meat. And because it is dehydrated soya bean, it won't go off in the heat, and can be served up to a vegetarian if s/he runs short of food.

The Thermos idea is a good one and is not new, but you have to be prepared to carry around an extra kitchen item -- the flask -- as well as something to heat water. Is it an efficient means of cooking, or not? In terms of fuel usage, maybe; in terms of extra bulk on the bike, maybe not.

I'd much rather carry a can of aerosol cream instead, and make up several batches of pancakes to spray the contents over... I cook the pancakes on the Trangia frying pan, and they can be either for savoury mains with something like an instant pasta inside, or dessert spread with jam, honey or maple syrup. The pre-mixed commercial pancake packs are pretty good, although it's best to pay a little more for the better quality.

I can't go touring for long without fresh vegetables in a typical stew format. I like to have a thickened stew, so taking along a small amount of cornflour is a good idea. The rice idea also is a good one, although I prefer to prepare mine separately. I usually do take two Trangia pots with me, and use the absorption method to cook rice -- bring water and rice to boil with lid on, when boiling, take off heat with lid on, and leave for 15 minutes or so.

And as Machka said, it is entirely possible to tour without the need to cook. But beware canned foods -- you are likely carrying water for no real purpose other than to throw it away.

raybo

This page has 18 links to information about food while bike touring. Most of them are food preparation links.

This earlier thread at bikeforums.net (contained above) has several good suggestions: https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/103396-another-food-favorites-post.html

Ray

cyccommute 

If I were mountain bike touring, I might worry about water and clean up but even then I carry a water filter or usually have access to water so washing up stuff after eating isn't that hard to do. Paper towels,however, are bulky and rather heavy so I'd rather carry something for washing anyway.

I also use teflon coated cookware but anyone who has cooked can tell you that even then food sticks to the pan and/or the utensils. Food bits decompose better and faster than paper towels do.

I've used prepackaged meats and will continue to do so. Chicken, ham and fish are readily available at grocery stores and HellMart. They work well but are pretty flavorless and have a weird consistency. If I'm going to a grocery store, I will also pick up some fresh vegetables but I don't like carrying them too far (grocery store to campsite is about as far as I carry them.)

If you are going to complain about frying, then why do you fry pancakes? Frying or browning meat is just normal operating procedure for most cooking. I even try to brown the foil packaged meats to try and improve the flavor of the stuff (it's a little nasty just out of the package)

Losligato

To pedal a bike all day the body requires a steady supply of slow-burning energy. The ideal food is easily digestible, simple to make, can be carried on a bike and can be made hours before.

Whole grains are best.

Whole Wheat Couscous: High carbs with a relatively low glycemic index. Cooks fast, keeps well and is great when mixed in with a salad.




Quinoa: Easy to make, very easy to digest, great energy source with a bit of protein and plenty of iron. Great hot or cold

Brown Rice: Takes a long time to cook but is easily digested. Great energy source.

Whole Wheat Pasta: Is very satisfying after a long ride but does not keep well. Spirals can be mixed in with a salad but is not tasty when luke-warm. Hot or cold is best.

Sushi (without the fish): Often if we had a hotel room with a minibar refrigerator I would make a double pot of brown rice for dinner and make sushi rolls in the evening. I would wrap them up in preparation for the long ride the next day. Uncut, they remain intact and can be eaten like a banana.



Early in our tour we began looking at food as a simple fuel. If we ate something sweet we might bonk a few miles down the road. Slow burning carbs would make us feel twice as strong as a sandwich made on white bread.

I enjoy cooking. We have a pot with a sealable lid with allows us to make food in the morning and have it ready when the ravenous hunger is setting in about noon.