By Billy Brown, April 04, 2014



If you’re tired
of sucking back energy gels or chomping through granola bars on a bike ride or training run, here’s a solution: Eat real food.Long before the sports nutrition industry started profiting off of portable fitness fuel, athletes ate the stuff Mother Nature prepared. The problem is, it isn't always easy to haul a six-inch meatball sub with you on a bike ride, and you probably don’t want a slice of pizza bouncing around in your guts on a trail run.

Exercise physiologist Allen Lim, Ph.D. and chef Biju Thomas, authors of The Feed Zone cookbooks, have spent decades working with endurance athletes to find the balance between taste, sport-specific nutrition, and portability. One of their greatest contributions is the rice bar, a real-food version of the snack bar. The following cashew and bacon bar balances savory with sweet flavors. They’re easy to wrap in foil and store in your pocket. And they don’t suffer from that saccharine sweetness of most gels or gummies carry. One bar will help you replenish energy during a 45-minute run or bike ride (chow down after 30 minutes). If you're working out longer, eat a bar every 45 minutes.

You can adjust this recipe to suit your tastes. If you like saltier fare (or you’re a heavy sweater and need more electrolytes), substitute salted cashews for plain or add a tablespoon of soy sauce when you’re mixing the ingredients. Add some raisins to the mix or increase the nut butter for a stickier bar.

Sure beats the goo that tastes like the packaging it comes in.

Cashew and Bacon Rice Cakes
Republished with permission of VeloPress from The Feed Zone Cookbook.
What you’ll need:
2 cups uncooked Calrose rice or other medium-grain “sticky” rice
1½ cups water
1/2 lb. bacon strips
3 eggs
½ cup cashews, raw or roasted
¼ cup peanut or almond butter
½ cup raisins (optional)

How to make it:
1. Combine rice and water in a rice cooker, or follow the package directions.
2. While the rice is cooking, fry the bacon until crispy in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Drain off fat, wrap the bacon in paper towels, and press on the towels to crumble the bacon.
3. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl and softly scramble them in oil in your sauté pan over medium heat.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, bacon, scrambled eggs, cashews, nut butter, and raisins, if using. Mix well. Press mixture into an 8- or 9-inch square pan to about 1½-inch thickness. Let cool for 30 minutes in fridge before cutting and individually wrapping individual cakes. Makes about 10-single serving rice cakes.

Nutrition information per serving: 286 calories, 14 grams (g) fat, 246 milligrams (mg) sodium, 31 g carbohydrates, (1 g fiber), 10 g protein