Chelsea and I are always looking for foods that suit our high-activity lives. Over the years we’ve come across some doozies, but along the way we’ve discovered some solid additions to our repertoire of food ideas. Recently we’ve added a few more to our line-up and we like them well enough that I promised my sister and older brother that I’d share them on the website.

As you probably know by now, Chelsea and I infinitely prefer all natural foods with as few additives and preservatives and as little processing as possible. These entries qualify.

Mrs. May’s Trio Bars

We found these gems in Costco one day on our never-ending hunt for the perfect energy bar for our rides. Along with Cascadian Farms granola bars, these made the short list. We do confess to a preference for these, though. They are one of the least expensive bars we’ve run across, and we love the taste.

Made up of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, they’ve got cane juice and sea salt added. We get the variety pack, which means we get cranberry, tropical, strawberry, and blueberry (tropical is our least favorite – we don’t like the mango/papaya in it – but it’s not bad at all).

While those folks who have nut allergies will have to be careful, these bars are vegan, kosher, wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, non GMO, and have no trans fats, no additives, no preservatives, and no cholesterol.

It’s like eating our favorite trail mix in a bar. They go down easily, digest easily, and don’t come back up unpleasantly after hard riding in high heat.

The Trio Bars are made in China, but in a strictly controlled, company owned facility. If you are concerned about these bars not being made in the US, here’s a web link with more information. http://www.healthattack.net.au/product_notes.php

50 Cent All Natural Homemade Energy Gel

I have no idea how I happened to run across this next recipe, but I’m sure glad I did. It’s an attempt by the author of the blog to create the nutritional approximation of an energy bar, but at a fraction of the cost. After looking at the ingredients in many bars, she came up with this, and figured out that the cost was approximately fifty cents per serving; therefore the name 50 Cent All Natural Homemade Energy Gel.

Lest you think I created this myself, I want to give the creator full credit. Here’s a link to a nice blog…you should check it out as she (Angela) has a number of other recipes as well.

http://ohsheglows.com/2009/08/30/50-cent-all-natural-homemade-energy-gel/

Ingredients:
About 2 tablespoons organic brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon carob powder
tiny pinch of sea salt

We double the recipe and mix the ingredients in a measuring cup and stir it with a spoon, then transfer to a small storage container. While Angela uses it in a small Ziploc and cuts the edge to suck it out as an energy gel, that looked awkward to us for our purposes, though we may end up trying it.

The taste is very chocolaty and quite strong. We didn’t really like it too well taking it straight, so we use a rice cake with a light layer of almond butter, topped with a layer of the 50 Cent Gel. It’s really tasty and one rice cake lasts us for at least nineteen miles of riding before we need to eat again.

We first used it only for our early morning pre-ride meals, but they go down so easily and are so tasty and quick to make and eat, that we now use it when our energy is flagging at other times of the day when we want an easily digestible quick pick-me-up.

Cayenne ginger energy drink

My apologies to the creator of this one – I found this heaven knows where, and can’t give references. If anyone knows who created this recipe please let me know and I’ll give credit immediately.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of finely mined ginger (it’s best if it’s really finely minced)
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne
2 squeezes of lemon
A shot of stevia or agave nectar
Optional – a shot of juice (preferably pineapple)
Water – we prefer salt-free seltzer water; we like the liveliness of the fizz.

We mince the ginger ahead of time and make up a double batch of this recipe up to the point of adding the water. Simply stir all ingredients together and put it in a small glass jar with a lid. When you’re ready to drink it, pour a bit of the mixture out into a glass and add water.

If you’re not a fan of ginger, this drink is not for you. We love ginger, but even I will admit to puckering intensely when I get to the bottom of the drink and I’m left with chunks of ginger. I just “suck it up” and start chewing fast, holding the last of the fizzy water in my mouth while I chew, but you can take a rinse with more water and drink it down without chewing. The pineapple juice really adds a mellow flavor and softens the impact of the ginger and cayenne.

We find this to be an amazing energy boost with no spikes or let-downs. The first day we used it we were dragging close to the ground with fatigue, but we really, really wanted to finish a project we had underway. We took the time to make and drink this, and two hours later we realized we’d just gone two hours with no effort.

Two of the best parts of this recipe are the low-budget aspect and the easy access to the ingredients. No specialty stores needed here… This is one we can make on our trip since ginger, cayenne and lemon are widely available. We’ll just get a small bottle of stevia and carry it with us.

Ginger Lemonade – Electrolyte Ginger Ale

This is another favorite, but getting the coconut water is a bit harder and a bit more expensive. Yes, if you have the budget, the coconut water has amazing nutritional value. We really liked this lemonade; when we made it we’d put it in a small bottle and bring some with us on our training rides. That was awkward and the taste clashed with our food, so we stuck to having it before and after our rides, or as a pick-me-up during the day.

Here’s my source on this recipe: http://never-without.blogspot.com/2010/06/vegan-marathon-training-natural-energy.html. The author credits Brendan Brazier’s book Thrive for many of his recipes. I’ve included the recipe and directions verbatim.

Ingredients:
1 lemon
2 cups coconut water
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
sea salt to taste

Directions: Squeeze the juice of the lemon in a blender. Add coconut water, agave nectar, ginger, and sea salt; blend. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 2 cups. Brendan notes that “because of the combination of raw lemon and ginger, this drink helps raise the body’s pH and reduces inflammation.” One of my favorite additions to this drink, is a splash of pineapple juice.

Thrive Lemon-Lime Gel

We tried this recipe but we made only one batch and decided to pass on making any more of it. We found that we didn’t really like the taste; for some reason it made us feel queasy eating it, and we did not like the way we felt after using it (slightly nauseous). Everyone reacts differently, however, and this recipe certainly has good nutritional value.

This one is also from the same source as the Ginger Lemonade – Electrolyte Ginger Ale
http://never-without.blogspot.com/2010/06/vegan-marathon-training-natural-energy.html
And again, I am posting the recipe verbatim from the blog.

Ingredients:
4 dates
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon dulse
sea salt to taste

Directions: In a blender, combine all ingredients; process until blend reaches a gel-like consistency. Makes about 3/4 cup. – Keeps for about 3 days in the fridge but IS BEST when it’s consumed fresh.

Grits

For a complete change of pace here, I thought I’d include one of our favorite breakfasts. After several years of almost daily doses of instant oatmeal, Chelsea and I cannot eat oatmeal any longer. We’ve tried, but we both start gagging, and we’ve finally acknowledged that oatmeal for us is a thing of the past.

So if we are that against oatmeal now, what can we possibly use for quick breakfasts? After all, oatmeal is reasonably nutritious, can be made quickly, and lasts quite awhile. Enter grits.

While probably not quite as nutritious as oatmeal, it’s not bad at all, especially if we add some extras. For those who like detail, here’s a link that gives detailed nutritional information on grits. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/breakfast-cereals/1633/2

We knew about grits, and we’d had them occasionally throughout our travels, but it wasn’t until Jo Ann, our much-loved hostess in Oak Grove LA, back in spring of 2009, served them to us in the Louisiana style that we discovered how truly great they could taste.

When we arrived back in Florida we started buying quick-cook grits. Over the last months we’ve become very fond of them. They are quick-cook, they digest really well, they stick with us, and they are wonderful with our flavor and nutritional add-ons.

Grits can be dressed up and can go the direction of either savory or sweet. We use chopped pecans, grated high quality chocolate, and dried cranberries if we are in the mood for sweet. If we are in the mood for savory we use grated cheese and bacon bits (all natural real bacon).

We’ll be carrying grits with us when we leave, and who knows, we may ask our family to bring us more when they come to visit us. Meanwhile we’re thoroughly enjoying them.