Powerbar companion thread: Homemade alternatives?

[makoti]

So they are gone. Anyone make anything that works? I have two bars I make for home use, one seed, one protein powder, but neither would be good for on the road. Fall apart too easily when warm. The seed bar: https://ohsheglows.com/2016/09/26/ne...ndly-nut-free/
I have thought about making Fig Newtons, but wow, the effort for those seems crazy.
Thoughts?

[Peter P.]

Allen Lim and Bijou Thomas' book, Feed Zone Portables.

I've made some of the rice cakes, portable pies, and the cookies.

The cookies I wasn't too crazy about, but the rice cakes and portable pies, yeah!

The Beef and Sweet Potato Pies, with soy sauce and red wine vinegar, are tasty for on the bike food although you might not think so.

Some of the rice cakes call for bacon. Having some meat in the cake makes it savory, and filling. I also like the Blueberry and Chocolate Rice Cakes.

My only complaint is due to my own fault. I need to make the finished pies, rice cakes, etc. a bit smaller so they're roughly the size of pre-packaged bars and the like.

This book is more than recipes; there's a TON of nutritional information for athletes in it. Try the recipes and have fun.

[fiamme red]

Recent thread: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=2706434.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

Recent thread: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=2706434.

Never saw that one. I'll go check it out

[Dave]

What's wrong with Cliff bars? Whole boxes are cheap at Walmart. I just use energy drink powders like accelerade these days, but I rarely ride over 3 or 3.5 hours. I'm also still trying to drop last 3-4 pounds. I haven't seen 134-135 in a long time.

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by Dave

What's wrong with Cliff bars? Whole boxes are cheap at Walmart. I just use energy drink powders like accelerade these days, but I rarely ride over 3 or 3.5 hours. I'm also still trying to drop last 3-4 pounds. I haven't seen 134-135 in a long time.

Cliff bars should be classified as candy bars. I reluctantly bought a few the other day because that's all the market had. I'm holding one now, the chocolate chip peanut crunch. Total sugars, 20g, and "includes 19g added sugars", which jacks this thing up to 38% of my daily "needs" for sugar. Sodium at 240mg, btw, which is 11% of daily "needs". That's gross. There are some manufacturers who produce bars with much less sugars, but that's a game one has to be on top of all the time, because they invent new sweeteners with funny names that mask total sugar content. I have to learn how to make this stuff on my own, or just make a half peanut butter (unsweetened)sandwich and carry that.

Same problem in the cereal aisle. I challenge you to find a cereal in that section of your marketw with no sugar added. No wonder everyone is fat and sick.

[KonaSS]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

Cliff bars should be classified as candy bars. I reluctantly bought a few the other day because that's all the market had. I'm holding one now, the chocolate chip peanut crunch. Total sugars, 20g, and "includes 19g added sugars", which jacks this thing up to 38% of my daily "needs" for sugar. Sodium at 240mg, btw, which is 11% of daily "needs".

If you are sitting on the couch eating these, yes, they are not much different than candy bars. If I am burning 800 calories an hour while riding, they are exactly what I need, and your math changes.

[verticaldoug]

LimCakes are the way to go. Basically sticky fried rice smashed into a ball.

If you live near a asian grocer, you may be able to get Japanese Onigiri. It's an awesome on bike snack for big rides

I like umeboshi ones
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14...se-rice-balls/

[unterhausen]

I used to carry cliff bars in my bag as emergency backup food. I ate so many of them that I can't stand the thought of them any more. And they are a little too dry. I like to carry payday bars now. Salty enough to not upset my osmotic balance, which I have a lot of trouble with.

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

If you are sitting on the couch eating these, yes, they are not much different than candy bars. If I am burning 800 calories an hour while riding, they are exactly what I need, and your math changes.

You see, that's faulty reasoning. You're saying that, as long as you burn a ton of calories riding or running or whatever, it doesnt matter what you're consuming. I understand, I have to admit, I like a Cliff bar every now and then (especially the mint chocolate), if it's all that's available, and I use the same excuse. "I'll just ride it off." And it does give me a nice half hour buzz, especially if combined with a shot or two of espresso (no sugar, heh). But, why piss in the wind, so to speak? The whole point is to live a healthy life with exercise, right. So, why poison yourself? And sugar is poison, a very slow poison, but poison none the less. Theres enough of it in all the foods we consume that we don't need to eat any more.

[Alan]

Was using Clif bars but switched to Larabars which are very good for me.

https://www.larabar.com/

They taste good and made from natural foods and don't have added protein so they don't aggravate my stomach. Very reasonably priced at Trader Joes and Kroger.

Alan

[makoti]

Originally Posted by Dave

What's wrong with Cliff bars? Whole boxes are cheap at Walmart. I just use energy drink powders like accelerade these days, but I rarely ride over 3 or 3.5 hours. I'm also still trying to drop last 3-4 pounds. I haven't seen 134-135 in a long time.

Never liked the taste or consistency of Cliff bars. I think the Builder bars are ok. Those are Cliff, too, I think.

[jemoryl]

The whole point of eating things like Clif Bars is to get some calories during a ride so you don't bonk. Not only do you get about 250 cal, there is some sodium, potassium, and other electrolytes that you might need to replace. I tend to eat one after every 1.5 hrs. of riding. My main gripe is that the flavors have gravitated more towards chocolate/peanut butter and away from fruit - I used to like the black cherry, blueberry and apricot versions. Still, I like the taste/texture better than most similar products. Also a good value at Trader Joe's - $0.99 ea.

[Mr. Pink]

So, even though I've watched maybe 25 TDFs, knowing they burn about 8-9000 calories a day and consume as much, ideally, I've never read much about what they consume on the bike. Sure, tons of gel and drinks and stuff, but, lots of sugar? What's in that stuff?

[jemoryl]

Since this was about homemade alternatives, I thought I should mention this old school recipe: put some fig newtons in a ziploc bag with a bit of salt substitute and shake it around. The powder sticks to the cookies and provides a bit of sodium and potassium for electrolyte replacement. Never tried them, but I hear Newman's Own fig newtons are supposed to be good.