Sunday, March 2, 2008

Treats for Training

The weather is looking brighter; spring is coming.......... time to start training. That being said, there may be a few more rainy days (this is Seattle after all!) so why not spend those days fixing up your bike and testing your skills in the kitchen. Here is a little recipe that I would like to share to make your own energy bars for the ride. These delicious treats are simple to make and taste great. You can make them into whatever size you want and you won't have to fight those nasty wrappers, just pop them into a zip lock back and you are ready to go! I am not one to follow recipes and measure things, so I have left it pretty open for you to tailer these bars to your own desires.

Robin and Kevin's Energy Bars

Base, mix these over low heat

1 c. honey (or half molasses and half honey)
1 c. peanut butter
1.5 c. nuts

Add your combinations, once above is melted mixed

Powders (select 2-3)
½ c. carob
0.5 c. soy protein
½ c. soy flour
½ c. oats
½ c. wheat germ or oat bran
½ c ground flaxseed
½ c dried milk

Crunchiness (chose 1)
1 c. brown rice krispies
½ c grape nuts

Fruit (chose 1-2)
½ c. dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cranberries)
½ banana

Flavors (go crazy)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ c. crystallized ginger

The basic idea is to melt honey, add the peanut butter until mixed. Remove from heat, add rest of ingredients, then press into greased pan and place in refrigerator. It is a lot like making rice krispy treats. You will find that the batter is too wet if you do not add enough dry mixtures, that is why we have things like dried milk, soy flour, protein powder, etc. The mixture should be hard to mix and form into a ball to be the right consistency.

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