Yes, that’s right, we are going to share with you three snacks ideas that you can carry in your jersey while cycling, or eat at home at any time.
BAKED OATS
A great idea for breakfast or as a ride snack, wrapped in aluminum foil and great for long outings as each serving has 151 calories. You can add spices, chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit or any other ingredient to this basic recipe. See our guidelines to find out when to add them.
Ingredients for 8 servings:
- 1 medium banana
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 large egg
- 1.5 cups of milk or vegetable drink (300 ml)
- 2 cups rolled oats (180 g)
- ¼ cup ground oats or oat flour (25 g)
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180º C (350º F).
Grease a 20 x 30 cm square baking dish or pan with oil, butter or non-stick spray. In this baking dish size you’ll make 8 pieces, each 1 cm thick. If you want them to be thinner, use a larger dish.
Mash the banana in a bowl, add the honey (you can use agave syrup, maple syrup or any other sweetener), egg and milk. You can also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or other liquid flavoring at this point. Mix until well blended.
Now add the rolled oats, ground oats (you can use quick or instant oatmeal but the consistency and texture will be different), baking powder, salt and your favorite spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, etc.).
Mix everything until the wet ingredients are well combined with the dry ingredients. Now you can add nuts or chocolate chips. Mix everything until well blended.
Pour the mixture into the baking dish. You can sprinkle nuts, chocolate or dried fruit on top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 180º C (350º F). If you like a soft texture, ideal for breakfast, 35 minutes will be enough. If you like it more toasted, perfect as a snack bar, extend the baking time to 45 minutes, but keep an eye on the top so it doesn’t get too toasted. Keep in mind that even when you take it out of the oven, the oatmeal is still cooking under its own retained heat. If you bake it too long it will be drier and crispier. You may like it this way, but on top of the bike it is better something easy to chew and swallow.
Once cooled, cut it into bars and store in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. When you go out cycling, simply grab a piece and wrap it in aluminum foil.
Nutrition information:
Using whole milk and honey, and cutting it into 8 bars, each bar has 151 calories. 23 g of carbohydrates, 4.5 g of fat and 5.6 g of protein.
BAKED TUNA MINI BURGERS
You may be wondering: “How am I going to eat a tuna burger while I’m on a bike?” Once you make them and try them, you’ll be amazed how light and tasty these mini burgers are; you can also add different spices, according to your taste. Prepare small portions as ride snacks and bigger portions to eat at home.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 cans of tuna. Depends on the can size. About 220 g (8 oz) of drained tuna.
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup (50 g) of chopped onion. You can also use leeks or spring onions.
- ⅓ cup (35 g) of finely grated carrot.
- ½ cup (45 g) of instant oatmeal. You can also use bread crumbs or plain flour.
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley. You can also use coriander or chives.
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano or other herbs.
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Drain the tuna and place it in a large bowl.
Add the chopped onion, grated carrot, instant oatmeal, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix everything with a fork.
Add one egg and stir it in. Depending on the size of the egg, you may not need to add another whole egg as the mixture will be too runny. Break the second egg, beat it and slowly stir it into the mixture with a fork until it’s thick enough for you to easily work it with your hands. If it is too runny, add a little more oatmeal.
Use your hands to make the mini burgers: make balls with the mixture and then flatten and shape them into patties. You can also use a ⅓ cup measuring cup as a mold. The patties should be about 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick.
Preheat the oven to 180º C (350º F). Put baking paper on a baking tray and place the mini burgers on it. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes per each side. The exact baking time depends on the thickness and size of the patties: the thicker and bigger they are, the longer they will need to stay in the oven.
You can also shallow-fry them for about 4 minutes on each side over medium heat in a frying-pan.
Nutrition information:
The entire recipe contains 518 calories. 37 g of carbohydrates, 16 g of fat and 60 g of protein.
NO-BAKE OATMEAL AND CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Once your mini burgers are ready, turn off the oven, as you won’t need it for this recipe. We are going to prepare oatmeal cookies that only require a frying pan to toast the oats and a saucepan to melt and combine the wet ingredients.
Ingredients for 10-12 cookies:
- ½ cup (45 g) of rolled oats
- ½ cup (50 g) of instant oatmeal
- ½ cup (75 g) of shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
- ½ cup (125 g) of nut butter (peanut, hazelnut, walnut)
- ⅓ cup (65 g) your favorite chocolate.
- 3 tablespoons of honey, agave syrup, maple syrup or simply sugar.
- ¼ cup (65 g) of mashed banana. You can also use applesauce.
- ¼ cup (60 ml) of milk or vegetable drink.
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)
Preparation:
Place the rolled oats and instant oatmeal in a skillet over medium heat to toast them slightly. Stir the oats until they turn golden brown. Take them off the heat and set aside.
Place the peanut butter, chocolate, honey, banana and milk in a saucepan. Melt all ingredients over a medium heat, stirring until well blended.
Take the saucepan off the heat. Add the cocoa powder and stir until dissolved. At this point you can add the vanilla extract and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger).
Add the toasted oats, shredded coconut and salt to the same saucepan. Mix until you obtain a firm dough that is slightly sticky, but easy to handle.
To make the cookies, use your hands, two large spoons or an ice cream scoop. Form balls and place them on a tray covered with baking paper. Flatten the balls with the spoon and shape them into cookies. You can also keep them ball-shaped or form them with your hands. This recipe yields 11-12 cookies, about 40-45 grams each.
Put the tray in the fridge for 6-8 hours. Then store the cookies in a tupperware container in the fridge. You can eat them as a snack or wrap them in aluminum foil and carry in your jersey pockets.
Nutrition information:
If you make 12 cookies, using 85% dark chocolate and whole milk, each cookie has 188 calories. 12 g of carbohydrates, 12.5 g of fat and 5.8 g of protein.
