3 On-the-Go Snack Recipes for Cyclists

With race season just around the corner, I have visions of travel to and from hotels and host housing in team vehicles. Not to mention idle time resting with the legs up and large bottles of water in hand. So, what's an athlete to eat between meals in their down time and travel time? Would you like to change it up a bit this season?

Let's take a look at a few simple, on-the-go recipes that are just as good on the bike as they are off it. They're also easy to prepare and full of the nutrients that every cyclist needs—perfect for when you need a quick bite.

Do It Yourself

I've put together a short list of some of my favorite on-the-go recipes. Rest assured, you don't have to be a chef to make any of these, and they're not very time consuming. What will you end up with? Double or triple recipes for "dozens." Your teammates will love you.

Instead of grabbing commercial muffins with trans-fats, or super healthy muffins for $5 each, try these recipes for homemade sweet potato muffins, simple, delicious date balls (you can get creative with these) and the ultimate dried fruit and nut bars (trust me you'll never want to spend money on one again).

More: The Importance of an Athlete's Digestive System

Do you hate the idea of baking? If you have a teammate that likes to cook and you are a better wrench, how about swapping wrenching for some baking? Of course this is for those not so fortunate to have a mechanic and soigneur cleaning their bikes and cooking for them, but even pros have to do some of their own cooking.

Simple Cooking is Good Cooking

These recipes are simple and quick. Two of them require a food processor. If that word scares you, don't let it. Food processors are cheap these days and all they do is mix up your dried fruit, cocoa and maple syrup. I use the simple Cuisinart. It's small and would travel well in a suitcase. But, of course, don't bring it as a carry on when traveling, as it does have a blade. And it's just one button, so don't be intimidated.

The first two snacks are more carbohydrate dense, whereas the fruit and nut bar is more balanced with fats and proteins. If you're an hour or 90 minutes out from a ride, the date balls and muffins are a great go to. The fruit and nut bars are more ideal for a regular snack between meals, keeping your calorie intake up for those big training days. Remember, you can always double the serving size of any of these to meet your needs.

More: Pre-Race Nutrition Guide for Cyclists

Sweet Potato Muffins

Makes 12 x 190 calorie muffins; each muffin has 32 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat and 3 grams of fiber.

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour. If you're gluten free, just add 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum if it's not in the gluten free powder mix. (I used brown rice flour and have also tried Bob's Red Mills Gluten-Free Flour. More dense but tastes great.)
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cups of pure maple syrup (plus 1 tablespoon to brush muffin tops)
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of Chinese 5 spice (President's Choice in Canada makes one as well)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds

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Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake sweet potato whole with skin on, piercing it a few times first.
2. Once cooked and cooled, remove the skin from the baked potato and place in a bowl.
3. Mash the sweet potato well in the mixing bowl.
4. Add the milk, vanilla, oil, maple syrup and applesauce (wet ingredients). Add chia seeds and let sit.
5. Combine all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
6. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until well mixed.
7. Take a muffin tray (for 12 muffins) and double the recipe for 24. Freeze them or share.
8. Grease 12 muffin tin hole sides with coconut oil. Take a small piece of ripped parchment paper and place one in each muffin tin hole. This stops them from sticking to the bottom. Just tear pieces, they don't have to be circles.
9. Pour the muffin mixture evenly into 12 muffin rounds.
10. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes.
11. At 20 minutes, take the muffins out and brush the top of each with a bit of maple syrup.
12. Bake another 5 minutes until nothing sticks to a sharp knife when inserted into the center of the muffin.

Enjoy when cool enough to bite into. Let them sit a good 10 minutes and they'll lose some of their moisture. At first they may seem very dense.

TIP: Want to add 100 more calories from carbohydrates? How about 2 tablespoons of your favorite fruit jam? Want to add some good fats? These are great with 1 tablespoon of almond butter too.

More: Top 10 Superfoods for Endurance Athletes

Power Date Balls: Your Simple, High-Carb Snack

This recipe is super simple, calorie dense and keep well for a long time in the refrigerator or freezer.

The total Recipe is 660 calories. Each 330-calorie ball has 50 grams of carbs, 5.5 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat and 5.5 grams of fiber. Make combinations of either 2 x 330-calorie balls or 4 x 165-calorie balls.

Ingredients

• Use 15 dates (I used pitted regular dates, not the large medjool, which could be twice the size, so use only half.)
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup dried cherries (or blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
• 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it turns into one big ball. This can take some time.
2. Depending on the moisture of your dates, you may need to add a water, but wait it out and let it blend for a minute or two. Eventually, it'll turn into one large mass in the processor and will stick to a wall. This is your cue that it's done.
3. If you add liquid, only add 1 teaspoon at a time if it doesn't stick together on the first try.
4. Usually this recipe works well as long as the dates are not the kind that you buy in the baking section. These are usually too dry and are packaged into a block.
5. Break into as many balls as you'd like by rolling between your palms. You can also leave the coconut out of the recipe and roll the balls in it instead, coating them in coconut.

More: 3 Recipes for Fast Recovery

Mango Date and Oat Bars

These are tough to stop eating. They keep forever in the freezer so you can always have them ready once you make a few batches. They're calorie dense like the date balls, which is great when you're in a big block of training and doing lots of volume.

The recipe makes 10 x 304-calorie bars. The entire recipe is 3042 calories. Each 300-calorie bar has 39 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein, 15 grams of good fats from pumpkin seeds, almonds and coconut, and 4 grams of fiber.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of dried mango, soaked for 1 hour and drained
• 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean powder (or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)
• 1 1/4 cup of raw almonds
• 3/4 cup of shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup of rolled oats
• 3/4 cup of raisins
• 1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoons of sea salt

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Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine the mango, dates and vanilla. Make sure to soak the mango.
2. Process into a very smooth paste. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until everything is well combined. Make sure some of the texture in the nuts and seed is retained.
3. Press the mixture into an 8 x 8 square or 8 x 11 rectangle (depending on the thickness you want) on parchment paper.
4. Place the bars in the freezer to firm, then cut into squares. These bars will keep for over four weeks in the freezer, but you'll probably eat them much sooner than that. They really are too hard to resist!

More: What Pro Cyclists Eat for Success