There are as many sports nutrition bars as candy bars these days, so the idea of making your own portable energy food might seem like overkill. But many of the grocery store options are packed with additives and preservatives, which can be tough on an athlete鈥檚 stomach. Plus, the sugary nature of most prepackaged bars can lead to聽flavor fatigue when consuming hundreds of calories over several hours. At least that鈥檚 what professional riders like told sports physiologist Allen Lim when he worked as director of sports science for the RadioShack and Garmin teams. So Lim created homemade whole-food bars instead. He鈥檚 published his favorite recipes鈥攊ncluding these cashew-and-bacon rice cakes鈥攊n his new book聽. Lim says the聽savory combination of bacon,聽cashews, and nut butter is a counterbalance to all the sugary options on the market, and the extra protein is optimal for long training sessions. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e looking for convenience, this isn鈥檛 it,鈥 Lim says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about a better way to fuel.鈥
Cashew and Bacon Rice Cakes
1. Cook two cups of Calrose or other medium-grain sticky rice.
2. While the rice is cooking, fry eight ounces of bacon till crisp, then wrap in paper towels to remove grease. Crumble bacon.
3. Drain the fat from the pan. Lightly beat three eggs in a small bowl and gently scramble in same pan, over聽medium heat.
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Then add in 1/2 cup cashews, 1/4 c鈥妘p nut butter, and 1/2 cup raisins. Mix well and press mixture into a 9-inch-square pan to about 1.5-inch thickness.
5. Cool thoroughly in fridge, then cut into ten individual cakes and wrap in parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy carrying on a ride.
Nutrition per serving (1 cake): 286 calories, 14 g fat, 246 mg sodium, 31 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 10 g protein