Andrea
F
eu
ch t
Ugly Ultra Food:
DIY Endurance Recipes That
Are Beautiful to Your Taste Buds
Endurance athletes.
We love to get out in nature for
hours (sometimes many hours) at a time, testing our physical limits and poking the mentalfortitude cage. But all that effort takes a bit more food than your average working day does,
and—let’s face it—the vast majority of us are going to want some extra carbohydrates, too.
When out on a training excursion, you have to provide your own calories, of course. And
during an actual race, “foraging” for edible food at an ultramarathon’s aid station table can be
frustrating, with all the sugary, processed stuff on offer, like pretzels and cookies.
Today I’ll show you several recipes for DIY power foods to include in your drop bag or
running pack, to replace four high-energy foods commonly eaten at aid stations or packed by
endurance athletes: peanut butter and jelly, cookies, energy bars and gels.
store-bought stuff. But each and every one is darn tasty.
Ah, peanut butter and jelly. I ate that stuff up like
it was candy in my earlier running years. And, well, it
kind of was like candy. On the other hand, these baked
bars combine berries, almond butter and healthy doses
of honey to keep your legs chugging up a mountain.
There’s no egg, either, so these have a better shelf life
and are A-OK if eggs bother you.
Un-PB Bars
makes about 20 small bars
All of the recipes use
simple ingredients and most
come together in minutes.
The nutrition in each recipe
is tailored for endurance
efforts that benefit from quick
digestion: the recipes minimize
fructose and fiber, and include
electrolytes to settle the
stomach. Plus, to qualify for
this list, the recipes needed to
be able to take some abuse
after sitting in a pocket or
a drop bag for a day or so.
Because they’re homemade,
I call them “ugly” to contrast
them with the brightly colored
14 May 2014 eNewsletter
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup raw honey
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP chia seeds, soaked in 6 TBSP water for at least 1 hour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond butter, slightly warmed
1 cup raspberries
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line an 8” square pan with foil so that the edges hang out far enough
to grab (you’ll need this to get the bar out later).
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking soda and salt. Add the
chia seeds, vanilla, almond butter and honey. Mix thoroughly. Very very gently, fold in the
raspberries.
Spread the dough gently across an 8 x 8” pan, then bake for 15 minutes, watching for
browning on the top and sides. Once done, allow to cool slightly, then remove the whole thing
using the foil “sling.” Cool completely, then cut into bars.
Nutrition for whole recipe: 1768 kcal, 117g fat, 46 g protein, 164 g carb (48 g fructose, 42 g
glucose, 6 g sucrose), 2072 mg sodium, 1774 mg potassium.