Novie's Favorite Snacks of the Summer for Staying on Top of Fueling and Recovery

As we all know, fueling is important!! To feel our best and get the most out of training, we as endurance athletes need to make sure that our nutrition is up to par so that our bodies can absorb and recover from hard training and then be ready to do it all again the next day. Even if you have a good nutrition plan, and your fueling habits are dialed in, I have at times found it challenging to stay inspired with new and exciting fueling ideas and found that it’s a bit too easy to spend absurd amounts of money on bars, gels, chews, and drink mix. Not to say that these things aren't great and sometimes necessary, but sometimes it's fun to mix things up, especially on easy days!

This summer I have been doing a bit more baking than usual and found that this is a great way to supply myself with post session goods for the week. So, I thought I would share some of my favorite recovery snacks, as well as some easy relatively high-carb options you can use during training - perfect if you are looking for a break from gels and chews, or if you just want to get in some more whole foods!

Quick note: I am of course not a certified nutritionist or qualified to be giving out any nutrition advice, these are just some recipes I have been enjoying this summer!

Some favorites for during training:

EF rice bars-a great snack to keep you going during a long session. https://efprocycling.com/tips-recipes/team-recipe-on-the-bike-rice-cakes/ Dates and figs-some relatively high carb whole food ideas for when you are on the go. A good replacement if you are out of chews! These are also great rice bar add-ins.

Post training snacks:

This might just look like a list of good desserts, which it certainly could double as, but a lot of these have some ingredients that also make them great recovery snacks, and they have all the goods (lots of carbs and a bit of protein) to check the box of a good post-session snack. Most of these are also very quick and easy to make, I often like to make a batch of one of these on my off day, and it will last me most of the way through the week.

Sweet Potato Bread - like pumpkin bread but in my opinion better. Good for fall sessions where you want a seasonal recovery snack. I usually don't include the meringue topping, and often swap out cinnamon for cardamom, which in my opinion makes this recipe even better! I also like to swap out the vegetable oil for butter. https://www.sunset.com/recipe/sweet-potato-tea-cake-with-meringue

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake -I like this one because it is very simple and quick to make and is flavorful without being overly heavy and rich, all while still being a solid source of cabs! My favorite liquid to use is coffee, but it's also fun to experiment with different tea flavors if you are in the mood to spice things up. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022773-chocolate-olive-oil-cake

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Yam Spice Superhero Muffins-if you are a fan of the original Run Fast. Eat Slow. Superhero Muffins, you will probably like these too! I also highly recommend any book in the Run Fast. Eat Slow. world if you are ever looking for general recipe inspiration. https://www.runfasteatslow.com/blog/yam-spice-superhero-muffins  

Bedtime (or mid-day) snacks.

Eating a snack before bed can be a good chance to get in a bit more protein at night. On days I'm not eating ice cream or some other form of sweet treat after dinner, I like to think a bit about getting in some protein so that I can make sure that I am eating something that will keep me full overnight. So, here are some ideas for ways to do that!

Yogurt bowl with fruit and honey-a classic pre-bed snack with lots of variations. Pretty selfexplanatory. I like to use Greek yogurt to make it a more protein rich snack. But there are lots of ways you could go with this one. 

Frozen cherry smoothie with chocolate-very refreshingly delicious. Cherries are also great because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which make them good for recovery! Especially if you use Montmorency Tart Cherries. Ingredients:

• Whole milk

• Frozen cherries

• Honey

• Chocolate

• Protein powder (optional)

Instructions:

• Blend whole milk, frozen cherries, honey. However much you are feeling of each.

• Melt chocolate in a saucepan or the microwave, using a bit of whole milk to make it smooth and relatively pourable.

• Use the chocolate sauce as a topping!

Turkish Yogurt Cake-this one is great because it's a cake and is delicious, but it's also got a bit more protein than your average cake. It tastes a bit like cheesecake but with a fluffy texture. It is also a great base for any other sort of topping (honey, fruit, etc.) that you would like to try out! https://heinstirred.com/yogurt-cake/

*I have made all of these recopies using 1:1 gluten free flour, and they have turned out great, so they can easily be made gluten free too! I hope you enjoy some of these recipes, and that they leave you feeling energized and ready for whatever training session or adventure you are taking on next!