recipes for energy bars

[moonfroggy]

i have been thinking about making my own energy bars for when i go on longer rides, i started thinking about this a week or so ago when after a bike ride i was extremely hungry and we had no ice cream in the house, in a fit of madness i made myself a candy bar wich i only ate about a fourth of, it was melted chocolate mixed with almonds and coconut, it was really good, but it was to much for me at the time, i have been thinking about making something a bit healthier, so i am wondering does anyone here make there own energy bars? any recipes? any suggestions for ingredients, i'm vegan so when i make it it will not have any dairy in it, but i can take just about any recipe and veganify it

[kimba]

Y'know- I was thinking of something like that today- but on a grander scale...
I was thinking that I want to open a cyclist cafe -
that caters to cyclists of all denominations-
where you can buy espresso to power up and protein smoothies and the food would all be specific for pre ride and recovery- with a focus on nutritionally good treats and power foods.
And sell the commercial power bars, and homemade stuff too- like your power bars and some homebaked goods and source out cycling specific coffee blends like Jittery Joes- and have a place where cyclists can congregate and experience cameraderie-
and the decor would be vintage cycling stuff...
and it would be close to about 3 LBS's- and close to the main community trails so that roadies and commuters would just drop by on their way- and maybe the mountain bikers would search us out.
and there'd be a wall where folks could post cycling ads- bikes for sale and whatnot.And info about charity rides and tours..And the Tour de France would play on a TV in the main room in July...and there'd always be a place to watch OLN race coverage - whether it be the world's or triathlon or whatever... there'd be a safe and secure area to lock up your bikes- and in the summer there would be an outside patio...
and it would be a whole gathering place...
and I'd call it the Hub or Spokes or..The Turn of the Crank or something like that...
and ...
and...

and then I realized that as the proprietor, I'd have to work there all the time and I'd have absolutely no time to ride.

Think it would be a good idea though?

and -
doesn't chocolate have dairy in it??

Kimba

[moonfroggy]

it's an awsome idea! and it could have organic fair trade coffee, cuz my favorite cafe that had organic fair trade coffee just got bought by another company
working at a place like that can be pretty stressful tho, i worked at a cafe for 3 and a half years, and managing a place like that running it thats really hard my dad owned his own restruant for a while and his hair turned gray so much faster when he was running a restruant,
it would be really cool though
i would go there if it was where i live or i was in the area

[pedalfaster]

Originally posted by kimba
Y'know- I was thinking of something like that today- but on a grander scale...
I was thinking that I want to open a cyclist cafe -
Kimba

Kinda like this (http://www.velocityweekly.com/2004/0512/life/food_drink1.html) ?

[Trek420]

wisdom of moonfroggy "working at a place like that can be pretty stressful tho, i worked at a cafe for 3 and a half years, and managing a place like that running it thats really hard"

true, i cooked for about 12 years, restaraunt work is hard...and 3 out of 5 start ups go belly up in the first year. but it can be fun. i'd think location location location. the right location (near bike trails, paths, transit hub, cycle tourists) could work cuz of walk by traffic and commuters as well. getting the word out at bike events (bring your bib number in for free coffee) that sort of thing.

[ausgirl]

With the cycling cafe idea. There was an article in Bicycling Australia on this Melbourne place called Cafe Racer, which is apparently very cycling friendly, has lots of bike racks, good food and good coffee. I am dying to check it out when i go to Melbourne on holidays in December. Apparently its right near the city on this road called beach road which is more than 100km long and attracts 100s of cyclists every day. Here's the killer - even Robbie McEwen goes there when he's in town!!! I'll let you know how it goes and if there's anything you can learn from it.

[JanT]

Arizona has Bike and Bean up in Sedona. I've never been there, but it appears to be a combination coffee shop-bike shop. I think it's a great combination! There was some acreage available right next to a place in the desert where mountain bikers and lots of motorbikers hit the trails. If I'd had the money, I might have opened some kind of convenience store that had a deli, and all the gear that the bikers and bicyclists might need, especially the emergency equipment like tubes, patch kits, tools, sunscreen, etc. Of course, like Kimba said, you might spend more time working and wishing you were doing what your customers were doing--RIDING! So, I'll stay a teacher and ride all summer!

Sorry, no great energy bar recipe. I like Clif bars too much to make the effort to come up with something.

[moonfroggy]

theres a cafe type places that my favorite bike path goes past, it is not specifically a bike cafe, but they have a really bike bike rack for locking bikes up and definitly get a lot of bicyclists for customers, they where just bought by someone else so i dunno what the new place will be like, i usually get fruit when i go there and something to drink
it's by the berkeley marina in california, i dunno the name of it though and i guess the name will be changing, it's really nice to stop by there after riding the bay trail

[jobob]

The Seabreeze Cafe, perchance? I used to frequent it in my kiteflier days out at the Berkely Marina, ages ago.

[moonfroggy]

Originally posted by jobob
The Seabreeze Cafe, perchance? I used to frequent it in my kiteflier days out at the Berkely Marina, ages ago.

i bet thats it, i hope the new place is good, and bicycle friendly, i am almost over being sick with the flu so i will be riding my bike past there again soon and maybe the new place will be there

[yogabear]

I have a cool recipe for energy bars (they are rolled in to balls though)...it's from my nutritionist Monica Levin...she's a vegan too and has a cool website and cookbook, so here it is:

1/3 cup date syrup
1/3 cup almond butter
1/3 ground flax seeds
2/3 cup unsulfured shredded coconut
Mix above together
add in 2/3 cup puffed amaranth or puffed millet (cereal type)
roll into balls (can roll into unhulled sesame seeds or coconut)
refrigerate
Enjoy

Let me know if you need any more help with this...I eat 1-3 before a very long ride and feel sustained, but everyone is different.

Ah, a cycling related cafe...Coffee and good food...yum! I'll go...so count me in!

Hugs,

Lisa

[moonfroggy]

wow that looks really really good, i will definitly be making some of those soon!
thanks,
btw whats her website? does it have any recipes on it that are as good as this one?

[yogabear]

Moonfroggy,

I believe it's www.healthstartswithfoods.com (hope there's no rule against posting URL's here?) She has a monthly newsletter via email with lots of recipes in it so you could always subscribe to that (many are from her cookbook but she is always coming up with new things LOL). She does phone consults too if you are interested in a session with her. The energy balls are not in her cookbook, but I like her cookbook too...she's going to have some PDF format cookbooks soon in addition to her other cookbook...If you need any more information let me know.

Glad you think the recipe sounds good...BTW, I usually get my date syrup at Middle Eastern markets...forgot to mention that.

Hugs,

Lisa