Looking for ideas...

I've changed my work schedule so I can ride in the evenings after rush hour - I don't even get off work for most of the week until 6pm. That is awesome, but of course right now sunset is just before 8:30 and my path home HAS to go though a park that shuts the gates at sunset. This means I have to get on the bike pretty quickly once I am home from work.

I am not complaining about that, but I am looking for food ideas. Obviously I have to fuel before getting on the bike, but I also don't want to have to eat more than a snack after my ride since that isn't too long before bed. My current weekday evening short ride is 20-24 miles. This past week I wound up just eating a Cliff bar or PB sandwich before my ride, and had an apple with some milk when I got home. I wasn't hungry, but this really drops my calorie intake for the day - even if I was not riding.

Most of the things I can think of making in advance would be likely to cause...digestive issues on the bike - I have to be careful with beans, rice, tempeh, cabbage/brussel sprouts & rice. Another option is my old faithful of roasted chicken breast and a salad with fresh veggies - this would probably work until the temps start rising this summer.

I do not have much imagination when it comes to cooking for myself - so I am looking for ideas. What would be YOUR fuel of choice with this kind of schedule?

how about steel cut oats with dried fruit and nuts for after the ride and something with lean protein and some carbo before, like a wrap with some chicken, alfalfa sprouts and a bit of cheese or cottage cheese.

I like cereal and milk ( steel cut oatmeal) almost any time of day or night.

Any beans? Does it matter whether or not they've been pre-soaked? That makes a big difference to me - also different types of beans are more or less digestible -

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Originally Posted by marni

how about steel cut oats with dried fruit and nuts for after the ride and something with lean protein and some carbo before, like a wrap with some chicken, alfalfa sprouts and a bit of cheese or cottage cheese.

I like cereal and milk ( steel cut oatmeal) almost any time of day or night.

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Yum, steel cut oatmeal does hit the spot! It is the only hot cereal I know of that you can cook in advance and put it in the fridge for later. I actually hadn't thought about doing this after the ride - which is why I came asking for ideas. Hadn't thought about wraps either, but since I bake 4-6 chicken breasts at a time anyway, this would be easy and fast.

I don't know how I get into such ruts where food is concerned, probably from being single for so long :rolleyes: I thought about canned tuna, but before a ride? I don't think I want to risk that...

Beans, of any kind, do seem to cause problems if I eat them too often. I like them, but the consequences can be not-fun-at-all. Canned or dried - though I do rinse the canned variety very, very well. Can't say if soaked would be better, it's been so long since I've cooked dried beans. Time for an experiment!

Canned beans never, that I'm aware of, have the soaking water discarded.

One of the main points of soaking beans (besides making them cook more evenly and quickly) is to dilute the indigestible oligosaccharides. That's why you toss out the soaking water.

Pre-soaked beans cook up in the pressure cooker in 5 to 15 minutes. Not much is easier (and if you're used to cooking with pre-cooked beans, you can make a big batch and portion it out in the freezer).

Maybe you could prepare yourself different kinds of vegetable soup, like pumpkin-soup or broccoli-soup or mixed vegetables or whatever you like?

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Originally Posted by Susan

Maybe you could prepare yourself different kinds of vegetable soup, like pumpkin-soup or broccoli-soup or mixed vegetables or whatever you like?

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This would work if'en I liked veggie soup outside of deep winter :o Thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it. I DO, however, like beans & chicken sausage. Marni's wrap suggestion is likely the easiest, but if I try Crankin's suggestion and it turns out that my stomach can tolerate beans on the bike, then this would be a good additional tool.

Thanks for the suggestions, it helps to kick-start my brain!

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

I loved Marni's suggestions!

Maybe brown rice or farro wheat for a complex carb? They keep well in the fridge. And are gentle to eat. At least for me. (Pretty sure both are also a complete protein. I'd need to look it up to be positive).

Farro is exceptionally tasty. It's known for that.

Both go well with vegetable soup bases in the cardboard boxes. (Tomato, Red Pepper, Butternut Squash, Lentil). I think the brands are Imagine and Pacific? Seems right.

But grains can go with so many things.

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Indeed.....hmmmmmmmm Thanks!

I was actually "hmmmmmmm" about the Farro - I hadn't really heard about that before! :)

two supreme brown rice or steel cut oats favorites for afternoon or night are either one with dried fruit, a tablespoon of peanut butter a bit of honey and milk, all mu=ooshed together. The other favorite is brown rice or steel cut oats, dried fruit cra (cranberries or blueberries are especially nice) a tablespoon or two of sun flower seed (complete protein) and a bit of milk.

I can haz irish steel cut oats!

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Originally Posted by Catrin

This would work if'en I liked veggie soup outside of deep winter :o

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Oh I understand that, soup can feel too "hot" in summer. I tend to eat a lot of soup in winter and a a lot of salad in summer.

Speaking of salad, you could prepare noodle/couscous- or greek/tomato+tuna ... - salad in advance and just add oil and vinegar when you want to eat.
Something that always comes in handy if I have to cook quick is omelet with different kinds of filling (onion/spinach/tomato).

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Originally Posted by marni

two supreme brown rice or steel cut oats favorites for afternoon or night are either one with dried fruit, a tablespoon of peanut butter a bit of honey and milk, all mu=ooshed together. The other favorite is brown rice or steel cut oats, dried fruit cra (cranberries or blueberries are especially nice) a tablespoon or two of sun flower seed (complete protein) and a bit of milk.

I can haz irish steel cut oats!

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So can I and I love them - just didn't consider having them at night and a good idea it is! At breakfast I will generally mix in a bit of peanut butter and blueberries if I have them, with a little milk all mooshed together. Have experimented with walnut pieces - which is yummy but tend to be a overly generous with them which is just too much fat - lovely!

Have wondered if I could cook them in the rice cooker while out for a ride, I wonder if I were to cook them with the brown rice setting if that would work...

Muirenn, thanks for the Farro link, will look into it. Whole grains are certainly good for us - and Susan, I love omelets - great idea about the greek/tomato + tuna salad. I haven't experimented with tuna before a ride, will have to try it and see what my stomach thinks about it.