These real-food exercise snacks are great for moderate to moderate/high intensity workouts as they are packed with carbs and low in fat and protein. I bought these reusable baby food pouches online (can buy directly from the family-owned business, ChooMee, or on Amazon) which are just $2 a pouch. I recommend the screw-cap rather than the softsip silicone top for anything as thick or thicker than applesauce. They also work great for honey and maple syrup ‘gels’!
The good news for us RDs and Nutritionists over the last few years has been that the media has done a decent job highlighting the importance of fueling during exercise for endurance athletes. This has made our jobs easier when discussing fueling strategies for performance with our clients. That being said, there are SO MANY sports nutrition products out there that are highly processed which pose their own challenges. These highly processed sports foods (drink mix, gels, gummies, chomps) are great for meeting carb and energy needs but are lacking in nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Integrating some ‘real-food’ into your training food is a great way to BOOST your NUTRIENT-DENSITY in the day as well as your GUT HEALTH while also getting the most out of your training. You don’t need to go 1000% real training food to gain the benefits of less processed food options. Even a few homemade bars and squeezy pouches per week or month is more nutrients than exclusively sports food products, not to mention LESS EXPENSIVE. This recipe costs $0.46 per pouch (28g carb). Compare that to typical gels between $1-4 per similar carbs/calories.
Ingredients:
- 3 small sweet potatoes (or 1 large)
- 2 large dates, pitted
- 1 medium ripe banana
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Poke holes in sweet potatoes with a fork or knife, wrap in foil, place on a cookie sheet, and roast in the oven for 30-50 minutes. Bake until soft in the inside.
- Remove from oven and let the sweet potatoes cool.
- Get out a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Add dates and blend/process until they are a paste or small pieces (pea size or smaller).
- Add peeled banana and maple syrup to food processor or blender.
- Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and add the inner contents to the food processor. Eat the skins while you’re peeling them for extra nutrients and snacks!
- Blend until you have a uniform consistency. If you’d like a thinner consistency add a spoon-full of water at a time until you have achieved your desired consistency.
- Open the bottom of the pouches and spoon some of the mixture into the pouch. Make sure to not fill too full that you can’t close the pouch back up tightly. Make sure the pouch is completely sealed shut so it doesn’t come out the other end while you’re trying to eat it :). Rinse the outside of the pouch with water and refrigerate until you plan to use them. These pouches will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. They can also be frozen and saved for later!
Makes 4 squeezy pouches/servings
Nutrition Facts squeezy pouch/serving (calculated on cronometer.com):
128kcals
1.5g protein
28g carbs
0.4g fat
36mg sodium
3.5g fiber
cost per pouch: $0.45
Tips:
Add extra maple syrup for extra carbs/carb-density!
