Tired of shelling out tons of money for running-specific fuel like gels and bars?
For big races I often make my own treats to save money! This works best if you have a crew or you're participating in a looped race.
The recipe below is one of my favorites (that my kids happen to love as well.) This gives you a bar with roughly 30 g of carbs and nearly 100 mg of sodium if you use a little extra salt sprinkled on top. Since I typically aim for 30-50 g carbs/hour and around 200 mg of sodium/hour, these are a perfect addition to my running fuel.
Homemade Granola Bars
•1/2 cup honey
•1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•1/4 tsp salt
•1 cup old fashioned oats (you can grind if desired, I do not)
•1 1/2 cups rice crispy cereal
•1/4 cup chocolate chips
*more salt sprinkled on top if using as race fuel
1. Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper. I cut slits in the four corners to help it fit down in.
2. Place oats in a mixing bowl with the rice crispy cereal.
3. In a small saucepan, heat peanut butter and honey over medium heat, and stir together. Once melted and bubbly, remove from heat. Add vanilla and salt and stir well. (You could also microwave in 30 second increments for the same effect.)
4. Pour heated peanut butter mixture over oats and rice crispies. Stir until well-coated.
5. Press into prepared pan. Use wet hands to prevent the mixture from sticking to yo
ur hands. Press as firmly as possible.
6. Press chocolate chips into the top.
7. Let chill in fridge or freezer at least 15 minutes before cutting into bars. Store in fridge.
Makes roughly 10 bars.
