Brown Rice Muffins

Brown Rice Muffins, page 106

I made two batches of these, one as muffins and the other as a thin cake. The cake is easier to freeze and also easier to wrap similar to a rice cake for a ride. 

Did you ever read the magazine Highlights as a child? Remember the hidden picture page and the puzzles where you compared the two pictures finding the differences? I realize I didn't do a very fantastic taking the two photos from the same spot in my kitchen. Differences? Leave a comment and let me know what you notice. 

I followed the recipe, making sure to only use 1/4 cup of milk to begin. I am thankful I did, because the batter would have been too runny, had I used 1/2 cup. I only had 5 eggs, using 3 in the first batch and 2 in the second. It didn't seem to make much of a difference in the thickness of the batter, but that could be, because I used a bit of extra apple sauce to make up for the missing egg.

I do not always have on hand, potato flour, usually rice flour. So, that's what I used. I placed the ingredients in the Blentec & chose the batter setting. It took 2 cycles to make it smooth, allowing it to pour with ease into the muffin cups.

I am not sure if I filed them too high, but they sank in the middle. Not a big deal, because the little indention fills well with a rhubarb strawberry compote I made over the weekend. They just are not very pretty.

I have eaten them warm, chilled, in the car and on my bike, shared some, but mostly eaten them myself. Each time, especially on the bike, they hit the spot.


Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: 1 egg
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: Brown rice flour & almond milk were used, vanilla, cinnamon and fresh nutmeg were additions.
What I'll try next time: I'm not sure how to make them not sink in the center. Boo! Any suggestions?
How it Scored: 4.5 for taste and 5 for ease. I'm the only one in this family who has eaten them.

Skratch, formerly Secret Drink Mix

Skratch, formerly known as Secret Drink Mix

I only have a few minutes to share a recipe. Elliott and Chas race in their first IronKids Triathlon tomorrow morning and guess what is packed in their transition bag? SKRATCH! It is the drink that fuels these kiddos and their parents during workouts and on race day.

We also are fans of the Everyday Skratch. (Parents, it's more affordable if your kiddos like to drink sports drinks just 'cause. And it has much less sugar.)

Order it HERE. (Code TTRacing will help kick back 15% to TTR kids)
How it Scores: 5's all around

Make sure to cheer for Triple Threat Racing tomorrow morning. Because I'm a momma and because I'm super proud of my boys and the team and because Skratch and The Feed Zone keep these kids going I'll probably post a race review and some pictures. Here's a start. A few of the Triple Threat Racers in their new kits...

Spanish Tortilla

Spanish Tortilla, page 60

The introduction to this recipe speaks of riding through Spain, about it being a favorite meal and that is where I stopped reading. Bad idea. Had I read a bit further I'd have read these words, "...it's a simple and filling frittata..." and saved myself a flop.

I've not made a Spanish Tortilla before, but a frittata, I know. In trying to stick to the recipe, I cooked the ingredients as instructed, noticing the similarities to a frittata, but my head was half way between a bike ride in Spain and reality*, Thursday night reality, with a dose of husband away on business for the week.

When I make a frittata, I cook it almost all the way through on the cook-top, then pop it in the oven to finish. I do not invert to a plate, transferring it back to the pan, making the top golden. This is where I had the trouble and where reading the entire 2 sentence introduction would have been to my advantage.

I flipped it. It spilled, because I'd not cooked it long enough. I could clean the counter later, but I was hungry and about to be on the sidelines of the soccer pitch for 2 hours. So, I quickly pulled out a larger skillet making a Spanish Tortilla Scramble.

When it had finished cooking, I scooped some in a bowl with a squirt of Sriacha. Between tossing laundry from the washer to the dryer and hustling boys to the car, I took a bite and another. It may have been chaos all around, but I knew what it must taste like riding bikes in Spain.



Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry:
Nothing, the beauty of this recipe is that it has many ingredients many people have on hand.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:
I used less olive oil when cooking the potatoes, just enough to make them crisp.
What I'll try next time:
I think it would be delicious with sweet potatoes and a little extra nutmeg, maybe topped with a sprinkle of goat cheese.
How it Scored:
Elliott: 4, had 2 bowls
'becca: Sad it wasn't pretty like the picture, it did taste great. 4.5.

Chas: Would not even try it, because he heard me say to Elliott that it was a flop. He made himself dinner, cheese quesadilla.

*evening chaos when the flop occurred was a combination of the following:
10 minutes before we needed to be in the car
laundry in the washer which needed to get to the dryer
boys finishing homework
DandyDog needed to be walked
Soccer bags double checked for gear and water bottles
tortilla mess all over the counter and cook-top

Orange Almond Macaroons (5++)

Orange Almond Macaroons, page 101

Ohmigoodness. OhMiGoodNess! OHMIGOODNESS! This is love at first bite. I know, I know, not everyone is a coconut lover, but this pastry may convert you. It is absolutely delicious. I promise.

If you already have a copy of The Feed Zone, you know prior to each recipe there are a few words written about the recipe. With the introduction this one has I am fully convinced I am riding my bike on the wrong continent.

"Riders in the European peloton are fond of putting small pastries and sweets

 in their musette bags for a hit of sugar during the race." The Feed Zone, p 101

Are you with me? Wanna plan a trip to Europe and ride bikes? I'll bake the pastries. I just know I'd ride faster. These also pair quite well with strong, black coffee when you are driving your kiddo to 5 am swim practice. This I know.

Kitchen Action

Lacking in Pantry:

Not. A. Thing.

Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:

I used more honey, not applesauce. I don't have a large food processor, so I mixed the first almonds the other ingredients, leaving out the coconut to form a paste. I then added the pasted to the coconut and then added that to the egg whites. It worked well. 

What I'll try next time:

I'll make it exactly the same way and may do so tomorrow. I have been thinking of drizzling with dark chocolate...

How it Scored:

'becca: 5++

My friend Amy: 5 (She agrees with the coffee pairing) 

People from our small group: 4's & 5's

Jonathan: 3 (but he's not a coconut fan)

Allen's Rice Cakes (& the recipe)

I feel like I can share a recipe, well I'm not really sharing it, but the creator of this absolutely, delicious, perfect on the ride snack will share with you. Check it out:


Did you love it? Don't you want to go make some in your kitchen right now, then go for a long bike ride? I do! But I'm going to wait until Sunday for that long ride, although I have a batch in my fridge right now.

The next few days may be a little hit and miss around here. I'm headed to Galveston, TX to race in my very first Ironman 70.3 Triathlon. I couldn't be more excited. I have been training since 1 January 2012 and can hardly believe the race is only a few days away.

I'm headed down with 9 other F5 pals, 8 of us are racing and we have 2 great gals as our support. I have a daughter/friend driving down from Austin to meet me, be the go between for my family and coach and have bubbly at the finish. My race number is 1722 and if you track me you are obligated to pray for me. Deal?

I received a call earlier this week from T3 & Triple Threat Racing coach, Shawn. This is a training race for him and he has enjoyed the rice cakes I've been sharing at practices. He asked me to make some for him to try on the bike. I said yes -- like I'd say no, come-on.

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry:
nothing
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:
GF soysauce
What I'll try next time:
I plan to play with this recipe when I have the time, but today isn't the day.
How it Scored:
F-I-V-E!
Barry: 5
Richard: 3.5
JBorn: 5 for flavor, but it kinda fell apart
(I'll have to get back to you about how they worked for Shawn on race day.)

Rice and Banana Muffins

Rice and Banana Muffins, page 104


I am always looking for gluten free snacks I can bake at home. When I discovered that gluten was the reason for my belly issues, I mourned the loss of indulging in pretty bread and scones and muffins and the list of baked good goes on. As I read through The Feed Zone there were many baked recipes I was looking forward to trying.

I made a mistake, no two mistakes. First I filled the tins almost to the top and second, I tasted before cooling. I tore the muffin in half to discover a gooey middle. My heart sank. Instant gratification was met with uncooked center, steaming uncooked center. I ate it anyway and burned my tongue. Dumb. I pulled the cooling rack from the drawer, allowing the other 11 muffins to cool, as the recipe states. I went for a run, the muffins patiently waited and cooled. Our second meeting was much better than the first.

Will I make them again? Yes. Will I experiment with the banana, replacing it with apple sauce or another smash-able fruit? Yes.


Kitchen Action
Lacking in the Pantry:
Cinnamon. I'm out of cinnamon, how in the world am I out of cinnamon? I use it daily. Oh, maybe that's the reason, so I didn't use cinnamon.
Additions, Subtractions or Method changes:
I added 2 T of Almond Butter and baked them in papers, instead of spraying the pan and used fresh ground nutmeg. I also threw a few chocolate chips in 2, 1 for Elliott and 1 for Chas.
What I'll try next time:
I will not try to eat them warm. Letting them cool is key and I found that after they had been refrigerated they were solid, not gooey in the center. I'll also try apple sauce instead of bananas and maybe throw in some shopped walnuts.


How it scored:
'becca: 3.5, middle of 1 & 5 based on meeting of mouth and muffin 1 & 2
Jonathan: 5
Elliott & Chas: When they found out I'd put banana in them, they changed their minds and didn't even try them. Jonathan ate the chocolate chip additions, but preferred the plain muffins best.

Waffle part of the Waffle Ride Sandwich

Waffle part of the Waffle Ride Sandwich, page 109

I have decided I need a rice cooker. I knew the day would come when I wished I had not donated it to Goodwill 8 years ago and that day is today. Any recommendations? Regular? Multifunction? Programmable?

I made 2 batches of waffles. I followed the recipe the first time and the second time I tried a different rice to flour ratio. I served them both as breakfast: 3 different fellas, 3 different ways.
     Jonathan: Waffles topped with eggs
     Elliott: Waffles topped with butter and maple syrup
     Chas: Waffles with melted butter and powdered sugar
That morning I ate mine plain, in-between making lunches, sipping coffee and pouring another batch into the waffle iron.

I didn't make a sandwich, but placed 2 of them in a baggie, then in the back of my jersey and took them on a long ride the following day. They sure hit the spot when I found myself having missed a turn and in Oklahoma instead of Arkansas.

Kitchen Action:
Lacking in Pantry:
ripe banana
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:
Batch 1: mango for banana, honey for molasses, rice flour
Batch 2: I used the same substitutions as in batch 1. Then I changed the rice/flour ration. I used half as much rice and 1 cup of rice flour, also added a teaspoon of xanthan gum. If you have not used xanthun gum, it is quite crucial to many gluten free baked goods. It helps bind the ingredients together.
What I'll try next time:
First, I'll try not missing my turn on the bike.

Sharpie + Directions + Arm = AR to MO, instead of AR to OK

And second, I'll double this recipe, keeping some in the freezer. As you will see soon, I have other ways to enjoy them. 

How it scored:

Batch 1

Elliott: 2

Chas: 1

Jonathan: 3

'becca: 4

Aly: 5 She had these the same time I shared these. Both post run. Both hit the spot. 

Batch 2

Elliott: 3

Chas: 3

'becca: 5 

As I was checking around online for other people using The Feed Zone, I ran across this post. Jason Bahamundi reviews a recipe a week from The Feed Zone, as well as other books, recipes and cookbooks geared for endurance athletes. Thanks Jason for sharing your experience.