Feed Zone Portables, A Book Review

Back in November I was looking through Competitor magazine and came accross a full page ad picturing these shiny little foil packets of food.  Immediately I thought- "genius idea"!  I've never loved using energy gels before during or after my runs.  Many times I have ended up with an upset stomach, especially when trying out new brands.  I had also been looking for alternatives to sending granola bars, both prepackaged and home made, for my daughter to take to her 3 hour gymnastics practice sessions.  So I was super excited to give Feed Zone Portables recipe book a try! 

I contacted the PR manager and was sent a free copy of the book.  Please know that I only review books and products that I find interesting and helpful to my readers.

The idea behind Feed Zone portables was created by Dr. Allen Lim who teamed up with Chef Biju Thomas to make delicious portable foods for cyclists and other athletes looking for healthier options beyond gels and energy bars.  You can read more about how Lim and Thomas got started with Scratch Labs at Scratch Labs.com.

Pictured above we have the first two layers of the oh so yummy Blueberry and Chocolate Rice Cakes.  If the word "Rice Cake" brings to mind those hard, dried out hocky puck like things you buy in the grocery store, try to erase that image.  These are nothing like store bought rice cakes.  They are moist, they are flavorful, they are what a rice cake should be.

Here they are packaged in little BPA free baggies.  A more affordable option than wrapping in aluminum foil and wax paper.  They are not zip locked and they still held up well for a good 5 days in my refrigerator.  I think the moisture of the coconut milk helps to keep the rice from drying out.  My daughter has been eating one before practice and one after practice each day, along with a Trader Joe's Seaweed Snack.  Besides the Blueberry & Coconut version, we have also enjoyed the Peanut Butter and Jelly and the Cinnamon Apple Rice Cake.

These muffin like things are actually mini gluten free Zuchini and Spinach Fritatas.  They are made with Pasture Raised eggs, so no, they are not vegan.  We have decided to allow two or three times a week, especially for Anika since her competive gymnastics schedule has her working out up to 16 hours weekly and she was having trouble keeping weight on her body through several growth spurts. I did not want to resort to vegan protein powders for her at this age, and since this is working we are feeling good about it.

 

I will do a follow up post on this book in the future featuring photos of more portables including the baked rice balls and sticky bites. I just wanted to get this review posted since I missed my own personal deadline due to some international travel which I will update you on by next month!

If you want access to the recipe for the Blueberry and Chocolate Coconut Rice Cakes along with the Table of Contents for the book, it can be found at the Velopress.com website. 

Below is also a video of Chef Biju preparing the rice cakes...