Do protein bars ever feel like dietary prison? Don’t you sometimes wish for a change in your on-bike food?

Sure, MET-Rx bars and the like are convenient; but let’s face it, sometimes they get monotonous. They can also get expensive when used exclusively as ride food. Feed Zone Portables offers some alternatives.

This book includes a discussion of digestion and what an active rider — more specifically, a serious competitive rider — needs; and, of course, recipes. These include rice cakes; mini-pies; and baked eggs, among others.

Rice cakes are a favorite of many serious cyclists. I’ve experimented with them, using sushi rice. Mine tended to come out too soft; when I tried to pull one out of my snack bag, it would fall apart in my fingers. I guess I used too much water in the cooking.

It’s been some time since I last tried making rice cakes; and I keep saying that I must try it again. So far, I haven’t! I remember making one batch with three or four different kinds of cheese; and that one tasted pretty good. I bet currants would be good; or maybe grated carrot mixed with lemon juice. As with Hoppin’ John variations, the sky’s the limit.

Mini-pies are out as long as I don’t have any flour on hand; and eggs aren’t a favorite of mine. Until I can kick myself into culinary gear, I’m stuck in the prison of protein bars.