Jason Koop’s Secret Rice Ball Recipe: A Go-To Favorite for Endurance Athletes
[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/VKDG2_Usc1Q?rel=0″ align=”center” autoplay=”yes”]
One of the greatest truths about sports nutrition is that even the best foods are useless if they stay in your pocket. You have to put those calories, electrolytes, and fluids into your body for them to do you any good. That means you have to like how they taste, how they smell, how they feel in your mouth, and how easy they are to unwrap and get down your throat. When I was a novice endurance athlete, I loved Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and one of my early experiments in sports nutrition was to cram three or four into a sandwich bag and squeeze them out a corner, as you would a carbohydrate gel. My tastes and my cooking skills have improved since then, and I developed two variations of a rice ball that meet the during-workout and during-competition nutrition guidelines in this chapter and have the taste, texture, and convenience characteristics that make them a go-to favorite for several of my athletes.
[blog_promo promo_categories=”” ids=”16152″ /]Sweet and Salty Rice Balls
Makes about 12 rice balls.
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Uncooked Basmati Rice
2 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
Instructions:
- Cook the rice.
- Scramble and cook the eggs.
- Combine rice, eggs, honey, and soy sauce in a larger mixing bowl.
- Scoop small portions into sandwich bags and tie the ends off.
Per Ball: Calories 115 // Carbohydrate 20 g // Protein 2 g // Sodium 327 mg
[blog_promo promo_categories=”camp” ids=”” /]Bacon and Egg Rice Balls
Makes about 12 rice balls.
2 Eggs
â–º Free Cycling Training Assessment Quiz
Take our free 2-minute quiz to discover how effective your training is and get recommendations for how you can improve.
2 Strips Bacon
1 1/2 Cups Uncooked Basmati Rice
2 oz. Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt to Taste
Instructions:
- Cook the rice.
- Scramble and cook the eggs.
- Cook the bacon. Drain excess fat and chop.
- Combine rice, eggs, bacon, cheese, and salt in a larger mixing bowl.
- Scoop small portions into sandwich bags and tie the ends off.
Per Ball: Calories 133 // Carbohydrate 18 g // Protein 4 g // Fat 5 g // Sodium 327 mg
â–º FREE Mini-Course: Learn How to Maximize Your Limited Training Time
Learn step-by-step how to overcome limited training time and get faster. Walk away with a personalized plan to increase your performance.
Comments 15
Pingback: Rice balls: The perfect fuel for ultra runners? - Run With Dan
Pingback: Episode #320: Singletrack Session - TrailManners
this will hold up for two days easily-\ w/o refrigeration
really nothing to go “bad’ bacon is cured (most brands) eggs can be stored at room temp rice will sit out for 2-3 days before breaking down- I am a 20+ yr food professional
Pingback: Fatboysrun Episode 220 – Weltrekordfolge | FatBoysRun
Pingback: What We Learned in the Last Decade to Make Ultrarunners Faster in the Next One - Jason Koop
Pingback: Tor Des Geants: The Good, Bad, Ugly, and Bizarre from the Longest Race of My Life - Jason Koop
Jason, do you have any idea how long the egg balls will “be ok to eat” if they are left sitting out in drop bags during a race or a long training run? It seems like they would be fine since they are all cooked, but I wasn’t sure. Thanks!
Brad,
They can sit out for 2-3 days. You can wrap them in plastic wrap which is easy to tear or use your teeth!
Pingback: Going for it: A San Diego 100 DNF and the Anatomy of an Injury – Blog
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0068TZUXO/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IQGJIZ9YZLWMD&colid=1D13ZUKUEI3FC
Make all of this in a pan, refrigerate/freeze for a bit and then cut into squares when very cold. It doesn’t have to be balls. Cyclists wrap homemade portables in this kind of paper (cut to size). They don’t have to stay refrigerated.
Yes you have foil you need to toss at some point but it’s less messy, I would think.
Pingback: How to Eat and Drink for Cold Weather Workouts - CTS
Interesting, but how do you eat this stuff while you are running? If you cut off a corner of the bag and squeeze it out, that means you have to carry scissors or something. I assume these also would need refrigeration, which would make them impractical for long runs or long races.
Tips on how to get around these issues?
Are you kidding? Scissors? hehe…..Tear with your teeth & squeeze it out! 🙂
You know it is illegal to run with scissors?
D. Norman:
You can wrap them in plastic wrap which is easy to tear or use your teeth!
This fuel is meant for trail runners not road runners. You eat them while you’re power-hiking or at an aid station…