Plant-Based Fuel for 12 Hours of Temecula

This isn't a race report but rather a "food report." Heidi Volpe and I raced 12 Hours of Temecula as a duo team this past weekend. Our team name? "Plant Power." That's right, our pre-, during and post- race food consisted of vegan foods. (Actually, since April, I've been eating a plant-based diet, save for the rare frozen yogurt or cappuccino splurge. I was vegetarian before that.)

"Plant Power" took 2nd place (15 laps in 11 hours, 22 minutes), against the men. That's the power of plants (and two very determined women) for you! :-)

Anyway, here are my foods, snacks, race fuel and recovery fuel, in no particular order. Basically, these are the foods I ate in the days surrounding the race. Several come from athlete Brendan Brazier's book, which I highly recommend. (I will add Heidi's foods soon, which include a spectacular ginger-quinoa-edamame salad and vegan pizza.)

Tempeh Taco's (QUICK pre-race carb/protein loading favorite - Sarah's recipe)

TJ's Brown Rice Tortillas

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped onions

Chopped romaine lettuce

TJ's Salsa Verde

Coconut Oil

TJ's Taco Seasoning Mix

TJ's microwavable brown rice pouches

TJ's Black Beans
Avocado 

. Combine 1-2 tbsp coconut oil in pan w/ a small amount a water and taco seasoning mix. Saute tempeh until brown on each side.

. Microwave brown rice tortilla for 1 minute or until hard.

. Microwave rice, while heating black beans on the stove top.

. Combine all ingredients, including chopped veggies, into a taco shell.

Spaghetti Squash with Three-Step Marinara (pre-race and post race carbs! Substitute pre-made sauce, if running low on time - Thrive recipe)

1 medium spaghetti squash

1 cup chopped onion

3 medium garlic gloves, minced

2 tbsp coconut oil

3 cups deseeded and chopped tomatoes (about 5 medium)

1/8 tsp green stevia or ½ tsp agave nectar

½ tsp mesquite powder (optional)

3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

2 tbsp parsley

¼ tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Place cut side down in baking, and add ½ inch water to the pan. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

. While the squash is cooking, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, saute onions and the garlic for about 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to become translucent.

. Stir in all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

. Place the sauce in a blender and puree until fairly smooth. Return the sauce to the pan, and keep at low simmer until ready to be served.

. When the squash has finished baking, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes. Flip the squash over, and scrape the flesh with a fork to extract the spaghetti-like strands from the shell.

Toasted Chia Ginger Pear Cereal (eaten w/ oatmeal & coconut milk the morning of the race, Thrive recipe)

½ diced pear

1 cup gluten-free oats

½ cup diced almonds

½ cup chia seeds

½ cup hemp protein

½ cup sesame seeds

½ cup sunflower seeds

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ cup hemp oil

¼ cup molasses

2 tbsp apple juice

1 tbsp grated ginger root

coconut oil

. Preheat oven to 250F

. Mix all ingredients together

. Spread on a bake tray lightly oiled with coconut oil. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool, then break into pieces.

. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

. Eat with Hemp Milk (available at Mother's Market) or Coconut Milk

Coconut-Quinoa sweet salad (easy! Sarah's recipe)

Cooked quinoa

Red pepper and carrots sauteed in coconut oil

Coconut butter to taste

. Mix all ingredients together.

Tropical Salad w/ cashew coconut dressing (day-after-the-race salad, Sarah's recipe)

Coconut oil

Raw diced cashews (must be raw – raw cashews are sweet!)

Grated carrots and beats

Romaine lettuce

Slice mango

Sliced red pepper

Shredded coconut

. Combine all ingredients.

Chia Bean Patties (post-race, high-protein recovery food; wrap in foil and bring to races to be eaten w/ Brown Rice Tortillas, avocado & roasted red pepper - Thrive recipe)

Makes 8 burger patties:

2 cups cooked black beans (unsalted)

1.5 cups booked brown rice

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (super high in B vitamins but tastes like Parmesan cheese) 

1.5 tsp oregano

1 tsp agave nectar

1 stalk celery, minced

1 carrot, minced

1/2 cup minced yellow onion

2 tbsp brown rice miso

1/4 cup quinoa flakes

coconut oil

With a potato masher or the back of a fork, mash the black beans in a large bowl unto a chunky puree. Mix in remaining ingredients, one at a time. (Alternative, pulse ingredients together in a food processor, allowing some chunks to remain.) Form into 8-10 patties and refrigerate for one hour.)

Heat a spoonful of coconut oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add a few of the patties and cook for several minutes on each side until both sides are brown. (The finished patties will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.)

Direct Fuel Bites (eaten while racing or while training at high intensity, best when cold - Thrive recipe)

5 dates

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp lemon juice

dash sea salt

2 tsp ground yerba mate

Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Form mixture into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into bite-size pieces. Individually wrap in Cellophane and store in refrigerator or freezer.

Brown rice cakes w/ TJ's roasted almond-flaxseed butter, agave nectar and sliced banana (I ate one of these between nearly every lap)

TJ's Soft-Baked Snickerdoodles (I snacked on these during the race as well – free of the 8 common allergens and sweetened with date paste!)

Coconut Ice Cream w/ Sacha Inchi seeds & pecans (post-race reward; the seeds are extremely high in Omega-3 and protein)

"Cheesy Peas" - aka Yellow Peas & Nutritional Yeast (a good, extremely high protein and high B-Vitamin pre or post-race snack)

 B vitamin power house:

Well, that's all for now folks! Race report to come. It was a great day of racing, and I'm even more convinced that the Thrive vegan diet for athletes is brilliant.