Snack with reckless abandon (in moderation)

When you plan to spend all day on the rock/trail/mountain, having the proper gear is of the utmost importance. But just as important, and by certain measures even more important is having the right nutrients to get you through that long strenuous calorie burn. This is not a post meant to inform you on the necessity of keeping the right balance of carbs, proteins, glycogen, and fluids throughout the day. This is a post meant to inform you on the importance of snacks! Not to diminish the role of properly replenishing those calories you burn throughout the day, but if you don’t ingest the right snack you just aren’t doing it right. Just like there’s something special to be said about taking a long hot shower after griming out on a weekend adventure, there is something special to be said about pigging out in the midst of your intensely abnormal calorie burn.

WARNING: IF YOU DON’T SNACK WITH INTENSE PLEASURE WHILE IN THE FLOW YOU RISK PERMANENT DAMAGE TO YOUR BEING.

I have a buddy who packs an entire jar of Nutella and a spoon for every climbing trip he takes…the view at the top is great, but its better with a mouthful of Nutella. theDIHEDRAL’s own; Thoyle refuses to start a day of skiing/boarding without munching on a giant chocolate covered doughnut. I mean can you even begin to shred the gnar without a doughnut filled tummy? Clearly the answer is yes, but why would you do that? It’s said that when Alex Honnold recently finished his free solo of El Cap, his first words were “Now I can eat my Snickers”¹

And so with that, I present our favorite recipes for our favorite snacks on those days when your calorie intake cannot keep up with your calorie burn.

Carrot:

 Recipe #1 – Carrot sticks.

Ingredients

1. Carrots

Directions

1. Put carrots in your pack; eat them when you get hungry.

 Recipe #2 – Rolo Stuffed Ritz Crackers²

Ingredients

1. Rolo Candies
2. Crackers

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place half of the Ritz crackers on a baking sheet face side down, and top each one with a Rolo candy.
3. Bake for 3-5 minutes, until chocolate is soft and not melted.
4. Remove from the oven and immediately top with remaining crackers, and press down to create a sandwich.
5. Cool completely.

        

Sarah:

Recipe #1 – ALMOND BUTTER ENERGY BITES!!!  

Ingredients

1. 2 cups pitted dates
2. 1 cup almonds
3. 2 TBS almond butter
4. 1 TBS unsweetened almond milk 
5. 2 TBS cocoa powder
6. ½ tsp vanilla
7. ¼ tsp salt
8. More almond butter for drizzling (optional)

 Directions 

1. Line a baking pan with wax paper, set aside. (You will not be baking these, you just need a place to set your rolled bites as you make them). 
2. Put dates and almonds in your food processorfitted with an “S” blade. Process until mixture in fine and homogeneous. 
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (almond butter, almond milk, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt) to your food processor and process until mixture just starts to clump together (see picture). 
4. Roll 1 TBS portions of your “dough” into balls and place them on your prepared baking sheet. 
5. Transfer to an airtight container to save for later! These can be stored at room temperature, but will last longer when kept in the fridge or freezer! I think they taste the best cold/frozen! 
6. Optional drizzle: If you’d like to drizzle these with almond butter (or anything else…let your imagination run wild) I recommend popping your tray full of energy bites in the freezer for a few minutes before you drizzle away. If frozen, the almond butter will harden much quicker so you won’t have to worry about a mess! 
7. If your almond butter isn’t drizzling consistency from the jar, gently warm it in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is runny enough to drizzle on! 

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 18-20 energy bites

If you’re looking for a finger food while hiking, biking or taking on a walk these things are it!!

Bite sized energy never tasted better.

Gaia:

Recipe #1 – Homemade Nutella (As presented on deliciouslyella.com)

Ingredients

1. Whole wheat bread (I prefer Oroweat, 12 grains).
2. 2 cups of hazelnuts (380g)
3. 1/2 a cup of maple syrup (125ml)
4. 3 tablespoons of raw cacao powder.

Directions

1. Bake the hazelnuts at 180C for about ten minutes, then take them out of the oven and allow them to cool. 
2. Once cool place them in a food processor and blend for about ten minutes, until they totally break down. Keep blending till a runny hazelnut butter forms, then pour this into a bowl.
3. Slowly pour in the maple syrup, stirring continuously to combine.
4. Do the same with the cacao powder, adding one spoonful at a time, until you have a thick, creamy nutella (you can also add water to reach the desired consistency). 

My snack is not the most original one, but it’s for sure a delicious one !!! At least, I think it is… You can’t go wrong with Nutella and bread, can you ?

This has always been my go to hiking/life snack and of course I had to share it with you. I do have to let you know that after so many years obsessing over Nutella, I eventually realized that I had to, or either learn to control myself or find a healthier/nutritious version for both myself and my chocolate loving son. Therefore, a couple of years ago I was lucky enough to find this magnificent recipe by Ella Mills, from Deliciously Ella, and have been making it ever since. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do !

If you get a chance to try these snacks please tell us what you think. Also, if you have any recipes or ideas please give up the goods so we can try your treats as well.

Happy Trails,

theDIHEDRAL

1. This is almost certainly not true, because I definitely made it up.

2. I have to give credit for this heavenly treat to my friend, and climbing partner Kaitlin. Her tenacity on the rock is only exceeded by her ferocity for snacking. I have never met a person who has a more intimate relationship with snacks. Her food beta is without a doubt the best I have ever seen. Climbing with Kaitlin comes with two guarantees; topping out on routes and bottoming out in Tupperware.