You can do the kawaii version of Bruce's sandwiches with stuff like this:

Awesome, thanks @Jules. Now we're talking. How many other recipes from that cookbook have you tried, and what did you think of them?

@Bruce van-Schalkwyk the only sandals I have are Nike slides, the kind you see teenagers wear at the basketball courts, so I don't think your advice will work for me. But you're right, that's pretty much what "natural" labeling means. Also, I'm not going to regularly go out of my way to buy Clif bars, even for a dollar. As for your other suggestion: bananas, nut butter, and dates are precisely among the snacks that are getting old. I enjoy them too much off the bike and would like to continue doing so.

@David Yang See what you made me do trying to formulate a jokey response to you? I ended up reading this BuzzFeed article called "19 Legitimately Awesome Cookie Cutters." (Spoiler: they're not.) Shameful.

^ I have tried exactly none. Those rice cakes are SO FUCKING DELISH. I almost stopped eating all other food.

That's a ringing endorsement if I've ever heard one. I'm gonna try substituting mushrooms for bacon, because whenever I tire of sweet and nutty bars I dream of umami.

There are a number of Kissena's (ex and current) who can opine... 

The details in the article almost look like a recommendation for Osmo  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-pedialyte.html

Btw, they make Pedialyte in single serve powder form as well (though for children's doses). Probably good for post ride rehydration rather than on the bike sipping?

Also should I not take the author literally when mentioning the 6lbs loss after hot yoga sessions? That's basically losing 2.75 liters of water weight.

David Yang said:

Btw, they make Pedialyte in single serve powder form as well (though for children's doses). Probably good for post ride rehydration rather than on the bike sipping?

Also should I not take the author literally when mentioning the 6lbs loss after hot yoga sessions? That's basically losing 2.75 liters of water weight.

That was a flag for me as well.  
Thanks for pointing it out.

that does sound extreme. back when i wrestled you'd plan on losing/gaining 2.5 pounds of "water weight" before/after weigh-in. not sure how much i lost through sweat though

I mean it was a jokey article, but not in a total Onion kind of satirical way so...I guess take it with a grain of salt...or a swig of Pedialyte, har har har.

I've been meaning to make home-made "gels" consisting of maple syrup sweetened sweet potato paste in a reusable squeeze tube.

will experiment and report back here.

Found my reusable pouch:

Looks awesome.  Keep us updated, would love to see what you come up with.

Not sure which thread this goes in...

It appears that Stacy Sims, formerly of Osmo, is back with NBS Nutrition.  
(No BullShit)

http://www.nbs-nutrition.com/products

Update:

1. bake some sweet potatoes
2. mash em - skin and all
3. add honey and/or brown sugar to taste
4. add almond milk
5. throw in the blender and blend until smooth – add more almond milk as needed
6. put in reusable food pouch

And there you have it – cyclist's baby food.

Super easy, although I made WAY too much. If I had a ton of pouches, I could probably freeze them, and pull them out as needed for long rides.

I need to measure ingredients more carefully next time, so I can really get a good sense of the nutritional contents, but at first glance it seems that one of these 4.2 oz pouches packs roughly this:

120 calories
43mg sodium
565.6mg potassium
24.6g carbs
3.9 g fiber
14g sugar
2.4g protein
45.2mg calcium

Compare this to one Gu…

100 cal
60mg sodium
40mg potassium
22g carbs
7g sugar
0g protein
20mg calcium
not a significant source of fiber

So essentially, these puppies are like a gel, but with a bit of protein and a shit ton more potassium. What's potassium for, you ask??

So: a suuuuuuuper cheap, easy to make gel that also provides electrolytes and 16% of your daily fiber. Oh – also they're not sticky like gels, and you don't have to squeeze the pouch to get the stuff out. Can fit 3-4 in a jersey pocket.

You're welcome

So an excuse to finally spend the cash and get a Vitamix, got it.

David Yang said:

So an excuse to finally spend the cash and get a Vitamix, got it.

Any blender will do really. Or you could just hand-mash entirely.

What are we, neanderthals?  I suppose you want people to pedal their bikes instead of letting a motor power it....oooooh ssssshhhh, that was supposed to be a secret.

I so dislike eating bananas although I know that they have that potassium ... so ^this^, this I may give a go. 

Two of these puppies = probably enough on-the-bike calories for a weekend bikepacking trip.

How much volume per?

David Yang said:

How much volume per?

2 tubes haha

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/understanding-nutrition-periodization/

"Periodization is defined as breaking something up into discrete blocks. In order to effectively train, we modulate the intensity, volume, and frequency of our workouts so we show up on race day as fit and rested as possible. These training changes put different demands on our bodies to elicit specific physiological responses. If the demands on our bodies vary, it follows that our nutrition to fuel our bodies should vary as well. Therefore, understanding nutrition periodization is vital to achieving optimal performance."

mugwump said:

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/understanding-nutrition-periodization/

"Periodization is defined as breaking something up into discrete blocks. In order to effectively train, we modulate the intensity, volume, and frequency of our workouts so we show up on race day as fit and rested as possible. These training changes put different demands on our bodies to elicit specific physiological responses. If the demands on our bodies vary, it follows that our nutrition to fuel our bodies should vary as well. Therefore, understanding nutrition periodization is vital to achieving optimal performance."

Mike Barry (yeah, I know) when I questioned him about his training regimen (before the news was out) said that included with the intervals was a prescription for meat/carbs, etc.

I'm skeptical.

Just came back from a week in Memphis, TN.
While I had time to ride, and took advantage of it, I made a serious mistake in not bringing any drink mix with me.  I always left the house with two bottles of water.  Just about every ride, by mid-ride, I was craving salty fluids, and by the time I found some Gatorade, it felt like it was too late.

Memo to self: next time I go somewhere hot, bring the powder with me or buy some.

mugwump said:

Just came back from a week in Memphis, TN.
While I had time to ride, and took advantage of it, I made a serious mistake in not bringing any drink mix with me.  I always left the house with two bottles of water.  Just about every ride, by mid-ride, I was craving salty fluids, and by the time I found some Gatorade, it felt like it was too late.

Memo to self: next time I go somewhere hot, bring the powder with me or buy some.

Because what could possibly go wrong traveling in TN with a ponytail and a bag of white powder...?

Maybe try this next time?

https://dumbrunner.com/nutrition-news/2017/6/30/betty-crocker-enters-sports-fuel-market-with-endurance-frosting