Carbohydrate Loading and Howdy Cowboy Bread

The week before an endurance event, something lasting longer than an hour and a half, it’s always smart to keep an extra eye on your diet.  Not to reduce calories but to create a balance which allows the body to store enough glycogen so you can maintain your pace longer without getting tired.  Unfortunately, all that bread and pasta won’t add extra speed but you might feel better and have a little more in the tank at the end if you eat right in the beginning.

Example of high carb – low fat meals (a week before the event):

Oatmeal with low fat milk and a banana, orange juice to wash it down.

Grilled tuna on whole grain bread with a baked sweet potato and a tossed salad.

Pasta (of course!) with tomato sauce and vegetables, a bread roll, berries and a tall glass of water.

The day before and morning of the event, I prefer very bland foods. I don’t have sauces unless I make them myself. Some sauces may contain a lot of fat.  My body doesn’t run well on fat. My meals are small but very balanced with carbohydrates and proteins, reduced fat and I eat every 3 hours.  Water is constantly kept in hand, making sure all cells and muscle tissue are well hydrated. Beer? Wine? No way.  Some folks do enjoy beer the day before a race and most folks B-LINE for beer after the race.  Better safe than sorry for me.

Here’s an interesting CARBO loaded recipe, HOOOWWDY Cowboy Bread.

I decided I’d do one, two, three, maybe four, but definitely two   recipes which certain states lay claim as their state bread, cake,pie, etc.

Guess which State lays claim to this recipe?  Texas of course! Since 2005, this sweet bread flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg has been a favored and declare the state bread.

It’s typically baked in a Dutch oven over a fire but, well, I’m not THAT meticulous in my following of directions.

Makes a 13 x 9 x 2 pan of delicious sweet cake bread.

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups brown sugar (that gets you HIGH on your horse!)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine the butter and flour, salt and sugar.  Mix to a crumb.  Set aside 3/4 cup for topping.

Add the baking powder, soda, nutmeg, cinnamon to the big bowl of crumb mix.  Now stir in the buttermilk

and eggs. Mix well.

Pour into a 13 x 9 pan. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs, top with extra cinnamon if you like.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Yep! Those are my boots and that’s my “10 Gallon Hat”.

These are not quite the horses out on the open Texas range, but they’re our wild herd and we enjoy watching them…

Do you know your state’s bread, cake, pie recipe?