For my own diet, eating mostly yeast-free and gluten-free generally works best for me. I feel less bloated and sluggish when I limit my intake of white bread, pasta and pastries. So I rely more on whole grains, tortillas, lavash and multi-grain bread as carb sources, along with fruits and vegetables.

The tricky part with my meals-on-wheels is figuring out how to carry as much food as possible in the small bag I have mounted on my handlebars.

Hopefully I can cram a ton of food into this bag for Saturday! — Hopefully I can cram a ton of food into this bag for this Saturday!

While there are mandatory stops along the way where we can buy prepared food -- we're required to get receipts at designated stops such as supermarkets as proof we're riding along the route -- it's faster, cheaper and oftentimes more delicious to eat our own homemade meals (although our lunch of flank steak bruschetta and tomato soup from The Cowgirl Cantina was superb.)

Here's a small sampling of what I've brought with me on recent rides:

Peanut butter, strawberry jelly and banana sandwiches on whole wheat bread
Whole wheat lavash with roasted chicken, roasted tomatoes, romaine lettuce, avocado and labneh
Hummus on whole wheat pita with cucumber and tomato
Hard-boiled eggs
Tangerines and small apples
Baby carrots
Dried nuts and fruit
ProBars, 18 Rabbits and Bonk Breakers (I've found these brands to be the tastiest and most wholesome energy bars and great for low sugar emergencies.)

I tend to avoid most dairy products and chocolate as they don't keep as well in my bag, so I'll pick up those items during the ride.

For the 300k, more PB & J and lavash sandwiches will be the staple items of our meals as they don't get soggy and are super filling.

Lavash wrap with roasted chicken, avocado, roasted tomatoes, romaine lettuce and labneh. — I pack my wraps in a lined, reusable snack bag.

I'm also adding mini-burritos to the mix (made with roasted chicken or tri-tip, black beans, brown rice, avocado, roasted tomato salsa, sauteed zucchini and peppers).

And here's one of Lim's famous recipes: rice cakes. I adapted his version and made mine with brown rice, Niman Ranch ham, eggs, scallions wrapped with seaweed and omitted the sugar and cheese.

Future combinations I'd like to try would be a brown rice burritos made with sauteed onions and ground turkey, spinach, dried or fresh cherries and cashews wrapped in a tortilla.

I've made this brown rice and ground turkey dish with sauteed red onion, spinach, fresh or dried cherries and cashews before and think it would be a great burrito filling. — I've made this brown rice and ground turkey dish in the past and think it would be a savory burrito filling.

I'm also a big fan of quinoa and have used a wide variety of ingredients in the past to make an assortment of salads.

Roasted chicken quinoa salad with roasted peppers, sheep and cow's milk feta, mixed olives, scallions, spicy pork sausage and sherry vinegar. — Roasted chicken quinoa with roasted peppers, sheep and cow's milk feta, mixed olives, scallions, spicy pork sausage and sherry vinegar.

Other potential candidates include roasted sweet potatoes with steak and arugula in a lavash wrap and roasted salmon, avocado and sesame rice balls. I'd also love to make some of my own energy bars. Lim includes recipes for sweet rice cakes in his book, including these variations: fig & honey; chocolate, peanut and coconut; almond and date.

So the next time you're out on the bike, need to pack snacks for a hike or a camping trip or just want something to bring with you to eat before or after a workout -- try some of these alternatives to candy bars and potato chips. And let me know if you have any great recipes of your own in the comments.

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