Recipe: How to Make Your Own Homemade GU Energy Packets
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Those of you who attended last month’s Be Well Philly Boot Camp may have already stowed away this handy recipe, but for everyone else: Consider this your opportunity to stow.
At Boot Camp, I participated in an awesome running discussion with Black Girls Run! ambassador and 2013 Health Hero Leslie Marant and Unite Fitness nutrition director and VP Juliet Burgh. Juliet was kind enough to share her tried-and-true homemade GU recipe for a mid-race energy boost. The mix is meant to give you a nice, natural carb jolt, without all the unpronounceable stuff in a GU Energy Gel.
It occurred to me recently that such an awesome (and simple!) recipe deserves to live on the Internet for the enjoyment of all. And so I give you: Juliet’s Homemade GU Energy Packets.
Check it out.
Homemade GU Energy Packets
Servings: 5 (slightly less than 1/4 cup each)
Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen tart cherries
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp honey
Method
1. In a blender or food processor, blend cherries and orange juice. Add in chia seeds and salt. (It will be slightly foamy on top.)
2. Let chia mixture sit for five minutes, then give a good stir. Let sit for another two to three hours in the refrigerator.
3. Add honey and thoroughly combine (it should be really thick). Pour slightly less than ¼ cup of gel into five individual snack size plastic baggies.
4. Freeze until the night before a run. Place in fridge to thaw.
To consume:
You can just rip a hole in the side of the plastic bag and squeeze the mixture out to eat while you run. I’m not coordinated enough to do that running, so if you’re like me, I’d recommend getting a gel flask container for your running belt or just dilute the mixture with water and consume throughout your run in a normal water bottle; the chia seeds shouldn’t get stuck in the nozzle.
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