Runner Food: (The Best Ever) Power Scones

If you're a runner, then you understand that this whole runner's diet can be a complex and sometimes annoying beast. Did I get enough protein? How many carbs today? Too much fiber?

I think these same questions can be even more confusing if you happen to be a vegetarian. People ask me all the time, "How are you able to train for a marathon AND be a vegetarian? You can't possibly eat enough." False! I eat like crazy, run like crazy and it's all fueled perfectly well.

One of my favorite post-run recovery foods is the recipe below for power scones. I can't say that I came up with it, because I didn't - but I did adapt it a little. They're wonderful on-the-go food, they make a perfect breakfast, they're delicious, they'll make you full for a long time AND they are loaded with the good stuff. They are worth the trip to get the weird ingredients (Whole Foods has all of it for really reasonable prices in the bulk section!) I suggest buying enough ingredients so you can double, triple, quadruple the recipe because you WILL eat the hell out of these.

(The Best Ever) Power Scone

Ingredients:

½ C rolled oats (old fashioned oats, not quick oats)
2 C whole wheat flour
¼ C wheat bran
¼ C almonds (ground or chopped)
¼ C pecans (ground or chopped)
2 T millet
2 T ground flax seed
2 T whole flax seed
½ C brown sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
6 T cold butter
¾ C low-fat or non-fat greek yogurt
1/8 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp orange zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins work fine)

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients through salt.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the dough looks like fine bread crumbs.
2. Mix yogurt, egg, vanilla, lemon zest, orange zest and lemon with a whisk.  Add to dry ingredients with the cranberries.
3. Form scones into the size and shape you desire.  Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes, depending on size, until golden brown. (If you make super huge scones, keep baking until the tops are turning golden brown.)
4.Voila! Enjoy. You can eat these right away. Save them in storage containers for up to a week or freeze them for later!