American Birkebeiner

As you await the big day, there's still one more important tactic that will make a huge difference on race day. This week, fuel your body with high energy food. Here are a few stick-to-your-ribs, hot breakfast cereal suggestions:

Millet Cereal (a gluten-free powerhouse)
For each serving, grind ¼ cup whole millet in electric coffee grinder. Whisk ground millet into 1 ¼ cup cold water until lumps dissolve. Add salt to taste. Stir often until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Before serving, add 1 T. ground flax seed, 1 T. walnuts and fresh or frozen fruit.

Steel Cut Oats
For each serving, slowly stir 1/3 cup steel cut oats into 2/3 cup boiling water. Add salt to taste. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Before serving, add 1 T. ground flax seed, 1 T. walnuts and fresh or frozen fruit.

Spelt Cereal
Whole spelt can be cooked in one of two ways. If you have plenty of time in the morning, start by soaking spelt overnight with an inch of water covering the grain (1/2 cup spelt per serving). In the morning, bring the water to a boil, add a dash of salt, reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 1 1/2 hours. Or let a mini crock-pot do the cooking while you sleep. Rinse half a cup spelt per person and cover it with one-inch of water in the crock-pot with a dash of salt. Plug it in at bedtime and in the morning the hearty aroma will call you to breakfast. Either way, top with walnuts and dates…or almonds and apricots…or any combinate of nuts and dried or fresh fruit.

Enjoy! And have a great race!