Last post was about a crepe I made with nut butter, cookie spread and raisins, as my dear ol’ mom used to say, “JIC”. And that “JIC” was “just in case” I needed it to refuel on a 60 mile North Carolina ride. And though I didn’t need to refuel on the ride, that full-on flavorful crepe sure didn’t go to waste. No way!
Crepe with nut butter, cookie spread; fruit with yogurt, jam & dried fruit; and coffee
Last weekend I used half of that leftover crepe for breakfast, as shown above, along with fruit, yogurt, jam and dried fruit and a vat of coffee – and, you bet, both the crepe and coffee got a good shot of whipped cream. Again, that breakfast – and a good meal the night before (equally as important) –
…sustained me just fine for another 60 mile less hilly ride, as shown above, with no need to chomp on the nuts, raisins and dried coconut I bagged and shoved in my pocket, again, “JIC”. Ha, Mom!
My dear ol’ Mom “live life ‘bright eyed & bushy tailed’ and with compassion” role model had quite a few family famous lines. One was “Take it with you, JIC”, aka “Just in Case”, which she almost always qualified with a blunt “It’s better to have it and not need it than not have it and need it”. Yes, ma’am.
This past Saturday I sure heard her voice between my ears while prepping for a crunch on the bike with my good Hickory brothers. I’d actually started that prep the night before by making fresh crepes – all easy (click this link for picture book directions). I then laid on a good spread of both nut butter and cookie spread and topped that with raisins (click this link for step-by-step picture directions – and skip adding yogurt & whipped cream if you’re packing that crepe as shown below).
Crepe with nut butter, cookie spread & raisins packed in a zip bag for a bike ride
In the background of the 2-shot picture above, you can see what I had for breakfast before the morning ride: fruit with yogurt, jam and dried fruit along with 1/4th of a toasted waffle with nut butter, cookie spread and raisins that I topped later with a shot of yogurt and whipped cream – and very little coffee. I thought I had time. I didn’t.
As I’ve mentioned before, a breakfast like the one above almost always keeps me completely fueled for my rides. Same thing here. We stopped for coffee halfway out. I had an extra large with milk but didn’t eat anything – I wasn’t even slightly hungry – and was just fine for the whole ride as mapped out above.
If my dear ol’ mom could’ve seen me, she would’ve smiled, “Well, at least you had it, sonny. JIC!” Ma’, you bet – and thanks! (Wow, that last line makes my eyes swim – for good reason!)
And crepes make for great “on-the-fly” food. I made a stack of crepes before taking off across the country this summer. On that trip, I loved keeping my foot on the gas to take in all I could about our wonderfully vibrant country. Those crepes worked great for making lunches that I enjoyed rolling on the road, like the ham, cheese and mustard crepe shown above.
I made that crepe no-kidding while gassing up the car and, therefore, didn’t take pictures. When I got home, though, I shot this easy to make Tuna and Provolone Cheese Crepe that you can make either as shown below or by substituting the tuna and provolone cheese with any meat, vegetable and cheese you like. Imagination and flavor rule!
Here’s what I used to put together this Tuna and Provolone Cheese Crepe: leftover pan cooked tuna, provolone cheese, mustard and crepe.
Tuna and Provolone Cheese Crepe Ingredients
I started by spreading mustard on the crepe, laying on a slice of provolone cheese and hand-pulling apart pieces of leftover cooked tuna on half the crepe.
Spreading mustard on a crepe and topping with provolone cheese & cooked tuna
Warm the topped crepe in the microwave oven for 20 seconds.
Warm the crepe in the microwave oven for 20 seconds
Take the warmed crepe out of the microwave oven and fold the cheese only covered half over the tuna covered side and…
Fold the warmed crepe one half over the other half
Last post – I know, quite a while ago – showed how to make fresh crepes, which are just as easy to make as flapjack pancakes but are way more versatile, as shown with just a few examples above.
Whether you use your own crepes or pre-made store bought crepes, the top middle version, filled with nut butter and jam and topped with yogurt and whipped cream is very easy to make, killer flavorful and great power fuel for any kind of strenuous activity because of its combination of simple “get up and go!” sugars from the jam and cookie spread (optional), complex carbs from the flour in the crepe, protein from the egg in the crepe, Greek yogurt and nut butter, and fats from nut butter, yogurt (if you use whole milk yogurt) and whipped cream.
Here’s what I use to put together a crepe like this: homemade crepe (which can be substituted with a prepared, store bought crepe), then from left to right: whole milk Greek yogurt, almond butter, cookie spread (optional – I love both added flavor and light crunch!), jam, raisins and whipped cream.
Crepe with nut butter, jam, yogurt and whipped cream ingredients
Start by spreading nut butter, cookie spread (optional) and jam down the middle of the crepe.
Spreading nut butter, cookie spread and jam down the middle of a crepe
I fold over one of the crepe thirds and add a dab of nut butter to the middle of that third and then fold over the opposing third, as shown below, to keep the crepe folded in place when I warm it in the microwave oven.
Using nut butter to keep the folded crepe thirds together when warmed in the microwave oven
Warm the filled crepe in the microwave oven for 20 seconds.
Warming the filled crepe for 20 seconds in the microwave oven
Finish buy topping the warmed crepe with yogurt and whipped cream.
Finishing with a good shot of yogurt and whipped cream
This crepe just by itself is great. Here’s how I have it before a good crunch on the bike that keeps me satisfied completely with no need to refuel on the fly for distances of 30-50+ miles with plenty of North Carolina hills along the way.
Pre-ride crepe with nut butter, cookie spread, jam, yogurt and whipped cream
October 18th, 2022 
