Mini Pinole Endurance Cupcakes

Your endurance comes down to your nutrition, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat boring. You can have your cupcake and eat it too!

A few years ago, I came across a book by Christopher Mcdougall called Born to Run about an Ultra-marathoner. He mentions a fascinating Tribe known as the Tarahumaras. I decided to do a little research into this Tribe. The Tarahumara are a Native American people of Northwestern Mexico. They are known for their incredible level of endurance. They run long distances of up to 200 miles over a period of a couple of days. They would run for hunting, transportation, and communicating to others. When it came to hunting, they would literally run the animal down until it would be physically exhausted.

I found more of an interest in what they ate, thinking that a huge part of their endurance must come down to nutrition. Their food consists mainly of corn, beans, lentils, chia, squash, sweet potatoes, and some fruit. Only 5% or less of their food consists of flesh from animals.

I researched a particular mix known as Pinole. Pinole dates back as far as the Aztecs and they have a diet that consists mainly of roasted ground corn, chia, cinnamon, spices, and some sweetener. I decided to put my own recipe together and make Pinole Cupcakes.