You're on the right path.
I recently went through a period of struggling to figure out what fuel and nutrition protocol worked best for me. Much of the advice I received led to over-eating on the bike. Through experimentation I found that eating something substantial and healthy about 2 hours before a ride and simply topping off as needed during the ride works best for me. Depending on the length of my daily route I'll usually have 1-2 servings of hot oats with cinnamon, banana, pecans or walnuts, ~1 tbsp raw agave nectar and salt to taste.
The other thing I learned through my own experiementation is that electrolytes are much more important than food on the bike. To my 750ml bottles of water I add 1/2 tsp. magnesium citrate, 1/8 tsp. potassium chloride and
1/8 tsp. himalayan pink salt. Increasing my intake of electrolytes on the bike has provided more benefit than anything else I have tried.
Example: For a 100-mile ride (which I do often) I will front-load with 2 servings of hot oats, banana, nuts, cinnamon, salt and raw agave nectar. That pre-ride meal provides about 700 calories, ~100g of carbs, 700-800mg potassium, a little protein, a modest amount of fat, and a bit of fiber. In cooler weather (sub 70 degrees) I've been consuming two 750ml bottles with water and electrolytes. If temps are above 80 I'll usually consume one or two 750ml bottles of straight water in addition to the two bottles with electrolytes. On average, that's roughly 750ml of fluids every 25-50 miles depending on heat. As for on-the-bike food I usually consume one Cliff bar (or some dates and a banana) around mile 50.
For me and my style of riding I have found this fueling and hydration protocol quite ideal. The recommendations to pump my body full of carbs at a rate of 30-60g per hour led to poor results... especially maltodextrin.
A note about maltodextrin: Many on this forum espouse the wonderful benefits of maltodextrin. And if it works for
you then I say that's great.
For me,however, it was terrible in all respects. When I first mixed maltodextrin powder with water I suddenly realized what that aweful smell is that's so prevalent in Wal-Mart and Target stores. That weird, funky, plastic-y smell that drives me nuts whenever I have to enter a Wal-Mart or a Target is exactly what maltodextrin smells like. And people put that crap into their body?! Absolutely gross! Just my opinion.