Healthy Travel Snacks

Airport food can be a NIGHTMARE. It's come a long way in the last several years, with great restaurants like Lemonade in LAX or the amazing salad bar from CIBO in La Guardia, but if you're flying to major metropolitan airports like Ithaca, NY, Chattanooga, TN or Rapid City, SD, you aren't left with a ton of options. I cringe when I see one sad kiosk with packaged pastries and a huge pot of 5 hour old coffee as the only food or beverage option. You never want to eat something that will make you feel sick or gross before you get on a 3 hour flight, amiright?

I almost never travel without at least one snack (a girl's gotta eat!), and here are some of my favorites that travel well.

DIY TRAIL MIX
Mix anything you have on hand - almonds, cashews, dried mangos, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, whatever! The dried fruit is a sweet treat, the nuts are filling and crunchy, and a winner in my book. Here's a great chart to help you build a great mix! The best part is you can make a bunch and snack on it for months. Make up little baggies that are ready to grab & go! 

CUT UP FRUIT AND VEGGIES
Fruits and veggies grow outside... so they don't need to be refrigerated for short periods of time. My favorite trick is to buy carrots and apples the night before and cut them up before I leave, never putting them in the fridge. That way they don't get clammy or brown mid-flight. Carrots, celery, apples, bell pepper, cucumbers, oranges, grapes.... whatever strikes your fancy.

RICE CAKES + ______________
Take two rice cakes. Top with nut butter, guacamole, hummus or any other topping. Add salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper, garlic... or whatever you want. I just found this Pinterest board with a ton of great ideas.

POPCORN
Air pop and top with anything you want (I use coconut oil in lieu of butter to make the seasoning stick). It's crunchy and flavorful and fills the salty snack fix!

ONE TIME USE PACKETS
These bad boys are ready to go and can be picked up at any grocery store.
- Sabra makes single serving hummus cups
- Justin's Almond Butter makes 1.5oz packs in several flavors
- Blue Diamond makes 100 calorie packs of whole almonds
- KIND or Lara Bars are the least processed of the granola bar world
- String cheese is always a winner.

If you're worried about what counts as "liquid" food, try the TSA app to search for the item in question. For example, type in 'yogurt' and it reminds you of the 3.4oz rule, and most yogurt comes in 5-6oz tubs. Decant into smaller containers (remember, the container itself needs to be within the size regulation) or choose a different snack.

By packing healthy snacks, you'll save a ton of money and feel better for your flight! Do you ever bring snacks with you when you travel? Any other great healthy snacks I'm forgetting?
xo

Travel Diary: 10 Days in Seattle

I'm falling in love with the PNW a little more each time I visit. I've also realized I've spent over 3 weeks there in the last calendar year... wow!

a photo from my trip in January

This time I was able to go out for a bachelorette weekend followed by the wedding... with a lot of time spent with friends in between!

10 Days in Seattle held a lot of activities for me:
Bachelorette weekend at Lake Chelan (Dinner, drinks, wine tasting, laying out, lounging in the cabin, shopping, travel days)
Down time in Seattle (Dinner, coffee, working, shopping, exploring, working out)
Wedding Festivities (Rehearsal dinner, doing the bridal party's hair, wedding ceremony & reception)

Here's how I packed (not pictured: 1 set of work out clothes, 1 set pj pants & tank, 2 earrings, 2 necklaces)

Little Mistress strapless dress, $105 / Topshop black cocktail dress, $56 / Skater dress / Nicole Miller dress, $710 / American Eagle Outfitters blue shirt / MANGO long sleeve sweater, $16 / Abercrombie Fitch white tank top / Alice Olivia sleeveless shirt / T By Alexander Wang white tank top / American Eagle Outfitters black jacket / Jacket / Flower kimono / MICHAEL Michael Kors blue jeans / H&M chino shorts, $8.16 / Bandeau bikini top / Swim suit / Restricted ballet shoes / Madden Girl wedge shoes / Wedge shoes, $115 / MICHAEL Michael Kors leather purse / Ulster Weavers canvas purse, $24 / Michael Kors leather handbag / Michael Stars hat / Phase Eight wrap shawl, $46 / Lightweight scarve, $20 / H M waist belt, $21 / Yves Saint Laurent round glasses

4 tops
2 bottoms
4 dresses
4 outerwear/sweater
2 scarves
3 shoes
3 bags
bathing suit, hat, belt, sunglasses

I'll get into the outfit combos in an upcoming post! Let's just say this is a great set of clothes to work with.... the possibilities are pretty endless.

The first three days were the bachelorette party in Lake Chelan. It was so so so much fun! Another upcoming post. 10 days is so hard to write about in a concise manner :)

Between the girls weekend in Chelan & Matt arriving (he came about 6 days after I did), I stayed with my friend Cait in her apartment in Madison Park.

The view was amazing... and so was the weather! We had that sliding door open 24/7. It was awesome. Plus, Madison Park is adorable! There are tons of little shops and restaurant, and even their Starbucks is cute - it feels like a big ski lodge.

Some fun activities for the week:
- I went to Orange Theory with Cait in Capitol Hill - i've never tried that workout before, have you? It's a 60 minute "class" where you spend half the time doing weight/strength circuits and half the time on the treadmill doing bursts, intermixed with rowing (for recovery). It was tough work but fun! Because you're constantly rotating, the time went really quickly. I'd definitely go again!

- Sitka & Spruce is a restaurant I've wanted to try (as I've been to two of their other concepts - London Plane & Bar Sajour in Pioneer Square) and it definitely impressed me. 

we sat right next to the "kitchen" in the open concept

the menu.... everything was divine!

Everything on the menu was delicious and perfectly prepared, the staff was friendly & knowledgeable (i love when wine recommendations are spot on!) and the atmosphere can not be beat. There are only about 30 spots in the whole restaurant, and it's definitely a leisurely dining experience. Lucky for us, we walked in around 6pm on a Wednesday, but I would recommend reservations if you're really interested in going (especially on the weekend). Oh and I don't care if you're Paleo or Gluten Free (those with Celiac, you get a free pass because I don't actually want to cause you harm) -you NEED to get the London Plane bread. It's worth every cheat day you've ever dreamed of.

- Victrola Coffee Roasters is a coffee shop in Capital Hill that I just loved! Big open windows & tables, great coffee (no drip - large batch french press), free wifi & cool vibe.

It was such a great week with Cait. And her new apartment is amazing!

The wedding was SO MUCH FUN! I was able to do the bride's hair and she looked gorgeous. What do you think?

I'm definitely not a pro... but it's so fun!

Here are a few snaps from the wedding.

On the dance floor with Cait!

My date showed up! 

#TheLondonSemester
Also, i promise that's not a baby bump I've got going on. My dress has pockets and it was opening at an unfortunate time! 

Once Matt arrived, stayed in this AirBNB apartment (more on AirBNB in Seattle, here!) in the Wallingford area, and we absolutely LOVED it! Here are a few pics I borrowed from their listing (it is even more gorgeous in person! Great spot!)

We were obsessed. Bigger than most 1br apartments, and we stayed 3 nights for less than the price of 1 night in a Seattle hotel. We LOVE AirBNB!

Some spots we hit up:
- Zoka Coffee (Greenlake) was about two blocks from our apartment so I walked there to pick up coffee for Matt and I. What a gorgeous walk! And Zoka was buzzing with cute families & puppies on a Saturday morning. I also was able to go to the Zoka in University District with Cait! Try the lavender mocha. 

- Oddfellows Cafe was somewhere I passed by on the bus and decided to look up on Yelp. Turns out, it's a Seattle favorite of many. Awesome vibe & even better food!

inside

We sat at that little table on the back patio... so cozy! Plus the weather was gorgeous that day... definitely doesn't hurt! Definitely try the Baked Eggs... they're amazing! 

- Discovery Park is NW of the city center and feels totally removed. We laid in the grass and enjoyed the sunshine... I could have stayed there forever!

The park is right on the water. Isn't it terrible how much it rains here? Aren't all of my photos gloomy and terrible? This rain business is a LIE.

- We lucked out and Cait's friends were going Boating on Lake Goodwin one afternoon. Again.... gloomy and terrible.

Matt went wake boarding and got some good jumps (not pictured: him being sore for 4 days after haha!) - it was fun!

- Taste of India for dinner with Sharyn & Bryan. Get the Channa Masala!

- Portage Bay Cafe for Brunch. This is our 3rd time eating here.... and it won't be our last.

- Driving around Alki Beach area in West Seattle. It's a cute little beach town! Who would have thought that existed in the PNW?

- Cafe Flora for dinner. This vegetarian restaurant would please even the most carnivorous carnivore. Everything is INSANELY DELICIOUS. I wish I lived down the street, I'd stop cooking and just eat here. We went here for the first time for Sharyn's rehearsal dinner and I've dreamed about it ever since. Try the Beet Gnocchi!

And of course, I'm dying to go back! It was 65 and sunny every day, filled with friends & good coffee. I absolutely love it out there. Looking for an excuse to go back out....

Do you have any must-try restaurants, coffee or activities in Seattle? I have a few more here if you want to check it out!

Stay tuned to how I used my packing list & for the details on Lake Chelan!

Green on Green on Green

Sometimes.... your fridge is hodge-podge.

Sometimes.... you have three different vegetables all going bad at the same time.

Sometimes... you have small amounts of leftovers that barely make a snack.

This meal was created because of all of these reasons. But I've made it on purpose several other times now, because it was a random success. It's also a winner in my book because it takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. Which means I can cook this and eat it faster than a pizza would be delivered to my house.

I call it Green on Green on Green because it's just that - Brussels sprouts with broccoli, on top of a bed of mixed greens (I like turnip greens and arugula!).

see what I mean?

Green on Green on Green

Ingredients

4 servings

1 lb Brussels Sprouts, halved

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

2 TBSP grape seed oil (or other high heat oil)

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp sea salt (to taste)

1/4 tsp pepper (to taste)

8 cups your choice of greens (2 per person)

Optional: 1 cup cooked lentils, rice, black beans, chick peas.... whatever you might have around. It just adds nice texture to have a third non-green element.

Directions

1. Cut brussels and broccoli, then place in bowl with 1TBSP oil and salt + pepper. Toss.

2. Place large skillet (that has a lid!) over medium high heat and add additional 1TBSP of oil with your minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, then add brussels/broccoli mix, leave uncovered for now, stir occasionally.

3. While those are cooking, fill each bowl with the greens and add your extra beans/rice/additional filler if desired.

4. After about 5 minutes, place the lid on your skillet. This will make the broccoli get reeeeeeally green and tasty. Allow to cook for another 3-5 minutes, brussels should start to get nice char marks.

5. Remove from heat and add a scoop to each bed of greens. No need for dressing, as the B+B mix takes care of that.

See the tiny bit of rice in there? Probably not even 1/4 cup.

The crazy thing about this meal is how filling it is. I usually find myself a little hungry after a salad, but this was so satisfying in a great way! Plus, greens are SO GOOD for you :)

Also, this is excellent as a leftover. Just stow the B+B mix on it's own and add to greens after you reheat them for lunch the next day. BOOM.

Enjoy ;)

xo

CSA Veggies: Sweet Potato Bruschetta

Even though I haven't picked up a CSA in over two weeks (it's over until springs... wahhhhh!) I still have a few sweet potatoes to spare :) However, I was stuck in a bit of a rut, making the same few things with them. Until tonight.

A not to secret is that i LOVE bread. Anything that involves bread, count me in. I'm the person who goes to Panera and PRAYS that they give me the baguette instead of the apple. It's a serious problem. I never buy it because i'll eat the entire loaf, but I love something that makes me think i'm eating bread. Cue bruschetta.

Who doesn't love bruschetta? It's SO GOOD! But instead of bread, i used sliced up sweet potatoes. I barely missed my beloved bread. Not to mention this is vegan, gluten free, paleo, and anything else you can be these days ;) It's also super filling! Great for an appetizer or in addition to a main course.

Sweet Potato Bruschetta

2 - Regular sweet potatoes, peeled
a little grape seed oil for the pan

1 - tbsp olive oil
2 - tomatoes, chopped
2 - green onions, chopped
handful of italian flat leaf parsley
1 - tsp salt
1 - tsp pepper
1 - tsp garlic
1/4 - tsp chili powder
couple dashes of cinnamon

1. Peel your sweet potatoes and then cut them in half, Slice each of the halves into 1/4inch slices.

2. Put a large pan on medium heat and add grape seed oil. Lay the slices of sweet potato in the pan and cover. Flip every 3-4 minutes until cooked through.

3. Chop onion, parsley, and tomato (to pico de gallo consistency), add spices and olive oil, stir and set aside. (Note: Try this, you may want to add a little more chili powder or cinnamon, just to go with the sweet potatoes. Or wait until you try just one slice and then add seasoning accordingly)

4. Once sweet potatoes are browned and cooked through, take off heat and top with tomato mix. Serve immediately, enjoy!

CSA Veggies: Potato Gnocchi

Doing a winter CSA, you're basically guaranteed several pounds of potatoes each week, and perhaps a few other vegetables. To be completely honest, I don't remember the last time I bought potatoes before we signed up for this CSA, so the abundance has been a challenge to use up!

so many potatoes.

I should also mention that I had Yukon Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, and Red Japanese Sweet Potatoes (what?!)

After making mashed potatoes (coming soon) and several soups, I tried to think of any other meals that were primarily made of potato. Finally it hit me - gnocchi.

My first thought was how unhealthy they were. My second thought was how terribly long they would take to make! Not to mention I was hungry RIGHT THEN, and didn't want to wait hours to eat. Once i checked out a few recipes, I combined them to make my own. I ate a handful of almonds to tide me over, and got to work.

Homemade Potato Gnocchi
45-60 min prep time, 5 min cook time
Will make 10-12 servings of gnocchi

4-5 Medium sized potatoes. or 10-12 small ones (if using the baby gold ones) - we used the Japanese Red Sweet Potatoes (they were delicious for this)
1 cup flour; additional for dusting surfaces
2 beaten eggs
salt
optional: 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 - Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Put into a large sauce pan and boil until soft. Potatoes should easily be poked by a fork. About 20 minutes.
2 - Drain potatoes and return to pan. Use potato masher (or ricer if you have one!) until very smooth.
3 - Add flour, eggs, and pinch of salt. Use hands to mix everything until you have a big bowl of very sticky dough. Add parmesan if desired (after initially mixed). Do not use electric mixer.
4 - Put another pot of salted water on so it will be ready for you in a few minutes (if cooking now - if not, skip this step)
5 - Cover flat surface with flour, and begin to make long, skinny tubes of dough. These should be about the size of a nickel around.
6 - Cut the tubes into 1" chunks and set aside until all dough is finished.

If freezing, place on a flour covered cookie sheet or wax paper, and place in freezer overnight. Transfer to freezer bags after 12 hours.

If cooking, place the desired amount of gnocchi in the boiling water. Once the gnocchi float to the top, allow to boil 1-2 more minutes, the remove from heat.

all ready to be frozen

We ate ours with vodka sauce and really enjoyed it. I will say, they are UGLY. I didn't take any photos of them in sauce because they just looked awful (seriously, see above). I will have to work on making mine look like something edible, but they really were tasty.

I'm also really into the idea of these, because it was super short on ingredients, didn't take that long, and made us extra meals for a while! Now we can have 'home made dinner' in 5 minutes on a busy weekday night. YES!

I'd like to experiment with these, see if I can come up with a wheat-free option, perhaps a vegan one as well.

Have you ever made gnocchi before? Any other tips for making them look nicer?

What To Do With CSA Veggies: Extra Radishes

For the last two years, i've planted a small garden. Nothing major. This year I had twice the size of my small plot, so I had carrots, lettuce, kale, two kinds of peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, green onions, multiple herbs, snap peas and arugula. I LOVED it! It's such a fun hobby, and you get food out of it! I'm not exactly a 'green thumb', so i had plenty of failed crops (i'm looking at you, tomatoes!), and obviously had to supplement with grocery trips. But now that fall has set in, my little garden plot has all died. Sad!

Since i missed my garden (and the delicious tasting veggies is produces), we decided to sign up for a winter CSA. I'd never done one before, and I have really enjoyed it so far! There are definitely pros and cons to the CSA life.

all mine!

Pro:
- fresh, local produce every 2 weeks!
- price is right ($35 every 2 weeks for more than we could ever finish)
- you get what they grow, so you're introduced to new veggies you might not have cooked with before... it's fun!

Con:
- sometimes you haven't used your potatoes/radishes/greens from last week.... so now you have 2x as much and no idea what to do with them.
- you might not like the fun new veggies (i.e., the fennel i got last week)
- you might be gone part of your week, so a chunk of your food goes bad.

However, I'd like to add the pro that it inspires you to cook at home and use what you have! And to turn the excess of a certain veggie from a con to a pro, i decided to get creative.

But we got this big, beautiful bunch of radishes (see, top left of the box) which i was excited about.... except i still had 2/3 of my bunch from last week. I could only think of putting them in salads, and i hadn't used up enough to justify a whole second bunch. Dilemma.

So I got creative, and made myself an entire meal out of radishes. It's vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten free, nut free, dairy free... the list goes on.

Sautéed Radishes with Greens

7-9 Radishes w/ greens still attached
grape seed oil (or any high heat oil you prefer)
salt
pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

1. Trim and quarter the radishes. Chop the greens like you were cutting them for a salad. Keep them separate.
2. Heat a pan to medium, add grapseed oil and allow to heat for 1-2 min. Add radish quarters and salt.
Sautée for 5-7 minutes on medium heat, they should be softening.
3. Add minced garlic and allow to mingle until fragrant. Add radish greens and lower heat to medium low. Sautée entire mix until greens are wilted but not completely mushy.
4. Top with pepper and serve warm.

It was different and delicious! I'll certainly be making it again. Was great as a main dish for this vegetarian, but would be an excellent side for any meal. Are you a part of a CSA? Do you love it? Do you have any secret radish recipes i need to know about?

Coming next week: what to do with 1 million sweet potatoes.

xo

Lentil Veggie Burgers

For those of you who don't know, I've been a vegetarian for almost 7 years. At the beginning, I was asked almost daily what I ate if I didn't eat meat! The answer is - everything that you do.... except chicken, pork, turkey and beef.

And truthfully, I don't miss it one. bit.

When I married a carnivore, I thought this might pose a problem! I have no problem cooking meat, but i thought it was kind of silly to cook two different dinners every night. Luckily, Matt enjoys all of my vegetarian cooking, and I try new recipes all the time!

One product i'm a huge fan of is lentils. Specifically, pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe's. They're $2, rather than $1 for a bag, but soaking/cooking beans takes FOREVER and I just don't have the patience, considering I'm usually making up dinner when i'm already starving. Totally worth the convenience.

Anyway, i've found quite a few lentil recipes that I love. We joined a Winter CSA and have pounds and pounds of potatoes - regular and sweet. I'll be sure to include some of these recipes, too, as i'm sure i'm not alone on the potato overload! We wanted to make home-made fries, and i thought that 'burgers' would go really well with them!

I made black bean burgers from scratch once before, and it was extremely time consuming because i was mashing them by hand. I've since invested in a little food processor and it has completely changed cooking for me.

These lentil burgers took almost no time and were delicious!

Lentil Burgers
prep: 10min cooking 10-20min
Makes 8-10


Ingredients:
1 pack Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils (2.5 cups)
4 eggs
1/2 onion (you can add more or less if you like - but some is necessary for texture)
sea salt
garlic powder
cracked black pepper

1 cup oat flour (or alternatively, breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup grape seed oil (or other high heat oil)

1 - put lentils, a few shakes of salt, pepper, garlic, chopped onion and eggs in food processor. Blend until it's the texture of chunky humus. You don't need to make it perfectly smooth, you want it still a bit watery.

2 - pour into bowl, add oat flour/breadcrumbs and mix in. allow a couple of minutes for it to thicken. **remember, you want moisture. so if it looks a little dry, you can add another egg or 1/4 cup of water**

3 - while your mix is setting, put a large, flat pan on medium-low and add your oil.

4 - make patties (size of the rim of a coffee cup) and put in the oil. cover, and let sit for 7-8 minutes while it browns. flip to other side, brown for 7-8 minutes. allow a few extra minutes if necessary.

5 - remove from oil and allow to sit for a minute, but serve hot!

If you're trying to sneak in extra veggies for your kids (or yourself!) you can saute some spinach and add to your food processed mess! You'll never know it's there, but the vitamins will sneak into your body :)

I was too hungry to take a photo of them all decked out with the fries (dang it!) but i served mine with spicy brown mustard, lettuce and tomato. YUM.

Does anyone else have a good veggie burger recipe to share?
xo