On the Road Again (Plus, A take-it-to-go recipe)

IMG_0644I’m not one of those people who “just can’t wait to get on the road again.” And yet, I somehow seem to travel A LOT. What’s up with that?

I guess I like to be new places, but going there, preparing, being out of my element, is a little nerve wracking for me. And honestly, one of the reasons is food. Ok, I’ve come a long way, but this is still one of my issues. I need a few sure bets in any traveling food plan, so I can feel free to experiment with local eats for certain parts of my day.
Breakfast is the thing that trips me up most. I am not a toast/cereal/ bakery kind of a girl. I mean, I love a great croissant, and when in  Paris…but in general this stuff doesn’t make me feel good. And, the way I start my day tends to indicate how I’ll go forward. So often I’m more on the green juice/smoothie/fruit plan. These kinds of things are a little hard to predict while traveling!

For a while I remedied this by bringing a travel blender wherever I went, even when flying. My husband was not amused.

Fortunately, I found the magical mystical chia seed, started creating puddings, and never turned back.  Chia seeds are amazing. They’re full of protein, calcium and omega 3s. For one ounce of these little guys, you get 4 grams of protein, 9 grams of (healthy) fat, 12 grams of (complex) carbohydrates and a whopping 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals!

Clearly, they’re full of nutrition, but not so dense in calories, so you can feel free to add toppings galore. And they’re super high in fiber, so they’ll keep you full for a looooong time. But somehow I never feel STUFFED when I eat them in moderate amounts.

So, recently I’ve been traveling a lot for the yoga and family reasons and these little wonders have been my go-to breakfast. On a recent trip, I packed a small Tupperware (BPA free, of course), a measuring spoon, some vanilla stevia drops, the chias themselves, powdered spices and a few packets of cashew butter, and I knew I could have breakfast without shopping, any day I needed to. All of this gear took up less room in my bag than my cosmetics (a lot less). And, though I didn’t eat them every day, I knew I had the option if all else failed.

I even introduced my favorite chia pudding to my roomie, a self-professed cereal fanatic, and got a big thumbs up. I call that a win.

Cardamom or Cinnamon “Instant” Chia Pudding

To Start: Measure ¾-1 Cup Water, Nut Milk or Milk of Choice into a Coverable Container

OR

Squeeze out half a packet (1 Tblsp) of raw cashew, walnut or almond butter into a coverable container and add ¾ to 1 cup water.

ADD 2 heaping-ish tablespoons chia seeds (organic please!)

Squeeze in vanilla stevia drops or add liquid sweetener of your choice

Add generous pinch or two of cardamom powder or cinnamon

SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE your covered container, off and on for 5 minutes

Let rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or until you’re ready.

If it’s really thin, you might add more chia seeds and shake again. If too thick for you, add more water/milk. You can’t mess it up.

The cardamom version is awesome topped with berries. The cinnamon version is amazing with sliced banana. Both do great with a sprinkling of crunchy granola. And, though they taste great cold, they are also awesome at room temperature, and unless you use cow’s milk they won’t go bad in the time it takes you to practice one (or two) of the asthanga series.

How’s that for fast food?

Ch-ch-ch-chia. It’s what’s for breakfast.