Finding Pre-Packaged Food

On my latest road tripping adventures, I've been blessed by a fab-tastic find: Go Picnic.

Unfortunately, the Hummus and Crackers meal is the only vegan option I've been able to find in stores, but their website shows several options, though only two are entirely vegan. You could, if desperate, offer the Amy's cheddar bunnies from the peanut butter meal to the nearest carnivore and still eat vegan (I assume the fruit chews are gelatin-free, as most all-natural brands tend to be).

I found the meal to be dry, which isn't surprising and wasn't off-putting with a beverage in hand, but the hummus was delish, and everything was perfectly portioned. With a bottle of water [or a soy latte], I had just enough nourishment to keep me trucking and a variety of tastes to keep my interest. Plus - bonus! - gluten-free!

As long as the box and its contents go through airport security unopened, it should (according to current standards) be good for a long flight.

Cracker FAIL

I shouldn't experiment. It's dangerous.

Just to see what would happen, I randomly threw together water, chia seeds (about 2:1), sesame seeds, ground flax, a bit of spelt, dehydrated garlic, Italian seasonings, and a *thpt* of Bragg's. I tossed it in the oven and warmed it for about six or seven hours at 170 degrees, the lowest my oven goes.

*urp*

I love the sesame flavor. That's a definite win. But the crackers have this strange flavor at the back of my nose that's like something went bad, and there's this weird texture that, even though it's all crackery and shit, seems slimy. I'm going to try again and actually use someone's real recipe. The only problem is I don't have a dehydrator, and every chia cracker recipe I've found is raw. Bummer!

I'll report later.

What was paved with good intentions? Freeways?

Good intention: to use the new books I just purchased during our cross-country road trip, as well as some prepared tasty bits from those books.

I was just diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and though I have doubts that my condition is actually full-blown and permanent (I've had a two-year-long allergic reaction-and related illnesses-to our current location, resulting in asthma, high blood pressure, three months' worth of pneumonia at one point, and a few crazy instances of eyes so swollen, my eyelids looked like they were ready to crawl off my face). I'm pretty sure moving away from here is going to do my body absolute wonders. In the meantime, I've done quite a bit of research to find out how I can keep from exacerbating my multiple issues.

What I've found is that I should swear off wheat for a while, and I should go very raw. I'm totally addicted to hot food (it's fucking cold here, yo), so I can't guarantee 100% raw, but I can aim that direction at least.

To aid in my endeavors, I purchased Erin McKenna's Babycakes, Jennifer Katzinger's The Flying Apron's Gluten-Free and Vegan Baking Book, and Ani Phyo's Ani's Raw Food Kitchen on ebook. I have them stored on my happenin' Sony and will have them available when we stop to visit family.

Family who are notoriously not vegan. No BBQ? Perish the thought.

I hope when we get to Virginia that I'll be able to afford a Vita-Mix. I've been ogling them for a couple years now, but I'm starting to jones at this point. I think that would aid in my soupy addiction and in my desire to drink fibrous juice.

Anyway.

I'll report on those baked goods and some of the raw stuff I try to make and store in a cooler. I have no idea how long they'll last, if they'll be worth the work, etc. But I'm determined to find travel-safe foods that will sustain a hungry vegan for longer than a measly flying day through various metropolitan airports. Ahem.

I do know having the ereader is going to be immensely helpful. I usually don't like to read cookbookson the ereader because of its black and white screen, but since I can see the purty photos in color on my computer, I feel better about having only black and white on the actual reader. And all I'll really need, I hope, is access to better than the local Stop-n-Go in the teensy town where my in-laws live.

IN the meantime, my fellow travelers, remember that the best raw travel foods come in their own packages: bananas, oranges, avocados and kiwis (slice in half, scoop with a spoon). Some grocery stores carry eco-savage but terribly convenient fruit/veggie wipes, so you can take a handful of those with your cukes, apples, pears, etc. Just be aware of any produce checkpoints and the rules they might have. Don't go carrying a pallet of cukes, in other words, or else they might be confiscated, and that would be full of suck and woe.

I am a salt WHORE.

There's a reason I have high blood pressure. It's because I crave salt. CRAVE it. So when I decided to make some tofu jerky for my school travels last year, I figured it would be a big, fat bonus. So I tried this recipe, though I followed the instructions to lower the pzow since--as I mentioned--I have blood pressure issues to keep in mind.

Oh. My. Gawds. I couldn't finish a single piece on the flight. It was just too salty. Even cutting the marinade with water, it was still too much. Oi! I definitely want to try this again, maybe with some barbecue, teriyaki, curry, or other saucy sauce. Just...with less. I don't see the point of not pressing the tofu to make sure it can absorb lots of marinade. The key will definitely be to cut the sauce. A LOT.

The good news is that it did keep for several days in a plastic zip baggy, and the (OMG SALT) flavor didn't diminish. Once at the hotel, I was able to rinse the pieces a bit to get some of the (OMG SALT!) flavor off.

I didn't get photos because I never expected to start yet another blog (and a vegan one, at that? pshaw! I am but a grasshoppah). When I redo, I'll post again and include photos. You're welcome.

Healthy Airline Travel

I thought this video from Kardena's Kitchen was a handy primer for airplane options.



I've heard that JetBlue has vegan options, but I've never traveled with them, so I haven't seen this firsthand.

Also, since I'd rather not drop a paycheck at the local health food store or deal with random chemicals in mass-produced "health" products, I try to find recipes for things I might otherwise buy pre-packed. I found a flax seed cracker recipe, which I'll try and report back here. Hopefully it'll be as awesome as everyone claims.

Traveling America

While searching for ideas for vegan munchies and meals on the road, I encountered two specific problems: most blogs talk about international travel, and most travelers talk about airplane noshing. I grant that airport safety brings in special issues for day travelers. However, the milveg crowd has other issues when it's time to PCS. It often takes more than one day to get to get to the new duty station, and we usually have to drive our family car(s) to the new casa. How do you prepare for two or more days on the road, in hotels, driving through America in all its greasy fast-food splendor?

This blog will concentrate on being vegan in America when there's travel to be done. I'll offer suggestions I've used for airline travel in the past, but now that I'm more interested in avoiding TSA and airports, I'll be offering more options for the road trippers. Also, with two wee sprogs who, bless their hearts, tend not to enjoy meat and milk, I have the opportunity to test drive sprog-friendly vegan snacks and meals. In the car. In America.

And yes, we're driving through Texas on our upcoming cross-country PCS. Yee haw! Even better, we're staying with my father-in-law in a tiny, vehemently carnivorous little town in Arkansas where if a dish does not have some kind of animal product, it is not real food. Did I mention yee haw?