It has been awhile since I've shared some favorite things and I have a few milling around in my mind right now. Here are the highlights!

Sunset Magazine

Sunset Magazine has always been a favorite of mine. Each and every issue gives me food ideas, travel ideas, and inspiration. I am always left craving a hole-in-the-wall restaurant experience in a remote location with a view...and a road trip!

Trader Joe's Raisin Rosemary Crisps
These crackers are sweet and savory at the same time and I love how un-ordinary they are! (Note: these contain milk products so are not vegan)

Trader Joe's Roasted Plantain Chips

Salty crunchy goodness!

Crazy Gringo Salsa

This is sold at my farmer's market and it is fantastic! This is medium heat but he also sells habanero (hot) and tomatillo (mild and sweet) versions. In addition to salsa, he also has homemade tamales, including a vegan one that is really great!

Chocolate Coconut Water

Hydrating and yummy- a great pre-run drink! You caught the chocolate part, right?

What yummy and inspiring treasures have you found recently?

On Saturday I stopped by the farmers' market to pick up one or two things. Because it was late in the morning, I got lucky by getting a deal on some really nice peaches- 5 pounds for $5! The peaches are great but there are so many of them so I have had to come up with ideas on how to use up 5 pounds of peaches that all ripened at once. So, naturally, I made peach muffins!

These muffins are vegan and contain chia and hemp seeds which make them rich in protein, iron, and omega 3s. They are low in sugar so, if you prefer a sweeter muffin, you may want to add another 1/4 cup or so of brown sugar.

Peach Muffins with Chia and Hemp Seeds

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup hemp seeds (or finely chopped walnuts)

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 large peach, finely chopped (I leave the peel on for extra fiber)

Getting ready to go on vacation is never really easy. Packing always takes significantly longer than I ever imagine that it will. For our latest adventure, we traveled by airplane (yes, another trip right after our California RV adventure!) and that makes all of the preparing and packing and whatnot just that much harder. I can never find decent food in an airport for myself (let alone something that my kids will like and that I'll feel good giving to them). This time, I wanted to be prepared instead of starving a few hours into our flight!

Breakfast:

Our flight was at 10am, so we had a chance to have breakfast before boarding. My husband and I had breakfast at home but, since we had to get the kids up and ready early, I made a portable breakfast for them. Super pancakes (in the mix: whole wheat and all-purpose flour mix, hemp seeds, almond milk, banana, canola oil, vanilla, baking powder) and fresh blueberries. Because these pancakes are sweet from the banana, the kids love them without any toppings and that makes them extra portable and great for in-car breakfasts.

Lunch:

Instead of purchasing an airline meal (that may or may not be something that we can eat), I packed a snack bag for each of us. Our bags contained sunflower seed butter and jelly sandwiches (I didn't want to break any "no peanut" rules that we may have encountered so I avoided peanut butter), edamame (soy beans), snack bars (Clif ZBars, Nu Go bars, etc.), Snapea Crisps, sliced apples, and Snackimals cookies.

More on our latest excursion soon!

What kind of foods do you like to bring with you when you travel? Any grab-and-go favorites?

Nothing says spring quite like strawberries from a roadside stand. We have managed to find a couple that are open this month and I'm amazed at how quickly we finish off pint after pint of berries!

1. Preheat oven to 350º F (176º C). Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a blender, combine banana, milk, flaxseeds, brown sugar, oil, salt, and vanilla. Puree until smooth. Pour into bowl with flour mixture and mix to combine then fold in strawberries. Please don't over-mix!
4. Fill mini muffin cups level with the top and bake muffins for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown.

My kids are really good about eating their veggies. They definitely have their favorites but I try to keep offering the ones that they haven't liked in the past and ask only that they take one bite (unless they want more!). Zucchini is a tricky one because it can sometimes be a little bitter. I took full advantage of the spirit of St. Patrick's day and the boys and I made zucchini bread for dessert last night. My kids put their "no green flecks in my food" rule aside in honor of St. Pat and, with the addition of a "secret ingredient" (aka chocolate chips), they enjoyed this green-ish and wholesome treat.

I love the convenience of energy bars but I can't eat any one kind very often because I get burned out on them very quickly. Besides that, they tend to be expensive. These bars are easy to make and they taste great. The ingredients are flexible too, so that really helps to minimize the burn-out factor. Feel free to customize them to your liking! They can easily be made gluten-free too (just make sure that your ingredients are gluten free versions).

Quick and Easy Granola Bars
Makes about 12

For 12 bars: 287 calories, 9g protein, 16g fat, 37g carbohydrates, 15g sugar