cross-posted from: https://vegantheoryclub.org/post/91530

Weed time.

Soak, apply tomato product, pressure cook and BAM - delicious and creamy beans.

I went on a work trip for 5 days. I'm mostly gluten free (not celiac, just intolerant).

My hotel didn't have a microwave (I couldn't find one that did) but it did have a fridge. I brought premade food (pictured) in a cooler as well as snacks.

I was able to microwave food at the rest stops which meant I could eat delicious home cooked food instead of paying $7 for a bag of chips.

A few lunches/dinners were catered and I gave my dietary restrictions. They were fine but they were things like one (1) baby eggplant with some veggies on top, so I was obviously hungry lol. Having a tub of hummus and crackers in the room made sure I was fed and didn't need to go looking for food at restaurants.

I also brought oats which are my normal breakfast and kept my tummy happy. This is beginner level travel food but foundational for a reason!

Things that went well

• bringing food to microwave on the drive, although the final test stop didn't have a microwave.
• bringing a bowl for the oats and soap to clean the bowl out with after using.
• room and purse snacks that didn't need a microwave.
• the cooler stayed cool on the 8 hour drive.

Things to improve

• I lied to myself and said I would go pick up some fresh fruit and veg. I should have just brought some with me. It was chaotic leading up to my departure and grocery stores were a 30 min drive away from where I was staying.
• I should have made my own granola bars/snacks versus buying them. They are expensive!

I am doing a longer (9 day, personal) trip in just over a week and I am bringing my rice cooker lol! I will more than likely have access to a kitchenette and will definitely go to the grocery store, as I am crossing a border and don't want to deal with bringing fresh fruit/veg over that. I'll make a post about that when I get back 🤠

This shit is fire. It's like a risotto, with the lentils totally melted away but the rice cooked nicely. I'm eating it with peas from the garden (frozen, from 2022 😬) and store bought salsa.

Do you struggle with breakfast? Big same.

Please meet my default breakfast food. It's whole food plant based, largely shelf stable and very easy to prepare and consume. I always bring this with me when I travel (minus the fruit/jam) so that I have something I can prepare anywhere with hot water. It really helps reduce my dependance on packaged snacks and keeps my gut happy and more hydrated than it would be if I was eating only granola bars.

It can knock off a bunch of items on the "daily dozen" of healthful eating depending on how you make it (flax, 1 serving nuts/seeds, 1 serving whole grains, 1 serving berries).

It's:

• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp hemp hearts
• 1 tbsp ground flax (if I remember to have grind some not at 6 am when I am making this...)
• some quantity of frozen veg or if that isn't going to work for you today, why not a spoon of jam?

Throw that all in a jar, and pour some boiling water on it.

Give it a bit of a stir and wait, and it becomes P L U M P

I make this while I make my coffee in the morning and toss it in my bag to take to work. Depending on your preference and how much water you use, it's basically a beverage. I don't even bother with a spoon tbh.

As I understand these lists may be outdated, but they are an excellent resource that can be referred to in order to better understand the reach of animal agriculture companies into "vegan" foods.

• North America focused list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t_9uqbHm7QUORBCvcbGWi3Onc0llHD7nn_wlLSyN3hs/edit#gid=0

• UK Focused List https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zdF8p6iFU77U8CzjAWLu_ni63DsLzyAq8hJ6mA0oP-Y/edit#gid=0

If course, the best way to avoid all this is to come join the Vegan Home Cooks ;) https://vegantheoryclub.org/c/homecooks