Travel menu with no microwave

Why do Vegas hotels not have microwaves? You're lucky to get a fridge but finding a microwave is very rare.

No matter. I adapt! With the help of my trusty travel kit and dash mini griddle, I'm all set.

My dad saw me making breakfast one morning and after a couple of bites of a leftover chicken sausage and egg scramble, he insisted that I leave my travel kit and griddle with him for the rest of his trip (they stayed a few extra days). He sent me this:

Here's the 3-day menu:

Breakfasts:
eggs and fruit
yogurt with dried fruit and nuts

Lunches:
turkey lunchmeat with avocado (wrapped in a corn tortilla)
tuna salad

Dinners:
canned chicken on salad greens
chicken sausage with spinach and rice
pinto bean quesadilla

Most of this I can actually pack in my checked bag (did you know you can't bring canned chicken or tuna in your carryon?), so I only had to stop and get perishables at the grocery store.

Shopping List:
eggs
fruit
avocado
salad greens/spinach
dried fruit and nut packets

can of chicken (check to make sure it's gf, some brands are not)

packet of tuna

corn tortillas

minute rice (the rice can be heated up on the griddle with a splash of water)

lunchmeat

chicken and apple sausage

Chocolate cupcakes

Some days you need a cupcake. Sometimes a vanilla cupcake hits the spot, but today, it was chocolate all the way.

Chocolate cupcakes

1/4 c. softened dairy free butter

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. gf flour

1/4 c. cocoa

1 t. baking powder

1/4 c. almond milk

Preheat the oven to 350. 

With a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until it's creamy. Mix in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix for 1-2 minutes. The batter will be fluffy.

Spoon into muffin tins, lined with a paper cupcake liner and spritzed with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Makes 4-6 cupcakes, depending on how full you fill the wells.

To make the chocolate buttercream, mix the following with a hand mixer:

1/4 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. cocoa

2 T. almond milk

1/4 t. vanilla

pinch of salt

Travel meal: Sausage, spinach, and rice

Hi, Hi, Hi-ya! (bonus points if you know what movie that's from.)

Today I walked through Whole Foods with a slightly cranky belly that was craving something real and gentle. 

I bought some Applegate Farms chicken sausage, cooked it on the dash mini griddle, paired with spinach and rice. Plus I got some watermelon because it looked good. And some oat-free granola for my yogurt tomorrow morning. Because you can't get out of Whole Foods with only what you came for.

But dinner. Dinner was ready in 

Three,

Two,

One.

frothy milk without fancy equipment

Good morning! This post comes with a story. Normally I hate that, so scroll to the bottom to skip it.

There's a reason why I care so much about foaming milk without fancy equipment.

It starts with my preference for strong black coffee. My stomach became irritated with it, so I tried adding unsweetened almond milk to buffer the jet fuel. It helps. A LOT.

My stomach has felt better, but I don't exactly like the way it tastes. I still prefer that bitter, un-adultered cup of coffee. Do you know what it's like to wake up in the morning and NOT look forward to your coffee? It sucks.

I recently visited a friend who likes lattes in the morning. She uses a milk steamer and it got me thinking... I like lattes, and I could get on board with being fancy every day. I almost bought myself a milk steamer, but we already have 2 coffeemakers and I don't want another gadget cluttering the kitchen counter.

Luckily, all I needed was a glass jar.
(I happen to have a glass jar problem and have plenty laying around. I think this one is an old pizza sauce jar- I like it because it has markings on the side for easy measuring.)

Here are the steps to get frothy almond milk:

1. Add almond milk to the jar. Sometimes I add turmeric or cinnamon.

2. Microwave it for 1 minute (with the lid OFF)

3. Feed the cat while it's heating

4. Place the lid on the jar

5. Shake for a few seconds

6. Pour into a cup of dark, strong coffee

Now, I look forward to my cup of coffee again.

vanilla cupcakes

Today I needed a cupcake. Specifically, a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles.

So, I made some. I intentionally made a small batch because if I make them, I will eat them. This makes between 4-6 cupcakes, depending on how full you fill the wells.

Vanilla cupcakes

1/4 c. softened dairy free butter

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. gf flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 c. almond milk

Preheat the oven to 350. 

With a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until it's creamy. Mix in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix for 1-2 minutes. The batter will be fluffy.

Spoon into muffin tins, lined with a paper cupcake liner and spritzed with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Frost with your favorite frosting. I used the recipe that was printed on the powdered sugar bag. 

I am not even a little bit ashamed to say that I had finished them all by dinnertime. 

So good. 

Stuffed acorn squash

This dish was so good.

You need:

1 acorn squash
1 chicken breast
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 chopped onion
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1/2 c. chopped kale
1/4 c. cranberries, fresh or dried
1/4 c. cooked brown rice
1/4 c. chopped mushrooms
2 Tbsp slivered almonds
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp ground thyme
dash of cinnamon
salt and pepper

Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Bake at 400 degrees, cut side up, for 40 minutes.

Chop the chicken breast up into small pieces and sautee in olive oil with the onion and celery until cooked through. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook until the kale is wilted and everything smells nice.

Spoon the mixture into the squash and bake at 375 for another 15 minutes.

Tuscan chicken

Adapted from this recipe, here's my dairy-free take on Tuscan chicken.

What you need:

olive oil

3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bag of sundried tomatoes

2 c. chopped spinach

1 c. chopped kale

1 c. almond milk

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil, chicken, seasonings, and tomatoes until the chicken is browned and cooked. Add the spinach and kale and cooked until it's wilted. Stir in the almond milk and let it simmer until the sauciness is to your liking. Top with lemon juice and parsley.

Serve with your favorite GF pasta.