Lightweight Eats

I mentioned yesterday that I'm working on a planting plan for the GMS garden. I neglected to mention that there was a garden in place previous, and some of the herbs have managed to survive. Picking through the remnants of the garden, I've found mint, chives and sage, plus what might be strawberry plants.

I'm not familiar enough with Connecticut flora and fauna to go foraging in nature, but I definitely feel comfortable using these herbs to supplement my weekly meals! Dried herbs and spices definitely add something to meals, but fresh herbs and spices are a huge treat on the road.

On the trip, I brought a knife, a cutting board, a tupperware and utensils. I also have limited access to a kitchen with a microwave, fridge and many of the larger appliances (tea kettle, stove, toaster oven...) and small gadgets (pots but no pans, bowls, mugs...).

My breakfasts have consisted of primarily cold cereal or oatmeal with a variety of fixings. Since I'm usually fueling for 75-90 minutes of cardio work, it's important to get carbohydrates into my system. Some of my favorite breakfast combinations:
oatmeal + raisins + pears + almonds + cinnamon
cold cereal + bananas + raisins
oatmeal + apple + peanut butter

My lunches and dinners have been frequent repeats: it's much easier for me to pop in to the kitchen to reheat something than to compete for stove and countertop access to cook from scratch. Last week, I made a box of pasta with frozen pureed butternut squash as a sauce and frozen peas and canned beans as fixings. That lasted for three solid meals.

Another favorite has been rice with spinach, chickpeas, garlic hummus and various spices. A can of beans and a box of spinach split nicely between two meals, and changing up the flavoring made them seem like different experiences.

Upon discovery of sage in the garden, I decided on a squash-onion-sage simmer simmer sauce with tofu served over brown rice and/or sweet potatoes. Salads have also been easy to make, since I have some access to salad dressing ingredients; I'm hoping to supplement with fresh chives from the garden.

I am getting a little bit tired of microwave texture, though. It seems that most everything I'm eating has either been microwaved or boiled. This weekend, I made roasted broccoli (in the toaster oven!) that helped break up the monotony, but I'm definitely craving crispy, crunchy and chewy.

And, despite my best attempts at fueling myself with whole grains, legumes and veggies, I've still demolished a jar and a half of peanut butter in the past week and a half. (Technically, peanuts are a legume...)

Yup, that's the second jar.