Travel is tough for a healthy foodie like myself.  I can usually find something I’ll eat in the airport, but once I’m on the plane, not so much.  The latest airline we booked with didn’t even ask if there were any diet restrictions. This doesn’t bode well for this sworn health-nut, veg-head.

To prepare for my, “turn the nose up and give the tray back to the airline attendant,” I’m going to bring TSA friendly snacks on board with me.  No, I am not buying those over-priced, fructose laden snacks they have on the concourse;rather, I’m making myself some healthy snacks. So if I get hungry on the first leg of our flight(8.5 hours), I’ll be ready with healthy alternatives.  I have been thinking and planning these snacks since I purchased tickets last summer from a cut-rate airline. I’ll have my bagged snacks, a couple of bananas, and a large bottle of water. With my Kindle Fire in one hand and ear plugs jammed into my ears, I’m ready for a smooth flight across the Atlantic.

From left to right: Dehydrated Chickpeas, Deviled Chex Mix, No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars, and No-Bake Energy Balls.

Dehydrated Chickpeas

I did a search for various directions and recipes, and I came up with my own concoction.  I re-hydrated chickpeas in the pressure cooker, and while they were still warm, I sprinkled with apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and cracked pepper.  I then dried them in the dehydrator for 12-14 hours. This will be the protein I am sorely lacking with my snacks.

Deviled Chex Mix

I pulled this recipe off of one of the Chex boxes. Interestingly enough, when I checked this recipe on the Betty Crocker website, they upped the oil from three tablespoons to a 1/3 of a cup(whaaat?).  I’m sticking with the three tablespoons. I reduced the sugar down to one tablespoon to keep the mess at a minimum.

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• 1In small bowl, mix sugar, paprika, chili powder, curry powder, cumin, coriander, pepper and salt; set aside.
• 2In large microwavable bowl, combine oil and nuts. Microwave uncovered on High about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in cereals, crackers and pretzels until evenly coated. Stir in sugar mixture until evenly coated.
• 3Microwave uncovered on High 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute, until mixture is thoroughly heated. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

5 Ingredient Granola Bars

I pulled these off of another blog, http://minimalistbaker.com/healthy-5-ingredient-granola-bars/  I traded out the honey for maple syrup, and I shall never eat another store bought granola bar again. 

 I had to work in peanut butter since I probably won’t see it for awhile. Europeans love their Nutella, and the hubby and I learned that the hard way in Barcelona.  We were suffering from jet lag, when we woke-up with hunger pains at 1:00 am. We ventured downstairs to the hotel clerk who looked at us like we were…crazy. We asked him for a place to get food, and he informed us, “Just drinks at this hour.”  Hubby and I were not about to give-up.  We walked up and down a few streets until we happened upon a convenience store, of sorts. We collected a loaf of bread, bananas, nuts and Nutella? No, we scoured that place in search of peanut butter and none could be found.  We ate Nutella instead, and it’s not remotely the same.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)*

1/4 cup honey (or sub maple syrup or agave for vegan option)

1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter

1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)

optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a “dough” like consistency. (mine rolled into a ball)

2. Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15-ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw – I just prefer

the toasted flavor.

3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl – set aside.

4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to

disperse throughout.

5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf

pan might work, but will yield thicker bars.)

6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.

7. Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them

extra fresh, but it isn’t necessary.

NOTES

*If your dates don’t feel sticky and moist, soak them in water for 10 minutes then drain before processing. This will ultimately help hold the bars

together better.

No Bake Energy Balls

I pulled these off of Facebook a year ago or more.  Easy to whip-up and great to pop a few before your workout.

Ingredients 1 cup dry oatmeal 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional) 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional) 1 tsp vanilla extract
InstructionsMix all together is large bowl. Let chill 1/2 hr in fridge. Then make into 1 inch. balls. There they are, snacks that are relatively mess free, figure friendly and health friendly.  And all four are easy and take very little time(use canned chickpeas for even less hassle). What doesn’t gets eaten on the plane will be handy for snacks in our hotel rooms.