Travel Snacks (Recipe ReDux)

I'm a little late posting today's Recipe ReDux, but for good reason. Today was the first day of our vacation and we've been on the go ever since we landed in San Francisco around 11:30 am this morning.

We rented a house in Port Costa for the week, which is nestled in between San Fran and Napa. We plan to spend a few days in and around the bay area both in the city and along the coastal route, and then we'll be staying in Napa Valley for two nights to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. I'm so excited for a whole week of fun and relaxation with my family.

This afternoon we settled into our rental house, took a nice long walk checking out the town and a drive to enjoy the beautiful scenery, had Thai for lunch at a local favorite, and then ended up at a SummerFest in a neighboring town before coming home so Riker could crash. Our house has a nice deck with a gorgeous view of the bay, so we're hanging outside for the evening enjoying the nice cool northern California breeze. The weather here is such a nice break from the heat and humidity back in Jersey right now - that leave-your-windows-open-all-night and sleep with a light quilt kind of weather.

But anyway, back to ReDux. Ironically, this month's ReDux was all about healthy snacks for airports, summer vacations and travel in general. How fitting! I tried to think of some interesting, unique snack to make, but I was packing till 11 pm last night and honestly, there are such good simple travel snacks out there that I thought, why reinvent the wheel? I've done my fair share of air travel, and in order to avoid the greasy food vendors and bla airline snack boxes, there are a few snacks I always bring with me to the airport.

Dried fruits and nuts make perfect travel snacks since they are portable, healthy, filling and need no refrigeration. I usually bring a bag of my homemade nut mix and a baggie of dried fruits (today's bag included pears, apricots and prunes), and sometimes I throw some freeze dried fruit into the mix as well. I love freeze dried fruit since it contains no other ingredients - just fruit - but they are crispy and just something a little different.

Protein is also a must, so I love to pack a few Baybel cheese wheels. They are so handy, and since they're covered in wax I find they can go a few hours without being refrigerated and still taste great.

And finally, I never travel without my trusty Blender Bottle.

Before leaving the house I add a scoop of protein powder, and then whenever I need a pick-me-up I fill the bottle with water, shake it up and I have an instant shake. Love this thing!

If you have any other travel snack ideas, please share! I am always on the go so can always use new tips.

Time to go finish my glass of raspberry stout on the deck and then let my head hit the pillow. We're heading down to Monterey Bay tomorrow to drive coastal Route 1, see the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo and then take Riker to the famous Monterey Aquarium. G'night!