Traveling and trying to eat well and be really difficult. Especially, if you are trying to stick to particular diet or way of eating.

This summer we are planning on doing a number cycling events and will be staying in a few different hotels before and after these events. So, to save money and stay on track with our eating needs I created "Tanya's Traveling Kitchen."

We gave it a test run on our trip to Santa Rose to ride in the Amgen Breakaway Ride, Stage 2 last weekend. Although it needs some tweaking it was a pretty big success. We ate 3 meals with the "Traveling Kitchen" and probably saved ourselves at least $100 by not eating out and felt strong and well nourished for our ride.

Here's is an aerial view "Tanya's Traveling Kitchen" on top of a desk in our hotel room. Most of the things are pretty obvious, but here are a few tips for creating your own traveling kitchen:

What NOT to bring:
1) Plates: You can eat everything out of a bowl, plates will just take up extra room. If you want to be extra prepared bring bowls with lids - you never know when you might have to store leftovers.
2) Cups or mugs: Most hotels have some glasses and/or mugs in the room so don't bring your own. We always travel with water bottles as well and they are good back up.
3) Your whole knife set: You don't want people to see your kitchen coming down the street with clanking pots and pans so keep it really basic. Bring only one knife, one cooking spoon, one cutting board, one pot etc.
And don't forget:
1) Multi Plug Extension Cord: Hotels don't have a ton of extra plugs sitting around for you. Sometimes you have to decide between TV and charging you cell phone. So, bring along an extra extension cord with a few spots to plug into. That way you can use the lights, watch TV, charge your phone AND cook dinner all at the same time!
2) Cleaning Supplies: Somehow sponges and soap can end up at the bottom of the list. Also, bring a few extra small dishrags; you never know when you might have to clean up a spill and you don't want to be a jerk and get tomato sauce all over the hotel towels.
3) Call Ahead: Call the hotel and find out what all will be available in your room. We were lucky and had a small fridge in our room and a coffee maker. Know what to expect so you can come prepared.

Since we were going to be limited in what we could make at the hotel I prepared most of our ingredients ahead of time.

For dinner I had made ahead Mini Turkey Meatloafs and pasta at home. At the hotel I quickly boiled some cauliflower we had leftover from a few days earlier and then tossed those veggies together with cut up meatloaf, jarred tomato sauce and pasta. (That's Dani with her HUGE bowl of pre-race pasta).

For breakfast we planned on having quinoa breakfast cereal. I had cooked up some quinoa in our rice cooker at home and prepared all pre-measured dry ingredients in small tupperware containers. This included; chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins, ground flax and hemp seeds. I tossed them into our warmed quinoa and added almond milk, chopped apple and honey. (Cinnamon would have been a good addition, which didn't occur to me until later. Next time!) Yummm!

Two things we learned that we'll adjust for next time....

One, if you and your partner have dietary restrictions (i.e. Tanya isn't eating dairy but Dani is) defer to the person with the special needs. So, on the 2nd morning I made both of our cereals with almond milk instead of making two separate batches. This made things go much faster.

Second, bring along an extra container with a lid or extra bowl of sorts (I know, this is breaking rule #2 on what NOT to bring). Reason being is that you may need somewhere to put any overflow food while you're cooking. So, if you just cooked your broccoli and then need to put it somewhere to keep while you cook the rest it's good to have an extra bowl on hand.

I hope this will inspire you to create your own little traveling kitchen if you find yourself in a hotel. You don't have to go as far as we did. Even just being prepared with a knife and small cutting board you can cut up apples and cheese or spread some nut butter on a rice cake. No excuses for not eating well when you're on the road!

Spring is a time for renewal, cleaning up and getting back on track. So, I thought this was the perfect time to revisit one of my favorite foods that I've neglected lately - eggs. Eggs are a staple in our house and I usually always have at least eight hard boiled eggs sitting in the fridge.

To do a little celebration of Easter we had our friends Beth and Amy over on Sunday to color eggs. Now we have about 18 beautifully colored hard boiled eggs in our fridge. Now I'm really back on track with our egg snacks.

Eggs have gotten a bad rap recently. First they were bad for cholesterol, now most recent studies have shown that they are high in Omega-3's and actually reduce the risk of heart disease. A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association showed that most people can eat 1 to 2 eggs a day without measurable changes in their blood cholesterol levels. Plus, eggs are an excellent source of protein which is helps maintain fullness. That's why eggs are perfect for breakfast. Some people even consider eggs to be the nearly perfect food because they contain the second highest quality food protein known.

Choose eggs from free-range or organically raised chickens. Commercially raised chickens are given processed grains sprayed with pesticides and antibiotics. The chickens convert much of the starch in these grains into saturated fat and this fat ends up in the yolk. On the contrary free-range chickens are fed naturally occurring seeds and insects and so don't store such high amounts of fat and pesticides. Plus, some free-range chickens are also fed flaxseed or special feed which increases the omega-3 content of their eggs.

So, grab a pot, your eggs and water. In less than 20 minutes you will have a simple snack that is packed with amazing nutrition, vitamins and protein.

THE PERFECT HARD BOILED EGG
Yes, perfect might be taking a leap. But, this recipe really is perfect. My friend Sandy Gluck, host of Everyday Food on Martha Stewart Living Radio shared these steps with and they have never steered me wrong. I almost never end up with a grey yolk - they are always incredibly yellow and delicious.

1) Place eggs in saucepan and cover with approximately 1 inch of water.
2) Bring water to a simmer where a few big bubbles begin to break the surface of the water
3) Remove from heat and let sit for 12 minutes
4) Drain and rinse under cold running water. You can also let them sit in cold water for a few minutes to cool them off. Unpeeled eggs can be kept in the fridge for up to one week.

Here in the San Francisco Bay area the market is starting to get really colorful with sweet, tart and juicy fruit. It's already strawberry season and a variety of oranges have been hanging around for a while. This past weekend we picked up both - the strawberries were gone within hours. You just can't leave those sweet beauties sitting around for long!

We also picked up a few naval oranges. Oranges are fantastic to keep on hand for a quick snack that will satisfy your sweet tooth and provide you with a ton of important nutrients, vitamins and minerals. One orange supplies nearly 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C! Sounds like it should be more like an orange a day keeps the doctor away (no offense apples). Plus, the pectin in oranges possesses properties that can lower cholesterol levels.

After all those health benefits how can it get any better, you ask? Hold on to your hat!

Flaxseeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which (flaxseed oil contains nearly twice the level of omega-3 fatty acids as fish oil). They have been shown to have cancer fighting properties and can be helpful in reducing cholesterol.

I'm sure you've heard of all the incredible health benefits of flax seeds and flax seed oil. You might even take a daily flax seed oil supplement. I always have a bag of ground flax on hand in my fridge and have been throwing it into our occasional smoothie or in oatmeal.

But, why stop there?

Last night I gave Dani a bit of a shock when I added a tablespoon of ground flax to a few cut up oranges. But, after a face that said "ewww, that looks gross" she took a bite a was pleasantly surprised. Tonight I was asked "where's the flax seed stuff?" after cutting up some oranges after dinner.

STORING FLAXSEED
Flaxseed can be purchased whole or already ground. Whole flaxseed has a longer shelf life and can be stored in an air tight container in your pantry. Ground flaxseed should be stored in your refrigerator or freezer in an air tight container as they can oxidize easily and spoil.

USING FLAXSEED
A typical serving of ground flaxseed is 1 or 2 tablespoons daily. It is recommended to use ground flax over whole flax because you digest the ground version more easily. It's possible that your body doesn't completely digest the whole flax and then you don't get as many of the nutritional benefits. If you prefer you can buy whole flaxseed and grind it in a clean coffee grinder.

COOKING IDEAS

• When adding ground flaxseed to cooked cereal or grain dishes, do so at the end of cooking. The soluble fiber in the flaxseed can thicken liquids if left too long and you may lose some of the nutritional benefits
• Add ground flaxseed to your homemade muffins, cookies, pizza dough or bread recipes
• Add ground flaxseed to cut up fruit or smoothies
• Sprinkle cooked veggies with flaxseed to add a nuttier flavor
• Add ground flaxseed to salads, homemade pesto or sauces

I don't typically have much of a sweet tooth. I scrape the frosting off of birthday cakes and need coffee to get down my pastry or piece of chocolate. Holiday treats are lost on me.

But, since I started avoiding dairy I've had this incredible yearning for chocolate. It's a strange craving that I've tried to satiate by eating a banana or a handful of almonds and cranberries instead. So far....the chocolate monster is still tapping on my shoulder.

Over the weekend we did our grocery shopping at Berkeley Bowl in (you guessed it!), Berkeley. It's a great store with such a variety of great products and a wonderful produce section. I could walk around there all day admiring all the amazing foods and ingredients to play with in my kitchen.

During our tour we ended up in the baking aisle and I eyed up a bag of Cacao Sweet Nibs from Navitas Naturals. I knew that cacao is a dairy free product so me and the chocolate monster looked closer to see if this might be the solution I'd been looking for. The label read organic, raw AND vegan. Success! At $5.99/bag I hesitated (barely) and ended up tossing it in the cart. I must be pretty desperate.....

As soon as we got home I tore the bag open like a crazed addict, tossed a few tiny nibs in my mouth and chewed. They were pretty darn tasty. With a very slight hint of sweetness they taste a bit like coffee beans and have they have a nice crunch which is also pretty satisfying.

Just a small taste after dinner or as an in between snack has so far settled my occasional chocolate cravings (now I just have to keep them away from Dani!). The bag is only 4 oz and at around $6.00 can seem a bit pricey. However, with a little self control I can see it going quite a long way and lasting me at least 2 weeks.

More yummy tidbits about cacao:

• Cacao is full of antioxidants (more than in green tea and red wine!) and has trace minerals such as magnesium and iron
• Cacao may increase your focus and alertness and contains nutrients to keep you happy
• Cacao does contain caffein. So, if you are avoiding caffein or are sensitive pay close attention to how eating cacao affects you. 
• Ancient Mayans called cacao "The Food of the Gods"
• 1 oz of Navitas Naturals Sweetened Cacao Nibs contains 150 calories

So, if you are looking for a healthier sweet treat give cacao a try. When I'm feeling adventurous I may have to try using it to make fudge or chocolate chip cookies.

Let me know if you have tried a raw and/or vegan recipe with cacao or cacao nibs. I'd love to hear it!

We've been in recovery.

Last Thursday night we took a 5 hour drive to Solvang in southern California. Our goal for the weekend was to ride the Solvang Half Century (50 miles) along with about 5,000 other cyclists. We had been actively training for this first official ride for a few months and were excited (and a bit nervous) to see if we could hang with all those other hard-core cyclists out there.

To make it even better Tanya's parents traveled all the way from Pennsylvania to meet us there and her dad rode the 50 miles with us. Plus, it was his 60th birthday on the day of the ride so it was a great way to celebrate.


We were lucky to have incredibly beautiful weather and just had to battle a bit of a head wind. When you're pedaling to go downhill you know it's windy!

Because this was our first ride there were a few things we learned that we'll use for upcoming rides:

1) Cool Gear Does Not a Rider Make. Sure, we all want to look good while we're doing whatever sport we're into but it's important to remember that it's not all about the look. We saw plenty of stylin' bikers pushing their bikes up the hills (and of course many others kicking butt!). Our conclusion.....don't get hung up on the gear and the look. You don't need the best and most expensive gear to get on a bike. Just get out and do it! Tanya's dad put it well; "The best dressed skiers aren't on the slopes, they're at the bar."
2) Age Doesn't Matter. We have found that cycling spans an incredible age spectrum. You are never too young or too old to get on a bike. We saw parents on tandems with kids as young as 5 all the way to adults in their 70's. It was wonderful to see so many different ages coming together to enjoy a beautiful day on a bike. Even someone's dog got to enjoy a some time on two wheels.


3) Preparation Ensures Success. Being prepared is key to make sure you are successful in any sport. For an organized ride like the one we were on there are usually SAG stops (Support and Gear) along the way that will provide you with snacks and the opportunity to fill up water. But, you need to rely on yourself in case you don't have a SAG stop or need to refuel along the way. Here are our suggestions.

• 2 hours before your ride eat a high carb meal of oatmeal, bagel, muffin, pancakes or pasta for example. Be sure to give the food enough time to digest before riding. 
• Bring plenty of water. You should plan on at least 16 ounces of water for every hour you plan on being on the road. Fill up every time you have the opportunity to do so. 
• If you have space for an extra water bottle, fill it with a protein powder. This will help aid in faster muscle recovery.
• Bring at least one snack with you just in case. Check out our review of a few popular bars that you can easily pack in your bike bag.
• Always carry a spare tube and tools (it's also good to know how to use them), just in case you get a flat.