Eatin' on the run... well, not literally. (AND BANANA BREAD!)

I've been so ravenously hungry lately.  Like omg I want to just keep eating everything I can get my hands on hungry.  Like I just had a meal and I want another meal hungry.  Like the other day I went out to eat and ordered two entrees hungry.  Like all-you-can-eat Indian-food-buffets-are-losing-money-on-me-hungry.

It's becoming a real problem in the mornings, because this quarter I'm on a morning work schedule.  I'm notorious for not planning in advance for meals, ever.  I've had terrible on-the-go breakfasts the past few work days... the usual thing I'll do is throw 3 pieces of Ezekiel bread in the toaster oven and make the world's sloppiest triple-decker pb+j sammich.  It's not very delicious and is usually a burned, sticky mess.  The other option is my sugary triumvirate:  clif bar+soy yogurt+banana.  That breakfast is so sugary I can hardly get it down that early in the morning (and I don't even WANT to be eating sugar... those are just easy grab-n-go things that I can buy.)  As I sat in my dark, cold office this morning choking down bites of clif bar I realized things can't go on like this.  I have to come up with some other grab-n-go prepared options that I can take with me to work, and better snacks to have around.  Adding to my grab-n-go problem is the fact that I don't have or use a microwave.

I asked some internet vegans, consulted my Food Guide for Marathoners book, and did some creative thinking, and here's the options I've come up with so far.  I was looking for things that are very low prep/no prep, not super sugary, easy to take along, and high in calories/filling if possible.  I'm also not restricting myself to just breakfasty foods... I'll eat whatever if it's portable enough.  Smoothies aren't making the list because I never leave enough time to make them.  If you have more ideas, please leave them in the comments!  We'll see how this works out over the next week or two.

• Ok so my desired ideal breakfast would be overnight oats like these.  I can't ever even be bothered to prep oatmeal in advance overnight, so this isn't a real option, but it's staying on the list so I remember it exists.  I need to get a few more tupperware containers to make it happen.
• pb+j sammich (I'm sick of it and it's terrible, but it's the easy fallback).
• protein shake in blender bottle (again, less than ideal, but in a pinch... I'll remember it exists as an option)
• pre-filled quart-sized baggies containing raisins, almonds, and granola (where the heck can i get vegan granola?  maybe I should look into making my own??  that seems hard...)
• a couple tortillas, each spread with refried beans and rolled
• pre-sliced bagels, thawed overnight and spread with hummus
• sliced apple with pb packed to-go (this is borderline too much prep... slicing apples sucks, but I have this thing where I hate biting into apples.  Weird, I know)
• pre-filled quart sized baggies of trail mix (pretzels, nuts, dried fruit)+something else cus I'll still be hungry
• Amy's burritos (there is a microwave at work I COULD use if i wanted to... if things were desperate.)
• start making more dinner food and packing some of it for breakfast (again, this requires prep and also requires that I cook the night before...)
• someone pointed out Freeland Foods Go Raw snacks, and two stores nearby carry them.  They look pricey but way healthier than the usual sugary bar, so I might check it out.
• someone also suggested that I get some vegan jerky.  I constantly crave salty stuff instead of sweet stuff, so I'd way rather eat jerky than a granola bar... but I'll have to check out the nutritional content of various jerkys too.  I could do like... jerky and toast on the side or something, maybe.

While I'm at it, I want to share with you what has quickly become one of my favorite recipes of all time:  a banana bread recipe I got from the Food Guide for Marathoners book.  I don't think I've shared it before--at least it's not showing up under my "food" tag.  

This banana bread isn't too sweet and it's dense enough to be really filling, and it's REALLY easy to make.  We're talking "dump everything into a bowl, stir, put in pan, bake."  I like to slice it into thick slices and eat it with pb.

Banana Bread for Marathoners (and anyone who loves delicious banana bread!)

from Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners

3 large bananas, ripe

sub for 1 egg (I do a couple spoons of ground flaxseed and some water)

2 Tbsp oil

1/3 to 1/2 c sugar (I've subbed agave, and I also tried applesauce for the oil and some of the sugar... it's pretty hard to screw up this recipe.)

1/4 c. milk sub

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c. flour (half white, half whole wheat)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mash the bananas with a fork.  Add the egg, oil, sugar, milk, and salt, and beat well; then add baking soda and powder, then blend in the flour (stir until just moistened).  Spray a 9x5 pan with cooking oil and pour it in.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

If you cut it into 12 slices, 140 calories per slice.