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thru-the-grapevine · 1 year

Text

Irish Breakfast

Pairing: Kim Geonhak x reader

Summary: The man you have no business pining over makes an unexpected reappearance in your life, albeit in less-than-ideal condition.

Word Count: 4.6k

Tags: mafia au, blood/injuries (<- despite the tags the whole thing is still soft)

Author Notes: another submission for the Oneus Trope Bingo hosted by @oneusficevents ! This is for my “mafia au” square. I’ve never written anything like this before so I’m nervous to post, but I hope it’s enjoyable

Annoying, you think, that an entire beverage is going to remind you of a man you can’t have. Especially a beverage as widely versatile as tea.

You turn off the timer and go back into the kitchen, taking the teabag out of your mug. You’ve been branching out to new teas since the first evening you’d tried it in the safehouse, sampling them little by little. You now own a small village’s worth of tea boxes, after watching in horror as your best friend swiped her arm along the shelf of teas at the store and into your cart, insisting it was her treat. You’ve found you don’t care for straight green tea or matcha (green bean water, more like), but you like jasmine just fine, peppermint too. English Breakfast is okay, just not as malty, and chai is good if you add more cream than usual.

Tonight, though, you’re allowing yourself to Admit and Mope Over having feelings for a made man. Which, naturally, means your tea is his favorite, Irish Breakfast. You set the teabag in your spoon and wrap the string around it, wringing extra tea into the mug. You’ve gotten rather good at it with practice.

You turn to throw out the teabag when you hear a muted thump from somewhere in your apartment.

You stare, unmoving, at the teabag dangling in your hand over the garbage bin. It swings gently back and forth, and you try a deep breath. One, two, three four. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

By the end of the deep breath, no more noises have come. You drop the teabag in the bin and turn back to your mug, only partly aware of reaching for the sugar. Pal, chill out. Someone came home across the hall and dropped their groceries. The box of Christmas decorations finally teetered off the shelf in the closet. Kids down below jumped too high on their bed and whacked into the ceiling.

Your phone vibrates sharply against the counter, and you drop your spoon with a clatter. You crane your head aside to glance at the screen.

LEEDO: u can say no but do u mind if I stop by?

You snatch your phone clumsily and fumble to the app with live feeds of your security camera. A raven-haired man in office slacks and dress shirt is leaning heavily against your front door. As you watch, his knees buckle under him, and you hear another thump as he crumples against your doorframe.

“Shit,” you hiss. You drop your phone on the counter and hurry to the front door.

Geonhak catches himself heavily on the doorjamb as you ease the door open, a final defense against collapsing entirely.

“Hi,” he murmurs, sounding for all the world like he’s fine and not a man who can’t stay upright.

You drop to your knees, trying to figure out where it’s safe to touch him. His entire left side, from head to toe, looks to be spattered in blood.

“Jesus Christ,” you mutter, guiding his right arm over your shoulders. You brace your hand against his back, heaving upward.

You manage to stay balanced, most of his weight on you, and stumble back inside. You’re careful to keep your hand at the center of his back, away from the side that’s drenched in red.

He sags back against the door as you shut it again, relieving you of crutch duty. Flipping on the front hall light, you try to get a better look at him. His side is littered with bloody hand- and fingerprints—probably from staunching the blood flow, you take a guess. There’s so much blood, it looks like so much. The blood on his face has trickled down from a matted spot in his hair.

“What can I do?” You ask, surprised at how calm you sound. “What do you need?”

A corner of his mouth quirks slightly. “Just towels.”

His voice is cottony, so un-Geonhak-like. A sliver of ice sinks into the pit of your stomach.

“Just….” You take a tentative step back from him to see if he’ll stay upright. He leans more heavily against your front door, and your hands hover there in front of him. “Just….don’t move.”

You fly into the kitchen, feet barely touching the ground, and yank open the drawer of tea towels. You grab the entire stack and flip on the sink, running a few under cool water. Your eyes catch on your mug on the counter, and after a second you grab it and bring it all with you.

Geonhak’s face is tilted towards the ceiling when you return, eyes closed. A thin line of blood is slowly trickling down the side of his neck. In the light of the entryway, positioned as he is, he looks like a hero straight out of a classical painting. Lordy. No man has any business looking this good bleeding out.

You set the mug gently on the hall table next to him and close the distance with the towels.

His head drops back down, eyes opening at your approach, and you offer him a wet towel. He murmurs his thanks, taking it and mopping his neck and face roughly while you unfold a dry one.

You rake your gaze over him carefully, heart pounding. His hair has grown out a bit since you saw him last. You note in the part of your mind that isn’t panicking that it suits him, although everything suits Geonhak. Gingerly, you scrape your fingertips along his hairline, combing his hair off his face and checking for more injuries. His jaw works and his throat bobs once, and you replace his thoroughly bloodied hand towel with another damp one.

“‘Woong’s in Chinatown tonight, won’t be able to get here for a half hour,” Geonhak says as he works, and you realize he’s apologizing. “He’ll take me to the safehouse and out of your h—”

“Like hell he will,” you say, swapping him for another fresh towel. “Finish mopping up and we’ll take my car.”

“Hwanwoong will come get me,” Geonhak mumbles, eyes closing as he prods at the spot on his head.

“And I said like hell,” you reply, your free hand going to the buttons on his shirt. “This needs to…move…so you can get to the spot on—oh, don’t look at me like that, you’re bleeding.”

“Interesting way to ask me to take my shirt off,” he murmurs with a shrug, smile as dangerous to your pulse as ever as his free hand starts unbuttoning.

Once he’s undone the first four, you shove another damp towel inside and grip at the injured place on his side firmly, making him hiss. Serve him right, flirting while bleeding out on my doorstep.

“Hold this there, tightly. Be right back,” you say, taking another bloody towel from him and scooping up the others.

You pause for a second, then gesture at the mug of tea. “For you.”

Within moments, you’ve thrown the bloodied towels in the drum of the washer to deal with later and grabbed several other things on the way back.

Geonhak’s finishing a long sip of Irish Breakfast when you return. Wordlessly, you hand him a few ibuprofen. A smile plays at his lips as he accepts them and downs them with tea.

“Off,” you say as he sets the mug down, waving vaguely at his blood-sodden shirt. “I’ve got something clean.”

“It’ll just get dirty, too,” he says, already undoing the final few buttons and shrugging it away.

Any other time you would admire him shirtless, but your focus now lasers in on the injury. After all the blood he was wearing, it’s surprisingly smaller than you feared. “I don’t care if it gets dirty, too. I have my first aid kit—”

“Just—” he winces when he presses against his side wound too hard, then sighs softly, “just…if you’ll drive me to a safehouse, I’ll get Keonhee to patch me up.”

Ah yes. Keonhee. A trained medical professional. Someone of actual use to him. “Let me get my shoes.”

You watch from the corner of your eye as he takes the oversized hoodie you offer him and finagles it on gingerly. You’ve grown so accustomed to Geonhak in office attire that anything else looks unfamiliar on him. You’re right, though; anything suits him. Your heart doesn’t seem to notice the oddness, twisting at the knowledge that the hoodie is yours.

Your staring doesn’t escape Geonhak’s notice.

“Don’t usually wear this kind of thing,” he says as you exit the apartment together. He leans into you for security as you lock your door.

“And why not?” You ask, heading for the stairs at a stilted pace.

Your face bumps into his neck as he stumbles, and he swears and apologizes under his breath. Despite the clear excitement he’s had tonight, you notice he still smells like the pine and eucalyptus soap you’d seen in the safehouse shower. You immediately try to ignore this.

He shakes his head as you both begin slowly down the stairwell. “Not taken seriously in street clothes. Look too young.”

You can feel him wincing with each descending step, and you slow your pace, keep the hand at his back soothing.

“Well, who wouldn’t take you seriously right now?” You ask as you reach the exit. You pause to heave your free shoulder against the door when it sticks. “Now? When you’re bleeding a concerning amount?”

“I’ve had worse,” Geonhak says mildly, misstepping and staggering against you as you exit into the night. You catch him, free hand landing against the front of his torso, and you mumble an apology as he winces and straightens again.

“Surprised you survived with these reflexes,” you mutter, hobbling with him through the parking lot in the warm summer night air.

You lay a towel along the back of the passenger seat before Geonhak sits; blood sounds horrible to get out of a car. He wordlessly plugs an address into your GPS once you start the car, and then you’re on the road.

The car is quiet as you follow the first few directions, save for the occasional GPS voice. Geonhak extracts his phone from his back pocket, wincing all the while. He taps away at the screen, likely notifying the safehouse and Keonhee, as you follow the directions onto a street that sounds vaguely familiar.

“Should I, um. Worry about being followed?” You ask, glancing at the passing headlights in your rear view mirror.

“Mm-mm,” Geonhak says, shaking his head slightly and pocketing the phone again. “Our guys got him.”

You refuse to consider what “got him” means in this context.

“I’m sure it’s pointless to ask, but what happened?”

Geonhak sighs, leaning back in his seat with a wince. The silence carries for a few minutes, and you begin to assume he won’t answer when he finally speaks.

“He didn’t like what happened at your shop this week.”

You stiffen as you stop for a red light. A blue-eyed smirk you’ve come to hate flickers to mind. The man who was the reason you’d met Geonhak in the first place; the man who was the reason you’d had to hide for a week in a safehouse meant for organized crime members. “Him?”

Geonhak leans his head back against the headrest, eyes shutting as he adjusts the towel against his head. He gives no indication to confirm or deny.

That isn’t allowed to be the end of it. “But nothing really even happened. He just…came in, to intimidate me again. And then he got spooked by your uncle and left.”

A corner of Geonhak’s mouth curls. “Technically, he was humiliated by a crime boss over muffins. To a lot of these guys, that’s something.”

Over muffins. The space in your chest for breathing begins to shrink. It was your fault. That man, the one who’d tried to convince you to let his boss run dirty money through your store, who kept showing up at your new storefront to intimidate you, had hurt Geonhak. He’d been so mortified by Geonhak’s uncle, who was there to defend you, that he’d taken it out on the man’s nephew for good measure. Not on you, who actually owned the store; him. Geonhak was hurt because of you.

“Breathe,” Geonhak says, voice firm.

You gasp in a breath and blow it out shakily, easing on the gas as the light turns green.

“Slower than that. There’s enough air,” Geonhak soothes.

You shake your head, each breath coming heavier and quicker. I did this to him.

He starts counting, and you take a deep breath and hold it like he taught you, blowing it out unsteadily. It does little to settle your jittery pulse, your whirling thoughts.

“Promise it’ll be over soon,” he says, glancing at the GPS. “In six minutes. Just drop me off at the front door and—”

“I—you’re kidding, I’m not just, just—leaving you somewhere,” you protest, grip tightening on the wheel. “You’re covered in…Geonhak, I did this to y—”

“Don’t. Don’t you dare.”

His voice is so suddenly sharp that your mouth snaps shut without another thought. His mouth is set in an even line, blue flame behind his eyes as he stares out at the road.

“You are good, and you are innocent, and you did not do this to me,” he says, voice dangerously even. “I won’t have you taking blame for that shithead. I won’t.”

You swallow, trying another slow breath in, out. You nod.

“Sorry,” you whisper.

He blinks, still watching the road, but the hardness in his eyes dissipates.

“Me too,” he admits. “Shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

“No, it…I mean, I don’t mi…it’s—” You stammer, trying to figure out how to say you missed him without saying it outright.

Eventually you snap your mouth shut, face burning. You see him glance at you out of the corner of your eye, then lean further back into his seat.

“You, um.” A smile is playing on his lips. “The tea, earlier....I didn’t think you drank tea.”

Your face feels even hotter. You swallow. “…I do now.”

He doesn’t say anything the rest of the drive, but that smile stays in the corners of his mouth.

The address, an old brick bungalow, is different from the last safehouse—probably closer to where you live, you assume. The porch light is on, and you see movement in a window as you park along the curb.

“Stop, just—would you hang on a minute?” You huff as Geonhak opens his door, unbuckling.

You hurry out of your seat and around the front of your car as Geonhak tries to ease out by himself. He grunts in pain and stumbles over into you, and you sway as you attempt to keep balance for two people.

“I got it,” he says, trying to straighten, face twisting in pain.

“You really don’t,” you say firmly, locking your car and helping him up the walkway. “Cut the heroics.”

It’s Keonhee who opens the door as you reach the five little stairs up to the porch. You’re surprised to see him in pajamas and glasses.

“Up you get, come on,” he says, coming to Geonhak’s injured side and gingerly lifting his other arm over his shoulders. Keonhee glances over Geonhak’s shoulder and smiles at you, somewhat of a grimace. “I’d say it’s nice to see you again, but…”

Your smile is also half grimace, remembering the first time you met him, when he treated your black eye. “Agreed.”

Keonhee’s taller than you, so when he straightens, Geonhak’s arm stretches up higher, and he hisses.

“Son of a bitch, Keonhee, ow,” Geonhak grits through his teeth.

“Yeah, yeah, get inside, you big baby,” Keonhee mutters. “I know for a fact you’ve had worse knife wounds before.”

Ice drops into your stomach; a knife. That man had gotten close enough to hurt Geonhak with a knife.

With Keonhee in the lead, the three of you shuffle sideways up the porch stairs and through the front door. To the left of the entryway is a little kitchen. To the right you see a small sitting room, with a couch covered in a few sheets. The coffee table has a spread of little tools that remind you of emergency room procedurals on TV.

“In there, if you don’t mind,” Keonhee says. “I made coffee before I remembered you drink tea, Geonhak, so there’s coffee if you want it.”

“Water for them,” Geonhak manages, panting as you help ease him to lie down across the couch.

You stick your tongue out at him but don’t argue. Your mind and body are starting to catch up with the shock of an injured Geonhak, and you don’t want to make yourself even more jittery.

Keonhee disappears briefly into the kitchen, emerging with a glass and a mug. You take the water gratefully, hiding yourself in the glass as you swallow back half of it.

When you lower it again, Keonhee is seated beside the couch and inspecting Geonhak’s head wound. He swabs at it with alcohol wipes and clucks his tongue.

“Stupid, but not awful,” Keonhee says, fighting a smile as Geonhak swears violently under his breath at a firmer prod. “Probably won’t even need stitches. Just bled a lot.”

“You’ll bleed a lot if you don’t cut that out,” Geonhak grumbles. Keonhee snorts and scoots back, lifting the hoodie to get a better look at his side.

“Need a few stitches here, though,” Keonhee says, pausing when Geonhak jolts from the rubbing alcohol sting. “Ribs hurt at all?”

“Not as much as yours will if y—shit,” Geonhak hisses at another pass of the alcohol wipe.

“Look at you, king of the streets, brought to your knees by antiseptic,” Keonhee says, grinning.

Geonhak glares at him, breathing heavily. “I say king of the streets one time, back in high school, and you won’t let it die.”

“Nope.” Keonhee pops the “p” and reaches for a few things on the coffee table.

You take a deep breath, setting down your glass with shaky hands. “Uhm, if I needed the bathroom, where…?”

Keonhee’s eyes are understanding. “Down that way, on the right. I’ll be quick. He’s seen worse.”

You hear Geonhak’s “fucking hell” from the living room before you close the bathroom door behind you.

You lean heavily on your hands against the sink and rest your forehead against the mirror, allowing yourself a moment in the whirlwind of thoughts. Knife wound. They got him. He’s been hurt worse before.

He came to me. When he got hurt, he came to find me. I got to see him again.

That’s what feels the most shocking, that he’s here, you’re here, back in his world, when you didn’t think you’d ever see him again. You know he’d told you it was for your own good that he keep a distance, and you didn’t think his reasons were bad. It still hurt, though, to make such a connection with him and then watch him disappear from your life like he’d never been there.

Well, now you’ve seen him again—covered in blood, admittedly, but nonetheless. He hadn’t been a figment of your imagination, after all. He’ll be on the mend soon, and then…

You gulp. That’s what’s scariest. How fleeting being here, being back in his circle, feels. You wish for selfish things for a brief moment—for a few more nights of Irish Breakfast, a few more conversations, even one more exchange of banter, for wounds that need time to heal, time you can spend with him. The thought that he’ll slip away again forever after this is…

A soft knock on the door startles you a little too much. “Hm?”

“He’s all patched up now, all fine,” Keonhee says. “Just needs a couple days of low activity and he’ll be back to normal.”

You sniff, leaning back off of your hands. “Good. I…good.”

There’s a pause. “I’d like to take a look at you when you come out. Customary check.”

“Oh, uh, sure, yeah, coming out.”

You reach up to itch a spot on your cheek and blink when your hand comes back wet. You wipe under both eyes, hands coming away damp. When you glance at your reflection, you grimace at how blotchy you look. There’s no way to hide it, so you sigh and brace for the inevitable, opening the door.

Keonhee studies you for a moment, then says, “let’s see if I’ve got tea somewhere after all, hm?”

It feels a bit wrong to dig through his cupboards and pantry like this, but Keonhee encourages it, clapping your shoulder when you find an old box of orange pekoe.

“You’ll be staying tonight, of course,” he says after he cleans out the coffee pot and begins brewing plain hot water. “At least until the shock wears off.”

You purse your lips as you retrieve two mugs. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome…”

Keonhee scoffs, putting a tea bag in each one. “Please. You’re more tolerable than he is, swearing at me over a little scratch.”

“Is it really that minor?” You ask, watching yourself run a thumb over the lip of a mug.

“He’s just fine,” Keonhee says, firm and reassuring. “He’ll be back to intimidating us all at full capacity far too quickly.”

The nobler side of you relaxes at this. Your less noble side wishes for a few more days of bed rest. You try to ignore the less noble side.

“Perhaps I should worry more about you,” Keonhee says, studying you. “You’ve been well?”

You laugh once. “Oh, yes. I’m just fine. I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of a single made man until this week, much less tangled with any of them.”

You wince inwardly at how bitter you sound. Ridiculous.

Keonhee hums, taking the now-filled pot of hot water and pouring it into the mugs. “I see an awful lot of made men, but that doesn’t necessarily add or detract from any tangles. Surprising, how much you can see of them without being involved.”

You don’t know what to say to that. You realize with a pang that you’re almost jealous of him, of his ability to be involved but not involved.

He frowns at one of the mugs as it steeps. “I should go check how he takes it, I can never remember—”

“That’s alright, I’ve got it,” you say, waving that away and preparing both mugs.

Keonhee’s quiet as you labor over the tea. When he speaks, you can hear a slight smile.

“Good. I’ll go make up the air mattress, then, if you’ve got this under control.”

You make your way back into the sitting room slowly, trying not to spill either mug. Geonhak has every pillow propped up behind his back, an arm slung over his eyes. You frown when you see one of his ankles in a brace.

“You didn’t tell me your ankle was hurt.”

A corner of Geonhak’s mouth twitches. “Only twisted a little. It’s why I couldn’t keep better balance.”

He lowers his arm from his eyes and looks up at you. You lift his mug, nodding at it, and he inches his way further upright, grimacing.

“Let’s see how badly Keonhee did on this cup,” Geonhak says as he takes the mug.

“He didn’t make it. I did,” you say, sitting gingerly by his knees and blowing on your mug. “Two sugars, no cream. Strong. Brought the spoon when you want the bag out.”

You set your mug on the coffee table, now cleared of surgical instruments, and lift your teabag into said spoon, twisting the string round and draining the excess. You feel Geonhak’s silent, studying gaze and try not to let it fluster you as you find a wastebasket at the end of the couch to toss the teabag.

You take a sip of the tea, then blink. “You know, I always thought orange pekoe would be…well, orange flavored. But this is just another black tea.” Hmm. Suppose it can’t hurt to have around for guests, so the nicer teas can be for you.

“Damn it,” Geonhak sighs softly.

You glance over at him as you blow on your tea, raising an eyebrow. He’s cradling his tea placidly against his stomach, eyes shut.

“You make it so difficult.”

You blink. “So difficult to what?”

He opens his eyes and meets your gaze. “To stay away from you.”

Your lungs feel suddenly empty. Oh. Some warm and electric feeling zings up your spine.

You look down into your mug, pulse skipping. “…I see. My hopelessness when it comes to tea, back at it again.”

When he speaks, you can hear his smile. “Might play a part, maybe.”

You take another swig of tea, bracing yourself. “I wish…I wish you wouldn’t stay away, but I, you know, I get it. Promise.”

You shrug a shoulder, grimacing.

He purses his lips, then sets the mug down. “Mind getting the bag for me?”

You set your tea down and grab the spoon, finagling with the tea bag in his cup.

His fingers brush against your knee, backs of his knuckles rubbing gently back and forth. You swallow, throat surprisingly dry for how much tea you’ve drank, tossing his teabag and setting the spoon aside again.

“Don’t like when you’re in danger,” he murmurs.

You nod, picking your mug up again with shakier hands than you’d like.

“Don’t want to be the reason you’re in danger,” he says quietly.

You nod again, tilting your head thoughtfully and taking a sip of tea. “Keonhee’s got a lot of your guys in his life and he’s not in danger.”

“He’s under my uncle’s protection,” Geonhak says, not unkindly.

You shrug a shoulder. “Well…think I might be now, too. He intimidated that man into leaving and then left a hundred dollar tip for his muffins.”

Geonhak laughs once, and his hand opens on your knee, resting warm and firm.

“Touché.”

You take another sip of tea, gathering courage, then drop your hand to your knee and curl your fingers around his hand.

His gaze makes you feel shy, but you don’t look away, drinking in the way it feels to be looked at like this.

He shakes his head at himself, smiling wryly. “Knew exactly what I was doing tonight. Might’ve been easier to go to a few different places, but I went out of my way.”

His fingers squeeze yours.

“I just missed you,” he whispers.

It’s a good thing you hear Keonhee clattering back down the hall. You’re not sure you have the power of speech anymore.

Keonhee forces Geonhak to give up two pillows (“you have all the other pillows in my house, fiend, surrender one to me and to the guest”) and pushes aside the coffee table to make up your bed. It’s a good thing you were already in pajamas, you think as you sit at the edge of the air mattress. No need to sleep in clothes, unlike Geonhak, despite your hoodie.

When the lights go out and Keonhee goes back to bed, you spend a while staring up at the ceiling. You realize, too late, that there was caffeine in both of those teas. Late night caffeine intake versus shock exhaustion, fight.

“There’s, um.”

You glance over at Geonhak on the couch. He’s looking up at the ceiling, too. “There’s this place on the other side of town, a bar? But it’s got cats, like a cat cafe. Hwanwoong tells me you’d really like it.”

You purse your lips, fighting the massive grin threatening to take over your whole face. “I’ve heard of it. It’s got some cat pun name, yeah?”

“Yeah, I can’t think of it, either,” he says, laughing softly.

His hand reaches out and finds yours in the darkness. “Wanna try it with me, maybe? Like, in a week or two, obviously, or Keonhee will put my head on a stake.”

You laugh quietly, squeezing his hand. “I’d like that.”

His thumb brushes over the back of your hand, gentle. “Okay.”

When you finally fall asleep, your hand is still in his.

71 notes · View notes

poc-movie-supremacy · 4 years

Text

Merry Christmas

On one very Merry Christmas, disaster strikes the Lim-Ilnyckyj family. Will everything be okay or will it be deadly Christmas for all???

------

Steven hates eggnog. He hates that it’s only sold on Christmas. He hates that he always forgets to buy more of it. He hates that he made Andrew go get some on that Christmas night.

Yesterday night…

Steven loves Christmas. He loved it when he was a kid and he loved it now. He loved the Christmas music, and the twinkling lights, and the constant buzz of happiness. It’s become even more special now that he has Andrew and Sunny and Mark.

“Do you have everything you need for the party tomorrow, baby?”

Steven surveyed the kitchen. “I think we should. Do you wanna get started on the dumplings?”

Andrew nodded and started getting out all the ingredients. “Sure are you going to start the banana bread?”

“Yup.” Steven maneuvered around Andrew as he got out his ingredients. They worked together in the kitchen seamlessly to produce a Christmas feast. Tomorrow in the late afternoon, they were hosting a large Christmas dinner with all of their friends and family. Considering who was coming they were planning on making a large meal.

“The ham is going to be ready for pick up tomorrow right?”

“Last time I checked honey.” Steven had on a Hanukkah sweater under his apron. It was a gift from Zach a few years ago. He also had an elf hat that Adam gave him and a discrete hickey from Andrew. Didn’t need the kids seeing that.

As they cooked, those same kids sat on the couch watching Christmas movies. Currently they were enthralled by Disney’s A Christmas Carol. The lights from the Christmas tree blinked lazily at them. It painted the kids in a warm glow. The smells of cooking food and scented candles wafted around the house. The adults kept a half an eye on them as they worked in the kitchen.

As Steven stirred the banana bread mix, he felt a slight tug on his pant leg. Looking down he saw his baby boy holding on to his leg. “Hey Markie, what’s up?”

Steven knelt down so he could hear his son better. “Baba, are ghosts real?” Steven almost fell over laughing. It was making his son agitated but he couldn’t stop. Sunny and Andrew started to look at them curiously.

Before Mark could start crying Steven squeezed his hand. “Buddy, hey, Buddy I’m sorry. You know what, when your Uncle Shane and Ryan come over tomorrow you ask them ok? They know more about this than I do.”

“Oh God, Ghosts.” Andrew groaned into his hands. He looked almost comical in his zany red Christmas sweater and Mickey Santa hat that Ryan got him a few years ago. Their poor kids look very confused at their parents. Steven almost fell down from laughing too hard.

“Do you think when they finally started dating Shane would intentionally scare Ryan so that Ryan would go to him for comfort?” Andrew wondered. The red Christmas light fell on his profile, emphasizing his strong jawline and beard. It made Steven’s heart happy to look at. It was also hilarious sine he looked like a giant red man from where Steven was crouching on the floor.

“Oh most definitely. I had to help him sometimes.” Steven rolled his eyes exasperatedly while Andrew chuckled.

"Anyways, you kids wanna make Christmas cookies after me papa are done?” Steven asked. Papa and Baba’s cookies were a special treat for the Lim-Ilnyckyj kids. They enthusiastically took any chance of making them with their father’s as they could.

“Ok watch a few more movies while Papa and I finish cooking, alright?” They nodded and went back into the living room. Frosty the Snowman and It’s Christmas Charlie Brown played through before Steven and Andrew were ready for them. Sunny and Mark rushed into the kitchen eagerly, happy to bake with their parents. It got a little messy, but they had fun. Andrew had flour in his hair and icing was everywhere. After that adventure, Steven and Andrew wrangled their kids to bed. Then they cleaned up the house to make it more presentable.

Half-way through the clock struck midnight. Steven was busy fixing the mistletoe so he missed Andrew coming up behind him. He squeaked when he felt Andrew wrap his arms around him. “Merry Christmas, Baby.” Andrew reached up to press a quick kiss to Steven’s lips.

Just as quickly he pulled away leaving Steven a giggly mess. He playfully swatted Andrew on the shoulder before getting back to work. “Merry Christmas to you too, Honey.”

Christmas Day for the Lim-Ilnyckyj household was chaotic. Sunny woke up Mark and together they woke up their parents. They were found sleeping back to back holding hands. They did not go to bed like that. It made Sunny and Mark laugh as they bounced on the bed. Their giggling is what actually woke up the two parents. Andrew gave Mark a bear hug while Steven tickled Sunny senseless. When they finally escaped their parents hold, the kids pulled their parents to the Christmas Tree.

“Don’t forget we’re going to Mass at noon. Then everyone’s coming over at 3. Can you get me some matcha honey?” Steven asked.

“Sure.” Andrew stood up from the couch to go get some coffee in the kitchen. Light streamed in from the open windows onto the children. It made them almost glow in the morning light.

Steven peacefully watched the kids divide up the presents. Mark got some nice lego’s and a coloring book while Sunny got a kid-safe detective and chemistry kit. They got a few other gifts but this was their favorite. Andrew came back with two cups of matcha, one for Steven and one for himself. Steven smiled happily and kissed his husband’s cheek in thanks. They hadn’t been planning on opening their gifts, but Sunny and Mark insisted.

Steven’s gift was an art project and a Ratatouille stuffed animal. Sunny and Mark smiled eagerly at him. “Uncle Adam helped us pick it out! Do you like it Baba?”

Steven pulled his kids into a hug. “I love it so much.”

“Your turn papa.” Mark handed his father one of his presents from Sunny and Mark. It was another art project and a stuffed animal of a cat possibly from the Aristocats.

Andrew squeezed the cat close to his chest. “You guys, this is great.”

“You like it?” The kids asked him excitedly.

“I love it. And I’ll open the rest of the gifts after I get the ham. Ham is the last thing we need right?”

“It should be..” Steven said. It wasn’t.

“Ok, let’s eat some breakfast, I’ll get the ham then we’ll go to Mass. Sounds good?” The kids nodded distractedly. Steven made them special christmas waffles (which were like regular waffles with a lot of sweets in them).

“You’re going to give them a sugar rush,” Andrew said.

“Yeah and they’ll crash during mass.”

Andrew smiled sneakily at his husband. “You're so smart.

Steven shrugged with faux humility, “I try.”

The kids did in fact crash half-way through Mass. Steven and Andrew had to carry them the rest of the celebration. All the Church goers cooed as they passed. At home, Steven and Andrew let the kids sleep as they made sure the house was ready for the party. The wrappers were all thrown away and the Christmas lights were turned on. The food was arranged artfully around the kitchen table. At 2:20 the children were woken up and cleaned up for the party.

The first people to show up were Uncle Ryan and Uncle Shane. Their three kids, Sherry Linda and Benny stood behind them carrying gifts. After hugging Ryan and shane, Steven graciously took the gifts from his nieces and nephews. Mark ran up to Ryan’s leg and pulled him down. “Uncle Ryan, Uncle Ryan, Baba told me I could ask you a question.”

“What’s up slugger?”

“Are Ghosts real?” Mark whispered.

Ryan immediately started wheezing while Shane groaned. Mark looked around very confused. His dads had the exact same reaction. At the same time Ryan told him yes, Shane shook his head no. An argument ensued to Mark’s utter confusion. Linda rolled her eyes, took her cousin by the hand and pulled him away.

“Ignore my dads. They can’t agree on this.” Sherry, her younger brother Benny and cousin Sunny and followed Linda and Mark. They made their way to the play room away from the bickering adults.

“If you ask me,” Sherry started, “I think they are.” Benny nodded too. He was three so there was a 60/40 chance he was just agreeing because his older sister said it, but none of them commented on it.

More guests started to arrive, The Fulmers, the Habersburgers, Cool Uncle Adam. The kids all went to play upstairs while the grownups stayed downstairs to talk.

Christmas music rang throughout the house as Christmas lights twinkled around them. The cookies and eggnog were a big hit, especially after someone spiked it. Steven didn’t account for this and sadly they ran out of eggnog quicker than he planned. “Do you want me to get more?” Andrew whispered in Steven’s ear. He had seen Steven start to play with the hem of his shirt, a tell-tale sign he was agitated.

Steven played with the hem of his shirt more and almost started to bite his lip. Internally he was having a debate with himself. “Are you sure? You don’t mind?” Steven whispered.

“No it’s ok. The trip would be quick.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“Nah stay home. I think Bergara’s going to do something to my clothes, I want you to stay guard.”

“Yes sir.” Steven smiled and kissed his husband on the cheek. Silently Andrew left the party to get some eggnog. Annie saw this and quirked an eyebrow.

Steven answered her silent question. “It’s all good.” No it wasn’t “He’s just getting some eggnog.” He wanted to get some eggnog.

Annie nodded slowly like she was debating on what to say next. “The roads are slippery. I hope he’s careful.”

The thought made Steven nervous, but nothing bad could happen right? It was Christmas Day so he decided to trust in God and believe that Andrew would be alright. Steven nodded at Annie and steered the conversation towards studio ghibli.

-_- -_- -_-

It takes half an hour to get from the grocery store and back to the house. Steven knows after all the times one kid has gotten sick and he had to rush to the store for soup. It had been 20 minutes so far. Steven wasn’t too worried. He went to the kitchen to get more cinnamon rolls where he caught Ryan staring out at the snow.

“Snowstorm. Must be blue moon today,” Ryan whispered when he noticed Steven beside him. “First time I’ve ever had to bundle up like I do visiting Shane’s family in California. Kids were ecstatic though.”

Steven snorted softly. “I can imagine, Cali boy.”

Ryan fondly rolled his eyes, “That was an awful nickname and you know it. By the way, where did Andrew go? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Before Steven could answer, his phone rang. Excusing himself, he answered and started to walk away. He made it four paces before he felt his heart shatter.

-_- -_- -_-

Steven was stock still in the middle of the kitchen. He wasn’t moving. Ryan called out to him, but he wasn’t responding. Hesitantly, Ryan walked over to Steven. His breaths were shallow and his eyes looked bloodshot. Carefully Ryan took the phone out of Steven’s hand.

“Hi, my name’s Ryan Bergara, I’m… Steven’s relative, what seems to be the problem?”

“Mr. Bergara, as I was just telling Mr. Lim, Mr. Andrew Ilnyckyj has been in a car accident. He’s in St. Luke’s hospital on 5th and 9th.” The operator had a sympathetic voice, probably picking up on how much Andrew means to Steven. Ryan took a deep breathe in an attempt to steel his nerves. He couldn’t break down, not yet, not until this whole mess was sorted out. Someone had to be strong for Steven.

“Oh, um thank you, Steven and I’ll be there as soon as we can. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas Mr. Bergara. I hope your friend turns out okay.”

“I hope so too.” Ryan hung up and pocketed the phone. He turned towards Steven who was still stock-still and crying. “Hey man, I need you to breath. He’s going to be okay. Shane and I’ll drive you to the hospital, the rest can stay back and watch the kids.”

“The kids… you can’t tell them just yet. You can’t. It’s Christmas Ryan. Wait, wait until tomorrow.”

“Ok, ok I promise. Wait right here. I’m going to go tell the grown ups and get Shane.”

As he was about to leave, Steven reached out and tightly gripped Ryan’s arm. “Don’t, don’t leave.”

Ryan paused and took a deep breath .”Ok, slim lim, come with me.” Slowly Ryan tugged Steven back to the living room. To get everyone’s attention Ryan made one sharp whistle.

Everyone turned to look at them and concern colored their faces when they saw Steven’s tear stained face. Before they could speak Ryan’s voice wobbled out, “Uhh, Steven just got a call from the hospital,” Annie held a hand over her mouth, “Andrew’s been in a car accident. Shane and I are going to take him there, but we need someone to stay behind to watch the kids. It’s Christmas. I don’t want them there quite yet.”

Shane walked up to stand on Steven’s otherside. He wrapped an arm around Steven’s shoulders and rubbed in an effort to calm him down.

“We can stay with the kids,” Katie offered. She sent a sympathetic look towards Steven that went unnoticed. The others offered to clean up before either going to the hospital or going home.

Ryan and Shane ushed Steven into the car and drove as quick as they lawfully could to the hospital. When they came to a stop in front of the hospital, Steven jumped out and made his way to Andrew’s room. They watched him go silently, sadly. Before they joined him they parked.

-_- -_- -_-

Steven ran down the hallways as fast as he could. Christmas music played softly through the halls, but it doesn’t have the same soothing effect anymore. It started to become more threatening as it played in his mind over and over. You better watch out. You better watch out. YOU BETTER WATCH OUT you better not cry, you better watch out I’m telling you why…

It made him sick. His anxiety increased two-fold. The washed out hallways seemed to stretch on forever. It was freezing to the bones in there. For every step Steven took, the hallway added another foot of length.

401… 402… 403.

Steven felt like he was running on borrowed air. Like when he got that phone call Satan stole his breath and wouldn’t give it back to him. He didn’t stop running though, he would run as quickly as he could to get to him.

Finally, finally after his ugly christmas sweater was starting to choke him, finally after his tears were starting to stream down his cheeks, he made it to him.

Andrew was lying unconscious in his hospital bed. There was a long scar over his left eye and a bruise on his left forearm. Steven almost fell over at the sight of it. Yet he pulled himself together and staggered to Andrew’s bedside. Tightly he grabbed one of Andrew’s hands as he willed himself to stay strong, stoic.

The hospital room was cold and unfeeling. It smelled of antiseptic and medicine. Steven hated it. He hated that he was here, he hated that he was the okay one. Steven, Steven burned with anger. But anger doesn’t last long, especially for Steven who quickly goes from murderous to deep tragic sadness. It makes his knees weak.

He pulls up a chair so he could fall into it. While still holding his hands, he rests his forehead onto Andrew’s stomach and let the tears fall. At first it’s singular droplets but then it becomes heaving sobs. All the pent up energy he feels is released through the tears. He’s relieved the kids aren’t here to see either of their parent’s like this. They’re too young.

He hears Ryan and Shane approach but he pays them no mind. All he’s aware of is Andrew’s soft breathing and the beep of the heart monitor. The sound is both a blessing and a curse. As much as he hates the incessant beeping, he’d take it over its silence any day. The boys walk over to Steven, Ryan on his left and Shane on his right.

Shane’s quiet as Ryan speaks. “The nurse says there was some internal bleeding, and he has a few broken ribs. The roads were a little slippery the other car couldn’t break fast enough to avoid collision. She checked your insurance. They’re going to send in robots to fix up the bleeding. Thank God we updated the healthcare on time.” Ryan tried to joke to alleviate the dour mood. It didn’t work that well.

Steven tightened his hold on Andrew’s fingers. Jaggedly, he nodded his head. Shane placed a hand on top of his shoulder. “Hey man ease up. Don’t break his fingers.” Steven wanted to hold onto his husband’s hands like a lifeline, but he knew Shane was right. Instead he grabbed one of Shane’s hands and one of Ryan’s. No one spoke as they quietly watch Andrew sleep.

When the nurses had to take Andrew into surgery, Steven let them lead him back to the waiting room. The lights were bright in an awful way, harsh on his eyes. They sat together on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs. No one spoke, unsure of what to say. Steven played with the hem of his Christmas sweater and prayed the rosary over and over internally.

Later on in the night, Adam, Annie, Rie, and Niki came over to sit with them. Unless it was to offer Steven a comforting word no one spoke. They all waited apprehensively for an update on Andrew’s situation. Annie wrapped her arms around Steven who curled into her.

“I’m sorry I jinxed it.” Her voice was whisper-soft and shaky, like she was about to cry but didn’t want to.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Just more evidence that you might be a little more magical than we thought.” Steven tried to humor her. Annie just held him tighter and kissed his forehead.

“I’m magical as fuck and I’ll use my powers to make Andrew come out the surgery room brand new,” Annie declared confidently. Despite himself, Steven smiled.

-_- -_- -_-

Andrew’s surgery lasted a few hours. Ryan shot a text to Katie that Andrew would be staying overnight and Steven would too. Katie offered to stay the rest of the night with them, but Adam refused. He drove back to keep an eye on the kids while Katie and her husband went home. She gave him a sympathetic smile and made Ryan swear that he would update them on Andrew’s situation. After that they sent Steven one last sympathy text before heading home.

Luckily the surgery went smoothly. He’d wake up from the anaesthetics in a few hours. Since only one person could wait for him in the hospital room everyone stayed in the waiting room. Steven went to visit Andrew alone. He pulled up a hospital chair and fiddled with the hem of his sweater as he prayed.

Half-way through the night, Ryan and Shane had to go back home to pick up the kids and put them to bed. Annie stayed with Steven the whole night. She went with him to see Andrew before having to go back home. Well into the morning, once the kids were awake and ready, Adam took Sunny and Mark back to the hospital to wait for Andrew and Steven. They were quiet and still for once chock full with worry. Adam tried his best to distract them. He played youtube videos, read to them, and let them play games on his phone. Nothing seemed to work however. The only thing the kids wanted was their father.

They looked up when a nurse called Adam’s name. They got up together, one kid holding one of his hands. The nurse gave him a pleased, tired smile. “Everything went well, so well in fact that you all can visit him.”

“We can visit Papa!” Sunny squealed excitedly. It made the nurse laugh.

“Yeah, your father’s waiting for you.” Sunny would’ve sprinted off if it weren’t for Adam. He quietly thanked the nurse before turning his attention back to the squirming kids.

“We walk together, no running off. We can’t run into anyone.” The kids sullenly agreed with Adam. Together they walked towards Andrew’s hospital room. He didn’t let go of the hyper kids until they crossed the threshold. Sunlight light up Andrew’s hospital room. There were some flowers and candy lying on the side table. Steven and Andrew had matching red rimmed eyes as they held hands. Big Smiles shone on their faces when they saw their kids. Before the kids could pounce on Andrew’s torso Steven scooped them up onto his lap.

“Hey, hey, before you shower your papa with all the love in the world, we got to go over a few ground rules.” Steven waited until he had his kids attention. “Your father’s chest and stomach is very sore so you can’t put any pressure on it. That means so sitting on it, no tight hugs, no leaning against it. Ok?”

Both kids nodded solemnly before Steven let them onto Andrew’s hospital bed. Mark sat on his left while Sunny carefully climbed over him. When they started talking they also started crying and they did this on top of each other. Adam went to stand silently behind Steven. No one could fully understand what the kids were saying. It was something between, don’t go, I’m scared and it was confusing. Andrew let them cry it all out. He rubbed Mark’s arm up and down as he tried to thumb away Sunny’s tears (in vain). Gingerly he let the kids lay on him, wanting to be just as close to them as they needed to be to him.

“I’m going to be ok guys, I promise. Papa just got in a little tumble.” The kids didn’t really believe him, he did have a scar on his face after all. They did always like the rumble of his chest when he talked though, so they just quietly listened. Andrew told them a story about one of his Christmases as a boy. It was long enough to have them fall asleep by the end of it. Andrew kissed them on the forehead before turning towards Adam and Steven.

“They fell asleep quickly. What did I miss from the 24 hours or so?”

“Nothing much. After Steven got the call, half of us went to the hospital while the other half stayed behind to clean up the house and watch the kids. They’ve had some trouble sleeping. Very worried for you.” Adam informed him. Absentmindedly Andrew tightened his hold on his kids even if it pained him.

“Merry Christmas to us,” Steven quipped sarcastically.

Andrew snorted. “Hey, I turned out fine. Little banged up but I’m ok.”

Steven carefully squeezed his upper elbow. “You better be. I didn’t want to tell the kids that pops went out for milk and never came home.”

Andrew and Adam laughed out loud. “I promise baby, I’m not going anywhere.”

#standrew #shyan #ella's worth it fics #we're all fic writers here #I coined mark from the bible #sunny cause Steven was like sunshine personified so obviously his kid would be too #and sherry and linda since they are shane and ryan's respective mom's #ella's unsolved fics

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crazy4tank · 3 years

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Eight Energy Bars worth Making at Home

New Post has been published on https://foodloverrecipes.com/blog/eight-energy-bars-worth-making-at-home/

Eight Energy Bars worth Making at Home

The wall of energy bars being sold in just about every grocery store is pretty astonishing. The problem I have with a lot of them is their highly processed ingredient lists. Also, the ones that have short, recognizable ingredient lists, often have a damp, strange texture – seemingly dates smashed with other stuff into an unappetizing looking log. These homemade energy bars aren’t as convenient, but they’re arguably much better. Here are some favorites – a mix of baked, no-bake, a range of simple to more elaborate.

1. Savory DIY Power Bars – (101 Cookbooks) Before we dive into slightly sweeter versions of homemade power bars – have a look at these. If you can imagine sort-of savory Rice Crispy treats made with crumbled kale chips, toasted walnuts, and black olives, that’s the ballpark. Also, cut into tiny bit-sized squares, these make a cool addition to an appetizer spread. Get the recipe here.

2. Mint Chocolate Power Bars – (Green Kitchen Stories) Chocolate + mint + seeds + oats. These date-based bars are A+ awesome. Get the recipe here.

3. 4 o’clock No-Bake Energy Bites – (QUITOKEETO) These got me through many afternoon slumps over at our studio. I like the ratio of oats to nut butter here, and the addition of chia seeds. Plus they’re no-bake, delicious, and people loooove them. Use any nut butter you have on hand. Get the recipe here.

4. Peanut Butter Goji Berry Granola Bars – (Love & Lemons) Another tasty, crisped rice-based bar from L&L. Packed with goji berries, chia seeds, pistachios, pepitas, some chocolate for the win… Get the recipe here.

5. Matcha Green Granola Bars – (My New Roots) Matcha boosted, and packed with oats, seeds, and dried fruit. Love this take. Get the recipe here.

6. DIY Snack Bars – (Cooking Light) Some great ideas in this round-up at Cooking Light (beautifully photographed by Jen Causey)…there are some strange variations on the list, and a lot are too sweet for my tastes, but there are some interesting ideas, and looking through them inspires some ideas about all the different ways you can approach your won bars at home. Get the recipe here.

7. Hazelnut Buckwheat Granola Bars – (Petit World Kitchen) Love the banana factor in these. And how you can bake them super golden, so the oats get super toasty…. Get the recipe here.

8. Cranberry Walnut Energy Bars – (Food & Wine) These are old-school. From Super Natural Cooking, and published on in Food & Wine roughly ten years ago, but still a keeper. Play around with the fruit, nuts, and seeds you put in here, its a good base recipe… Get the recipe here.

Continue reading Eight Energy Bars worth Making at Home on 101 Cookbooks

#100+ Vegetarian Recipes #Basic Techniques #Whole Grain Recipes

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badgerkick0-blog · 5 years

Text

Eight Energy Bars worth Making at Home

The wall of energy bars being sold in just about every grocery store is pretty astonishing. The problem I have with a lot of them is their highly processed ingredient lists. Also, the ones that have short, recognizable ingredient lists, often have a damp, strange texture - seemingly dates smashed with other stuff into an unappetizing looking log. These homemade energy bars aren't as convenient, but they're arguably much better. Here are some favorites - a mix of baked, no-bake, a range of simple to more elaborate.

1. Savory DIY Power Bars - (101 Cookbooks) Before we dive into slightly sweeter versions of homemade power bars - have a look at these. If you can imagine sort-of savory Rice Crispy treats made with crumbled kale chips, toasted walnuts, and black olives, that's the ballpark. Also, cut into tiny bit-sized squares, these make a cool addition to an appetizer spread. Get the recipe here.

2. Mint Chocolate Power Bars - (Green Kitchen Stories) Chocolate + mint + seeds + oats. These date-based bars are A+ awesome. Get the recipe here.

3. 4 o'clock No-Bake Energy Bites - (QUITOKEETO) These got me through many afternoon slumps over at our studio. I like the ratio of oats to nut butter here, and the addition of chia seeds. Plus they're no-bake, delicious, and people loooove them. Use any nut butter you have on hand. Get the recipe here.

4. Peanut Butter Goji Berry Granola Bars - (Love & Lemons) Another tasty, crisped rice-based bar from L&L. Packed with goji berries, chia seeds, pistachios, pepitas, some chocolate for the win... Get the recipe here.

5. Matcha Green Granola Bars - (My New Roots) Matcha boosted, and packed with oats, seeds, and dried fruit. Love this take. Get the recipe here.

6. DIY Snack Bars - (Cooking Light) Some great ideas in this round-up at Cooking Light (beautifully photographed by Jen Causey)...there are some strange variations on the list, and a lot are too sweet for my tastes, but there are some interesting ideas, and looking through them inspires some ideas about all the different ways you can approach your won bars at home. Get the recipe here.

7. Hazelnut Buckwheat Granola Bars - (Petit World Kitchen) Love the banana factor in these. And how you can bake them super golden, so the oats get super toasty.... Get the recipe here.

8. Cranberry Walnut Energy Bars - (Food & Wine) These are old-school. From Super Natural Cooking, and published on in Food & Wine roughly ten years ago, but still a keeper. Play around with the fruit, nuts, and seeds you put in here, its a good base recipe... Get the recipe here.

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virginiaovers · 6 years

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Orange Chiffon Cake オレンジのシフォンケーキ

Airy, bouncy, and lightly sweet, Orange Chiffon Cake is an elegant pastry with a warm, citrusy aroma from orange zest and a hint of cardamom. This soft and moist chiffon cake is served with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and topped with ribbons of orange peel.

With abundant navel oranges in the kitchen, I knew exactly what I wanted to make – Orange Chiffon Cake (オレンジシフォンケーキ). My daughter loves chiffon cake, and many JOC readers have specifically requested this recipe for a long time. To make it extra special and wow-worthy, I sneaked in a pinch of cardamom for a charming flavor.

Navel Oranges + Cardamom Flavor

I fell in love with cardamom when my Indian neighbor, who became my very good friend, made Chai every time our kids had a playdate at her house (I shared her recipe here). The cardamom pods smelled so inviting and delicious. It was a new spice that I had never seen or tasted in Japan.

When I was looking for a unique flavor that would complement orange, cardamom came to mind. I don’t remember exactly what dish I had tried, but it must have been a dessert that immediately caught my tastebuds off guard with the combination. Like clove, but more subtle, cardamom pairs beautifully with citrus flavors, adding a warmth and depth that makes this chiffon cake so memorable.

Ingredients for Orange Chiffon Cake

I love making chiffon cakes as the ingredients are so simple. Eggs, sugar, and flour, these are the ingredients we usually have in the pantry, right? For the flavoring, you can literally work with anything you can think of – black teas, coffee, spices, seasonal fruits, or a more unique Japanese flavors like matcha or black sesame. It is probably one of the most versatile cakes to make at home.

Another reason I like about chiffon cake is it’s never too sweet. If you’re familiar with Japanese (or Asian) sweets, they are in general not overly sweet or laden with sugar, so you can enjoy the baked treats and not feel bogged down.

Navel Oranges: What’s your favorite kind of orange? I love navel oranges as they are sweet and juicy, which I used to make this chiffon cake. You can also use cara cara oranges since they are in season right now.

Cardamom: This highly aromatic spice adds a hint of pine-like fragrance and delicate yet spicy flavor to the chiffon cake. Although you can do without cardamom for the recipe, I’d recommend giving it a try. You should be able to find cardamom in the spice aisle at any major grocery stores or specialty spice shops. If you’re not sure what else to do with it after baking the chiffon cake, use cardamom just like you would with cinnamon. Try a pinch of the spice with your cold brew coffee, baked goods, curries or roast meats. It can be a game-changer.

Neutral Oil: Use canola or vegetable oil; please do not use olive oil or other kinds of oil.

Cake Flour: I’ll talk more about it in details below. If you are making a chiffon cake, use cake flour, not all-purpose flour. At least you can make homemade cake flour with all-purpose flour and cornstarch (See Notes in the Recipe below).

Eggs: I use large eggs for all my recipes on the blog as they are the standard size in American recipes.

My Favorite: Super-Fine Unbleached Cake Flour from Bob’s Red Mill®

This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill®. I couldn’t be any more thrilled when I get to work with Bob’s Red Mill® to develop this Orange Chiffon Cake recipe. When comes to baking and breakfast products, I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill®. Have you tried any of their flours or other products before? What I genuinely admire about the company is that they use honest ingredients and methods for all their wide range of products, which I think it’s important for the consumers.

As an employee-owned company, Bob’s Red Mill® uses high-quality whole grains to satisfy all vegan, paleo, and gluten-free friendly cooking and baking needs. From almond flour, cake mixes, coconut flour to various grains, it offers the largest lines of organic, whole grain foods in the country. You can be assured that all of its products are certified Kosher and made with ingredients grown from non-GMO seeds. If you’re curious, you can go to the website and learn more about the founder, Bob Moore and his mission too.

To achieve the perfect light texture for the chiffon cake, I used Super-Fine Unbleached Cake Flour from Bob’s Red Mill®. Because it is sifted to a very fine texture, the cake flour is fantastic for all sorts of cakes – especially delicate ones like chiffon cakes. You should be able to find the cake flour at any major grocery stores. Alternatively, you can also buy it on Amazon.

First Time Making Chiffon Cake?

I’ve shared some helpful tips on How to Make the Perfect Chiffon Cake – Tips & Troubleshoot. Take a look before you start making your first chiffon cake.

I also want to go over some kitchen tools that I use in this recipe. I know some of you have never baked or rarely bake, but would love to try making this Orange Chiffon Cake.

Chiffon Cake Pan: It’s important to get a chiffon cake pan to make a chiffon cake to maintain the height structure and airiness. Aluminum material works best, and make sure it doesn’t come with non-stick coating. Why? Because the batter needs to cling to the wall of the cake pan and climb up tall with the help of beaten egg whites. A nonstick pan is slippery and the batter will slide down and flop. You can get this 7-inch angel food cake pan on Amazon or Japanese chiffon cake pan on Nihon Ichiban (ship internationally).

Zester 1: This zester features several sharp holes at the tip of the tool which works brilliantly in zesting off any citrus fruits. There is also another larger hole that allows you to peel off long curly strips for garnishes. With the two different features, you can create zest in different textures.

Zester 2: Microplane is a versatile tool to have in every kitchen. You can get very fine zest and triple amount from any citrus fruits. It is particularly useful for baking when you need the citrus flavors to be dispersed into the batter. Aside from zesting, you can also use it to grate cheese and ginger.

Hand Mixer: I still use a stand mixer (even though it doesn’t show up in my recipe videos/photos), but this hand mixer has been pretty handy and helpful for our filming (easy to show you the process). It takes a little longer than a more powerful stand mixer, but it still does a great job. So if you don’t want to spend too much money on the equipment you don’t use often and don’t want to lose your arm from whipping egg whites with a whisk, I strongly recommend this hand mixer.

Other Delicious Chiffon Cake Flavors

Chiffon cakes are a very popular sweet in Japan. Not only it’s cleverly designed to feed a crowd on many occasions, it also keeps so well that you could serve it for breakfast or afternoon tea for the whole week. So far I have the following flavors of chiffon cakes:

Earl Grey

Matcha Green Tea

Meyer Lemon

Have you tried any other interesting chiffons cake you’d like to make at home? Let me know in the comments below. Maybe I’ll be able to share the recipe next time.

Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for the FREE Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.

Orange Chiffon Cake

3 large eggs ((separated))

10 pods cardamom ((you’ll need ½ tsp ground cardamom))

3-4 oranges ((I used navel oranges))

85 g granulated sugar ((85 g = 3 oz or measure ½ cup and remove 1 Tbsp) (separated))

3 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc) ((3 Tbsp = 40 ml))

75 g cake flour ((75 g = 2.6 oz = 2/3 cup) (See Notes for homemade cake flour recipe))

1 tsp baking powder ((1 tsp = 4g))

1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar/powder sugar ((for dusting) (optional))

Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 340 ºF (170 ºC).

Separate 3 eggs to yolks and whites. Keep the egg yolks in a medium bowl, and egg whites in a large bowl. Freeze the large bowl with egg whites for 15 minutes so that the bowl and egg whites are very cold (it’s okay that they are partially frozen when you beat the egg whites). NOTE: In Japan, cream of tartar is not typically used to whip egg whites. We always use cold egg whites to make smooth, fine-texture meringue.

Crush the cardamom pods and remove the shell. Grind the seeds till fine powder. You will need ½ tsp finely ground cardamom.

Zest the oranges (I use 3-4 navel oranges). As I mentioned in the blog post, I use 2 types of zesters for more texture and flavors. Reserve some of the zest strips for cake decoration.

Cut the oranges in half and juice until you get 4 Tbsp (60 ml) of fresh orange juice.

In the bowl with egg yolks, add roughly 1/3 of granulated sugar and whisk until creamy pale yellow.

Add 3 Tbsp (40 ml) vegetable/canola oil, ½ tsp ground cardamom, and orange zest from 3-4 oranges and whisk well.

Add 4 Tbsp (60 ml) juice from oranges to the egg mixture and whisk well.

Sift 75 g (2.6 oz) cake flour and 1 tsp baking powder into the egg mixture. Whisk until incorporated and make sure there are no lumps.

Take out the bowl with egg whites from the freezer. Whip the egg whites until opaque, foamy, and bubbly.

Gradually add the rest of sugar in small increments while whisking.

Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.

To check on stiff peaks, pull up your whisk and see if you can see strong “peak” that stays still without bending down.

Using a whisk, whisk in 1/3 of the egg whites in the batter until the mixture is homogeneous.

Fold in another 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. This time, fold in gently without breaking the air bubbles.

Now transfer the batter into the egg whites. Gently fold in egg whites into the batter. Make sure thoroughly mix WITHOUT breaking the air bubbles.

Pour the batter into the ungreased 17 cm (7”) chiffon cake pan in the same location to prevent more bubbles from forming.

To remove or prevent air pockets, run a skewer through the batter and then drop the pan gently on a counter holding the center tube and wall of cake pan together (so air won’t go into the bottom of the batter).

Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed. If the top gets burn too quickly (maybe heat source is too close), cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.

As soon as you take out the cake pan from the oven, drop it on the counter to shock the cake so it stops shrinking. The cake must be cooled upside down in its pan so that it stretches downward instead of collapsing. Stick the cake pan on a tall heavy bottle. If you use an angel food cake pan, invert the cake pan on a cooling rack.

To remove the cake pan, run a thin sharp knife or thin offset spatula around both the inner and outer edges of the cake.

Remove the cake from the pan and run the knife on the bottom. Move onto a serving plate or cake stand. Dust confectioners’ sugar/powder sugar on top, if you like. Enjoy!

All-Purpose Flour vs. Cake Flour:

All-purpose flour and cake flour do not perform the same. Cake flour is more delicate, and if you use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, the texture will be dense and tough.

Homemade Cake Flour:

To make 1 cup cake flour, take one level cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 Tbsp, and then add 2 Tbsp of corn starch back in. Be sure to sift the flour 3-4 times to distribute the cornstarch well.

Tips for beating egg whites:

Make sure your beaters and mixing bowl are clean and dry. A speck of oil or egg yolk on either one can minimize the volume of the beaten egg whites.

Avoid plastic bowls as even clean ones may hold oily residue that can affect the beating quality of the egg whites.

Use a bowl that’s wide enough to keep the beaters from being buried in the egg whites.

Do not over-beat or under-beat egg whites – your cake may fall. Egg whites should be stiff but not dry.

Equipment you will need: 17 cm (7″) chiffon cake pan

Make sure you use the right chiffon cake pan. The best types are the aluminum pan with a removable base. Make sure it is NOT non-stick. Do not grease the mold because the cake needs to cling to the sides and center of the pan for support as it rises or it will collapse. You can buy a 7-inch round angel cake pan with a removable base on Amazon or a 17-cm aluminum Japanese chiffon cake pan on Nihon Ichiban or Amazon.

The post Orange Chiffon Cake オレンジのシフォンケーキ appeared first on Just One Cookbook.

Orange Chiffon Cake オレンジのシフォンケーキ published first on https://zenramensushi.tumblr.com/

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howellrichard · 4 years

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How to Make Easy, Healthy Snacks When You Can’t Get to the Store

Hiya Gorgeous!

Today I’m sharing some recipes for easy, healthy snacks that I think you’re gonna love. I chose them because, in times like these, we need simple foods that aren’t just tasty, but also full of fabulous nutrients. And I’m focusing on snacks because I’ve noticed that when it comes to recipe sharing, they often get left behind! Since you’re probably getting lots of healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas from your favorite bloggers right now, I’m hoping I can help fill that hole.

Now, to be clear, I’m not suggesting that you overhaul or get strict about your diet right now (unless you REALLY want to—I’m not here to tell you what to do!). There’s a lot of stressful stuff happening in our world, so I encourage you to make caring for yourself and others the number one focus for the time being. If you find yourself reaching for your favorite comfort foods, it’s ok. You’re doing the best you can under the circumstances, and beating yourself up definitely isn’t gonna help!

But I do know that many of you are looking for healthy recipes that you can make with limited ingredients. Maybe your kids are home, so it’s harder to find time for your normal grocery store run (not to mention that snacks may be disappearing from your home at a much quicker rate!). And while social distancing doesn’t restrict us from going out for essentials, you might prefer to play it safe (especially if you’re over 60 or have a chronic health challenge). Plus, even if you can get to the store, you might find that the shelves are bare and you’re not able to get your go-to ingredients.

The best part about these recipes is that they’re all really flexible. You can easily make adjustments based on your preferences and the ingredients you do/don’t have right now. I’ve included substitution ideas throughout the article, but I don’t know exactly what you have access to, so let your pantry, fridge and freezer be your guide! A general rule of thumb for substitutions is to use ingredients that are similar in flavor and texture to whatever you’re subbing out.

Ok, toots, whaddya say we go raid your pantry together?!

Easy, Healthy Snacks to Make When You Can’t Get to the Store

Satisfying Smoothies

Would any list of mine be complete without a shout out to green drinks? I think not! Smoothies are one of my favorite easy, healthy snacks because I can blend in advance and store them in airtight mason jars (they usually last up to 12 hours in the fridge and a month in the freezer!). Plus, unlike many recipes, the ingredients are usually flexible. If you don’t have a certain ingredient on hand, just sub in something similar or leave it out—voila, your very own creation! For more green smoothie tips, check out this post and this post from my blog archives.

My Body Builder smoothie is great for those times you’re feeling especially peckish because it includes protein-packed peanut butter (or any nut/seed butter you like). And the Raspberry Revitalizer smoothie is a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. You can use any frozen berries in place of the raspberries, and the coconut butter/oil is optional. (Psst… all of these recipes are from Crazy Sexy Juice!)

Delightful Dips and Dippers

Veggies and hummus or apples with almond butter are my go-to plant-based snacks when I’m short on groceries. No recipe needed! When I don’t have fresh produce available, I opt for pantry staples like whole grain crackers or dried fruit with no added sugar.

If you want to make your own dip, this Smoky Southwestern Hummus from my Test Kitchen Tuesday series is a total crowd pleaser (though you might not want to share!). No worries if you don’t have the spices it calls for—feel free to experiment and try different spice combos, or keep it simple with a little salt, pepper and garlic. If you don’t have chickpeas on hand, check out this yummy recipe for Sweet Potato Hummus.

Have a hankering for fries that aren’t deep fried? You only need four ingredients to make these delightfully crispy Oil-Free Rosemary French Fries. Dip them in ketchup for a classic snack, or get a little wild and pair them with your homemade hummus!

Need more snack ideas? Grab this free downloadable cheat sheet to learn about my top 10 recipe-boosting ingredients and how to use them (includes 3 more recipes for you to try!).

Energy Balls, Bars and Bites

What’s better than a bite-sized treat that packs a serious nutritional punch? Nada! I fill my bites with lots of plant-based protein and complex carbs so they fill me up and give me sustainable energy ‘til my next meal. I suggest whipping up a big batch of these easy vegan snacks ahead of time so you have plenty on hand for your busier days.

I love these No-Bake Cherry Vanilla Protein Bars because they’re quick to make and more affordable (and eco-friendly!) than buying individually wrapped bars at the store. Most of the ingredients are easy to swap out for whatever you have in your pantry, so have fun with it! For example, any dried berries could sub in for the cherries—cranberries would be especially good because they’re tart, too!

Have some matcha hanging around in your cabinet? These Matcha Pistachio Bliss Balls are also on regular rotation in my kitchen. They’re perfectly sweet and have a cookie dough-like consistency, YUM! Or if you’re in the mood for chocolate, try these Raw Brownie Bites. And no worries if you don’t have dates on hand—try this recipe for Raw Protein Energy Balls!

Crazy Sexy Trail Mix

One snack you’ll always find in my pantry is the trail mix from Crazy Sexy You, my 21-day total wellness program—and today I’m sharing the recipe publicly for the very first time! It’s chock-full of nutritious goodies, like selenium from the Brazil nuts and vitamin A from the goji berries.

But the best thing about this recipe is that there’s no one right way to make it. If you don’t have some of the ingredients, just sub in whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit you can find in your kitchen. I can’t wait to hear what combos you come up with! Crazy Sexy Trail Mix

Serves 6 (about 1/3 cup or 80 ml per serving) | Prep time: 5 min

1/2 cup (67 g) Brazil nuts 1/2 cup (62 g) raw walnuts 1/3 cup (40 g) raw cashews 1/3 cup (48 g) raisins 1/3 cup (25 g) dried goji berries 2 Tbsp flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut (optional) 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.

2. Transfer to wide-mouth mason jars or to a large glass storage container.

Storage tip: Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 month.

Make it nut-free: Replace Brazil nuts, walnuts and cashews with 2/3 cup (80 g) raw, shelled pumpkin seeds and 2/3 cup (46 g) raw, shelled sunflower seeds.

Happy snacking, sweet friend!

I hope that these recipes bring you some comfort (and of course, nourishment!) during these challenging times. Preparing food for yourself, no matter how basic it is, is a healing act of self-care that goes a long way. And remember: Above all else, keep it simple. Fruits and veggies baby, that’s where it’s at!

One more thing before you go. I love sharing tips and recipes with you because it’s my mission to help you take care of yourself—body, mind and soul. But it’s especially important to me now because, as we navigate the coronavirus crisis, I recognize that it’s more important than ever for us to share and connect with each other. Just know that I’m so, so grateful for you.

Your turn: What are your favorite easy, healthy snacks? Can’t wait to hear about your plant-based picks!

Peace & scrumptious snacks,

The post How to Make Easy, Healthy Snacks When You Can’t Get to the Store appeared first on KrisCarr.com.

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tripstations · 5 years

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Everything Sarah Hoover Ate on Her Two-Week Trip Through Japan

First and foremost, Sarah Hoover is an art dealer at Gagosian. After that, she’s a mother, and married (to Tom Sachs). But mostly, she’s hilarious. Follow her Instagram for highly unfiltered—in more ways than one—moments of her life, which she spends mostly in Chanel. She entertains with fashion commentary, takes us inside the art world, and documents every last morsel of food she consumes. So when she and her family recently returned from a two-week sojourn through Japan, Hoover came home with a photo stream filled with shots of sushi, matcha ice cream, and plastic groceries. Scroll through all these moments and more.

Baby Guy and I landed in Tokyo and needed to immediately shed our New York looks, don some color, and head to breakfast. I am an art dealer at Gagosian Gallery, and my husband is an artist. We came to Japan for his museum opening at Tokyo Opera City Gallery, and his exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery…and because Japan is truly one of the most special places on earth. It has retained its wonderful culture over time so visiting is a unique experience.

I couldn’t tell you the last time I ate breakfast in New York, but it’s not something you miss in Japan if you know what you’re doing. Because breakfast here is Japanese, and it’s savory. You get fish, rice, nori, soup, maybe some fruit, and the tea and coffee in Japan is absolutely perfect. It also comes in beautiful lacquered boxes, and opening each one is like giving yourself a present. A delicious, beautiful, and perfectly cooked present.

I needed to hydrate. And what’s the best way to hydrate in Japan? No not water—don’t be ridiculous—it’s Ramen broth. However, I don’t eat pork and having just been around the sweet baby pigs, I was not about to start eating pork. So off we went to Afuri Ramen, which offers Chicken and Veggie options, and has a special yuzu scented broth.

I needed a sweet treat after my salty lunch, so next up was the Harajuku Kawaii Monster Cafe, which I thought baby Guy would love. He was terrified and not just at the thought of his Mom eating this entire sundae. Unfortunately, it really, really was time for this child to nap, so I only got a few bites before we went to rest.

Just when I thought I was going to have some down time, my baby niece Gray Sorrenti arrived from the airport. And like any good older and wiser Auntie, I took her to the New York Bar at the Park Hyatt and made her drink Espresso Martinis so she could stay up all night with me.

Post drinking, any self-respecting chef will tell you that there is no better snack than the infamous Japanese 7-11 peanut butter sandwich. I am not kidding—look at any of their Instagrams—this sandwich appears on all of them. This is a next level peanut butter experience, where the filling is a soufflé consistency and the bread is as soft and sweet as you remember it being when you were a little kid. And it comes with the crust already cut off so it’s like your mom made it, but it tastes better.

As Anthony Bourdain, our lord and savior taught us, you must always visit a local grocery store. The most astounding thing about grocery stores in Tokyo is how perfect and expensive the fruit is. I saw 35 cherries for $108.00, which made this $11 “premium Hello Kitty banana” feel like a bargain when baby Guy asked for it.

Another interesting sight in a Japanese grocery store is the entire aisle devoted to plastic food.

A beautiful street-side oyster bar in Ebisu.

My sweet sweet baby Guy learned how to use a fork in Japan. This really has nothing to do with Japan I just wanted to brag. If he doesn’t learn how to use chopsticks on the next trip, he and I are going to have to have a serious talk.

Not to be outdone by my ice cream from the day prior, I made a priority of going back to Harajuku to taste test Eddy’s Ice Cream Parlor—a pastel heaven dedicated to frozen yogurt style, candy-dipped cones.

This rolled straight into dinner at the finest steak restaurant in the world, Steak Shima. This statement is a hill I’m willing to die on because whatever you think about eating animals, if you are going to do it, this is the place. The beef comes from cows who are fed sake, massaged daily, and who listen to classical music…and you get your leftovers in sandwich-form for later.

The most special and beautiful drinks experience you can imagine occurs with the great mixologist and host, Gen Yamamoto-san, who presents a prix fixe 6, 8, or 10-course cocktail menu. True elegance.

Could there be a more perfect way to spend a Tokyo evening than doing karaoke with Sofia Coppola in the karaoke room from Lost In Translation on the 16 year anniversary of the movie’s debut? Here is the most fun, kind and incredible director with Kunichi Nomura, international movie star and Japan’s most infamous partier.

Baby Guy and I took a short trip to the surf town of Kamakura, about 1.5 hours from Tokyo, to celebrate my husband’s Nike collection release (which I’m wearing head-to-toe) and to surf with our friends from Hurley (hi @punkerpat!). Kamakura has some lovely temples and bamboo forests, and we needed some chill after the rush of Tokyo.

Monks at the temple perform a short tea ceremony and make bowls of matcha with a sweet on the side.

It was at this point in the trip where I started to miss my intense high fat, high cholesterol diet. Luckily, Japan has absolutely amazing food of every genre, and this includes pizza. Here, from Garden House in Kamakura.

Including this because it made me so happy and I think you all deserve to see it too. Dogs at Garden House receive a placemat and proper seat, as they should.

Back in Tokyo, and I have to fuel up for a final night on the town. Of all the wonderful kissaten (coffee houses) in Tokyo, Cafe De L’Ambre is a favorite for its old fashioned vibe and aged coffee beans. Some are from the 1970s, which I’ve never seen anywhere else! Please note that I don’t drink coffee in New York very often, so one tiny cup of aged coffee and I’m ready to drink all the sake in Tokyo, and then maybe write a novel real quick.

A final night out with the incredible fashion designer Yoon Ambush (who made my necklaces, and the outfits and jewelry of my friends Sam Ratanarat and Erum Shah).

And the last drinks at Bloody Angle, a great record bar in Shibuya. Of course here the ice is perfectly spherical and made from the clearest filtered water. It might have been the only water I had the whole trip, and it was amazing.

My dessert stomach got jealous of my alcohol stomach, and I had to make a final matcha ice cream stop. It’s not in the most obvious of neighborhoods, but Suzukien Asakusa is a veritable paradise, where you can choose the intensity of your green tea flavoring. I’m weak and went with the second to lightest, but it was the most perfect goodbye to my favorite city.

The post Everything Sarah Hoover Ate on Her Two-Week Trip Through Japan appeared first on Tripstations.

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dinakaplan · 6 years

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A Guide To A Healthy Road Trip (Tips, Tricks, and Meal Ideas for Eating Well on The Go)

Learn from an experienced road tripper how to eat healthy on the road. You’ll get a traveling checklist, healthy road trip snacks and meals, and other useful tips and tricks.

Whether we’re searching for natural starlight or big city lights, bouncing around bayous or buttes, or headed home for the holidays, a packed car and a full tank of gas can be the start of an adventure.

If you try to live consciously and you care about a healthy gut and a healthy wallet, dining on the road can be a challenge.

But eating healthy, affordable, plant-based foods on the road is possible!

I’m going to share some tips and tricks I’ve used in my 25 years of experience road tripping.

Hopefully, these ideas help you as you plan your trip or think about hitting the road.

Pack Your Pantry — A Checklist for Healthy Eating on the Road

Healthy travel starts at home. Before you set out, gathering supplies can help get you on the path to success.

Depending on where I’m going, I typically take some or all the following items with me to reduce my road trip footprint and maintain my whole foods lifestyle.

Take a look at this list and see if you get any ideas for creating your own checklist.

Health Conscious and Trash-Reduced Travel Checklist:

Reusable water bottle (preferably glass)

Travel mug

Glass canning jars with lids

Mini-spiralizer (I recommend this one for the road. It’s cheap, small, and available in most grocery/big box stores in case you forget to pack yours.)

Spork (preferably titanium, like the one sold by eco-conscious company Light My Fire)

Glass storage containers with snap-on lids (Trust me, these can make a huge difference.)

Reusable food and sandwich wraps (I prefer beeswax-based Khala Cloths or silicone-based Food Huggers.)

Portable water filter

On-the-go blender

Can opener (I recommend “smooth edge” models that unseal rather than cut your cans.)

Small cutting board and folding knife

A small cooler and ice packs (not necessary but can be super useful)

Also, eating on the go often produces a lot of waste. So pack an extra bag or two to store your trash or recycling.

On the Road with a Healthy Gut and Active Brain

Traveling can be rough on the gut!

When we disrupt our meal patterns and normal activity level, we need to pay more attention than usual to maintaining a healthy gut.

Road tripping demands planning. So it’s best not to rely entirely on what you can find on along the way.

Your gut is happiest when you give it some at least some familiar foods. Consider bringing the following from home. And think about what must-have items would be on your list.

Probiotics, the patron saint of travelers. Probiotics keep you and your car both moving in the right direction. Non-refrigerated versions are a traveler’s trick.

Leftovers. Start your stomach out with what it already knows. Healthy leftovers keep well at room (or car) temperature for at least a meal or two. And they can make your first day of travel feel familiar. You can even use those glass jars to pack complete meals, like salads.

Flax seeds and/or chia seeds. Put the smooth in your smoothies (and put that blender to work). Flax and chia seeds are best and most nutritious when stored in airtight containers and refrigerated (or put in a cooler) after opened. (These organic flax packs are convenient and don’t require refrigeration. And they have packs of chia seeds, too.)

Fruit and Vegetables. Oranges and apples travel well, as do snap peas and pre-cut carrots and celery sticks. Each of these snackables gives you gut-healthy fiber.

Ginger. Whether you prefer making ginger tea or adding it to meals, fresh ginger root is great for the traveler’s tummy. (Tip: Peel and cut up some very thin ginger slices before you leave, but give them some air to breathe, possibly in paper bags, because if they’re in plastic, they’ll get moldy unless refrigerated.)

Spices. Bring your favorites for both flavor and health-boosting properties.

Instant Mojo. Organic instant coffee, matcha powder, tea (herbal or high octane), cocoa powder, and mushroom powders in combination or alone are great for keeping you focused and limiting the trash you create. (Note: Coffee shops, convenience stores, and grocery stores often give away hot water for free or cheap if you bring your own cup. Don’t forget to tip!)

Nuts and seeds. Packed with minerals, protein, and healthy fats to keep you full and feeling great, nuts and seeds are perfect snacks. Or you can use them to create meals on the go. You can also soak your nuts in water overnight in glass jars and then blend them with your blender as a healthy alternative to processed dairy and non-dairy milks that need refrigeration.

Create Your Road Map through Food Desert, USA

If you’re traveling in the U.S., a desert is just a short drive away in just about any direction, from just about anywhere. A food desert, that is.

According to a 2015 report in US News and World Report, “food deserts are prevalent in the Mid-Atlantic and the South,” but “the USDA projects that large swathes of the Midwest and West Coast also struggle to meet Americans’ food accessibility needs.”

Image Source

Expect to traverse a food desert. And prepare. Do your homework. Strategize your route and find out where the oases are — and where they aren’t.

One thing you can do is research farmers markets in towns and cities. (Here’s a link to help you find options in the U.S.)

If possible, aim to travel through those places during hours when the markets are open. (Be sure to look at seasonal hours and markets, so you don’t find yourself out of luck).

Also, you can check out this national food co-op directory and be sure to read the comments to find out if a co-op is no longer up and running.

I also love looking out for farmers’ stands selling fresh fruits and veggies, as well as local grocers who support local farmers. Often, these are sweet places to find locally sourced treats you might never see in a big city supermarket.

Plus, visiting local vendors can be a great way to get to know towns and connect with the community, even if you are just passing through.

And talking to locals can help you find other options, like farm-to-table restaurants or places you wouldn’t find online.

And then, when in doubt, head for the nearest urban center. You’ll be likely to encounter recognizable grocery chains, including specialty chains with familiar choices.

Shopping for your own groceries and creating your own meals is typically better than stopping an easily available spot along the way.

Expect Surprises and Embrace Flexibility

The road sometimes demands compromise. The more prepared you are and the more you know about what resources you have, the better you can feel about the choices you make.

You may find agriculture-heavy regions that look more like organic and sustainable whole food deserts than utopias, especially if the majority of grains and beans are sold as animal feed. (I know this from experience.)

But don’t panic! Every year, more and more large grocery chains (and even superstores, including Walmart, Costco, and Target) stock and label locally grown foods and organic produce and products.

While these retailers may or may not be your cup of tea, they are an option and one to keep in mind on the road. Most big grocery chains now have their own organic labels and you can rely on finding these products at affiliate grocers nationwide.

If you want to stop at restaurants along the way, the Happy Cow app (and website) can also be a useful resource on the road. Use this tool to find nearby vegan and vegetarian restaurants. You’ll also see reviews, cost, and often a link to each menu and website all in one place.

One option for quick healthier food is Chipotle’s, with more than 2,000 locations worldwide. Despite some challenges with safety in the Chipotle’s supply chain, the restaurant has led the way by going non-GMO and by offering vegan options and meat from grass-fed animals.

Amy’s Kitchen, which you may recognize from their canned and freezer foods, has opened an organic drive-thru restaurant in California and has plans for franchise-based expansion. And there is a growing body of health-minded chains opening up, with names like Veggie Grill, Native Foods Café, Lyfe Kitchen, and Sweetgreen.

Plus, more and more restaurants and chains are following suit by offering plant-based options, antibiotic and GMO-free ingredients, supporting pasture-raised farmers, and delivering on promises to pay their employees a living wage.

And while convenience stores are not exactly known for their support of healthy eating, they’re even offering a sliver of good news. A National Association of Convenience stores survey concluded that “nearly half of all convenience stores expanded their fruit and vegetable offerings in 2017.”

Terry Messmer, sales manager for the Twice Daily chain located in Tennessee and Kentucky said, “The biggest thing for our industry is that consumers want healthier food options.”

To this end, they’ve partnered with a Nashville based natural food brokerage company to create in-store food stations stocked with “organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, paleo and kosher” items.

Recently, 7-Eleven has begun selling “organic, vegan, fair trade, non-GMO, gluten-free” cold-pressed juice in the refrigerated section. Juice from a convenience store probably isn’t the best option. But it could be a sign that healthier options are on the way. And if you’re desperate and find yourself at a 7-Eleven, you could make worse food choices.

As you travel, you will also undoubtedly find yourself within reach of an Asian restaurant. Chinese food restaurants are, according to the National Restaurant Association, the most popular take-out/delivery option in the restaurant industry in the U.S.

Steamed rice, while likely not organic, is usually unseasoned (just water and rice) and sold hot and quick in pints for a dollar or two. I try to steer clear of too much rice on account of arsenic concerns. But on the road, these to-go boxes are one of my favorite lifehacks. They are plates in disguise.

RT @HeIpfulTips: Take out the metal handle pic.twitter.com/2LfsUUCQct

DIY Plate out of your chinese box.

— Ducky (@nickyducky) March 16, 2015

Healthy Meal Ideas for the Highway and Snack Attacks on the Road

Road-tripping encourages simple eating. But that doesn’t mean you need to go without your favorite healthy culinary comforts.

Condiments for the win. Apple cider vinegar, oils, and most fruit-free hot sauces — What do all these yummy condiments have in common?

None of them need refrigeration. (And jars of nut butter, while ideally refrigerated, can go a week or so at room temperature and still be good.)

And they are the basic ingredients in sauces and dressings for a variety of healthy road trip snacks or meals. They can turn spiralized veggie noodles into tasty Pad Thai (think nut butter, hot sauce, and vinegar).

And can make tangy glass jar salads on-the-go with gut-healthy vinaigrette. I like to bring a small jar of lavender or vanilla balsamic and add it with my basic apple cider vinaigrette for berry and nut heavy summer salads.

Fresh fruit and soaked nut blended smoothies make a great road warrior’s breakfast. (Add some flax seeds or chia seeds for nutritional bonus points!)

Pre-made batches of roasted chickpeas or popcorn can stop-the-hangry munchies. And they are seasoned the way I like them because I made them!

Homemade granola and nut/seed mixes are great for breakfasts and snacks. Raw oats can also bulk up nut milk, fruit, and seed smoothies if you prefer to drink your nutrition on the road. I often travel with some tetra-pak-enclosed (non-perishable) soy or nut milks that I can open anywhere I go and pour over granola for an instant, tasty breakfast.

Avocado and cucumber spritzed with hot sauce and wrapped in seaweed snack squares make delicious and healthy road trip sushi.

Organic nut butter over bananas or apples rule as a dessert detour.

Most grocers carry organic salt-free canned beans (not necessarily BPA free). They also carry pre-cooked Indian/Asian meals in easy to open packages (sometimes organic). As well as organic instant noodles or grains in recyclable containers (just add some of that free hot water).

My favorite road trip dinners include salt-free canned (or pre-cooked and packaged) organic lentils, topped with fresh cut tomatoes, red peppers, jalapenos, and chopped cilantro. And then dressed with fresh lime juice (save your half lime with a reusable wrap).

And, yes, even pre-cooked, five ingredient, low glycemic, dairy-free packaged Chana Masala from the grocery over hot rice to go serves me well when I need fast food to keep me in the fast lane.

Did I mention hummus? You should keep it cold or use it quickly. But it’s a road trip favorite and adds nutrition and flavor to all sorts of foods. I’ve been known to add hummus to pasta, rice, quinoa — even steamed veggies! Add a bit of vinegar to turn it into a savory sauce.

When it comes down to it, road trip meals are no different than the ones you make in your kitchen. Plan ahead. Use this guide as a starting place and adjust for what feels right to you.

And we invite you to tag us in those pics and use the hashtag #MyFoodRevolution. We’d love to see how you eat healthy on the road!

When you plan ahead and map your gut-healthy, culinary, cross-country course, you’ll save time on the road. And you’ll have more chances to take that next exit off of the highway and find a scenic spot to picnic and refresh. See you on the road!

Looking for healthy airport and restaurant travel tips? Check out Trevor Justice’s approach here.