When packing to move your entire life abroad, you have to be selective with what you bring. When prepping, my rule was that if it wasn’t essential, it wasn’t coming. Essential means different things to different people. So when I packed 50 RxBars, this seemed completely rational and essential. MM didn’t quite agree, but let me tell you, he’s eaten his fair share of my bar stash!
Beyond those Rxbars (which sadly have all been eaten by this point), I didn’t pack much food for the move. My plan was to fully embrace Spanish culture and depend on the markets here. While I am doing the best I can with what’s available here (and trust me, there are lots of great foods, fresh veggies and awesome markets here), there are some items from back home that I simply can’t live without. Ok, I’m exaggerating. Sure, I could live without these items, but why? Why not live in bliss with my favorite healthy must-haves?
Forutnately, MM had to travel to the US a couple of weeks back and made an emergency visit to Trader Joe’s, plus my parents arrived this week with a suitcase full of my most missed items.
If you’re living in the US, don’t take these items for granted!
Here are the 6 Healthy Items I Miss Most
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides: I was on a really good routine with this powder while in the US. Daily I’d add it to my coffee. It’s one of those things that I’m not really sure if it lives up to all of their claims (glowing skin, shiny hair, joint health, bone strength, improved digestion just to name a few), but I like to believe that it does 🙂
Almond Flour: I love using almond flour as a stand-in for regular flour when making Paleo recipes. I may not be strict Paleo at the moment, but you still won’t find me cooking or baking with regular flour at home. One of my favorite ways to use almond flour is for almond crusted chicken tenders, yum.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: There are so many spices available in Barcelona, but for some reason I haven’t been able to track this one down. These spicy flakes give the perfect kick when added to my morning eggs.
Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend: I put this magical blend on everything from scrambled eggs, to a fresh avocado, to chopped cucumber. It gives it the perfect flavoring and makes me *almost* feel like I’m eating a bagel.
Chunky Raw Almond Butter: Admittedly, I found almond butter in Barcelona. But it was about 1/3 the size of a traditional Trader Joe’s jar and 12 euros. At the rate I eat almond butter, this was not a sustainable habit. I used to think almond butter in the US was pricey, but now it seems like a bargain.
RxBars: And mentioned before, my beloved bar of choice. I’ve found some pretty tasty bars in Barcelona, but none stack up to my main squeeze, RX. These bars are filling and ideal for traveling or when I need something but am too lazy to put together a real snack.
I’m happy to report that all of these babies are back in my procession, all the way in Spain. My kitchen is happy once again!
If you were moving out of the US (or if you are a US expat), what healthy items would you miss most?
