My life is about to drastically change in 118 days.
(Yes, I counted.)
On August 10th, Brett and I will be moving to CHINA!
We just booked our one-way plane tickets this weekend and we’re preeeeeetty excited. The fact that we know the exact date we’ll be moving has made it all the more real. Soon I’ll be living in a country where I’ll stand out like a sore thumb, be unable to read signs or ingredient labels (let alone communicate with people), have no assurance of western toilets, have to make my own milk, and be unsuccessful at finding pre-made hummus at the grocery store. Some people might think that scenario sounds down-right awful, but I couldn’t be more pumped to take on the challenge. Traveling and being in different cultures is when I thrive.
BUT I would be dishonest if I didn’t share some of the thoughts, questions, and emotions I have swirling around in my head. What should we bring with us? What will we regret bringing with us? How many months or years will I go without seeing my family members? Do they sell cup measurers or tampons there? Will I pick up Chinese quickly? Will China ever feel like home? How long will I be there before I have a major meltdown and ask, “What the heck were we thinking moving to a foreign country!?”
I don’t know what the answers are to most of those questions, but if you keep reading along on this little space of mine, I’ll share with you what I find out…along with (hopefully) lots of yummy authentic and plant-based Chinese food:) Many of you might not know this, but our move to China is one of the reasons I started this blog. I knew that I would need to learn how to make a lot of food from scratch if we wanted to still enjoy things like non-dairy milk, fig newtons, natural almond butter, hummus, clif bars, and healthier sweets such as peanut butter cups and almond joys. I figured starting a blog would be a fun way of documenting my progress. And as you can see from some of my older posts, I’ve come a long way, not only in my blogging and photography, but also in my cooking skills, which is encouraging!
One super helpful website that I heard about is Taobao, which is basically the Amazon of China. I can practically find anything I need on there. Praises! So far Brett and I don’t plan on bringing much with us except for essentials such as clothes, certain kitchenware items that we know are hard to find in China, and a few sentimental things like pictures of our family and trinkets from our dating/married life so far.
If any of you have moved or lived overseas I would love to hear any words of advice you have! Brett and I have some friends and contacts who live in China that we bombarding with specific, practical questions, and it’s been so helpful to hear what worked or didn’t work for them. I’m all ears y’all.
I don’t exactly know how to segue to these Easy Homemade Oatmeal Date Granola Bars, but I can say that I’ll be making these in China for sure. I’ll have access to all of the ingredients in my new home (except for the almond butter which I’ll make from scratch) and I know Brett and I will be doing a lot of walking around, during which we’ll need easy grab-and-go snacks. These recipe makes 16 large or 32 small-sized granola bars so you can easily halve the recipe if you don’t need as many. However, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and they last for a long time in the fridge. They’re sweet and chewy and full of whole-food fiber and protein. I’ve shared them with a lot of my friends already and everyone gives them two thumbs up.
I hope you enjoy these lil’ bites of goodness! Happy Monday!
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder* (optional)
- ½ cup almond butter
- 2½ cups packed, pitted Medjool dates (about 30)**
- 1-2 tablespoons water (or more if necessary)
- In a food processor, pulse the oats, coconut and cacao powder a few times until combined.
- Add in the almond butter and pitted dates and process until everything is incorporated and is the same consistency. Add in water 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary to make everything sticky (I needed 2 tablespoons). The dough should stick together when pressed together between your fingers.
- Press the mixture firmly into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish until flat. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Cut into rectangles or squares.
**I have only tried these bars with sticky Medjool dates!
I love to wrap my bars in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for easy grab-and-go snacks. They'll last for quite some time in the fridge!
Just wondering how long does it last in the room temperature as i’ll be travelling and love to make nutritious snacks for the trip.
Hey Losi!! I may push the limits, but since there’s no egg or dairy, these usually last me two weeks while traveling!
wow that’s amazing. Thanks again for the great recipes! Therefore, i just brought the ingredients yesterday, I’ll definitely try it out this week.. yay!! xxx
ps. love the pictures, nice simple and clear.
Great Lori!! Let me know how they work out for you! Enjoy your travels:D
I seriously can’t wait to hear about your life in China!! But hopefully not before I come to NYC:) I think I’ve almost got Mom convinced to go!!
These look so so so yummy and I feel so awesome that I finally made granola bars with dates 🙂 AND a healthy crust with dates, walnuts, and almonds! It’s amazing how good you feel after eating things like that!
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And I can’t wait to share about it! It still seems surreal:)
Let me know what she says! Our summer in NYC just got shorter too because we realized we have to move overseas a couple weeks earlier than we thought. Whoops! Just keep me posted. We may be moving mid-July now…wow. So soon!
And I love crusts made with dates and nuts! I just made some mini vegan chocolate cheesecakes with that same crust that I’ll be posting soon. Ah-maze-ing.
Congratulations Faith – that is so exciting! You will have a remarkable time there and grow and change in ways you cannot imagine now. It is where you are meant to be next and this is a phenomenal time in your life to take an opportunity like this.
I lived in India with my family for 6 mths….we had a wonderful experience, though it was also the most challenging thing we have ever done. My boyz were 10 and the most rewarding thing was to hear them tell their friends (after returning home) that is was the hardest thing they have ever done but that they grew from it and were glad they lived there. My guys are in high school now and would NOT be happy if we took them away from home now….hubby and I plan to go back again once we are on our own again.
It is surprising how much they do have – America has spread itself across the globe in many ways (skippy PB anyone?!)..specialty items may not be there so if there is anything you are attached to having, keep that in mind…but most necessities/or something similar can be found- esp if you are in a town with a walmart!
So enjoy the planning, the prep and know that you will learn to cope with whatever they do /don’t have.
Thanks so much Suzanne!! I know I’ve grown so much on just the short term overseas trips I’ve been on, so I have know doubt living overseas for long-term will be life changing…and sanctifying haha!
That is such an encouragement to me that your boys had great experiences living in India! We’re not quite ready to have kids, but we would love to raise our children overseas…but we’d want them to enjoy it too! That’s awesome you and your husband want to move back after your boys are grown. My parents did the same thing, but they moved to Ireland! It’s hard for them to be away from grandkids, but they love it.
I really am amazed how far American items/culture has spread! Unfortunately it’s mostly American junk food like snickers and white bread that ended up in our city, but overall I’m feeling like we’ll have plenty of options. Considering I eat mostly plants, I should be okay…they have markets on every street practically!
Thanks for the words of encouragement! I’m excited to share the journey with you all:)
So cool that you are moving to China!! That is going to be the best experience!!
These bars look yummy! Pinning it! 🙂
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Thanks Natalie! We’re excited! I hope you like these bars:)
What a great opportunity! I am excited to read about your experience and to see what interesting creations you come up with!
Thanks Salima!! I’m excited to share the journey (and food!) with you all! Thanks for saying hi…it was great hearing from you!
I can buy some soft ones. Next time I will try with soft ones or dried (rehydrated in water) and I will tell you the result..thx:)
Okay great! I hope they work out!