Pregnant women are notoriously food-wary.  Jokes about food cravings and aversions abound, and while I may have thought them to be kind of frivolous or over-blown prior to this pregnancy, I can assure you that they are not a joke. Not. A. Joke.

So, early on a fresh morning last weekend, when my husband and I decided to tackle the nearby Sandia Mountains for a hike, I started to pack snacks for us.  Knowing  1) that I am always, always hungry, and 2) that I’d be hiking much more slowly than usual so our planned route would take us through the morning into the early afternoon, I decided to pack quasi-lunches.  My usual go-to hiking meal is pb&j sandwiches: packable, squishable, delicious even when smashed; however, that morning, I couldn’t stand the thought of the bread we had: the smell of it grossed me out. I switched and went into hodge-bodge-hunter-gatherer mode, throwing oranges, Lara bars, peanut butter pretzels, string cheese, and a few Picky Bars into our backpacks.

Picky Bars? Say what? Picky Bars are a company started by my friend Lauren Fleshman.  She has taken every athletes search for “the best” fuel into her own hands and crafted these bars out of what she and her mega-triathlete husband need to fuel their respective pro-athlete lives.  John and I have tried 2 flavors: Lauren’s Mega Nuts and All-in Almond.  I’m dying to try the Smooth Caffeinator, but am opting to wait until post-pregnancy for that.  The All-in Almond is my favorite: gently sweet, pleasantly crunchy, delicious little chocolate morsels. An almond-butter fanatic, this bar is a little slice of heaven descended into my pocket in a cute little zip-lock baggie.  The ziplock baggie is another good feature: allowing me to take tiny bites and stash the rest of the bar without fear of getting gooey goodness all over my pack/pocket.  The Mega Nuts flavor? Also delic: I especially love the pumpkin-seed delivered crunchiness, and I also love the mix of fruity flavors: apricots, cranberries and dates combine to deliver sweetness that is not over the top or blindingly sugary.  Of course, the tiny chocolate chips add extra pizzazz, and I seek these guys out like a kid on a treasure hunt. Bottom line, Picky Bars are awesome: flavors, size, nutrition and allergy-conscientious for those with special nutritional needs.  Right now, Picky Bars are only available by mail in Albuquerque, but hopefully we’ll get one of our local running stores to carry them soon!

What’s up next for baby and me? My advisor and office mates are all going on a 3-week geology research trip rafting in the Grand Canyon.  I’m terribly jealous of the trip, but my experience from past summer Grand Canyon research trips leads me to think that while the 3 weeks of rafting in one of the most spectacular places on Earth is waaaay beyond cool, the 100+ degree temps and isolation of the canyon is just not a safe move for the last-trimester of pregnancy, no matter how excited I might be about the geology!!

As for me, I’m glad the semester is over, our regional geology meeting is over, and I am now planning my summer research, enjoying the long, sunny days and warm temperatures (not yet hot!), planning future hikes and outdoor climbing adventures, and being excited/terrified that we’re in the last 12 weeks of pregnancy! Stay tuned for more updates, but in the meantime, do any of you have great summer plans you’d care to share (so I can live vicariously through them)? Hikes? Camping trips? Foreign travels? I’d love to hear them, and will recommend you take a Picky Bar or two along with you!

Random thought of the day: