Jeff and I got home late last night and over dinner he posed an interesting question – what do I miss most when I travel? Besides the obvious, which would be my family.

All 11 siblings

My parents

The answer was my routine. Like anyone else, I love the opportunity to take off from work, but I’m genuinely happy with my day to day life so that I is what I really miss most. By routine I don’t necessarily mean a schedule. I mean working out at my Gym – Crunch Union Square – doing Core Fusion in person at Exhale and going Grocery shopping.

Tonight, I was ecstatic to get in gym time and did a really intense treadmill workout that I found on One Fit Foodie. I modified the workout a bit and added in 15 minutes on the eliptical. Once I was through there I immediately hit up my favorite grocery store, Garden of Eden Gourmet Market. Oh how I missed you.

After fully stocking the kitchen I threw together a quick and scrumptious pasta dish, Linguine with Spicy Clam Sauce. I love Italian food because its so easy to improvise and Jeff always loves the outcomes. Last night was no different.

While I’m not one to splurge at the grocery store, I’m not a cheapskate either. One ingredient I will not compromise on when making Italian is fresh pasta. The difference between dried and fresh is incomparable.  This recipe was based on a similar dish with peas, but since Chubbs doesn’t love that particular veggie (and I don’t either), I subbed the peas with asparagus and mushrooms. The updated dish was better than the original!

What do you miss most when you travel?