Although I am right in the middle of my final finals week in my undergraduate life, I still have managed to find a way to procrastinate to the most extreme levels. I am not talking about just messing around on the Internet for a couple of hours or hanging out with friends in their dorm room. In the past two days, I have driven to the ocean for a day at the beach and also up to West Virginia for a day at a theme park I love.

I told you the procrastination levels were insane.

It has always been a problem of mine that I procrastinate until the last minute and then panic. But every time I have worked ahead or been on top of things, I become incredibly anxious because I feel as though there is something I should be doing. It’s a vicious cycle. Hence, me driving three hours to go to the ocean.

Have any of you ever done something a bit out there in order to avoid doing some work?

The one thing is that anytime I go on road trips like this I realize how expensive it can become if you’re not prepared. More specifically in relation to food. Instead of making a home cooked meal, you end up eating overpriced junk food or highly processed gas station snacks. Which never leave you feeling ready for a day of fun.

It’s especially difficult as well as costly because many quick fast food restaurants do not cater to vegans as well as they could. And thus, I must rely on fries and chips to get me through the day, which leaves me feeling pretty gross or just ready to take a long nap.

Which may or may not have happened to me a few times already. There is honestly several pictures of my family and I in Disney world with me asleep next to the pool while my siblings run around. On several occasions.

So this made me think, why can’t I make something that is quick, but also healthy. And, most importantly, that it travel well and still be good even in the heat of the day.

This is surprisingly difficult with the temperatures I am dealing with here. Either stuff begins to wilt and get gross or the entire combo becomes that odd hot-but-not-hot temperature that food at a picnic eventually reaches. You all know what I am talking about.

But, after trying out several different combinations and mixtures, I finally landed on a recipe that tastes perfect at any temperature.

Hot.
Cold.
Warm.

Doesn’t matter. This recipe is absolutely delicious and would be perfect to make for your own adventure to the beach or a theme park, all in the name of procrastination.

In essence, this recipe is very much a framework recipe. The ingredients used are very loose and can be swapped or just plain omitted to fit your specific tastes. You can also even add in your favorite veggies. Make this recipe your own.

My only suggestion is that you remain within the sturdier vegetable family.

If you stray outside of this realm too much and are traveling with this meal, you will have a strange combination on your hands when you finally get a chance to eat it. But, this recipe is also perfectly good to have at home as well. If this is the case, go crazy! Add whatever ingredients into it but still make sure that the vegetable to Quinoa ratio is still relatively equal.

One more set of suggestions before I disappear on my next procrastination adventure:

Depending on where your meal will be, if you are traveling with it, changes how you can prepare this quinoa medley.

The first way is if you are going to be running around while carrying your lunch in a bag or backpack. If you are doing this, separate as many of the ingredients as you can. By keeping not only the dressing but also the vegetables separate, you prevent the mixture from over mixing and the flavors bleeding into each other too much.

However, the second way is if this meal is going to be sitting around somewhere stationary, such as when going to the beach. If this is the case, you can mix all of the ingredients together, including the dressing if you feel inclined, The flavors stay in their respective zones and are given time to rest instead of becoming soggy or unrecognizable in their new form.

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