Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: recipes, recovery, running, surgery, vegan recipes
We are about 80% settled in our flat. It is so amazing how blessed we were, as everything fit perfectly, as if we bought it to fit. We got a sofa for the living room as well as a credenza for the TV but other than that, we didn’t really need anything. I am going to get a desk and at least one bookcase for the office. In addition, the kitchen is awesome! In terms of storage space it has much more than the home that we lived in while we were living in Oklahoma with probably about the same counter space. But I was able to find a space for all of my kitchen gadgets as well as the newly acquired gadgets and accessories. I get a nice little workout whenever I go down to do the laundry, since it is down two flights of stairs. I am also getting better with my Deutsch particularly after about four days worth of instruction and integration.
We went to Nuremburg last weekend to visit the Christ Kindel Market and it was fantastic. There were many craft booths but they also had a lot of food stands. There were about four huge produce stands and I know of at least four flower stands that were fantastic. If we were not taking the train I probably would have gotten a few things. I did purchase some Christmas loose teas and one wild orange tea that smells amazing! They had spices as well, but I decided against that because I’m not really sure what I need right now. I didn’t sample any of the food from the booths, but I did get a falafel from a stand on the way. It was probably the best falafel I have had since Israel! The falafels themselves were super salty, which made me happy. There are no pictures of my meal, mainly because it was freezing, literally. We picked the coldest day thus far to walk around outside for about five hours. J had Kartoffelpuffer which is a potato pancake like a latke with garlic cream sauce, a bratwurst sandwich, and a fishcake sandwich. He also had several mugs of gluwein, which I sampled as well.
My dinner from the restaurant in Amberg
J's drink of choice at the Amberg Restauarant
Tea shop in Amberg!
KartoffelPuffer at the Christkindl Market
Potatoes ready to be shredded for potato pancakes
Marzipan "bread"
Cookie ornaments
Produce stands!
Marzipan produce
Anyway, I have also been baking and cooking among other things. Here are pictures and recipes:
Pain d’Epices
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tbsp orange zest
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c. honey
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 black tea bags
1/2 c. dried figs (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, zest, baking soda, and spices. In a separate bowl place brown sugar and honey. Boil 1 1/4 c. water. Place tea bags in sugar and honey bowl and pour boiling water over ingredients. Allow to steep 3 minutes. Whisk honey and sugar until they have dissolved. Stir tea mix into flour and fold in almonds and figs. Pour into either a regular sized loaf pan or 3 mini-loaf pans, greased. Bake regular loaf 50-60 minutes and mini-loaves 25-35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan and then cool completely on wire rack.
*Notes* I omitted the figs, as I knew there would be no way that J touched the bread with figs in it. I also used slivered almonds instead of chopped, and toasted them a little on the stove top. I also only made the regular sized loaf, which only took 50 minutes. The smaller loaves would be great for Christmas gifts. This quick bread was amazing! I will definitely be making it again and is perfect for the holidays. As it is baking it makes the house smell wonderful!
Pain d'Epices
Basil Tomato Soup
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 1/2 tsp Earth Balance spread or other vegan butter substitute
4 tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c. fresh basil
1 c. veggie broth
Saute onions and carrot in Earth Balance until tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth, sugar and salt. Boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a food processor or blender, blend with basil until smooth. Return to pan and heat through.
Notes! While I did seed the tomatoes, I did not peel them. I don’t mind the peel and plus I like a chunkier soup, because it seems more rustic. I used about six smaller vine ripe tomatoes and it turned out fine. Also, I just spotted the basil, because you really cannot go wrong with basil and tomatoes 
. I also found that I didn’t need to return it to the pan as it was still steaming after the processing. And sadly, there is no picture; but just consider it delicious!
We had two pizza nights! I love homemade pizza and it is even better when you make the dough. So here are the recipes for the dough and the tomato sauce:
Basic Pizza Dough
5 c. flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
2 envelopes rapid rise yeast
4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil
In a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, mix flour, cornmeal, yeast, and salt. With mixer running, add oil and 2 cups of water in a steady stream. Continue to mix until dough stays together and forms a ball. Knead on floured surface until smooth, 3-4 minutes. Place in a bag and let rise 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge, until doubled in size. Divide into 4 portions and roll into balls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise 20 more minutes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Flatten dough and pull into ovals. Top as desired. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.
Chunky Tomato Sauce for Pizza
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, crushed with hands
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp oregano
3-4 sprigs of fresh basil (optional)
Cook garlic in oil about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until thick, 10-20 minutes. Freeze leftover sauce for up to 3 months.
Notes! The dough is super easy to make, and in terms of baking bread, this is a good place to start. You rarely can mess pizza dough up and not get it to rise. With that said, I misread the directions and let mine rise in an oiled bowl for two hours in the refrigerator. It came out fine. I pulled them into ovals on oiled baking sheets and then we topped them with the sauce and about 5 other ingredients. I added the extra sprigs of basil to the sauce and just removed them after they it was done cooking. The sauce recipe makes a lot, so be sure and freeze the leftovers. The two extra balls of dough were also frozen and seemed to do fine. They didn’t rise as high in the oven as the first batch, but still rose and tasted quite nicely. I am going to be doing some experiments with whole wheat flour to see how that would turn out in the dough.
My pizza...topped with carmelized onions, green olives, sauce, mushrooms, and fake bacon bits.
Carmelized Onions
3-4 white onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. oil
Heat oil in a large skillet and saute garlic. Add onions. Cook over medium heat for 35 minutes, stirring occassionally.
Notes! I was interested in making a pissaladiere, which is a type of French pizza. Instead, I just made the carmelized onions to add to the pizzas. Something magically occurrs when you cook onions for half an hour or more. I urge you to try it, because it is fantastic.
carmelized onions
Velvet Mashed Potatoes (not vegan!)
1 head garlic
2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/3 c. sour cream
2 oz cream cheese
1/2 c. milk, warmed
3 tbsp butter
1 lb mushrooms
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 c. broth
1/3 c. whipping cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast potatoes for 20 minutes. Chop small amount of the top off of the garlic head and cover with oil. Wrap in foil and add to the oven. Continue roasting potatoes and garlic 35-40 minutes. Scrape flesh of potatoes into bowl. Squeeze garlic into potatoes. Add 2 tbsp butter, sour cream and cheese. Mash with potato masher and season with salt and pepper. Stir in hot milk. For gravy, melt butter in a saucepan. Add mushrooms and cook 4 minutes. Add shallot for 2 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer until thickened. Serve with potatoes.
Notes! Oh boy is this not vegan. J said it was fantastic and I didn’t even make the gravy. This is not an everyday meal, but it really wasn’t that difficult to make and smelled fantastic. I also doubled the recipe because it was going to a potluck and that worked out fine.
Velvet mashed potatoes
That’s all I’ll be posting for now, because it has taken two days just to get that much done.
In other news, my leg seems to be doing just fine. I am back into running, somewhat, and have done two and three miles as of yet. Not at the speed I want to be, but I’ll get that back shortly. I also haven’t started doing weighted leg exercises, as I’m just not ready yet. However, I have been doing body weight exercises that seem to be ok. The gym here is like a dream. Every piece of equipment you could ever want, as well as an indoor and outdoor track. I should be joining the Crossfit team in January and hopefully will be volunteering to teach group exercise. We shall see.
My goal is to be more prompt with my posts, especially with the new year rolling around soon.
Temperatures have been somewhat bearable since we have gotten here, and then today we encountered the wind. It was incredibly blustery today and the wind whipping across your body really makes it much colder.
Things are progressing nicely! We have a vehicle, it is legally registered, and we will be moving into a flat this week. Also, I have my license. Hopefully, J will get his soon as he is itching to drive. I have been driving around the area and each day I pass milestones (at least milestones for me). I have yet to drive on the autobahn, I think that will be something I work up to. I also think that there are just too many signs; but that is just my opinion.
I had planned to post pictures of our trip to Amberg and Nuremberg, but I had to pack the camera stuff back up. Next time I promise…
But our trip to Amberg was awesome. We ate in a steakhouse type restaurant, although I wouldn’t classify it as such. The owner is French and we were able to communicate quite well in English. They were able to make me the most delicious plate of vegetables with baked mushrooms I have ever had in my life. I was more than pleased! I also tried the wasser for the first time, which is sparkling water. It was not bad and have since sort of incorporated it into my meals when offered. Amberg’s town square was preparing for their Christmas markets to start up with little booths and a giant Christmas tree in front of an old church. We also were able to find a neat tea shop that I am looking forward to visiting.
I also ordered a “limonade” for lunch one day and was surprised to find that it was more like sprite without calories than anything. Lemon-flavored wasser I guess.
Yesterday, we went to Nuremberg to a Japanese restaurant. It was really an awesome experience. They had “running sushi” which meant that you could get a table beside this little conveyor belt and all sorts of small plates full of food would ride by. I had bean sprout salad, kappa maki rolls, some rolls with Japanese pickle, honeydew melon, and oranges. We had a mountain of plates but it was really delicious. For one hour you paid just over 15 Euro per person which is about 23 dollars and for all the food that is available for you to eat, it is a deal. When I post the pictures I will post the names of the restaurants.
After that our friend took us to one of the stadiums where Hitler had parades and spoke to the people. It was really eerie particularly without any lights on and the chill in the air. We walked around the steps and stood on the balcony type area where he would stand and preside over the ceremonies. They area is enormous and from what I understand was built to show the world the strength and power of the regime. There is a museum as well, but it was obviously closed.
We are both pretty tired with eating food from American fast food places. We really don’t have the means to cook and really don’t know enough German to venture out into a restaurant in the town on our own. I have already made a grocery list though . It is unfortunately two pages!
No worries, I’m still alive. This is going to be a long one so prepare yourself.
The leg after surgery
This is what my leg looked like after surgery. Awesome huh. Tomorrow will be the three-week mark. Last week I was cleared to begin walking aerobically, so I started back to the gym this week. Things seem to be progressing well with the wound and I am able to look at it now without passing out. I am quite squeamish.
We made it to Europe! That’s why I haven’t been posting lately. We have been in the processing of coming over here and that was a feat. I am also proud to say that I am beginning to overcome my flying anxiety. The mental exercises provided by my former therapist really were helpful. I have a few pictures, but that is about it.
I was lucky to procure a vegan meal on the plane! I don’t have a picture, but it was really not that bad. It didn’t have a whole lot of flavor, but it worked well. Plus I brought some bars with me just in case I needed a protein fix. The meal consisted of an ambrosia type salad, a lettuce salad with balsamic vinegar, some rice with English peas and steamed asparagus and a whole wheat roll. The roll was not so good, so J was able to take care of that for me. I did have two cans of cranberry juice on the plane since I was really concerned about drinking too much water.
Once we got to the airport I had a Pure bar:
Breakfast!
It was really good! I had not eaten the blueberry bar before, and I would definitely get it again, if it was less expensive.
Let’s back track though, because we went to breakfast at a restaurant in Orlando called Boma. J wanted a buffet breakfast and I had a coupon. Plus their buffet breakfast has probably the largest assortment of vegan items that I have found:
Plate 1
Watermelon, cantaloupe, wheat toast with strawberry preserves and some roasted potatoes.
Plate 2 - AKA the white plate.
I then got heavily into the carbs with my second final plate: quinoa, hominy, and more potatoes.
I also took J out for a date. He was really nice in helping me after the surgery, so he more than deserved it. We played mini-golf and followed that with a visit to the Big River Brewing Company in Orlando. J got a Pumpkin Pie Ale:
Pumpkin Pie Ale
I enjoyed a nice penne pasta with marinara. It was really good actually. The sauce was definitely well seasoned with basil, which I love!
My meal
Then J wanted me to take a picture of his dessert, which was some sort of twist on chocolate cake, with several different types of chocolate. He was in love…
J's dessert
So those were the main food excursions prior to leaving the States.
Now onto Europe. We arrived on Sunday after some really great flights and a lot of missed sleep. We are still suffering from jetlag, as we were wide awake until about 0200 this morning. We have mainly been doing administrative stuff that really needs to be done prior to us doing any real “fun” stuff. However, I am already in Heaven. When we were driving in, I started to see bike/walking paths! The proximity of things really impresses me and I am looking forward to us getting a flat, because we hopefully won’t be driving around a lot. Right now we are living in a hotel awaiting word on a permanent living space. That is not so fun, but there isn’t much to be done about it. We do not have a car or driver’s licenses so that is somewhat limiting our mobility.
Last night a friend that is here for a few weeks took us to a Thai restaurant. It was probably the best Thai food I have had in a while. I forgot my camera, so no pictures, but it was basically pan-fried veggies and tofu in a soy based sauce. Yummy. Wish I had a picture.
In terms of availability of food, I went through the food store just to check for a few items in particular. Here is what I noticed:
- No hummus. I will be tweaking my own recipe so that I can try and replicate the olive hummus. Couldn’t find it anywhere, but I was just doing a quick walk through and not actually shopping. Is that weird that I window shop in a grocery store?
- No almond milk. I got some Soy Milk so that I could use it with breakfast, so I may have to revert back to soy milk and just scale back on my other soy intake. I try to limit my soy intake since the jury is still out on how the pseudo-estrogens in soy affect women’s health.
- They have Amy’s products. Not many but one is more than enough! They also carry some Boca, Morningstar and Smart Life products. I saw one package of tofu, but have yet to find tempeh, which may not be available.
- I didn’t check the nut butter section, but I am thinking that the likelyhood of them having almond butter is slim. I will have to make my own or work with PB for the time being.
- They have Smart Balance in tubs. I didn’t expect to find sticks because those are rare in the States outside of Whole Foods. I was grateful to find the Smart Balance though.
- Polenta! They have nice sized tubes of fresh polenta. Also some delicious olive salads and a quaint salad bar.
- Vitamin Water! I didn’t see the 10 calorie per serving VW, but they have the potassium supplemented water that I normally drink.
- Bananas are 91 cents! When we left FL they were 29 cents a pound. On the flip side, I was able to get a quart of blueberries for one dollar. The bananas were the big discrepancy in price that I noticed.
- No sandwich rounds. This will motivate me to learn to make bread sooner 
.
Don’t take this as me complaining. Certainly not. I am on cloud nine. Just some observations from the store.
Now I have made contacts at the gym and have discussed the possibility of being a contracted personal trainer at the gyms. They also need group exercise instructors, but that is on a volunteer basis. I have also applied to teach at a local university, which is really my first choice with training being a secondary/supplementary option, but we will see.
In terms of weather, it really hasn’t been that bad. It is definitely not Florida, but it isn’t as bad as I expected. Apparently, we are no where near what winter is really like though.
I will try and post more regularly now that we are somewhat settled. Hope everyone is well!
Things are going well in the recovery department. On Saturday I was supposed to take off the ace bandage that was around my calf. I was not excited about that, since I got queasy just thinking about the surgery. I didn’t want the wound exposed to the world, especially since I really just didn’t want to look at it. So I got J to remove the ace bandage very carefully. Then we discovered that there was a gauze wrapping under the ace bandage. I was concerned about taking that off, but it eventually fell off. Then we found that there was surgical tape over the wound to help keep it closed. Of course I got light-headed just looking at the surgical tape. I am a self-described wuss.
So I’ve continued to keep my leg elevated and have moved on from the crutches. But I still can’t hobble around too much before it starts telling me hello.
In other food news…well its pretty blah. The pain meds really make me nauseous, even when I take them on a full stomach. So there have been veggie dogs, AB and jam sandwiches, roasted potatoes, and carrots with hummus. I have been keeping down my Ezekiel cereal in the mornings with a banana, so my nutrition isn’t completely shot. I am also ensuring that I get my multi-vitamin each day since my diet is quite bland and uneventful.
I did finish reading Eat, Drink and Be Healthy. It was pretty eye-opening for me and I really recommend it for anyone who is trying to overhaul their diets or is just interested in health reading. J was pleased to learn that moderate drinking (2 drinks a day) is considered ok. It is not a “vegan” book and discusses the healthier aspects of proteins which I am ok with. Really good read. I am going to start In Defense of Food but have also started My Life in France by Julia Childs. I am going to put Julia’s book on hold because J and I have started reading to each other at night. It sounds strange, but we have done it before and we both really appreciate it. We can discuss what we are reading and whoever is reading gets to pick the book. We have settled on reading all the way through one book and then the other person gets to pick a book and read all the way through it. So now J is reading A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith. Not food related but it is a historical fiction piece about the pioneers of Florida. Pretty interesting so far.
My mom made me some cookies and she was super proud of them. She totally should be as well, because they were delicious and vegan. They are called “Poor Man’s Cookies” because there are no animal products which can be expensive/unavailable (think WWII). So I will post her recipe because I am not doing anything cooking wise that is worth even discussing.
Poor Man’s Cookies
2 c. rolled oats
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. hot water
1/2 c. vegetable shorening, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla
In a mixing bowl, combine oats, sugars, flour and salt. Combine soda and water; stir into oat mixutre along with shortening and vanilla. Roll into walnut size balls. Place on a greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to stand two minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.
Is it really October 30th? Geez how did that happen?
So unfortunately, I do not have a fabulous food post. I did have a fabulous salad made by J for lunch today. He can be a peach.
Thursday was d-day for surgery. I was super nervous. As I was in the pre-op area they gave me warm blankets, because it was freezing, but most of the shaking was from nervousness. I have never had surgery before and I really was not excited about the prospects. But there I was. J was with me and kept me under the blanket so I wasn’t completely cold. The IV was interesting, because since I hadn’t had food for more than 12 hours I got a little woosy. The anathesiologist (sp?) allowed them to give me a little something to help calm me down. Shortly after that, the anathesiologist nurse came by to tell me that she was a registered nurse but was getting her Master’s in anathesiology. No problem with me. Then the doctor came by and asked what he was going to do today and then circled and initialed the spot on my leg. J was sent to the waiting room and I was whisked into the operating room. This all starts to get fuzzy at this point. I remember being super cold in the OR and then seeing the nice ana. nurse but that was it. I was wheeled back out into recovery and asked to transfer myself from the bed to a recliner type chair. I was partly-cloudy at this point. I got some saltines and water and J came in. They took my vitals and then shortly after removed my IV and allowed me to use the restroom and get dressed. I felt like I was there for 10 minutes but it was more like an hour and a half.
For lunch we went back to Evo’s and I got a DeLite burger with the air fries. Oh also, for dinner the evening before we went to Trang’s Viet Cuisine in Tampa which was fantastic! I love that place and really recommend it. They have four pages of vegetarian food and most of that is vegan.
Yesterday the pain began when the anathesia began to wear off. That was not fun. Today seems to have been worse. The pain has been somewhat constant and while I have been taking the pain medicine, I cannot take too much of it, so I have been trying to siphon it out during the day. I attempted to go out to dinner this evening and quickly became nauseous. J very sweetly took me home and I proceeded to empty the contents of my stomach. I was able to eat some boiled potatoes and salad so that I could get my pills in.
So all in all, things are fine. They are sending the “lump” to the lab which is believed to be a lipoma. For those of you not familiar with medical terms, it was a pocket of fat. I originally believed this to be ridiculous, but have now found out that it could potentially be malignant (lipomas of the bone are more likely than others, but this is not necessarily a likely occurance…follow?), could break free and cause a blood clot, or could also mask other cancers. Basically, it was a good thing to get removed. I’ll hear back about the lab work when I go to the follow up in a few weeks.
Other than the obvious pain, I am not able to workout. Forget working out, it is pretty much a chore to walk period and go up and down stairs. Perhaps that will get easier as time wears on. I am going a little stir crazy from laying around, because that is just not who I am. But really the pain from walking on it can be unimaginable, so even thinking about running on it brings on phantom pains.
I have not been the best at Vegan MoFo this year. Bad timing on my part. Hopefully all of you wonderful MoFoer’s and the others will continue to visit the blog. I plan on delivering bread baking, more baking in general, and other fun food extravaganzas after we get situated and of course along the way while we make our way halfway around the world.
As we were in the store last week, I had a craving for red wine. I was looking for Fat Bastard Shiraz which I could not find. However, he suggested a wine on sale for around $6 called Little Penguin Shiraz. I was reluctant, but it is really fantastic. Smooth and deep flavor, with little penguin foot prints on the cork.
Time draws nigh for the big move and therefore, food making has become less and less possible. I have been eating an obscene amount of veggie dogs and Amy’s burgers, but that is ok for now. The surgery is also this week which is weighing on my mind. I feel like once I am cut open it will never be the same. Plus I have an uncanny fear of never being able to run again.
In more positive news, we have been watching taped episodes of the Ken Burns National Parks series from PBS. First off, I have a deep love for the “American Experience” series and the shows typically render tears. While this series is just as thought provoking and emotionally charged, I have yet to cry. However, the first two episodes have introduced and encapsulated the life of one of my favorite people, John Muir. Whenever I am asked that “who would you have dinner with, dead or alive” type of questions, he is without a doubt on the list. I find him incredibly intriguing and believe (along with many historians) that Muir is the father of the National Parks system. His description of nature is really unparalleled, in my opinion, even by that of Emerson and Thoreau. While others see him as eccentric, I think that he was a visionary and his way of find spirituality within nature is astoundingly deep. I plan on reading one of his books that chronicles his time in the Sierra Nevada’s once we make the big move.
"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life."
- More Smokies
Snow capped Smokies
Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, inciting at once to work and rest! Days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God."
Good news! The camera is working! Its a miracle upon miracles that I watched it as it floated around in a cold mountain stream and after some air drying and gentle discussion the camera is working and all pictures on the memory card are recovered! So now I can annoy you with pictures.
It is also ironic that today’s featured recipe comes from J. Not that he is incapable of cooking, but he generally is not a fan of cooking, I think mainly because he does not like cleaning up. But he has decided to call it
“The Greatest Vegetable in the World with Vinegar.”
- diced/peeled potatoes (J used frozen potatoes but it would work just as well with fresh; you would just need to par-boil them prior to sauteing)
- 1/4 c. diced onion (J used a white onion)
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 tsp basil
- 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tomato, chopped
- olive oil
Coat bottom of saute pan with olive oil or other vegetable oil and turn to medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add potatoes and saute until brown. Add red wine and spices tossing to coat. Before potatoes are done add tomatoes and warm through.
Notes! I thought this was great! Calorically it isn’t all that bad and plus it is vegan, although he doesn’t necessarily want to admit that. I think he enjoyed it as well, but would like less of a vinegar flavor. I didn’t mind the flavor because I enjoy vinegar. In effort of full disclosure, J originally thought he was using red wine and not red wine vinegar. Still, I think it tasted great. Plus it is always nice when he cooks.
"The Greatest Vegetable in the World with Vinegar"
Here is my whole lunch today:
Veggie dogs with organic ketchup and whole wheat bun, the afore mentioned potato dish, and some fuji apples hiding in the corner.
And finally the last picture before the camera tried a suicide attempt:
Creek in the Smoky Mountains
After travelling halfway across the nation, we are back at home! I have never been so excited to do laundry and go to the grocery store. Its nice just to return to a space of your own, even if it isn’t your own really.
I’ve truthfully been a poor Vegan MoFo blogger 
. Unfortunately, that was hampered by the travelling as well as the unfortunate loss of my camera. J has lovingly allowed me to use his camera so I have a few pictures of lunch today, as well as showing some wonderful pictures of the mountains. We love the mountains and hiking. I also have an uncanny enjoyment of moving water (think waterfalls) and visiting really old graveyards. Luckily, in the Smokey Mountains there are graveyards that date back to the late 1790s. The graveyard thing is not necessarily a morbid curiosity, but I believe that you can learn a lot about the past from graveyards. For instance, one of the headstones read so and so was “viciously murdered by a North Carolina rebel in 1864″ which definitely points to the fact that this family were not supporters of the Confederacy.
Anyway, for lunch today, I cannot tell you how excited I was to visit the store and fix myself a lunch. Even if every item wasn’t homemade, infact none of it was, I was just happy to be eating healthy and not from a box or a fast food store.
Amy's burger with spinach and organic ketchup
Greek Olive hummus aka my crack
Lunch...applesauce, carrots for the hummus and burger
Gorgeous view in the mountains
more views
water!
So we are still traveling around and both of us are ready for a homemade meal. I don’t eat out a lot and since I’ve been eating out for about 12 days I am about at my wits end. Also, as we were hiking yesterday there was an unfortunate incident where my camera was dropped into an icy cold mountain stream. Its ok, because it was just a camera and no one got hurt. Luckily we were able to fish the camera out and we think we have salvaged the memory card. I am also savvy enough to upload the pictures prior to taking the camera around. The hike was absolutely beautiful and I love the Appalachain mountains even if it was super cold. We were able to see beautiful waterfalls due to the large amounts of rain. J decided it would be a good business idea to offer french press organic coffee at the crest of the trail. Haha. He is a coffee gourmet. There was also some snow on the tops of the mountains which was cool. I guess we are preparing for the cold weather of Europe. I did get some pictures with J’s camera so I will try and post them later.
Food news is pretty boring. Since the camera is gone, I don’t have any photos but basically its been a lot of Asian food and Latino food. Moe’s has been visited too many times and I can feel the effects that not eating my normal meals has had on my body. Not necessarily in terms of weight gain but I’m feeling sluggish among other things. Also I am getting a little ill. Its mainly a sinus issue, but not fun either way. Last night I had some sushi, but it is so cold that I am really craving some delicious hot soups and meatless loaf. I did have a really delicious baked sweet potato and homemade applesauce, but they really weren’t hearty enough. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the kitchen at least for my own sake. Hope you all are making some delicious treats!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: breakfast, kansas, lunch, on the road, vegan mofo
It has been seriously cold here in Kansas. Today it is luckily warming up to the 50s. That means that I wasn’t able to go and visit the prairie or a farm and ride a combine . That’s ok. Another time perhaps.
So I thought for today’s post I would write about things to eat when you don’t have access to a kitchen. Luckily, as you will see below, we have a microwave and fridge in our room (along with a coffee maker, but I don’t need that). Anyway, so along the road, I try and stop as little as possible. The other problem I generally run into is an inability to find a well-rounded vegan meal on the road. This trip I packed the following into my car:
- almond butter
- two packages of whole wheat rounds
- a bunch of bananas
- some fuji apples
- two cans of Amy’s Tomato Alphabet soup
- whole almonds
- fruit leather
- my cereal mix
- two cartons of almond milk
- vegan chocolate chip cookies for me and a separate batch for J
I also brought along a container of Kaluha truffles for J. Once I got to Kansas, I hit up the food store and got a few other things that would not have made the thr drive:
- a small container of Simply Orange
- slivered almonds
- organic spinach
-organic strawberry jam
- all natural organic fruit boxes
- two PB Cliff bars
- coffee creamer for J
- mirowave corn
- hummus
Whew! That gave me enough food so that I didn’t have to eat out much if at all. My advice for eating healthier on the road is to pack as much as you can.
A cooler is a good idea if you know you will not have a refrigerator in your room. Also, take note of the microwave meal reviews in previous posts for a healthier microwave alternative. Bring along Tupperware or some sort of containers so that you have something to enjoy your food in and store leftovers if necessary. It is cheaper than buying a whole bunch of paper products and more environmentally friendly as well. On that same subject, bring some water bottles. I have no qualms about drinking tap water, so I usually fill up the water bottles when I get a chance. You can also hit up the soda fountains at fast food locations and fill up with their water. You also do not expend a whole lot of energy sitting on your bum and driving around, so keep that in mind when planning meals. Most people snack in the car because they are bored, so try and keep yourself occupied as much as you can. For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos to inspire and also just general photos for fun :
Almond Butter and Banana on whole wheat sandwich round
Lunch on the road...
You grab a neat little bag and then mark on there what you want.
Tomato and guacamole with lettuce, onion and olive salad on whole wheat toasted!
From my own collection...pomegranate fruit leather
A present for J...Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat
My kitchen since Friday...stocked with some things from the personal collection .
Another dinner...veggie rice paper wraps!
