Recipes
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Eating on the Road
Eating out of the back of my Van is actually a pretty great way to travel. Since I don’t eat the Standard American Diet, I can’t eat at the majority of restaurants. I’m always on the lookout for restaurants that have “vegan options” for when I feel like a change, and I have found them everywhere I go.On the most part I keep my mini fridge stocked with fruits, vegetables, hummus, vegan cheese, almond or soy milk, and some dark chocolate for good measure. I have a dry cooler with my crackers, granola, coffee, tea, and a few other items.
Lately I have become aware that my kitchen setup is a source of entertainment at parks, visitors centers, rest stops and parking lots. I get out of my van as the back hatch auto lifts up, and I walk back and pull out my dish drawer, grab a bowl and spoon, pour some granola, slice up a banana, open my fridge and grab the blueberries and almond milk and add them, and then put them back in the fridge and proceed to eat my granola while passer byers are waving at me with a smile.
Often I just grab an apple or a bag of grapes and keep it simple. Sometimes I am in the mood to cook and other times I just eat fruit or vegan cheese and crackers (not so healthy a choice) or throw together a hummus wrap, which is a favorite quick food for traveling.
Today after a long hike, I pulled into a camp spot and threw together a hummus wrap with hummus, red pepper, vegan cheese, and a ton of arugula. Simple, but good.When I feel I want something really hardy I will make the a quinoa stir fry, potatoes and veggies, or something with beans, but I don’t feel the need to eat something that substantial on a daily basis.
I’m a big believer in fruit. I haven’t always been, because there has been so much negative press around fruit and what it does to our blood sugar. There are enough studies that show fruit is one of the most perfect foods for humans. It is very quick to digest, and it is a high-quality fuel for our bodies. What I have learned is that fruit, on the most part should be eaten alone and not with fat, because it is the fat that slows down the metabolism of the sugars from the fruit. On a food combining note, the fruit will also ferment in your stomach if it is sitting upon a heavy, fatty meal.
Although I love the combinations of fruits and nuts, it’s not ideal. Not together. It’s better to have them as separate meals. This way the body can fully utilize the sugars from the fruit for fuel without the fat from the nuts interfering with its digestion.
I do still add granola to my fruit, rather than fruit to my granola. But I know its not the best way to eat my fruit. But these are the kinds of compromises I make while traveling. I never eat granola at home. It just worked its way into my life during this trip, starting with a bag of home made granola from the Taos Farmers Market and is so satisfying to have with fruit for breakfast. It makes the fruit go so much further and I can hike for hours afterwards and feel very energetic. I think this is what is important; to feel that our food gives us the energy we need.
When They Have Vegan Cheesecake, I say YES!
I did a google search for Vegan Options in Sandpoint, Idaho and there wasn’t a lot there. I used to know of a Café, but believe it closed down. As I was walking down main street, I ran right into a Café that said “Vegan Cheesecake.” I was hungry and looking to have lunch. I ducked in and found that I was in a primarily Vegan Café. I was in heaven. I had their Greek Wrap and then went for a hike. But I had to come back later for the Vegan Cheesecake; because when they have Vegan Cheesecake, I say YES! KALE YES! -
Independence in Whitefish
It was perfect to arrive in Whitefish, Montana for the fourth of July, right after a big rain. Everything was fresh and clean and there wasn’t the concern about having fireworks they had in the Southwest.
My fourth of July was a great day. The weather cleared up overnight and we had a beautiful sunny day. I drove along Lake Whitefish to explore and found myself at a trailhead towards the end of the lake. Everyday is always a little bit better after having had a hike so I assembled my pack, grabbed my walking stick and headed out on the trail. There were a group of three women hiking right n front of me at a good pace and I just followed along. Soon they invited me to join them and we struck up a conversation, finding we had a lot in common in the area of exploring self love and spirituality.
We walked the two and a half miles to a beautiful little mountain lake and rested a while before making the trek back. It was such a nice surprise to meet these beautiful women and spend this time with them. Meeting new friends along the way is always a highlight of the journeyWhen I returned to camp, I cooked up some stir fry and quinoa for dinner and decided I would go to the City Park, on the lake, for the fireworks. The City had closed down several roads leading to the park and encouraged people to bike or walk. I got there early enough to find a place to park a few blocks away. I grabbed my low rise folding chair and walked the half mile to the beach. I positioned myself near the musician that was setting up to play and settled in for a long night of waiting for dark.
I realized this was probably the first time I have ever gone to a fireworks show alone. Yet on my “flying solo” journey I am doing most everything alone, most the time. I am always grateful for those moments where I connect with others, but the greatest goal is to connect with myself.I reached out to a friend in Bellingham whom I spent the fourth of July with two years ago, and told her I was thinking about her. She said she was thinking about me too. She was my host for the airbnb I rented for five weeks a couple years back and we became great friends. I told her I hoped to make it her way this summer and would love to see her. It was nice to connect.
After the fireworks, everyone from the beach got up and headed out to find their vehicles. It was good the roads were closed to traffic because the crowds took up the whole road moving out of there. I knew it would be gridlock traffic trying to get out, so when I got to my van, I crawled into the back, fired up my hotspot and watched a Matt Kahn video. It was a long video, over an hour, and by the time I was nearing the end, the traffic had completely cleared out. I drove back to camp, ten minutes away with barely a soul on the road. It was after midnight and I was grateful to crawl back in my cozy van bed and call it a night.Quinoa Stir Fry
Another quick, easy, healthy Recipe by Kaleah
For this dish, I just cut up some sweet potatoes, red onions, and mini bell peppers. I sauteed the sweet potatoes until soft and added in the onions and peppers. Meanwhile I cooked up a batch of quinoa on the other burner. I added tamari, turmeric, chipoltle seasoning, and pepper. I added the cooked veggies over the quinoa and “dinner is served.” Prep time, about twenty minutes, as the taters and quinoa both take about twenty minutes to cook.Keep in mind that I use what I have. If I had zucchini and mushrooms, I would have added them as well. Any veggies you like can be added. The next day I had some broccoli and mushrooms, so I used the leftover quinoa and cooked up red onions, peppers, broccoli and mushrooms. Another awesome meal.
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Hummus Wraps
I promised I would give some recipe’s I am using while traveling. I find eating on the road to be pretty simple. I keep a few staples in my fridge/icebox that I can make many different meals with. The meal I am going to share with you today is my yummy hummus wraps. This meal can be put together in minutes and is healthy to boot.I made this meal based on what I had in my mini-fridge. I had some gluten free corn/wheat tortillas. I normally don’t eat wheat but in the small town I am in, there weren’t many GMO free options, and these were GMO free.
I slathered the tortillas with hummus I bought at the store, then added some lettuce mix, kale mix, mini bell peppers, sliced, tomatoes, red onion, and olives. That’s it! Dinner in a heartbeat, and good for your heart.
Enjoy!