We recently went on our first camping trip of the year and I thought I would share what I ate on this trip. We only went away for one night and since our old camp stove is no longer working we ended up doing a cooking free camping trip. Looking back on things now I wish we had just bought our new camp stove because an entire day of basically sandwiches and snacks just wasn’t that much fun for me. Anyways here I what I ate while camping at L.L. Stub State Park.
When we arrived I was feeling snack-y so I had a handful of these Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Squares that are so incredibly addictive.
Still feeling a bit hungry I opted for a slightly better and new to me protein bar the Square Organics Vanilla Cashew Crisp. This bar was so delicious! It was just sweet enough, a bit chewy, a bit crunchy and not at all chalky.
After a short hike I worked on getting the fire started and things set up for dinner. I brought a spread of fruit, olives, dips and spreads, cut up veggies, tofurky and bread for sandwiches and pita chips for dipping. While I would like to say that I filled up on tons of veggies it was more like a few veggies, lots of pita chips dipped in my green goddess cashew dup and Toby’s Tofu Dip and half eaten tofurky sandwiches. I also enjoyed a beer and a half with Neil. The next morning we broke out our backpacking stove aka thing we use to boil water and we made oats for the kids. I ended up having this Paleo Muesli from Bob’s Red Mill and it was meh. I also enjoyed a hot mug of Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee with Coconut Cloud Vanilla Creamer.
Not pictured is the sandwich I had for lunch before our hike, the two sips of terrible coffee I bought at a random coffee shop and all the water I drank.
We are headed out camping again this weekend but this time we have a camp stove so things we surely be more fun! If you’d like to see an What I Eat While Camping – Camp Stove Edition let me know in the comments below!
What are your favorite things to eat while camping?
Bob’s Red Mill and FitApproach sponsored this post. All opinions are my own.
I have to be honest protein powders are something that I really haven’t been super enthusiastic about. I have tried a variety of them and while I have found a few that are decent I haven’t found any that I want to use on a regular basis or would consider purchasing again. That’s until this past month and Bob’s Red Mill Protein Powders.
I have been loving on the chocolate flavor because when I want a smoothie I often want it to taste like a chocolate milkshake. I combine the chocolate protein powder, unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1-2 frozen bananas and boom instant milkshake. The bonus with this milkshake though is that I get 20g of plant-based protein (pea protein), 12g of fiber, probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids and iron. You won’t be finding those in your standard milkshake. I can also have it for breakfast or really any meal I want.
I have to say my only gripe with this protein powder is just how much of it you have to use. I serving is 1/3 cup (45g) which sounds like a lot and is more than other protein powders out there on the market. I personally feel like it’s too much protein powder to just shake up with almond milk and go but in a smoothie it is perfect. That is all personal preference though right?
For flavors there is chocolate, chai, unflavored and vanilla. Of the four I like the chocolate and the vanilla and they are also the most universal to use and make a variety of smoothies, smoothie bowls and other recipes. The chai just wasn’t my favorite flavor – a little too much for me. As for the unflavored it was fine but you have to do a little more with it to get a good flavor – it might be nice in baking though!
Overall I’m impressed with these protein powders and I’m thrilled to be able to give one away to one lucky person. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Bob’s Red Mill and FitApproach sponsored this post. All opinions are my own.
One of my goals for this month is to focus on eating much more simple meals. Simple breakfasts, simple lunches and simple dinners with a few more fun and complex meals throw in on the weekends. Simple, yet tasty, satisfying and nutritious. Simple Meals filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based protein.
For breakfast I flop between savory and sweet but whichever I choose I always go for something easy because this mama doesn’t have time to mess around at breakfast. For savory breakfast I love avocado on toast with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of chili flakes or a big bowl of grains with sauteed baby spinach and a sprinkle of tamari and nutritional yeast. When it comes to sweet you’ll most likely find me with a smoothie in hand or in a bowl topped with whatever we have on hand. Lately I have been loving smoothie bowls with frozen bananas, a splash of almond milk, sometimes the rest of my coffee that has gone cold and a scoop Bob’s Red Mill Chocolate Protein Powder (yes, I know I was surprised when I found out they made protein powders too!). I like to top it with more banana, some granola, coconut flakes and drizzle of agave. This smoothie bowl leaves me feeling energized, full and satisfies me until lunch time rolls around.
As for lunch and dinner I like to keep it super simple – basically beans, greens and grains. I know you might be reading this and thinking well that sounds awfully boring. Well it does sound boring and can be but the key is to make it more fun with sauces and add-on’s that personalize your meal and make it more tasty.
For us beans, greens and grains meals will be happening most Monday-Thursday because those are some of our busiest days of the week. It allows us to it simply, healthfully and easily. It also helps to prevent us from turning to takeout on those nights when we just don’t feel like putting something together or are out late. I simply am making up a batch of grains and serving with whatever greens and vegetables that look great along with a plant-based whole foods protein. So how am I jazzing things up? Well that’s when we break out the sauces from tahini to coconut aminos to hot sauces and barbecue sauces. I also love the addition of various fermented veggies (kraut, kimchi, ect). I also love adding avocado, hemp seeds and nutritional yeast to top things off.;
On the weekends we might jazz things up a bit more and have meals that take longer to prepare or even eat out. We often like to make pancakes and tofu scramble on the weekends for breakfast but honestly you’ll probably find us having the smoothie bowl I listed about because;it’s one of Neil’s favorite breakfasts. Lunch and dinner are usually a little more wild if we are in the mood or sometimes we just keep it simple.
Keeping things simple helps us to eat healthier, have less cravings, and more energy.
What are you go to weekday and weekend meals? How do you feel about the smoothie bowl? I’ll be honest when smoothie bowls first because a thing I was all like WTF but now I’m obsessed. If you are also a lover of them and are in PDX you must go to Kure and get one because they have the best smoothie bowls ever.
We have been so busy this weekend! Friday was beer fest, saturday we did some grocery shopping and went to Costco and then we went to a Lake Monsters game for work because our Honor Guard was presenting the colors.
The Worlds Most Unhealthy-yet free- dinner ever! Vegan Burger with potato chips and diet cola....I cringe as I type this but oh well...it was good after a night at brew fest
Now it is Sunday and I have been busy attempting to unpack as well as having to run to the office to get some emergency items done. We got quite a bit done today however there is still more to do boo! I can’t wait to be totally moved in. I am happy to say however we have gotten back into our active mornings and finally eating at home.
This morning I knew we had a lot to do so I decided to make a yummy and filling breakfast
Bring the water to a boil and stir in the corn grits polenta, nutritional yeast, and salt. Turn down to low and continue to stir until the polenta has thickened.
Tex-Mex TVP
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and stir in the TVP; turn down and simmer for 5- 7 minutes. Saute the onions and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add in the cumin, paprika, chili powder and salt and stir to evenly coat the onions and garlic. Pour in the TVP; it should be soft and expanded some- there should be a little left over vegetable broth. Stir the TVP and onion mixture together and add the salsa and nooch.
Assemble
Take 1/4 of the polenta and put it on a plate, top with 1/4 of the TVP mixture and then 1/4 of an avocado. ENJOY! Other suggestions: add your favorite hot sauce, fresh diced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos or cilantro to add even more flavor to this dish.
After breakfast I tried out my new sneakers and walked a few miles to the Short Stop to redeem my free iced coffee ticket. Then it was off to work for an emergency that had to get taken care of.
After running to work we headed to Bed, Bath & Beyond to pick up some organizational items, the natural food store for a few items and then home to make some lunch- a recipe from Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Essentials– Pad Thai! Since the only kelp noodles I had were still frozen I made the recipe with zucchini noodles, cabbage and carrot noodles on a bed of baby spinach.
Ani Phyo's newest raw book is really amazing! The book has such a clear layout of recipes which is great for easily navigating it and finding recipes that interest me. I absolutely love the photos that are in the book; they are a huge improvement over Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. The recipes are also even better than her first book! We loved the pad thai, BLT Club and Chinese Chickenless Salads- I can't wait to try more recipes! One thing that I loved about these recipes is that they were easy to follow and they all turned out amazing! There is also a great balance of recipes that require special appliances (i.e. dehydrators, high powered blenders, spiralizers) and recipes that are easy for anyone who doesn't have these special items and doesn't want to go out and purchase them. I would really recommend that if you have any interest in raw foods to pick this book up because you won't be dissappointed.
After recharging with this lovely raw meal it was time to get down to work and unpack our place. We gave ourselves 20 minutes to relax, check e-mails and twitter then it was time to get unpacking. We did pretty well over 2.5 hours of unpacking the place but unfortunately there is still more to do- we need more furniture so we don’t really have places to put things…like books.
I attempted to write this post earlier but my blog has been down all afternoon so, what would have been a separate dinner post is going to be wrapped up into this post. Dinner was simple (see below) since it is a million degrees in our apartment and I’m exhausted. Enjoy!
Tomato & Cuke Salad, Trio of Dips (leftover TVP from breakfast, Spicy Peanut Hummus and Salba Mild Salsa) with Salba Blue Corn Chips and Carrot Sticks, Lastly, Olives & Caper Berries
The Salad That Will Make Your Friends Say "WOW"
This simple salad will impress your guests:
Ingredients:
1 large tomato, sliced
1 large cucumber, sliced
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 shallot, sliced
2T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
First place the balsamic and shallots in a small sauce pan on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and reduce by half. Set aside and let cool slightly while you prepare the remaining items. Create a bed with the spinach for the tomato and cucumber to lay on; alternate the tomato and 2 slices of cucumber until all is used. Down the center top the cucumbers and tomatoes with the balsamic shallots and then drizzle the remaining sauce over. Drizzle the olive oil over and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Yesterday started out so nice and ended up with big clouds in the sky so instead of spending the remainder of our day outside we picked up some fixings for a pizza and relaxed around the house. To my delight my iPod from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition came today however to my disappointment the iPod can not be reloaded with any other material. Oh well I guess a new iPod stays on my list of desired items, especially since I haven’t gotten a new one since the Mini iPod back in 2005. Also many of you have inquired about whether I will be posting about my journey to become a Certified Health Counselor and I plan to. Right now I am working on warm-up classes for my program which starts on May 1st. These warm-up classes teach fundamentals that are helpful to understand prior to starting classes; such as Nutrition, Primary Foods, and Food Cravings. So far I am loving being back in school and learning new things, this will be an exciting year.
Isn't it pretty?
A few other fun things came in the mail yesterday as well:
These bags from ChicoBag are great for taking on the go. They fold right up into their own little carrying case and have a clip on them so you can clip it on your key chain, purse, or bag. I like to throw them in my hand bag so that whenever I am out whether it’s picking up a few groceries, books or other things I have a a reusable bag to throw everything in. These are especially good when I travel because I hate when I go shopping and have to carry around a bunch of plastic/paper bags, with these you can throw anything in them and they are super cute!
These yummy cookies from Kookie Karma came yesterday and I can’t wait to try them, I will report back on how they are. Update: Hubby and my dad loved the Holsitic Chocolate Chip. My dad wants to know where he can get more of these cookies!
After spending the afternoon relaxing i.e. Neil playing baseball on the Wii and I did some work on my Fundamentals #5 Nutrition 102: Vitamins and Minerals we finally sat down together and watched a show. I then sent Neil off to the kitchen to make the pizza dough, we used Bob’s Red Mill GF Pizza Crust Mix. The dough was kind of sticky and soft but we made it work and topped our pizza with jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes), mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, sauteed onions and tomato sauce. Once it came out of the oven I finished it with some sunflower sprouts tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The GF crust turned out to be delicious and we overindulged a bit on pizza.
Alright bloggies, hubz and I are off to hike/walk the loop and then will do The Breakfast Challenge Day 3 Day 2. Then we are off to spend some time with the ‘rents and G-Ma.
Also if you have any questions about Institute for Integrative Nutrition or myself you can ask anonymously on Ask me anything http://formspring.me/cookveganlover
Still feeling a bit hungry I opted for a slightly better and new to me protein bar the Square Organics Vanilla Cashew Crisp. This bar was so delicious! It was just sweet enough, a bit chewy, a bit crunchy and not at all chalky.
The next morning we broke out our backpacking stove aka thing we use to boil water and we made oats for the kids. 
I ended up having this Paleo Muesli from Bob’s Red Mill and it was meh. I also enjoyed a hot mug of Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee with Coconut Cloud Vanilla Creamer. 
Not pictured is the sandwich I had for lunch before our hike, the two sips of terrible coffee I bought at a random coffee shop and all the water I drank. 
