travel: taking real food on the road

While contemplating our trek to the Midwest this summer, we decided to bring our own breakfasts, lunches, snacks.  Through planning, preparation, and a cooler full of ice, we hoped to save money as well as insure some solid nourishment during our journey.  We knew we would be eating pretty differently a lot of the time, but we wanted to keep it balanced a fair amount of the time as well.


And so, the days before our departure saw me not only packing, but cooking too.  Here's a run-down of what we brought with us to satisfy our appetites.




Breakfast~
hard-boiled eggs (shells on until we're ready to eat them)
Cinnamon Bun Muffins (using coconut flour)
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Muffins (coconut flour)
Sourdough Pancakes
almond butter (also for sandwiches at lunch)
real salt
orange juice (a rare, rare treat)


Lunch~
sliced turkey lunchmeat
sprouted whole wheat sandwich bread
cheddar cheese sticks (cut at home)
bananas
sugar snap peas
2 bottles grape kombucha

Snacks~
stove-popped popcorn (from home)
salty sourdough crackers
organic raisins
yogurt raisins (not technically a whole food, but another very rare treat)
Barbara's Bakery cereal bars (another treat)
Barbara's Bakery fig bars (you guessed it, a rarity for us!)
homemade trail mix (peanuts, raisins, Enjoy Life chocolate chips)
carob peanut clusters

Bag o' snacks

As for dinnertime, we've been finding a restaurant before we head to the hotel.  After a long day of traveling it's nice to sit in a cool room and have food brought out to you!   We're being conscious of the expenses, and last night we were happy to discover that the restaurant we decided on was offering "Kids Eat Free" that night!  Two adult entrees earned four free children's meals.  


The math doesn't get much more perfect than that.


Happy Trails!

pulling up anchor

 I've had  a lot time to kill lately...

She's saying that she's hot.  But she always rubs her arms as though she's cold. A study in contrasts, that girl.

Life is a highway - or so I've heard.

Hotel room, sweet hotel room...

tucked away

Kombucha scobies.  Sourdough starter.  The milk kefir grains.  Our supply of (clean!) diapers.  The kitties.

Tucked away.  Put to bed.  Set aside.  Boarded up.

Strange, to walk away from Regular Life like this....

I'm sad that we'll miss the first few weeks of the CSA basket deliveries.  And I just picked the first few (as in, half a dozen) blueberries of the season - so we'll miss a lot of that too.  (We invited our neighbors to help themselves to our berries and garden while we're away.)

This is all so weird.

I've made as much jam as I could afford, while I could.  But we're missing so much of the growing season!  It's certainly a good thing that I'm not a true gardener (maybe next year?  I'm getting there.)  Otherwise this would be downright painful.

But I suppose we'll sample what other regions have to offer along the way.  We'll get to experience local food in a whole new way!  I don't think I paid attention at all when we lived back there...  silly girl that I was. My children will know better.

At least I have the comfort of knowing that we'll be back when the tomatoes come in.  I do love me some tomatoes!

the thing about organic

There are times when I pass over an item in favor of one with the word "organic" on its label, and I feel a little self-conscious.

Organic seems a little precious.  Pompous, conceited.   If produce could possibly come across as stuck-up, organic stuff does.

Honestly, I don't buy exclusively organic.  Like many others, I can't really afford to buy organic all the time.  I'm not sure anyone can.  Still I try to be selective.  I take to heart lists like "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Clean Fifteen."   For example, I purchase only organic strawberries but buy conventional bananas.  Our kitchen contains organic butter and sour cream (an animal's fat cells are where the pesticides it consumes are stored!).  I focus on whole foods and buy organic as much as I can, especially where it's most needed.  Educated choices are important in any format, and the food we eat is no exception.

I would love to be able to buy only organic groceries, though.  It simply doesn't work for our household right now.

But here's the thing about organic food:

"Organic" doesn't mean fancy.  It doesn't mean grown in the crystal clean air of mountain passes which are perfumed by calming lavender, and meticulously spooned specialized fertilizer onto dainty roots just finished with a massage and a pedicure.

Organic, as it relates to food, means this:

produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.

It means no added junk, at least as far as the growing process goes.  It means the plants are not treated with man-made chemicals.  It means without the scary stuff.

I realize that last paragraph contains a lot of negatives.  These days that's pretty much how it has to be.  Yet let me turn it around; I'll word it more positively this time.

Organic means just food. Pure.  Unadulterated.  Simply the good stuff.

Think about that for a moment.  The words "organic food" are often seen as highfalutin, prissy, the choice of super selective buyers.  And I am aware of why...  But what organic actually means is this: the food as it was meant to be.


Red, juicy strawberries.  Sweet corn with no hint of GMOs.  Tender peaches with the purest fuzzy skin.  The true foods... originals.

"O God, Our Help In Ages Past"

1. By Isaac Watts
2. 
   
3. O God, our help in ages past,
   Our hope for years to come,
   Our shelter from the stormy blast,
   And our eternal home.
4. Under the shadow of Thy throne
   Thy saints have dwelt secure;
   Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
   And our defense is sure.
5. Before the hills in order stood,
   Or earth received her frame,
   From everlasting Thou art God,
   To endless years the same.
6. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
   “Return, ye sons of men”:
   All nations rose from earth at first,
   And turn to earth again.
7. A thousand ages in Thy sight
   Are like an evening gone;
   Short as the watch that ends the night
   Before the rising sun.
8. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
   With all their lives and cares,
   Are carried downwards by the flood,
   And lost in foll’wing years.
9. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
   Bears all its sons away;
   They fly, forgotten, as a dream
   Dies at the op’ning day.
10. Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
    Pleased with the morning light;
    The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
    Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.
11. O God, our help in ages past,
    Our hope for years to come,
    Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
    And our eternal home.

7 reasons I wear skirts

These days I find myself often putting on a skirt in the morning.  They are fun, flirty, and feminine.  So without further ado, here are the top 7 seasons why you'll often find me wearing a skirt.

1)  Skirts are womanly.   They're inherently feminine.  Honestly I think that's valuable in and of itself.  It seems to me that many womanly characteristics and pursuits are being discarded these days. They are seen as being old-fashioned or worse.  But I want to model for my daughter  - and yes, for my sons too - that I embrace my feminine side.  Skirts are a great way to do that.

2)  Skirts can be modest.  Clearly they aren't always.  Our culture tends toward the outrageous, and skirt length has been an example of that for the last 60 years - longer than that, really.  But it's more than possible to be fashionable and culturally relevant in a modest skirt. In fact, I've lately heard fashion experts advising against short skirts.  Even so, in this day and age I think it is vitally important to show the young girls around us that it's realistic and desirable to have an interest in style and beauty while remaining modest.

3)  Skirts are cool.  On warm summer days, skirts are hard to beat.  'Nough said.

4)  Skirts cover faults.  Please don't correct me if I'm wrong (*wink*), but I feel that wearing a skirt offers more grace to those of us with fuller figures.  A little less information about those thighs, a little more swish and distraction.  When it comes to the postpartum body (in my opinion) smoke and mirrors are where it's at.  And I love the way a knee-length skirt fans over my lap when I sit down.

5)  Skirts are versatile.  Dress them up or dress them down.  Once I wore a black skirt made of very casual material to a spontaneous girls' night out.  I didn't feel great about the outfit I'd been wearing that afternoon but I decided not to change clothes.  Instead I simply threw on a dark-wash denim jacket and wrapped a scarf around my neck.  When I got to my friend's house one of the other ladies asked me "So did you dress up just for tonight, or have you worn this all day?"    I was shocked (what a wonder a scarf is!) by her words.  My skirt was super casual, but it was incredibly easy to spiff my look up a bit.

I think it's equally plausible to wear skirts in a very casual way.   I have several skirts made of a material similar to the kind used for yoga pants.  Throw on a tank top and/or a zippered sweatshirt, a pair of flip-flops and you're ready to chase kids, change diapers, or simply putter around the backyard.

6)  Skirts are comfortable.  They're lower limb freedom, pure and simple.  And let me be frank: the elastic waistband is my friend right now.  I know certain fashion experts are against such things, but in my opinion these waistbands are a huge help to many a mama.  Many of my skirts are just as comfortable as any pair of sweatpants, and ten times as attractive.


7)  Skirts are fun to twirl in.   I learned this gem from my two-year-old daughter, and I must say she's precisely right.  When my little girl puts on a skirt or a dress, her first reaction is to spin around and say "Princess!"  She loves to watch her skirt float around her waist and legs.  Recently she watched me get dressed for the day.  After I put on my skirt, she wanted me to spin around.  I'll admit I obliged, and - well, it was fun.

And yes, I did feel (just a little) like a princess.

peanut butter "syrup"

This isn't a true syrup, but it doubles nicely as one.   I developed this idea a few months ago, and it has been a tremendous hit around here.  Use this sweet topping on pancakes, waffles, or even ice cream.  The possibilities are endless!  It is especially spectacular with chocolate chip pancakes - trust me on this one.  

Now...I don't have exact amounts for this recipe.  Instead, I just mix, stir, add, etc. until it looks about right.  So I do apologize: those kinds of recipes drive me batty!  But so much about this mixture depends on temperature (both of the room and of the materials) and consistency that it's really best to see what works in your own kitchen on a particular day. 

Peanut Butter "Syrup"

coconut oil (very soft) - about 1/4 cup

creamy organic peanut butter - about 2-3 Tablespoons

sea salt (if your PB doesn't already contain salt) - a dash

raw honey - about 1 Tablespoon

vanilla - a dash

Combine all the ingredients and stir until smooth.  If your coconut oil was on the firm side, you may wish to warm the mixture until it reaches a pourable consistency.  If the mixture is too runny, add more peanut butter and stir again.

I store this in the refrigerator, but do keep in mind that coconut oil becomes very hard when cold.  If you want to use it at breakfast, pull it out the night before and leave at room temperature.   Or reheat gently in a toaster oven.  You get the idea: give it some love.  It needs to be fairly warm (room temperature in the summer) in order to be spreadable.

Although it could be yummy by the spoonful as well.  I wouldn't know a thing about that. Not. A. Thing.

Enjoy!