32 Days on the Road, and What did we EAT?

Note to self: Photos are hard to take from the back of a moving motorcycle

I have spent a lot of time road tripping this summer. What did we eat?

Check out a summary of road tripping eats and how I traveled Food Revolution style over at Jamie Oliver.com, but if you really want the down and dirty how to so you can do it yourself, I posted all the details over at Chasing Tomatoes. There's recipes! And how-tos!

Now I'm off to check out a local farmer's market.

Also, you know I have a giveaway going, right?

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Food Revolution Road Trip11: Final Days

It's curious, this year. None of us want to go back home. Maybe it's the amazing beds that I'm sleeping better in than even my bed at home, or the freshly prepared eggs at the breakfast bar. (really! I saw them being cooked!)

Either way I want to just live at the Ameritel.

We spend our time shopping, browsing through the downtown area of Bend, and lazing the days away. Bend would be a food lover's dream, with restaurants populating a good portion of the downtown area. Kevin and I can't help but stand and take deep breaths in doorways.

In the evening we walk to Greg's Grill, which has become one of our favorite places to visit. Their sweet potato fries are the best we've eaten, and the Ahi Tuna sandwich something we can never get at home. There is so much good food here, we want to stay. Enjoy. Eat.

A funny thing always happens at some point in our vacations, and I'm not sure sure how or why it comes about. Suddenly, we want to return to Canada. We miss colored money, our usual coffee, home cooking, the routine of every day life. We miss home.

I think in my travels, some have thought that my stories and things I observe come down to what I don't like about the USA, or criticisms. Rather, I've found more this trip to celebrate and be positive of then previous. While there are downsides, like there are in every place (and Canada shares many of these), there are so many wonderful opportunities to find local, fresh food now that I'm surprised. From healthy treats at gas stations to restaurants that offer kick ass fresh food, to even Starbucks having healthier options, things are looking up. I'm really encouraged to see that the efforts that people have made are already making such a difference.

There are many obstacles and facets that contribute to the issues that both our countries face and at times, the job seems so daunting. Despite it all, I still believe that education and awareness, as well as lots of healthy options for people, will help. Less marketing aimed at children. Easier access to healthier food. What I've noticed the most is people can, and do, make change.

So even if it seems insurmountable or something small, make change. Rock that boat. Don't be afraid to ask for healthier options at a restaurant, or choose to shop at a Farmer's Market instead.

Michael Pollan says that you have three meals a day to vote. I add that you also have plenty of opportunity-right at the grocery store.

On the last day, we finally cross the border back home. Borders always make me nervous, and this time is no exception.

"Where is home?" This guard is young, maybe only 27 at most.

"Sechelt, BC Canada," John answers.

"And why are you visiting Canada?" The guard suddenly realizes his faux pas. He catches himself, but not before we start giggling. It's plainly obvious that he wants to laugh, but is working hard not to. The one thing he can't suppress is the twinkle in his eye.

"Um, we live here?"

"Of course." the guard asks us the rest of the questions required, then gives our passports one final look before he snaps them shut and the faintest hint of a smile plays on his lips.

"Welcome home."

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Food Revolution Friday Day 13: Jackpot

Where we are: Bend, Oregon

Plan for the day: Shop!

Food Revolution Challenge: We find a goldmine of great stuff

I've always loved Bend, or to be more specific, the Old Mill District in Bend. I've written about the Ameritel hotel before, and this time (the third for us), it was just as amazing as before, if not better. The only drawback with the hotel is that Bend is such a busy place, you have to reserve a room well in advance. As in, if you want a room in July, you need to reserve it in January. Or even December.

We waited until March. Which, of course, caused us to forfeit one of the nights we wished to stay, but no matter. We had a room! If we couldn't stay at the Ameritel we just weren't going to Bend at all.

We left the Holiday Inn Express in Nampa, making the trek to Bend in record time and stopping at Starbucks the second we arrived. Our first stop was, as it always is, Starbucks.

As we ordered I noticed something new. Bistro Boxes.

Now I don't know if you've been to Starbucks lately, and I'm guessing not nearly as much as I have been over the past three weeks. (as Food Revolution Road Trip has been self publishing, I've been roaring all over California on the back of a motorbike. I know. It's crazy.) To provide their customers with healthy options, Starbucks is now offering these great little bento box like snacks or meals that you can grab. In the USA they retail for about $5-$8.

I LOVE THEM. Granted, I have only tried the chicken and hummus one, but it made a perfect light lunch. The hummus was tasty, the pita fresh. I adored the fresh veggies, since I was getting tired of the lack of veggies in my restaurant offerings. The chicken was a teeny bit salty, but still delicious. I cannot wait to try more, and while I'm at BlogHer I plan to.

Thank you SO MUCH Starbucks.

When we checked into our room at the Ameritel, they had a great surprise for us-a room upgrade. Our room had a balcony overlooking the river, a jacuzzi tub upstairs, and a gorgeously comfy bed. We almost didn't want to leave!

The view from our room

For us, Bend means shopping. And where did we go?



On Twitter, people have often told me to visit Trader Joe's. Each year I saw one, each year I passed, until this year.

Oh my.

OH MY.

So here's the deal. Everything that is made under the Trader Joe label is free of:

GMOs
artificial colors
artificial flavors
preservatives
msg
no added trans fats

Plus, Trader Joe's has their own distribution. Big name grocery stores all have the same distributer, who they pay to deliver their food. Trader Joe's doesn't-which is how they keep the prices of their products low. We were astounded at how low. Things like dried fruit and nuts were easily 1/2 to 1/3 of the cost of things at home. As we browsed through the store exclaiming over products like dark chocolate covered blueberries (incredibly addictive) and massive containers of basil that were so cheap I almost fell over (not to mention the pine nuts), I began talking to one of the staff.

They were SO friendly. As in, "Oh! Find something you want to try and we'll open it up for you!"

Seriously? Kevin was floored. Anything? He could try anything?! (except the wine and beer of course)

As we talked, we got on the topic of health, Trader Joe's products, and ultimately, Food Revolution. I didn't mention it at all but suddenly, the question came up:

"Oh I love Jamie Oliver. I love what he's doing. Have you heard of Food Revolution?"

The three of us began to giggle, and John finally broke in.

"Um...WELL....." and told her our story. They were floored-and so were we, that we found this amazing place with so much great food, such an amazing philosophy, and such enthusiasm. See, I've worked for grocery companies. I know that you can't really force people to exude this kind of enthusiasm, it just happens when they love where they work.

We spent about an hour and a half in Trader Joe's, trying products, shopping, and talking to the staff and manager. They were amazing. When we walked out with a bag stuffed full of delicious food to try, both Kevin and John turned to me with their eyes wide.

"Now that is a cool grocery store!"

Note: I was not paid to mention either Starbucks or Trader Joe's in this post. However, Trader Joe's did send me home with a bunch of their favorite products for me to try, since it was my first time ever in their store. Either way, I would be writing about their company because I sincerely loved the experience.

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Day 12: Push Button Breakfast

Where we are: Nampa, Idaho and Bend, Oregon

Plan for the day: Drive from here to there

Food Revolution Road Trip Challenge: You'll never believe it. Really.

After our tour through restaurant hell the night before, I was looking forward to a leisurely breakfast. So far our breakfasts had been okay, and this one proved to be no exception. However this time, there was something we'd never seen before at the breakfast bar.

This, my friends, is an automatic pancake maker. I quizzed the ever helpful breakfast lady to find out how it works. If you pop off the top, there is a bag that looks much like a plastic bag you might have fluid in for an IV at the hospital. The pancake batter comes in a powder in the bag and you add water. Then you clip the bag into place in the top of the maker and close the lid. To get pancakes, you press the button on the front of the machine. The batter bag squeezes out a pre-determined amount onto a conveyer belt inside, which passes through an 'oven' portion to cook the batter evenly, and out the end pops a perfectly cooked pancake.

"People have asked us where they could get one," the breakfast attendant declared proudly, "People what to take them home!"

"But," I couldn't seem to wrap my head around this information. "Pancakes are so easy to make! You know, flour, eggs, milk...? "

"This one makes each one the very same size, and they are all perfectly cooked," she continued. "And best of all, parents could just get their kids to push a button!"

Kevin and I stared at each other, wide eyed. People won't even make a pancake? From a mix? What the hell is WRONG WITH US?!

The attendant continued to tell us why Holiday Inn Express now has pancake makers. Apparently waffle irons are hot, as are microwaves, and the Holiday Inn Express cannot adequately supervise small children around those appliances. Someone might get hurt, so they replaced them all with the pancake makers.

I stand there with my mouth hanging open in disbelief. This is just all kinds of wrong. Parents don't supervise kids, who don't have skills to use something hot because they've never cooked, so they get burned, and parents sue.

So hotels come up with artificial food for breakfast that can be made by pressing a button.

This brings the whole "people have no knowledge of where food comes from" to an entirely new level. Kevin shakes his head sadly.

"This isn't Star Trek where people just go to a wall and ask for something to materialize," he pokes at the machine sadly. "I just don't get it."

I don't even know what to say, because truly?

There just aren't any words, except one.

CRAZY.

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Food Revolution Road Trip Day 11: Restaurant Hell

Where we are: Moab Utah and Nampa, Idaho

Plan for the day: Drive from here to there

Food Revolution Challenge: We find restaurant hell

We are always sad to leave Moab. The drive from the hot desert and a town that we love so much that we would love to move to and call our own is always one of the hardest parts of our trip, although it's always necessary. Last year when we drove to Nampa, we were shocked at it's lack of culinary choices and I resorted to asking a random Walmart shopper where the local restaurants were. This time, we reasoned, the mall that was being built across the street MUST have some restaurants, right?

Nope. Only fast food. What is it about Idaho, or at least the Nampa and Meridian places in general, that there is every fast food place known to human kind, but few good restaurants? I don't understand. At least this time, we know where the Red Robin is and pull up, not really sure at this point what we will order. To be honest, after the Peace Tree it's going to be hard, but we're game.

And besides, it's the only other option is McDonalds, and we're NOT stopping there. This would be okay, right? It's fast food-ish, but not really fast food. I think.

I should have known the second we stepped in the restaurant.

Perhaps the noise level could have tipped me off, or the fact that the waitress seated us next to a table of four young kids who were screaming at ear splitting decibel levels. I really should've asked to sit somewhere away from the party, but I didn't think of it at the time and by the time I did, it was too late. We were hungry and tired, and seated in the middle of tables full of families with kids busting a move in their chairs, screaming, under tables, and throwing food.

You know that restaurant that banned kids under six? They would've had a field day here. Although to be fair, we were in a kid friendly restaurant-with what felt like every single kid in Idaho.

(note: I don't have a problem with kids in restaurants. We took Kevin out with us all the time-however, we also insisted that he behave. Not all the kids around us were misbehaving, they were just being children. That being said, we were tired and hungry, and our patience was low)

The menu is typical Red Robin and we order as best we can. I chose a turkey burger, because I had one last year in Kamloops and it was a perfect, smallish size without being overwhelming.

The table next to us erupts in song with the wait staff clapping and loudly singing, when the waiter brings our food and sets it in front of us.

Wait. This can't be mine. There's some mistake.

"Happy Happy Birthday!"

This thing is HUGE. There's no way I can eat this.

Clap, clap, clap. The child behind Hubs pumps a fist in the air, narrowly missing clocking him right in the head. The rest of the kids at the table are screaming loudly. Kevin rolls his eyes. Another at the table next to us is at his parent's feet in a fetal position, nibbling on a French fry, wide eyes surveying the scene. Yet another is screaming at a table just across the way.

OH MY GOD I'M IN RESTAURANT HELL.

This burger is easily three times the size of it's Canadian counterpart. There is what feels like a cup of shredded lettuce on it, awash in drippy mayo. It's messy and hard to eat, and despite my cringing at it's size, the burger is seasoned well and tastes delicious. I can only eat about half before I dump the rest in the basket and push it aside, diving into the salad that is mostly iceberg lettuce. Hub's salad is also large enough to feed a small village, and he picks at it for awhile before opting to leave the rest. My stomach feels like I just gave it something inedible, and it's starting to protest already.

The singing starts up again, this time at a different table.

"Oh GOD, NOT AGAIN." Kevin mutters, a little too loudly, and the mother overhears. She gives him a dirty look, while I begin to giggle.

"Would you like more fries?" The waiter chirps, and Kevin shakes his head, no. "An appetizer? Dessert? More coffee? Shall I box that up?" He motions towards the salad. John shakes his head. "Seriously? You could eat it later!"

More? More? More? Are they kidding? Gynormous portions, bottomless fries and pop, and still they want to sell us appies, dessert, and get us to eat the leftovers? Is this food culture of these kinds of restaurants what encourages people to eat until they burst? As we are getting into the car, John and I stop and lock eyes over the roof of the vehicle.

"Promise me we will never do that again," I plead. "I can't handle that again. I feel sick now. Besides, I have a headache."

My head is spinning, and my stomach heavy, as if I just went on a carnival ride at the fair. It all just seems like too much, from the portion sizes to the bright colors, to the bottomless fries and pop, and loud children. I can't do that. Not again.

Or have I just turned into a food snob?

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Days 9 &10: No Brainer

Where we are: Moab, Utah

Plan for the Day: Jeep the Dome Plateau Trail. It's long, remote, and the book says not to do it alone. Which, of course, we do. The next day we go through Onion Creek and the La Sal Mountains.

Food Revolution challenge: Does the way companies pack their food make us eat more?

The first day of jeeping wore us out. As we bounced in the car back to civilization, Kevin and I almost fell asleep. So on day 2, we chose a trail that was fun but possibly not as exhausting. Dome Plateau has something for everyone-steep and rocky places to scare the pants off you and make things interesting for the driver, pretty scenery, and lots of stops along the way.

One of the steep-ish spots where Hubs had the chance to show off his mad driving skills

Caves! You can see more photos on my Flickr stream

Suddenly, Kevin and I have a craving for Oreos. You see, right before we left on our road trip Kraft Canada gifted me with a beautiful basket chock full of all sorts of road tripping/summer goodness. One of the things in the basket was a bag of Oreos.

Oreos are, without a doubt, the only packaged cookie I eat. They are a sinful treat that I almost never buy because I could easily eat the entire bag, so they are reserved for special occasions. We had rationed out the cookies all the way through Montana, Idaho, and South Dakota, and now we were craving more.

Only, when we went to the store we noticed something interesting. Oreos from the USA have more weird ingredients than Canadian Oreos. Or, at least, it looks that way. I don't currently have a bag so I can't prove it to you here. Another thing we couldn't figure out was the packaging.

See, in Canada Oreos are packaged in a plastic container, where all the cookies line up neatly in a row. You can slip the container out and choose a few cookies, then slip it back into the bag, fold the top, and seal it up. These packages were weird. You just rip off a piece in the front, and there's the cookies. How do you seal it? Do you then have to eat most of them? Won't they get broken and fall out as we're trying to drive and pack them around? Also, why would we want to eat Oreos with high fructose corn syrup and all that other weird stuff?

We left the bag on the shelf, but it left us with lingering questions. Is this why people eat more? Does packaging contribute to the obesity problem? Interesting food for thought.

That evening once things cooled off, we took Kevin bouldering out at the Big Bend Bouldering site, where he met some local guys who we chatted with a bit. Kevin tried his hand at climbing, which was a lot harder than it looked!


The next day we drove out to the La Sal Mountains, skirting along canyon rims and enjoying weather that was much cooler. In fact, it was so much cooler we turned off the air conditioning and opened the windows!



Lunches were veggie sandwiches. Between our nightly trips to the Peace Tree and our veggie sandwiches, we were eating better than ever!



The easy thing is instead of using mayo or a 'sauce', you mash up avocado and slather that on both sides of the bread. Layer in sweet pepper, sprouts (pictured are sunflower sprouts), thinly sliced red onion, shredded carrot, cukes, and pepper jack cheese, and you have one delicious sandwich. We paired it up with fruit, Fage Yogurt and trail mix, and nobody went hungry.

Food Revolution had become a no brainer. Or had it?

Just wait. You guys haven't seen the automatic pancake maker.

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Day 8: Vegefied

Where we are: Moab, Utah

Plan for the day: Jeep the Gemini bridges, Thompson Canyon, Pucker Pass, and Chicken Corners

Food Revolution Challenge: People's demands DO make a difference and we get to visit one of our favorite restaurants EVER.

Our first day in Moab is hot, sunny, and everything we have waited for all year. I've hit my vacation groove now, seamlessly sneaking my sunflower butter down to the breakfast room, with Kevin following with his cereal. We are rocking at making lunches, with the exception of the freezer reducing veggies to Popsicles. We're learned to bypass the pseudo eggs at the breakfast bar, although I really do love the fruit salads offered by Hampton. Thanks Hampton, for not just throwing some rock hard apples and unripe pears in the breakfast bar, or tasteless bananas. The salad with pineapple, melon, and grapes is delicious.

See? Relaxed. In the vacation zone or what?

On our first day, we do trails we have done before. Gemini Bridges, then off to Thompson Canyon and Pucker pass, a stop at the hotel for lunch because my batteries died and needed to be recharged before we could move on, and then out to Chicken Corners.

It was jeeping madness, I tell you. Hot, crazy, bumpy, jeeping madness.

Lunch was peanut butter and banana sandwiches, because I hadn't made it to the grocery store until later in the day. No matter-we were content with something simple.

Take a close look at this sign. I didn't even know Kevin was in the background when I took it.

Later on, I even visit the local City Market and sign up for a card, this time dropping $60 on groceries. I load up on Kashi granola bars, Island Vanilla cereal that Kevin declares the best in the universe, bread, Fage yogurt ($3 a tub!), fruit, and this time I'm smart-the veggies are ones that don't really have to be refrigerated, like cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocado. Others are heartier and won't freeze easily, like sweet peppers and carrots. John and Kevin follow me around like two lost puppies, trying to be helpful but becoming easily distracted by all the interesting food on the shelves. So many great things to try! So little time!

I'm relieved that it's easy to find Kashi cereal, and instead of $7 a box like at home, it's a more reasonable $4. The regular cereals all look weird to me, with all the sugar and strange chocolate flavors. Chocolate for breakfast?

The only time the guys make themselves scarce is when I am in the tampon aisle. I turn around and they are nonchalantly trying to look like they are with me, but not really with me, and far enough from the feminine products so nobody will think they are actually buying any.

I'm learning, with this food revolution road trip thing. Moab is a town of active, outdoorsy people and the grocery store is very reflective of that. Restaurants have lots of vegetarian options, and even the local Shell station carries unsalted/unsweetened trail mix. I'm so amazed that I comment to the cashier.

"We keep it because it's what people want," she says. "All the hikers, rock climbers, and cyclists ask for that stuff."

Huh. So what people demand really does make a difference. If they want spray cheese, they get it. If they want healthy trail mix, they get that too.

That evening we visit the Peace Tree for dinner (check them out here on Facebook). The Peace Tree Juice cafe used to be a tiny hole in the wall place that made the best wraps in town, but they have undergone renovations and now have a beautiful sit down area and patio where you can go for not only their signature wraps and smoothies, but a meal and even a glass of wine. When they can, Peace Tree's produce comes from Creekside Lane Organics Farm, which means everything is fresh and local, too. And truly? You can TASTE the difference.

The wraps are the best I've ever eaten. Loaded with veggies, each comes with either a modest portion of Miss Vickie's potato chips or a side salad. I can eat half a wrap and usually save the other half for the next day. Finally! We're not drowning in food! There isn't half a ton of chips on the side! There's fresh, delicious vegetables!

(the clouds part, sun rays dance on our heads, and the angels sing hallelujah)

I order the Thai Chicken wrap, stuffed with tender chicken, noodles, some crunchy bits of something, greens, and more. It's so good that I refuse to share it with Kevin and instead growl that he eat his very own hummus wrap, this delicious piece of goodness is mine, all mine! Even the little slices of cucumber in our side salads are so juicy and tasty we chow them down with wild abandon. Now THIS is good eating. We can't believe our good fortune and although Kevin has sworn by the burgers out at the local brewery every year we have visited Moab, this time he's sold on wraps.

We are ALL sold on wraps. Tasty, fresh, local, vegefied wrappy goodness.

Bring on the veggies!

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Day 7: South Dakota to Utah

Hubs: "No, don't stop here. Last time they were crazy. Don't you remember?"

It's a gas station just outside of Denver, Colorado but we've already pulled off the highway and I don't want to search for another place to go to the bathroom.

Me: "I remember, and I don't care. I have to pee. Besides, it's good blog fodder. This time I'll bring my camera and capture all the weird signs detailing how much they have to pay for toilet paper, so you have to be a good citizen and buy a chocolate bar."

Once inside, we are disappointed to find that the signs are missing. The place looks, well, friendly. I ask the clerk if the store changed ownership. He says not as far as he knows, and asks why.

"We were here a few years ago and the place had all these creepy signs in the bathroom telling you how much they paid for water, getting a person to clean the bathrooms, and toilet paper. It was weird." Kevin, being a teenager, just blurts out what he's thinking. I blush. The clerk looks downright horrified.

"Um, ya." I giggle nervously. "We almost didn't come back." I pay for 2 chocolate bars and stuff them in my purse.

"We aren't like that! I'm so glad you came back," the clerk shakes his head.

As we leave the store, Kevin leans over and whispers, "But Mom you could see the tape from the signs. Maybe that person got some very much needed medication."

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Day 6: The Travel Gods Hate Me

Where we are: Rapid City, South Dakota

Plan for the day: Shopping, Ellsworth Air Force Base

Food Revolution Challenge: Overeating guilt and possessed hotel fridges

It's day six, and I have resolved to quit viewing my dinner as a 'treat' when I order something. After nibbling on yesterday's largest sandwich I've ever seen, I felt really awful. From now on, I'm going to be smarter.

The weather is weird-one minute hot and muggy, the next cool and cloudy. Thunderstorms spring up in the afternoons and dump rain while lightening flashes, so we dress in layers and bring our coats with us where ever we visit.

This morning, we decide to visit the Ellsworth Air Force Base and the Minuteman Missile Site. After loading up on Starbucks coffee, we're off to see the airplanes.

We board a shuttle and are taken around a working air force base as well as to see the site of the missile, which is really fascinating. As we go through the tour, we notice that the base has everything anyone could possibly want. The guide talks about the incredible fitness facilities-something like 3 Olympic sized pools, gyms, the works. There's a pause, then Kevin turns to me and says, "if they are so interested in soldiers' health, then the bunch of fast food places are kind of an oxymoron, don't you think?"

Huh. Interesting observation, really. The museum is fantastic, and we truly enjoy it. I love reading about the candy bombers of World War Two, and Kevin has an interest in the Berlin Wall. We talk about what we both remember about it-John from actually having been to Germany when it was there, and me from just graduating from high school when it was torn down. The interesting thing is that I grew up knowing the wall was there, but never the history behind it-so it was very interesting to read about as an adult.


The weather began to turn ugly and rather than stand out amongst a bunch of metal planes, we chose to go back to our hotel for lunch and then head out to Custer or Hill City to look around. I've been stealthy about the fridge this year, making sure that it's turned down and all our food doesn't freeze. Even still, things get a bit too icy.

I eat a little more of the biggest sandwich ever. Why didn't I just throw the thing away? Disgusted at myself for not being able to waste food, and even more disgusted that I'm still eating this massive sandwich that's slightly frozen, I pitch the rest in the trash. That's when Kevin notices something interesting.

"Mom, these containers from the restaurant are from corn." He turns it over in his hands, looking thoughtful. "If all the corn is genetically modified, and we start using it instead of oil in things like plastic, what if there is some disease that wipes it all out?" Our eyes meet. I know where he's going.

"We're screwed, then. And what about people who are allergic to corn? If it's in these containers, then what?"

Smart boy, that one. I don't know how to answer him.



The weather is dry in Hill city and we browse through the shops. Families crowd the tiny stores while small kids whine for candy, parents chastise them, and we make a break for the exits. We do find some interesting places where Kevin buys a pair of climbing shoes and I score a cute dress to wear to BlogHer in San Diego this summer.

Soon, it's dinner time again. This time, I lobby the boys to try a different restaurant, but am unsuccessful. We are back at the Firehouse, but I'm smarter. Instead I order the Ahi Tuna Salad, which is absolutely amazing, and not big at all. Can I live on salad the whole holiday? I'm not sure.

Back in our hotel, I prep for the drive to Utah tomorrow. This time, I'm getting creative. I had noticed hard boiled eggs in the breakfast bar, so I'm going to use them to our advantage. I've never had to cook from bits from a breakfast bar or leftovers, but desperate times call for creative measures. Kevin and John look on as I slice and chop veggies into a huge salad, and then package it all up in containers. There's cheese and crackers, trail mix, fruit, hummus, and lots more to keep us fed and watered all the way through the Rockies.

Now this is how we should be eating, I think as I clean off my knife and tuck the salads into the fridge with a smile.

Never tempt the vacation Gods, people.

Two of the salads were frozen solid the next day.

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Day 5: Indulgent

Where we are: Rapid City

Plan for the Day: More gold panning!

Food Revolution Challenge: World's biggest sandwich

This time, I'm prepared for gold panning. I have packed a great lunch of fruit, water, and snacks, and I've brought a book, the bug spray, and everything else I need to keep myself comfortable. Bring it on, baby, I'm ready.

We also visited a grocery store to get some food. This time it was less daunting than last year, but I still found some things really, really odd.

Firstly, everything was packaged-and by everything, I mean right down to the produce. Carrots couldn't be bought in bulk, but rather had to be in either a 5 lb bag, the mini size, or shredded. What? I can't just buy a single carrot? Huh. Bread is in huge slices, easily about twice the size of a regular slice at home. And why does it taste so sweet? I never noticed that before. Also-in the USA, cheese is labeled 'natural' if it's regular cheese. At home, no cheese is labeled natural. However, it IS labeled 'processed'.

Is real cheese so unusual it has to be labeled as such?

$30 worth of groceries later, and I think we'll be good for a few days. Or, at least I hope. I buy:

-Tribe hummus (we recognize them from Eat!Vancouver. Yay!)
-Kraft pepper jack and colby/jack cheeses
-sprouts
-cherry tomatoes
-lettuce
-avocado
-shredded carrots
-green onions
-sweet pepper
-Earth Grains bread
-whole grain mustard
-bananas
-blueberries

I look for Fage yogurt, but a tub is $6, which seems completely outrageous. The produce is about the same prices as at home, which can be kind of expensive, but the cheese is far cheaper. I've never been able to figure that out.

We arrive at the claim and park, then get out and begin to walk. Cows are here this time, and upon seeing us, they rise and lumber out of sight, loudly mooing their displeasure.

Kevin and John go right to work-panning and chatting, discussing the finer points of how to swish the pan properly, what place would be the best, etc. I wander off and take pictures of the surrounding wildlife and nature, thinking to myself that it's just like when I was a child and grew up with a field outside my door. I chased frogs and caught butterflies, snacked on wild strawberries, stole peas from the garden, and knew most of the plants in the area.

They flitted everywhere and were impossible to get a photo of until the very last moment.

Soon, the boys tired of digging around and since nobody struck it rich, we took a break for lunch. Also, the cows had come back and were angrily staring at us through the fence, before lumbering on the other side of the stream and watching us warily while they ate. These were happy cows, I reasoned. There's no corn fed beef in this place. This lunch is tasty-trail mix, fruit, and leftovers from last night's dinner. A way to beat the portion size problem is to just eat half for dinner, half for lunch, and we're employing that option if we can. I had a buffalo burger topped with blue cheese the night before, and despite the fact that there was far more cheese than I really needed, it was delicious. I still can't bring myself to eat a beef hamburger.

The afternoon is more shopping. I need some warmer pants for our trip on the motorcycle, and the local Yamaha shop should have something for me. The only thing is, I can only find women's pants on a mannequin.

"Um, can you help me out?" I ask the young male clerk at the front of the store. I point to the mannequin and he snorts.

"Hey! I get to strip her!" grabbing her by the torso, he flips her over and starts taking her clothes off. I can tell he's having loads of fun with this. Soon we are booth giggling as we struggle to strip the plastic woman of her pants. It's not an easy task.

Her arms fall off. We laugh even harder.

We wiggle off her boots, then the pants, and he hands them to me. I pretend not to notice the $69.99 sticker someone had pasted on the mannequin's crotch, or the fact that he's trying to hide it from me.

The pants are too big. As in, massively too big. I could likely fit in one leg of the pants.

"Well, there's a selection of buffets in town that you could visit," another clerk quips. "That would fix your problem really fast."

Later that evening, we find ourselves back at the Firehouse restaurant. I've tried to convince my guys to go elsewhere, but they love this place. Truth be told, so do I-but I'm trying to get us to branch out a little. This time, I'm a little stumped by what to order, and Kevin and I chose to go with the server's suggestion of a beef dip-like sandwich with peppers and cheese on it. I love French dip sandwiches, mostly because we never eat beef at home and so they are a treat. This one sounds intriguing, and a treat is okay, right? We are on vacation. With a side salad, it shouldn't be a problem.

The waitress arrives with a tray loaded with food and stops at our table. My mouth drops open in horror.

No.

NO FREAKING WAY.

This can't be my sandwich. These monstrosities that are literally the length of my forearm and as wide as my palm can NOT be ONE serving. They are the biggest sandwiches we've ever seen. We sit at the table in silence, mouths hanging open, trying to figure out what the hell we're going to do with all that food. It's more than I'd eat in three servings, much less at once.

This is beyond indulgent. It's bordering on repulsive, and suddenly I lose my appetite.

I don't care what I have to do, I'm not doing this again. EVER.

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Day 4: Not a Veggie in Sight

Where we are: Rapid City, South Dakota

Plan for the day: Gold panning! It's Fourth of July!

Food Revolution Challenge: stealth breakfast moves and portion sizes

Hotel breakfast bars are interesting places. Firstly, I notice that most of them have Yoplait yogurt. In fact, many of the grocery stores we went to carried just Yoplait and a tiny smattering of other brands. Why is that? Here at home, there is a huge variety of kinds of yogurt from a pile of different brands. Is it a yogurt monopoly?

Secondly, there's always pastries, danishes, and cupcakes posing as muffins, massive all white bagels, and usually there's some kind of pseudo egg product as well. At the Howard Johnson, they also offer waffles, hot pockets, some fruit, and hard boiled eggs. We decide to begin practicing breakfast bar stealth moves. Probably bringing our own cereal in the box last year was too obvious (and resulted in some reactions from other diners), so this time Kevin arrives with a bowl of his own cereal poured from our box in the room. I have brought my own bread and just slip it in the toaster. Don't get me wrong-the hotel bread is okay, but I find it's not substantial enough to hold up to my sunflower butter. Usually it goes soggy.

Then, as we eat, we watch.

(Warning: I'm going to describe what I observed fellow diners eating for breakfast. The following isn't criticism. If you are sensitive to this type of thing and my description might offend you, skip ahead.)

A woman near me sits down with two large plates overflowing with food. At first I think perhaps she has gotten breakfast for a companion, but I'm wrong. Heaped on her plate is a waffle with five pats of butter and a paper cup she earlier filled with syrup. On the other plate is two slices of toast, 2 hard boiled eggs, fruit, and yogurt. She proceeds to eat it all. A teenager at another table makes a giant waffle sandwich from stacking two large waffles with cheese and processed ham he brought with him. A preschooler gnaws on a plain bagel the size of her face. Another takes huge bites from a 500 calorie chocolate muffin. Beside us, a couple have hot pockets and waffles with 4 pats of butter each, drenched in syrup.

"Mom, how much is 52 ounces?" Kevin pokes me gently. "I saw it on a sign at the gas station. Something about getting a 52 ounce pop for $1.19."

"It's about a liter and a half," I take a bite of toast thoughtfully. "8 ounces is one cup. So that means it's about 6 cups."

"That is GROSS," Kevin shakes his head. "Nobody needs THAT amount of pop. People wouldn't even drink that much water in one sitting."

"I think," I choose my words carefully, after surveying the room, "People have lost all sense of what a normal portion size IS."

We see it everywhere, from the breakfast bars to gas stations, restaurants and fast food menus. It's not even so much the food that shocks us anymore, we are used to that. It's the amount. Didn't we see signs somewhere that in America, one in six people don't have enough to eat?

I really don't understand. At all. The unbalance is unsettling.

Once breakfast is over, we head out to Custer, where we visit some friends and they send us out to a mining claim so Kevin and John can pan for gold.

Checking out the claim to be sure we're in the right place.

I'm not really prepared-it's hot and buggy, not to mention also slightly boring to be sitting around while John and Kevin are digging in the mud. They, on the other hand, are as happy as a pig in..well...mud.

Got any gold yet?

Finally, I bail on the guys and hike back to the car for a bottle of water and some chick pea salad I whipped up in the hotel room. (recipe over here!) Soon John and Kevin join me, flushed from the sun and hungry.

Tip: bring some single serving sized plastic containers shaped like bowls with you. They are invaluable when making your own lunches. This salad was made with a can of chick peas, a can of tuna, handful of cherry tomatoes, a bit of green onion, some shredded carrot, then 3 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar shaken in a jar and poured over top, tossing with a bit of salt and pepper.

We shop in the afternoon at JC Penny's before calling it a day and heading to the Firehouse restaurant for dinner. Here is where I notice it again-most of the menu is lots of meat, served in giant sized portions. There are few vegetarian options. Earlier that morning in the local newspaper, someone was lamenting that dried chick peas should be the rarest legume on Earth the way people looked at them when they asked if stores carried them at all.

It's going to be a long couple of days eating in South Dakota.

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Days 2 and 3: Lost in Spokane

The drive to Spokane from the Sunshine Coast was long. It could've been the fact that the ferry took a few hours, then there was that god awful 2 hour border wait while everyone decided to leave Canada at the same time, then the fact that we got lost on the way to the hotel, and on the other side of the highway there is some multi-car pile up that closes the whole thing down, while people sit on the roofs of their cars with binoculars, trying to see what's going on.

Also, I sort of forgot to write down the address before we left. Smart, huh? And then (yes, it gets better), I accidentally booked our hotel out at the Spokane airport. Right next to the terminal. We could SEE THE PLANES parked at the boarding gates from our room, people.

Oops.

Truth be told, it was a very nice hotel and I highly recommend the Wingate by Wyndham if you are traveling through the Spokane airport. The staff were friendly, the room great, and it was super quiet.

By the time we got to the hotel we didn't want to try fighting with highway traffic again (which was probably closed anyway) so we decided to go to the only restaurant close by, called the Rusty Moose. At first Hubs was resistant to going. He was tired. Grumbly. We arm wrestled him and convinced him to come with us.

Ten minutes later a big Greek chicken salad is set before him (we almost thought it was a sign of the apocalypse he ordered something with olives), while Kevin orders a buffalo burger and I go for the grilled salmon sandwich. The idea of pink slime is still fresh in our minds, and we can't convince ourselves to order a burger. Thanks, Jamie. I can never, ever, order a hamburger in the USA again. That image was just too much information.

The food was delicious-all fresh and prepared well, but I realized that I hadn't hit my vacation groove yet because I left my camera behind yet again.

We enjoy our dinner, go back to the hotel, and soon we are all off in dreamland, unaware of the drama that is to come the next day.

The next morning is a disaster.

Hubs discovered that I had neglected to get the oil changed in the car before we left and because of this, we needed to get the oil changed. Immediately.

Do not drive any further, do not pass go, get that oil changed because if you wait you'll get to Rapid City and everything will be closed because girl, it will be fourth of July and you will be driving around with dirty oil, and we can't have that can we?!

So it went like this; there was a commercial for Jiffy Lube that said something about using Penzoil, and Hubs, being picky about the type of oil he will put in the car, looked up a Jiffy Lube in the phone book and wrote down the address.

You need to know that we are tourists who have no idea about the inner bowels of the downtown of Spokane, Washington.

Might I also add, whoever designed the downtown of the lovely city of Spokane probably was smoking crack, or at the very least just threw darts at a board to decide all the crazy one way streets. Also, to make things interesting they decided to have streets change names a lot.

Add one woman with an outdated map, one man who refuses to follow directions, and one sarcastic teenager. Dump them in downtown Spokane and time how long it takes for them to start screaming at each other. We lasted all of 3 minutes before everything went to hell.

Me: "Turn here. HERE! TURN! Oh for the LOVE OF GOD!"

John: "I can't turn there! It's one way!"

Me: "Then take Walnut street."

John: "No, I'll take this one. Wait, where's it going? It's going somewhere weird. Where are we now?"

Me: "If you had taken the turn I told you to..."

John: "I DID!"

Me: "NO YOU DIDN'T! I told you to turn three blocks ago, but you are all, 'no, I'll turn here instead'."

John: "That was was better."

Me: "NO IT'S NOT!It got us LOST! How is that BETTER?!"

Teenager: "And I suppose you didn't look this place up online, right? Do we even know if they HAVE the oil you are looking for? Why don't you just PHONE THEM?"

An hour later we arrive and John gets out of the car to talk to the attendant. I saw a Starbucks a block before the Jiffy Lube and while tempted to mention it, I just wanted to get there and get the oil change over with, already. We have a long drive ahead of us and ...wait...why is Hubs getting back in the car?

"They don't have Penzoil. I don't get it. It said so in the commercial...."

Kevin and I stare at him in disbelief. Is he kidding? An hour and now we are just leaving because they don't have the right oil? We just want to get on the road and get the drive over with, already. I forget all about the Starbucks.

This drive is also long. Without being sufficiently caffeinated, as well as tired and not yet in my vacation groove, I'm grouchy. John is grouchy. Our car oozes cranky vibes as we whiz through towns. At one point, we consider stopping at a Starbucks. I anticipate a hot coffee to sip while I nibble Oreos, and then Hubs isn't paying attention and passes all the turn offs.

Grumble, grumble.

Lunch is peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat for the guys, sunflower seed butter and honey for me. We snack on bananas and yogurt that we grabbed from the hotel breakfast bar. I'm an old pro now at making sandwiches in the trunk when we stop at rest stops now, keeping a knife close at hand, our picnic plates handy, and bottles of water at the ready.

Still, I'm cranky. I want coffee and little is making that better, since all we have seen so far is gas station coffee-and that is just not worth buying.

I hunker down and read Eat, Pray, Love. Try to sleep and stop thinking about coffee.

Hubs saves the day, then. Out of nowhere, somewhere in the middle of Montana, he finds a Starbucks that is like an oasis in a desert of a coffee-less day. We enter the store and close our eyes, breathing deeply, and instantly relax.

Once we have coffee the whole mood in the car changes and before we know it, we're pulling up at the Wingate by Wydham in Bozeman, Montana. There's something nice about going places you've been before, and we've booked this hotel twice in years gone by. Kevin and I already know where we want to go for dinner. La Parilla was a suggestion by the hotel last year, and we arrived just as it was closing. Not this year. We had heard that it was all fresh, Mexican style food and it was exactly what we were hoping to have for dinner.

"I hate Mexican food" Hubs looked pained.

"PLEASE?! You can get a salad. I'm sure they have salad. Let's just check out the menu." I dragged him to the hotel computers and brought up the website. "See? Salad."

He trusts us and off we go to La Parilla. No getting lost this time, we know exactly where it is!

Inside, the staff are making the food from scratch to order. We look at the extensive menu and, confused, pour over it for a few minutes to make sense of what we're choosing. Finally I settle on a buffalo burrito. Buffalo, I figure, isn't raised like cows. There likely aren't feed lots of buffalo, and I doubt they are fed corn. Buffalo must be a better choice, right? Please tell me yes.

The meat is slapped inside a home made tortilla, and topped up with cilantro rice, fresh pica de gallo, corn salsa, and beans. It's so large I can't imagine eating it all. The problem is, I want to because it's so darn delicious.



The hunks of buffalo meat melt in your mouth. This time I brought my camera and try to snap a photo, but Kevin keeps moving around so it's sort of blurry. He is IN LOVE with La Parilla and keeps talking about how they must make everything there right from scratch because it all looked so darn fresh.



Soon, full and happy, we make our way back to the hotel where we sit sipping drinks on a patio, slapping at mosquitoes and watching Kevin swim in the pool. The next day we are at it again, although this time we are smarter and fill a thermos with coffee before we leave the hotel for Rapid City, South Dakota.

Finally, I think I might be getting my vacation groove, but the best part?

John got the oil changed in Bozeman while I was in the shower.

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Food Revolution Road Trip: The Challenge

Ah, summer road trips. Full of sun, driving, and for us, hotels and restaurant food. For the past few years I tried to convince Hubs that possibly we should try making some of our own food. Wouldn't it be cheaper? Back then, I didn't even consider the health factor. We always ate breakfast at our hotel breakfast bar, and then lunch and dinner out. By the time we came home we were so sick of restaurants we couldn't stand the sight of another one, and if anyone even mentioned french fries it was a cause for all out mutiny.

Food Revolution changed that. Last year, we resolved, was going to be different. An experiment of sorts, in a country totally different from our own. We clocked hundreds of miles, explored about 8 states, and spent two weeks in the USA doing our best to avoid fast food and eat healthy.

You can read all about last year's Food Revolution Road trip here.

This year, we did the very same route-but this time we were more experienced. Hotel fridges that freeze everything? No problem. Gas stations with literal walls of junk food? Easy. Shopping? Ah, now I know my way around things a little more. There were still challenges, and it was still interesting navigating a different country, different food culture, and trying to keep things kind of healthy while on vacation.

Now, a bit of a disclaimer, here. This series is going to touch on some topics that some people may find...a bit controversial. You may see yourself in my observations. Please know that I am not judging the people I mention, or the food, and especially not the culture of the USA. The purpose of writing about this trip is to show what we found-what you or your family chooses to eat is up to you. I may describe what I observed, and it is not to be judgmental but rather to give a picture of what we saw. What conclusions you come to from that are entirely up to you.

For a refresher, here is the itinerary of our trip:


View Larger Map

If you can't see the map, go here to take a look at our route.

July 1st: home to Spokane, Washington.

2nd: drive from Spokane, WA to Bozeman, Montana Stay at the Wingate by Wyndham.

3rd: drive from Bozeman to Rapid City, South Dakota (741 km / 461 miles) Stay at the Howard Johnson in Rapid City.

4th-6th: Rapid City!

7th: drive from Rapid City, South Dakota to Moab, Utah. (1, 187 km / 738 miles) Stay at the Hampton.

8th-11th: Moab!

12th: drive from Moab to Boise, Idaho. (949 km / 590 m) Spend overnight in Nampa, Idaho at the Holiday Inn Express.

13th: drive from Nampa, Idaho to Bend, Oregon. (491 km / 305 m) Stay at the Ameritel Inn by the Old Mill District.

14th: Bend, Oregon!

15th: drive from Bend to Vancouver and then home. (795 km / 494 miles)


Can we do it? As we packed, we came up with the following Food Revolution Road Trip Goals/Rules/Guidelines:


1. NO fast food or gas station food. We can stop for a bathroom break if we need to, but that is it.

Every year on a road trip we stop at least 5 times in a two week period at a fast food place-usually McDonalds for breakfast, or Subway for lunch. No. Not this year.

(exception: Starbucks is our coffee place of choice and not considered fast food. We don't really eat their food anyway)

2. Eat only ONE meal a day in a restaurant. Breakfast is easy, as it's always covered with a hotel breakfast bar. Lunch is where we need to be creative and make our own. We'll be traveling here and there; whitewater rafting, jeeping, driving, hiking. Can we do it?

3. Avoid high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors/flavors, and anything highly processed. This doesn't just mean in what I buy, but in the food at the hotel breakfast bar. How hard can it be to find healthy food, anyway? It's pretty easy here. And is the USA really that different from Canada?

4. Snack on lots of fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurt, nuts, and real food. That's easy, right? Storage might be an issue. It should be pretty cheap, too.

5. Occasional treats are allowed because you know, this IS a vacation. Treats would be a chocolate bar, ice cream, or the fries with a restaurant meal. The fries will be hardest to avoid, but since we are on vacation a couple times each can't hurt.

The Challenge:

A diabetic Hubs, a lactose intolerant teenager who eats everything in sight, and a mom who is sensitive to tree nuts. Between the three of us we have someone sensitive to soy, corn, MSG, red food dye, and we watch our sodium intake. Some hotel rooms have fridges, some do not. Some have microwaves, some do not. We will be very busy and will be driving long distances, as well as being outdoors in temperatures as high as 105 F in remote locations where we have to pack in our own water.

Who is the Food Revolution champ?
Who almost caves in a few desperate moments?
What does Jamie Oliver say about the challenge?
Can we find the food we're looking for?
What do fellow travelers say when they find out what we're doing?
Do any good restaurants stand out and give us some exceptionally good meals?

You, my friends, will just have to follow along and see.

Ready? Set? Let's GOOOO!

(Ps.. Products, hotels, tour companies, and destinations will be mentioned, linked to, and photographed for Food Revolution Road Trip. All opinions are are my own. I was not given anything as payment to mention companies or products, but chose to of my own volition. Food Revolution Road Trip is not affiliated with Jamie Oliver in any way, he just inspired me.)

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Day 1: I Need a Vacation

It's the end of the school year, but it feels like things have been dragging on for eons. There is so much to do-the end of the year always means wrapping up parties, concerts, graduations, and more-and I just don't have the energy for ANY of it. When did my life turn into all work and no play? I am stressed-so much more stressed than ever before, and this vacation is something that I NEED.

There isn't even a reprieve from work before vacation time, this year. It's full on work like a mad woman, jumping straight into full on get up at 4 am to catch the ferry because you, dear woman, are on vacation mode.

My head is spinning. I just want to sleep. I don't want to be up at 4 am, I don't want to catch the ferry, and why can't I just have a coffee?

A truckload of coffee wouldn't do it today, but here we are, on vacation. First we need to take a ferry. Then it's the running of the border gauntlet, because we are some of the very few who are infected with the border curse. This means that every time we want to visit the border, whatever line we choose immediately slows to a crawl, as all the other lines speed up. This year, however, we were smart. We remembered to stop and toss any fruit and vegetable garbage we happened to have so that we didn't get terrified by the border guards again, but unfortunately we forgot to do one thing.

Pee.

"Oh, my GOD." Kevin spots the border line up, stretching down the highway before we even turn. "Don't go there, Dad! Go to the truck crossing!" John turns the car and we drive somewhat further down the road to another long line of cars, all waiting to cross into the USA. It was then that I remembered that I had to go to the bathroom.

All that coffee, you know.

"Um, is there a bathroom?"

Bounce around the car, that will help. Scout out locations. There is a duty free palace that is advertising Crown Royale on sale, and...what the hell? Victoria's Secret? Lingerie and booze? I suppose they go together, but really?

I consider getting out and walking. Will they let me walk across the border? Are there bathrooms there?

"There's a bush over there." Kevin points out the car at a small swath of trees and giggles.

"Are you INSANE? There are people here. I'm not flashing my white butt at these people. And there's houses! No way!"

Bounce in the seat some more. Try not to think of water. Water falls, streams, river, running water...

"Kevin STOP SHAKING THAT WATER BOTTLE!"

The line snakes through the pavement, mocking me. I can see the booths where the border guards sit, asking us questions about whether we have fruit or vegetables, where we are from, and how long we plan to stay. There are no bathrooms. We wait.

For TWO HOURS.

By the time we reach the border and the guard is looking at us, I'm ready to burst. Where do THEY go if they have to pee? Do they hold it? Please don't search the car. I'm a good Canadian, I won't do bad things in your country. I just need a bathroom. I don't care if it's American or Canadian, any one will do. ANY one.

With no orange peels this time, he waves us through. Success! The first gas station Hubs spots, he stops and I make a bee line for the back only to find...

...another line.

Two people are ahead of me, and one is taking FOREVER. I begin to hop. Dance. Wiggle in some I-must-move-so-I-don't-pee-myself fashion. To distract myself, I turn to my right and there in the freezer case, is a pile of processed food. Is that...margarine? No, it's cookie dough. In what looks like a margarine container. Kevin picks it up and turns it over, brow furrowed.

"Oh wow, you should see the ingredients in this. It looks like a science experiment."

"Well, it can't be any worse than THAT. " I point to a display behind him. Something that will continue to crop up throughout the entire trip, that we will see at every gas station in each state we visit. Something that is rare in Canada, but every where in the USA.

A literal WALL of donuts, pastries, cakes, and processed treats.

I had left my camera in the car. This photo is by Carrington Vanston-and I had the same thought as he did when I saw these! Huh? I thought they were just in Archie Comics!

What are IN these things? And don't they go bad? Why so many? Do people actually eat them? They must, because why would there be such a selection if it's not? At home we may see a few things in the junk food selection, but an entire WALL?


Yep. We're definitely in the USA.

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Food Revolution Road Trip11 Starts NOW!

I owe all of you, dear readers, an apology.

This place has been bare, hasn't it? Bare of inspiration, of good stories, of what made it such a great place to hang out.

You see, I've been distracted. Besides the fact that life was overwhelming and I somehow tipped the balances of work/play into all work no play, I was on the road for the last two weeks.

The last two weeks my family has been traveling all over the USA, winding our way through 8 states vowing that we would NOT eat fast food, that I would pack our lunches from whatever I could cobble together from grocery stores in our hotel room, and we'd do the best we could to eat healthy while spending 14 days straight on the road. It's a challenge, to be honest-sometimes you just want quick and easy, and putting an effort to eating healthy can yield some pretty interesting results.

Over the last few months my life has been WAY out of balance-but somewhere along the way on this vacation I think I found it again. We traveled from the grasslands of South Dakota to the deserts of Utah, but along the way I discovered a lot about myself, my family, and how that silly balance thing isn't just a saying.

You, dear readers are invited to come along for the ride. Dust off your shoes-pack some sunscreen, it's going to get hot. There's buffalo. Watch out for the lizards. There's interesting people, and some wacky inventions, too. Also some really great food, but some really WEIRD food as well.

Food Revolution Road Trip is starting right NOW!

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