90 Day Vegetarian Adventure – Day 82 The Traveller

The recent road trip to Denver proved to be a challenge for vegetarian eating.  A few discoveries are noteworthy. For breakfast we packed protein shakes and meal replacement bars.  They make your tummy feel good when you have to eat early in the morning and they keep you from veering off the road into hash browns and sausage sandwiches.

For lunch we found at Sonic, of all places cranberry juice, sugar was added but it was a wonderful break from bottled water and orange juice.  Quiznos grilled mushrooms and onions for my veggie sub and made it to my specifications.  It was delicious.  Of course the Morningstar brand of veggie burger is available at Burger King and if I’m feeling deprived I also order the onion rings.   Finally, the old standby, Cracker Barrel has a four vegetable side dish platter with corn muffins that is very satisfying and they serve pinto beans with a really nice pickle relish.  Their Apple Iced Tea and Sweet Potato Casserole are a highlight of the menu.

Once in Denver we ate at two different restaurants.  Las Fuentes near Speer Blvd in downtown has homemade Mexican food with bean and rice fillings.  The sauces make the food extraordinary.  The Old Spaghetti Factory is a great place to eat if you are hungry and like homemade Italian food.  We ate Mizithra cheese from Greece with  browned butter on pasta, which was the best entree of the week.

Finally, we never go into the higher altitudes without our Perfect Water.  It is purified, re-mineralized, ionized, micro-structured, and oxygen rich which is very helpful when trying to walk or climb stairs in the Mile-High City.

If you have tried to eat a healthy, vegetarian diet on the road send me your finds.  I would love to hear from you.

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90 Day Vegetarian Adventure Day 13 – Passing the test

Yesterday was a major test of the vegan eating plan.  My extended family met at the Utica Picnic and had a family style fried chicken and ham dinner.  The Utica Picnic is a yearly fundraiser for the local church.  It takes place in a wooded area that has hosted this picnic for decades.  The locals come out in droves and the church members serve lots of home cooking, family style and al a carte.  From hot beef sandwiches and full fat ice cream to fresh garden vegetables and country ham it is a major test of willpower.

This year I made it about spending time with family, and not about the food.  Avoiding the meats, rolls, and cake left lots of room for fresh garden tomatoes, potato salad, pepper slaw, peaches, apple sauce, green beans, homemade beet and cucumber pickles.  The food was delicious but not necessary for a great time.

So, I passed the test and really enjoyed seeing my family.  No one asked why I wasn’t eating meat or gave me a hard time, though my brother did offer me a piece of vanilla cake with peanut butter frosting.  I wasn’t even tempted.

90 Day Vegetarian Adventure Day 2 – Eating Out

Today I worked with my husband in the Rockville area and found the most wonderful restaurant for lunch.  We decided that with the Vegan Adventure, eating in a typical American restaurant would be meat based for the most part and high in fat.  So, we stopped at a Mediterranean hole-in-the-wall that advertised falafel.  The vegetarian falafel was just what I wanted.  The vegetables and falafel were wrapped in fresh, homemade bread with a delicious yogurt sauce on the side.  I also ordered some Persian Rice Pudding which was made with saffron and rose-water.  For those of you who work in the Rockville area, the name of the restaurant is Mediterranean House of Kabob located at the White Flint Station Center.

Lesson Learned:  I love working with my husband, and when looking for good vegetarian food try Mediterranean.