We’re back! Kelli and I returned home last night after a great week in Palm Springs, California. It was a first for both of us, and I have to say, I can see the appeal in the winter, but here it is June and it was already 110 degrees down there. Yikes.
We had a great time and managed to eat pretty well while we were traveling. We packed a cooler full of fruits, nuts, and veggies, as well as some of our favorite home made snacks: dark chocolate coconut bars (think Mounds), vegan gluten-free chocolate chip banana bread, and of course the brownies. So that eliminated the need to buy any food along the way.
When we first pulled into Palm Springs we used my phone to find the local health food locations. We hit the jackpot on our first stop, so much so that we never tried any of the others! We ate at the Nature’s Health Food and Cafe on Sunnyside Avenue. At this first visit Kelli ordered their “chicken” tacos and I got the lentil burger. Holy cow, no cow included. Honestly, one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, including my regular-burger eating days. And I had a bite, or five, of Kelli’s tacos and the sauce they used on those things was unreal. Being the first stop in Palm Springs, we were feeling pretty good about the week ahead of us. We were also able to buy at their store a few things that we neglected to bring, like almond milk for breakfast purposes, and they also had a great selection of snacks and produce.
We came back to Nature’s a few days later. This time I ordered the chicken curry plate and Kelli ordered, guess what, chicken tacos. These ones had more vegetables added in and that was a nice addition. They have about a hundred things on their menu. I wish I could have tried them all.
One of the days of our trip we decided on the spur of the moment to go to Disneyland. Neither of us had ever been so we were pretty excited. Apparently we went early enough in the season to avoid the massive crowds and we had a blast hitting the great rides, encountering few lines along the way. (Can anyone explain to me why Pirates of the Caribbean ride is so popular?) We also thought we’d take the challenge of finding something healthy to eat inside the park. So before we left our car we downed some apples, bananas, and some of our home made treats, then, armed with only a couple of Larabars, we ventured inside to see what we’d find.
When it came time for dinner, we looked over the options and decided to try the cafe in the New Orleans section of the park. I thought maybe the Jambalaya would be ok, and they also offered some seafood selections. Well, for $30, I must admit we struck out. I spent most of my meal picking out the nasty looking chicken and sausage, eating the few shrimp, crawfish and vegetables left behind. Kelli ordered the salmon, and we figured that fish must have been from last year’s catch. As we talked afterward, it was interesting how unsatisfied both of us felt. We could feel food in our stomach’s, but neither of us felt well nourished, and we kept picking at our plates hoping one more bite would do the trick. It was one more piece of evidence how unsatisfying heavily processed foods are, both on the tongue and to the rest of the body that’s craving real nutrition. Looking at the restaurant options again, we would have been better off finding the place that offers salad options as well. Lesson learned.
So it was a fantastic trip, with only a couple missteps along the way as we tried to eat our best. We have our preparation and the ability to web search on my phone to thank for it. A little planning, and you can take eating healthy with you wherever you go.
