Nothing is more relaxing than driving through the countryside after a busy week in the city! Eric and I love visiting cities on vacation, but we both agree we will never live in one again. Too much love for the countryside, rolling hills, and peace and quiet.
Let me rewind back to this morning!
We walked to breakfast, which turned into brunch when we discovered they were out of oatmeal at Kramer’s!
I munched on an apple on the walk there to curb my post-run hunger:
I ordered a 1oz. Wheatgrass shot to start…
Eric got his beloved Sundried Goodness of Green sandwich!
I tried the Falafel wrap.
Oh MAN this was some good falafel!!! So spicy and crispy. Perfection.
Along with onion, tomato, lettuce, and salsa (a sub for the non-vegan dressing). Yum, yum, and yum!
If you are ever at Kramer’s I highly recommend the falafel!
And a banana for dessert:
Back at the hotel, we packed healthy snacks for our flight home.
I packed an apple, Liberate Glo Bar, Mary’s Sticks + Twigs (from swag bag) and a side of LOVE! ;)
I was not a fan of these sticks and Twigs! I ate them anyways as I was hungry but I would not buy them again. Quite bland. Maybe their other flavours are better?
A great nutritional profile though…much better than the pretzels they were handing out on the plane! You can’t argue with 5 grams of protein, 5 grams of fibre and all natural whole grains.
Mmmm!
I finally finished Eat Pray Love. Now I can see the movie!!! I hope it is good, but I’m not sure the movie can live up to the movie in my own mind. ;) Has anyone seen it?
We supplemented our snacks with a salad from Sprigs Fresh Salads in the Midway airport.
I got a build your own: Romaine, chickpeas x 2, tomato, cucumber, and green pepper.
I was so excited when I saw that they had chickpeas because I knew they would keep me full while traveling.
Our flight was hassle free and early to boot. No complaints with Southwest at all. We landed in Buffalo and had to find our car and hit the road for home. The border crossing this time going into Canada was super fast. It is so much easier to get into Canada than the US! Luckily they did not confiscate my food. ;)
Although we were good at preparing for lunch, it didn’t occur to us that we would be driving through dinner in rush hour traffic. Whoops. We didn’t have the healthiest dinner tonight, but at least we didn’t starve!
We shared this bag of almonds from the swag bag…
And then this happened. I’m sure you can see where this went…
Yes, I dipped dark chocolate into White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter and I’m not ashamed.
Belly ache ensued.
Swung by our CSA pickup on the way home…perfect timing! Now we have a fridge full of healthy goodies to start off the week right.
MELONS!!!!!!!! This is a first!
Corn on the cob. Very happy about this. My little BBQ Masta will have a field day with those.
Home sweet home!
We had really quick toast and cereal dinners when we got home around 8pm. We were hungry, but not overly so.
I had toasted Ezekiel bread with hummus and tomato paste:
And Nature’s Path Spelt Cereal with Almond Milk.
And that’s a wrap!
I think a successful vacation is one that leaves you appreciating your normal, daily life. They are great while they last, but I have never been on a vacation where I did not think ‘I am so happy to be home’ when it was all said and done. There is no place like home. One thing is for sure, I am so excited to be able to cook my own food again. While I did have some amazing eats while away, I truly miss preparing meals in the kitchen. Vegan Overnight Oats are the first thing on my list!
I have anxious thoughts swirling through my mind about getting caught up on 1 week’s worth of Bakery orders, but I won’t worry about the future.
Right now, I have the rest of the evening to enjoy.
Cheers for that wheatgrass shot!
I saw the movie on Sunday as it was raining and raining here. I have not read the book yet tho. I really liked it and I keep thinking about it ever since. The ambiance made me think a lot of Under the Tuscan Sun.
Hope you like it too!
Welcome back! Welcome home!
Thanks for sharing so much about your trip. I’m glad that it turned out to be a true vacation. :-)
I flew Southwest too–I love them!! You know what I also loved? LIBERATE!!! It was amazing, Angela. I’m in the I-love-it camp for sure. Welcome home :)
Great book, good movie! It was enjoyable and will make you want to travel. Julia Roberts is fantastic. But I felt the movie was more for visual appeal then anything, still worth going though.
Glad to see you two got back safely! Good luck getting those orders out :) I’m sure you will do great!
After hearing of the amazing health benefits of wheatgrass, I bought a wheatgrass kit, where I grew my own wheatgrass and juiced it. The taste was way too strong for my liking and actually made me nauseous. Glad you had such wonderful experiences in Chicago! I wish they had more vegan restaurants like the ones you visited in my hometown (Memphis, TN).
I was disappointed by the movie :(
But the book was great :)
Welcome home!
I do love being home, but traveling can be so much fun and exciting. And it looks like you had a great trip. And look at all that great produce! I am super jealous!
welcome home!
the movie is delightful, julia roberts was better than i anticipated and i enjoyed seeing the film version of the book. that being said, the book was still better – but the movie is worth a see!
chocolate dipped in PB sounds like a great dinner :) yummo
I bet as fun as you had, you really feel good to be home. You’ll probably sleep like a baby in your own bed tonight!
I always get crazy about wanting my own food again when I’ve been away too long. Travel food can be fun and exciting – but the novelty wears off soon enough. There’s just nothing like being able to make exactly what you want and know it’s healthy!
Its such a great feeling to be home after a vacation!
I read the book ‘Eat Pray Love’ when it was first released.. it was okay. I like it… but felt a little bored at times. Because of that… I have a feeling I will love the movie. Normally when I love the book, the movie bites…
I’m excited to see Eat Pray Love. I hope it’s as good as the book! I usually really like Julia Roberts movies, so I have high hopes!
Welcome home sweet home..
Loved, loved the movie. Reading the book again.
I’m sorry to say it but the movie was a bust. I know, big bummer.
I saw the movie last night and was incredibly moved. Having read the book as well, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the consistency between the two. And who can argue with Julia Roberts!
I love your quote: I think a successful vacation is one that leaves you appreciating your normal, daily life. So true!
I do love coming home to my own house, food, and kitchen. I love going to restaurants and trying new things. But I LOVE my own food that I make.
Welcome home!! Is there really anything better?? Glad you and Eric had such a great trip in Chicago and that he got to take a complete break from work, he deserves it!!!
oooh great timing with the CSA delivery!!!