Ohhhh hey! Happy What I Ate Wednesday! 😀
Sorry for bailing on you guys yesterday, but after the craziness of being on the road for 5 days, I was in serious need of some down time. I made an honest attempt at going through the pictures from my trip in hopes of getting a recap up, buuuuuut quickly abandoned that ambitious plan in favour of an at-home spa night. One mani, pedi, facial, and pamper session later, and I feel like a new woman — thank goodness, because the ‘old woman’ was starting to feel a little rough around the edges. I guess road trips will do that to ya.
And speaking of road trips, what do you say we kick off the recap by talking about everybody’s favourite subject — food. I already shared some of the snacks I packed for the road, but let’s get into the nitty, gritty details of how it all went down, shall we?
Breakfast was pretty much the only stable and predictable meal meal of my entire trip. While everything else was basically “eat whatever, whenever, and however you can” (read: lots of snacking, eating in the car, grabbing and going, etc.), breakfasts were always prepped and eaten in the hotel. The first half of the trip had me eating yogurt messes with fruit, cereal, and AB, while the second half allowed me to enjoy a couple of oatmeal bowls thanks to the presence of en suite kitchenettes…
I don’t have any pics of the bowls I actually ate since the lighting was all sorts of terribad and I was operating under the “function over form” mentality, but let’s just use our imaginations and say it basically looked exactly like the bowl I had for breakfast yesterday:
I used quick oats that I pre-measured before packing into individual Ziploc baggies, and topped ’em with roasted almond butter that I cart around with me wherever I go and honey packets that I ninjad from Starbucks “for my tea.” Shh… I won’t tell if you won’t 😉
And speaking of Starbucks, I wasn’t exactly the most faithful to my go-to brew on this trip…
Say what you will about their food, but McDonalds’ drip coffee is damn tasty. Enjoyed on the first day of travelling, at some random stop along the highway.
Cappuccino from Blenz Coffee on the second morning of travel. Enjoyed in Horseshoe Bay while waiting to board the ferry to Nanaimo.
Celebrating National Coffee Day with a cappuccino from Bean Scene Coffee in Kelowna, BC.
Lunches… ohhh lunches are a blur of passing forests and farmlands. The only lunch I remember that wasn’t eaten in the car was the one we ate on the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver. We went to the onboard cafeteria (I think it was called WhiteSpot?), and I enjoyed some sweet potato fries that were kind of epic…
And dinners, like lunches, were mostly a blur. My parents went out to eat on a few occasions while I opted to pack, snack, and explore instead…
The only more concrete dinner I can recall is the one we had on our last night of travel… We were tired, hungry, and our food supply had dwindled, so we stopped at some random roadside pizza joint and each got individual pizzas. I wasn’t feeling all that adventurous so I just went with a classic pepperoni and cheese…
On a side note, this meal reminded me why I almost never eat fast food — hellooooo heartburn 😡
Other than that, my trip was pretty much one big snack fest…
Almond butter… never leave home without it. Sadly, this jar didn’t survive the trip. Let us observe a moment of silence…
The best thing about driving through BC? Roadside produce stands everywhere. Sadly, Mom & Dad wouldn’t let me pick up any pumpkin or squash (!!!!!), but I definitely made up for it with fresh orchard apples and pears.
… but even the abundance of fresh fruit didn’t deter me from enjoying my favourite apple chips.
I wasn’t joking when I said I have a serious addiction to kabocha — it’s so bad that I roasted one up the night before I left and packed it for the trip. Sadly, there wasn’t enough to last me the whole way through.
… I also may or may not have done the same thing with broccoli… 😯 😯
I ended up demolishing pretty much everything that I packed, but for some reason these are the only things I thought to take pictures of. My mind works in mysterious ways 😯
Anywho, I would say that roadtrip eating (aka: neverending snackfeasting) was a dream come true considering how big of a snacking fiend I am, but apparently my body isn’t as big a fan of this approach to eating as I thought — the constant snacking has put my appetite off the charts for the past couple of days, which I’m assuming is my body’s way of making up for lost time. Ahh well. It happens sometimes, and it all balances out in the end anyways.
Happy Wednesday, friends!
. – . – . – .
Do you enjoy going out for breakfast, or do you prefer breakfast at home?
What’s your favourite place to grab coffee? Bux? A local coffee shop? Your kitchen?
What’s your go-to choice for fast food?
What are your favourite pizza topping(s)?
I prefer breakfast out most of the time- I guess I can’t get enough of someone else making me breakfast ( I LOVE breakfast food). But I wont complain about breakfast at home either. 99.9% of the time M-F I eat breakfast at my desk at work.
I’m a Starbucks whore, I can’t help it. It’s a certified addiction. Look it up.
It’s amazing how well our bodies balance things out when we listen to them. I had a great big carb fest on Monday and now I just want fruit and all things green. I’m excited for your pears, and I can only hope I get some in my CSA. I did get apples last week though so I may need to make some apple sauce. Know any good recipes?! Kidding.
I’m glad you took the time and gave yourself a spa day. Sometimes those things are exactly what we need to get ourselves back on track. Happy WIAW.
A good applesauce? No idea 😛
I always prefer to have breakfast at home! There is something SO comforting about a nice home cooked breakfast…..spending time with your family, the smell in your house, it’s just perfect.
I always go for a Wawa or Sheetz when I’m on the road. They have great sandwiches!
-I always prefer eating breakfast at home – it’s my favorite meal of the day and I’m not a fan of the typical “breakfast fare” restaurants typically serve I guess.
-My go-to place for fast food is either Panera or Chipotle 🙂
you always have killer snacks but I think you knew that already…. feel like we haven’t chatted in a while. hope things are going well, looks like the back in the grind mode is on you!
I hate to admit it but McCy D’s does have some freaking amazing coffee. I hate that I love it. Ugh. I really won’t buy anything else from there but that coffee… oh so perfect for roadtripping. If we are talking fast food, I will eat either Subway, Chipotle or Pita Pit without a fuss. Do you have Pita Pit in Canada? I don’t know. At any rate, if you don’t it’s like Subway… on a pita.
We do actually have Pita Pit! I’ve never been there, but it doesn’t sound like a bad choice as far as fast food goes. I do wish Chipotle would make its way over here though…
And now I want sweet potato fries.
I love making brunch at home on the weekends, when I actually have time to make pancakes, but going out is always a treat.
I’m actually not a fan of starbucks. Forgive me, but to me, their coffee tastes like brewed dirt. And I don’t know how people drink their pumpkin lattes. Poopy lattes is more like it. Sorry….
I prefer a local coffee shop, Professor Javas, where everything is delish. Or even a local family run convenience store chain, Stewart’s (upstate NY) has my favorite on the go coffee, since you get to make it yourself, and sometimes they even have eggnog in the winter for your coffee (try it!).
If I eat fast food, it’s probably Chipotle. It’s actually definitely Chipotle (the only other fast food I really eat is Subway). Just keep me away from they’re spicy salsa, because heartburn would be the lest of my worries (learned that the hard way- and I had asked for mild). I have been craving 5 guys Burgers for months now though….
I’m not actually a huge pizza fan. I don’t know why- I know it’s weird. But there’s a place near me that serves Shrimp Marsala Pizza (with a creamy alfredo type white sauce on it). It’s totally decadent but melt in your mouth amazing.
And now I want that pizza. 🙂
I’m actually not a fan of the PSL either, so you’re definitely not alone on that one. And as for their brewed coffee, I think I’ve just gotten used to it… I remember not being a big fan when I first had it, but it’s quick and easy to find basically anywhere you go, so I just bit the bullet.
Maybe it’s an acquired taste. Like beer. I don’t like many beers either.
Kabocha in a zip lock bag! Genius! I would totally be doing this for snacks for uni now if my store actually had any kabocha in!!! I think they get a delivery tomorrow…pretty much going to be going there straight before my lecture to see if they’ve got any!
I quite like breakfast out if there’s stuff I enjoy..but in Britain most places only do the typical fry up english breakfast and I’m not a huge fan of that really. 🙁
Starbucks is my go to coffee place usually, I’ve never even actually tried McDonalds coffee..maybe I’ll have to give it a go.
Glad you had a nice vacation and were able to eat some good food. I actually like to eat fast food on road trips. My favorite fast food joint in McDonalds and you are def right their coffee is the best!
As are their fries… and Sweet ‘N’ Sour sauce. Ooohhhh man
I want those sweet potato fries….dipped in Justin’s maple AB!! 😉
Those sweet potato fries look amazing. I’m not a big fast food person either. It’s funny because I never have the desire to eat fast food normally, but when I’m on the road, it’s so easy to grab. Once I have it, I notice I actually crave more of it afterwards. There’s totally drugs in McDonalds food! Lol
I can’t believe you roasted up broccoli and squash before your trip. Totally brilliant. I would have been way too lazy or overwhelmed by my inability to pack days ahead of time. If I did this, though, my parents would definitely look at me with raised eyebrows. Whenever I don’t want to go out to eat or snack on some kind of vegetable it’s automatic shift eyes for me. Whomp. But I guess it comes with my past.
My favorite pizza toppings are Mediterranean or blue cheese with red onions. And I definitely love getting coffees from small coffee shops. The whole environment just gives me a feel good feeling!
Happy Hump Day!
I used to get the raised eyebrow look a lot too, but it’s decreased a lot over time… I think it just takes people a while to realize that healthy =/= disordered. As long as I’m healthy and happy, my parents really don’t care what I eat.
It always takes a while to get back into the swing of things after trips, I can totally understand why you needed to take downtime from blogging yesterday. When I am on trips the most predictable stable meal is dinner, the rest are just a free for all and generally involve lots of snacks. I rarely get many veggies on road trips though!
Uuuuh, I love road trip snacking! It is one of my favorite parts of travelling – somehow packing all the snacks together creates a pleasant anticipation for the vacay and on the road I am always happy to enjoy what I brought instead of having to pick the sad stuff offered in gas stations along the road. I had a good laugh at your roasted kabocha bag – that would totally be something I’d do! Jay recently complained that every meal I cook contains pumpkin in some form… so know I feel like I have to make it up by cooking something without pumpkin when he comes tomorrow, buuuh!
I’ve actually been pretty good with keeping the fall-inpired eats varied this year. Pumpkin is delicious, but then again so are apples, kabocha, figs, roasted veggies, and ALL things cinnamon. Easy to get some variety in with a lineup like that <3
I am the same way on road trips like that…snacks all the way vs. regular meals. Although the same thing happens to me as well- it throws my appetite (and stomach!) off like no other. I’m now trying to get back on a better eating schedule after my quick little weekend trip.
Love, love, love the baggie of roasted kabocha!
Loving all your snack bags… especially the kabocha and broccoli! Breakfast is of course my favorite meal of the day but I usually enjoy making it myself.
I prefer eating breakfast at home. The process of getting up, making coffee, and getting to work on a hearty weekend meal is so much fun! And there’s a coffee shop near our apartment that makes the best almond milk mochas…they’re usually my Friday treat!
That’s the healthiest snack fe(a)st I’ve ever seen! 🙂
I totally understand needing to take a day off after traveling. It can e hard to get back in the swing of things.
Chipoltle is my go to fast food place. I can always count on it being good and healthy.
Chipotle is mine as well! Err… at least when I’m in the States, it is. We don’t have it in most parts of Canada 😥
Somehow, I’m not surprised in the slightest that you packed a roasted kabocha for the road. And those sweet potatoes definitely just sparked a cravings…I think I need to find those this weekend.
I really like going out for breakfast, but I don’t actually do it all that often. It probably has to do with the fact that I’m usually up a good 2-3 hours before most people on weekends, so I can’t wait that long. I do love a good diner breakfast once in a while though.
And I always hear good things about McDonalds coffee, so they must be doing something right.
Go-to fast food is usually Subway or a grocery store salad or sushi. It gets the job done! As for pizza, I adore Hawaiian or BBQ chicken. If I just do a pick-three-toppings kinda deal, I love ham, green pepper, and mushroom.
I much prefer making breakfast at home- I can experiment and get super creative!! I can totally relate to road tripping with kabocha. When I travel for work, I always take enough for all of the days LOL!!! Its fun when coworkers ask where you got that nice tan in October!!! I’ve been loving all of the fun fall flavors for coffee and have been making it at home…. I just broke open a Smores coffee this morning and have an awesome one from Target called Candy Corn- you gotta try it!
I love the idea of breakfast out but most of the time, I think I prefer it at home…especially since I wake up so early and starving, it is hard to wait till a decent hour to eat breakfast out!
That’s my biggest problem as well — there’s just no way that I could wait to go out and eat at a more “decent” hour. I’d either be gnawing on my limbs or doing my best not to faint.
I love road trip snacking! I love that you packed kabocha! I usually try to bring most of my snacks from home when I travel, less expensive and I keeps me eating more like I do at home. As much as I love a big brunch out I think I would usually pick a nice healthy breakfast at home.
Hahaha! I love that you packed a kabocha for the road. Man, I love the blogging community – it makes me feel like I fit in. My go-to fast food is this local Mexican cafe. I always get a burrito bowl with extra guac.
I prefer homemade coffee… I usually do Kicking Horse or Salt Spring beans + heavy cream = HEAVEN.
When it comes to pizza, I go one of 2 ways: either a basic margherita or a veg pizza with basically every single topping + anchovies. But, if I had to pick my absolute favs, it would be anchovies, black olives, goat cheese and fresh tomatoes. I have such a salt tooth!!!
My brain processed nothing after it saw those sweet potato fries. They literally look like the most perfect fries ever. And now I’m craving sweet potato fries at 8:30am without any way to get them…sigh.
Why do I stress that much about how I eat when around my parents if you do it just the same way?! Thanks for making me feel less strange. Next time my parents judge my eating habits I’ll just direct them to your post :). And aren’t resealable bags the best? I swear I have a million of them in all of my bags and my suitcase. Also, ‘stealing’ honey packets at every occasion you can is necessary – you never know when you’ll find yourself in need of some honey but without a jar at hand again. Same goes for little jam packets and other spreads like Nutella.
Wait … your parents didn’t let you get any squash? But … why???? Just a tiny one wouldn’t have taken up thaaaat much space in the car.
On a sidenote you should absolutely sell that photo to Blenz Coffee! It captures an awesome atmosphere and how much better of an advertisement could they get?! All of your pictures are gorgeous again. I can’t wait to see more of scenery from your trip!
I think my parents have actually given up on giving me the side eye when it comes to the way I eat. It’s gotten to the point where as long as I’m happy and healthy, they don’t really care about much else — but then again, I’ve been pretty fussy and particular with my food since I was tiny, so I guess they’re just used to it.
Mcdonald’s coffee is always my go-to coffee stop when Starbucks is nowhere to be found on roadtrips. It’s always hot too!
Love all your road trip eats! I much prefer eating breakfast at home. I don’t usually eat a lot for breakfast but if we go out, I tend to eat more and then I don’t feel so well.
My favorite pizza toppings are of course cheese and peppers and onions.
Happy Hump Day! 🙂
I always enjoy breakfast at home. That being my favorite meal of the day…. there’s just no playing around with that one! Love that you brought squash and broccoli with you!!
WIAW posts are some of my favorites, and loved seeing your eats from your trip! I mostly like breakfast at home since I don’t like huge breakfasts; I’m definitely an out to lunch/dinner person! We have Caribou Coffee, which is great, but a local shop called Duluth Coffee Company opened a few months ago and their coffee is AMAZING! Hands down, the best I’ve ever had. But, I do like making my tea and chai tea lattes at home, especially because I can enjoy them in my PJs.
Haha I forget to take pictures a lot of times and then it’s gone and I’m like crap… that was really pretty! Or I take pictures the whole day and then realize that I didn’t have a memory card in the camera… I’ve done that more than once!
Road trip snacking is the best way to eat. But you know I’m the Snack Queen, so I may be a little bit biased. Also, terribad might be my new favorite word.
Since I don’t eat cheese on my pizza I like to load it up with veggies! If we order pizza I get green peppers, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and pineapple.. sounds like an odd combo but it is so so good!!
Er the next time I go on a road trip, you better be in the car- such yum eats! That bag of roasted squash made me laugh! I’ve definitely done the same with butternut squash when travelling on a flight- best decision! I’m not a pork fan in general but there’s something about pepperoni in pizza that my heart still reserves a soft spot for! As for favorite toppings, mushrooms are up there…right aside runny eggs.
On a separate note, I’m having a few friends over for Brinner tonight- I think you would approve :-)!
Eggs on pizza?! Now that’s definitely a new one for me — I may have to give it a try. And if brinner is involved, I’m there — just give me… oooohhh… what’ll probably end up being a good 14 hours of travel to get there.
Your road trip eats sound very similar to mine when I was in Ireland/Scotland this summer (we drove through both countries)…aka lots of pub food and way too many french fries because there’s no way I’m eating a salad for every single meal (since they’re not huge on other vegetarian food). I did have great porridge for breakfast almost every day though, so that helped keep me going! I too can’t handle fast food (not that there are a ton of veg options anyway) because it makes me sick. It’s always nice to come home to your own kitchen!
I am rubbish for snacking when we’re on a road trip! We stock up with sweets and sandwiches and drinks I would never normally buy!
It’s nice to have a change though and it’s not like I’m always out on the road, so I’ll let myself off!
I do like going out for breakfast, but I literally have to plan it the night before as when I get up in the mornings I am HUNGRY!
Oh my – I thought I was the only one that loved McDonalds coffee!!! IT. IS. SO. GOOD!!!!
You are right – your appetitie will balance out – really nothing wrong with snacking on good food 🙂
I love breakfast at home-but I also like lunch and dinner at home. I do love my Maxwell house, but do grab a Mocha from Strabucks or a “Shaker” (feels and tastes like a mocha on steroids) from a local coffee shop called Boulder Creek.
Only fast food place I went to in the last week was a Mexican fast food joint called Moe’s – fav pizza toppings, green bell peppers, pineapple, chicken, black olives, black beans – fav pizza sauce has been your hummus/pumpkin combo – thank you for sharing that!
Glad you are back to feeling like a new woman 🙂
Lunch and dinner at home are my favourites too 😀 Going out to eat can be fun, but I find that it’s usually more for the company than anything else — I can’t remember the last time I was really WOWED by restaurant food.
F the heartburn, I’ll take a personal pan pizza anytime/any day & just deal w/ the consequences later. I too had a jar of Almond Butter that didn’t make it back from my vacation. Perhaps we can bury our jars together? It was a sad sad day for me 🙁
Your eats look awesome while on the road.
Those sweet potato fries look amazing!
And you managed to take amazing photos of the views. Seriously impressed, but all your photos are always beautiful anyways:)
Yah, I tend to notice when I eat unhealthy…well, I don’t get heartburn but I pretty much feel the effects instantly.
Ah that’s how all my trips used to be when I’d travel with my family. We’d have this HUGE (and I mean hugeee) “snack bag” we’d back along with all sorts of goodies. We would usually get breakfast somewhere along the way and usually get a dinner of some form, but snacks and lunch were pulled from a magical “snack bag”. I loved it, however, and really miss this times.
I totally love making breakfast at home and just taking my time with it. Sadly, I don’t get much of an opportunity to do it during the week with work, but on the weekends, that’s like my total love and enjoyment. I can just take all the time in the world and I love it.
This was my first time road tripping with family since I was teeny, tiny, and I was happy to see that the snack bag tradition continues to live on. I brought my own snacks, but my mom packed enough to feed a whole army, so I was definitely dipping my hand into that bag on more than one occasion 😉
Those sweet potato fries do look epic! as do those pics of the water! i cant wait to see more! and i never really got heart burn before, but ive been noticing it a lot more lately after i eat unhealthy food (which, has been happening more frequently than usual lately) no fun. and i like breakfast at home. simple, easy, comforting- thats my style in the morning. that and bux 🙂