Just got back from a long weekend trip to Orcas Island. It was wonderful & relaxing. The weather was great! This was my first trip back to the island since going on a plant-based diet. How did I do? Not too bad, but not entirely great either…

The first morning, going out to breakfast I ordered this meal:

It was their breakfast burrito with black beans, veggies & tofu. The potatoes were good, but I forgot to ask, “Can you make them with little to no oil?” They were oily, so I left most of them on my plate! For lunch that day, I was so full from eating this meal, that I just ate a cup of fresh fruits.

Wore my “Plant Strong” shirt out to breakfast.

Where did I fall short you may start to wonder? Well, I ate a bunch of licorice & other candies, plus chocolate. The chocolate was 70% cacao…but sugar is sugar! Sugar, you see is my downfall! Kim Barnouin & Rory Freedman even have a chapter in their book “Skinny bitch” titled “Sugar is the Devil!” and I can only agree to this fact as I somehow get sucked into a sugary downfall! Well, I’m trying to ween myself from this awful habit!

Sunday, I tried to clean up my act as I, mid-morning, took myself into a local juice bar. There I met a cool Californian female paddle board yoga warrior who blatched me up a healthy juice smoothie. This woman reminded me that juicing takes away sugar cravings! She also told me that juicing had prolonged her mother’s life when she was diagnosed with cancer & given three months left to live…this turned into another six or seven years thanks to juicing! I need to get back to juicing again regularly…and PRONTO!

This, by the way, will be me at some point in the near future! If I’d had more time I would have signed up to go out paddle boarding with her!

For lunch on Saturday, I went to The Kitchen & ordered their tasty veggie noodle soup! It was loaded with veggies and was just as tasty as the last time I’d had it! I got the idea, since they were closed Sunday, to order two extra orders to go of their “Kitchen Basic” meal, which is basically steamed rice with veggies. This way I’d have dinner for the evening and lunch for the next day!

Planning ahead while traveling is a good idea especially if you come across a place that serves yummy plant-strong food! It’s either that or plan to stay in a place where you can cook up your own meals!

The place where I stayed at was a private home with an additional build-on to the home, but it did not have a kitchen – only a small refrigerator. The part I loved the most about the place was the outdoor shower and the feeling of being in the country…even for an urbanite like myself, it is nice to get away!

The best part of the trip was going hiking around the lake. First, I had no idea how long of a hike it would be and ended up parking in the wrong lot below the lake, so it turned into a three hour hike, but I wouldn’t have missed that initial leg of the hike for anything. This hike  was the most gorgeous and amazing hike I’ve ever been on in my life!

Have a great week & stay on the path of health, wholeness, & longevity!