Trapped in hotel!

Still no way to access my blog while here. Shout out to my best friend James for helping out. So, because of this (the stupid computer, not James... because James is the best), still no pictures to post, but I am still blogging!

 

Yesterday I wort e a little about eating in airports, but what about after you get to the hotel? Sometimes when I travel for work I can go eat out and there isn't a lot of problems, however, when I travel on my own, I tend to eat in my room a lot more to save on money. Every stay I learn something new about how to make it a bit easier for me. Here are some tips for any vegans out there, or really anyone who wants to be able to save a little by eating in.

 

First thing that you need to deal with is your room. You need to try and get one as well equipped as possible. Look for hotels that have kitchenettes or suites. Double check before you book the room for what that means because every hotel is different. The room I have right now has a fridge and a microwave, but I have had other suites that have a full kitchen right down to utensils and pots and pans. I find that if you are looking for cheaper spots, just go outside the touristy areas and you will have a much better chance. If you don't mind a small commute, it is worth it. If you are not so big on a commute, look for private owned hotels. You are taking a slightly larger gamble with them, but just do a little research and it will work out.

 

Now, once you got your hotel room and they have confirmed it is a for real suite with something to cook with, ask after you check in if they can provide cutlery, plates, bowls etc. You can ask for her things like pots and pans if you got an actual kitchen For the most parts, hotels are accommodating.

 

So what to cook? Well, depends on what you are working with. Where I am I have just a microwave and fridge, so I am pretty limited. For breakfasts, I usually have instant oatmeal, miso soup, breakfast burrito, cereal. At home, I have a green smoothie and it is really hard not having one when I am away. I have actually considered bringing my immersion blender, but because I fly, I haven't. Definitely an option if you love a smoothie in the morning and check baggage or drive. Lunch I rarely eat in my room, but on the few occasions that I have, a sandwich is an obvious one. If I am low on cash, this is my easy standby. Instant soup is another easy one, but not that great. My favourite is pita chips, hummus and veggies. Filling, easy and requires pretty much nothing.

 

When I eat dinner, I prefer something hot.  One thing that I have tried once was tofu scramble (I guess this could be breakfast too, but I always have it for dinner). The tricky part will be getting spices, but you can either pack your own o just buy when you get there. if you can find bulk, it's pretty easy. Chop up a tomato and put it in the bowl, crumble the tofu (Get pressed, more convenient or you can get silken). add with your fave spice and any cooked veggies if you have any, cook for 4-5 minutes. You can also just cook tofu or tempeh in the microwave. I cut it into strips and then if I have it throw some salad dressing (vinaigrette) on it. Cooke for 4-5 minutes and then top with BBQ sauce or marinara. You can have this with instant rice, baked potato (To do this, just wash and poke some holes in a potato, cover with a wet paper towel and zap it for 10-12 minutes) and with some steamed veggies (Throw veggies into a freezer bag, add a little salt and pepper and a couple tables spoons of water. Cook for 3-4 minutes). The one I was hoping to take some pics of was cooking spaghetti squash! At the store, buy a spaghetti squash, being careful that it will actually fit in the microwave. Ask the store if they can cut it for you, lengthwise. Get a plate and put a little water on it. Put the cut squash, cut side down on the plate and microwave for about 10 minutes. Once done you can top it with earth balance and garlic, or with some marinara. Insanely easy to do.

 

Lastly, snacks... I have to admit I don't do a lot of snacks in the hotel. I generally just buy some hummus and veggies or chips and keep some fruit, snack bars etc. But for research purposes, I did attempt one dessert and it was not bad at all.

 

Duke Nukem Apple Crisp

- 1 apple, peeled and chopped

- 1 packet of instant oat meal cinnamon spice flavour (or if you want to get some regular quick cooking oats, it would probably work too)

- 1 Tbsp margarine, melted

- hand full of nuts (I used walnuts and pecans), chopped

 

First, prep the apples and add them to a bowl (or in my case... a glass). Add a little water (About 2 Tbsp) and cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. Next pull the apples out of the microwave and drain the water. Add the oatmeal and margarine and cook again for about 5 minutes. Test the apples with a knife to see if they are cooked. Once ready, top with the chopped nuts.

 

Well, blogging is going to be a little more difficult than normal. I was hoping to post every day while I was gone, but my works web filters are not allowing me to access anything. Really frustrating.

It means that unless I can get this fixed, there will be no pictures. I am going to try and keep taking pictures and I will update everything once I am home. It is pretty frustrating and I am not really sure why I can't get access, but I am not going to let it stop me!

Today, I thought it would be a good time to talk about being a vegan in an airport. I fly quite a bit and have been to dozens of airports.

For the most part, I pack snacks. I find it easier than having to seek out food while flying. Sometimes, it is nice to just get a treat for yourself too though. Eating in airports can be a little tricky. In a pinch, I know I can always get chips, nachos, bagel or toast with peanut butter an jam (This is what I turn to when I can't find food and I am hungry!)

Here are a few airports that I have been to recently and what I found they had to offer. This obviously is not an exhausted list, but just what I have seen.

Edmonton International (YEG): I wouldn't have thought this to be the easiest airport to eat in. However, that is not the case at all! First, there are two Starbucks, so my caffeine needs are always taken care of. They also have nut and fruit to go, oatmeal (and they usually hook you up with soy milk if you want it). I also heard that the blueberry bars are vegan. I double checked this on the website and it appears true. The supplier used for them in Edmonton uses margarine that doesn't have whey or milk products. It's so nice to be able to get a treat while you waiting around. Looking for more? YEG has wok box which is vegan-friendly and can do gluten free as well.

Calgary International (YYC): Pretty similar to Edmonton, Calgary has a few choices. Most of them are in the form of french fries, but they do have a smoothie cafe. If you ask nicely and sometime direct, you can get a vegan smoothie. Beyond that, they have Starbucks and some restaurants you can get decent salads and veggie sandwiches. You can also get nachos at chili's, but they don't really give you much more than that. You can also get sushi in the food court which is nice.

Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP): I have found a few options here. There is veggie sushi in the food courts and also veggie spring rolls and stir fry's. There is, of course, Starbucks everywhere you turned. I haven't seen much else except for french fires and salads. I did ask the pizza place in the food court and they said they would do a half pizza with no cheese, but no less.

Detroit, MI: There is a martini bar in this airport that sells fattoush and it is good! For those of you that don't know what that is, it's a Lebanese salad with veggies and fried pita with a very lemony dressing. Super good!

Philadelphia, PA: I couldn't find much here. Bagels, french fries and that was about it.

Vancouver and Victoria BC: Both of these airports have globe which is vegan friendly. They can get you salad sandwich and they are pretty good. Vancouver also has sushi available and likely lots more. I don't really fly here that much and stay in the airport.

I will be doing a lot more flying soon, so I will update with information about Miami, Lima, Cuzco, LA, Seattle and Chicago.

Southern Comfort - Atlanta

*** warning *** Long post!

Earlier this month I took a bit of a random trip and fled the country in hopes of finding warmer weather, maybe a beach and some good eats. After very little research I decided to go to Georgia; a state I have never really thought about. A place where I know no one. A place known for southern hospitality and gooood food. I never go anywhere with out a bit of research and really the only searching I did was once to google Atlanta and once to look up the vegan scene on Happy Cow.

Olympic Park

Let me start by saying, southern hospitality is alive and thriving as is the vegan scene in Atlanta. Everywhere I when I met really nice people ate amazing food and saw a small piece of what Atlanta has to offer a weary tourist.
Not really knowing much about the city, I wasn't very sure where I wanted to stay. So, I did what any indecisive person would do and I used Hotwire to find a hotel. There is something about not knowing where you are going to be until commit that is really exciting to me. I ended up with a nice spot in Buckhead, a quiet neighbourhood that was close to transit and seemed pretty safe to wander around on my own.
I only had a couple days to see what a city of five-million had to offer. The first day was practically a write-off as I hadn't slept the day before. I did manage to go and trek around in the neighbour hood. I ended up find a fun little cafe called Cafe Sunflower. I met a nice guy and possibly the only Hockey fan in the city and had an amazing vegan feast.

Vegan Pizza, no cheese required
Sunflower Cafe, Atlanta

The best Quinoa and Tofu dish I have ever had!
Sunflower Cafe, Atlanta

I must say that the south know their food. I started with a tasty appetizer of vegan pizza. It was made without cheese, which I think it my favourite type. Non-vegan, please listen up - you don't need cheese for a good pizza! Following my appetizer (at home, this would have been the meal), I had this amazing quinoa pilaf with almond crusted tofu and lime aioli. It was incredible.  Why do we not have this sort of stuff in Edmonton?? It made me think, that I really should just learn to cook professionally and open my own cafe. To finish my meal, I had chocolate peanut butter cream pie. Words cannot describe the flavour of this thing. I could not believe it was vegan and I have had lots of good vegan desserts.

Proof that vegans don't miss out on good dessert!
Sunflower Cafe, Atlanta



I went to the world of Coca-Cola because... well... how could I not go! I have to say for a tourist attraction, it was a lot of fun. I didn't even know if was the 125th anniversary and that just made it better. I think beyond the tasting room, my favourite place may have been the commercial room. They have a theatre that just places commercials all day. Watching the reel of Coke commercials reminded me how powerful commercials really are. I can sit here and say I am not effected, but I'd be lying. I think we are all effected by the powers of advertising. It may have also been the air conditioning and comfy couch!

Coke Harp, Atlanta

They also had a very cool art room that featured art made with Coke or of Coke. There were pieces that I wish I could have taken home. Then there is the tasting room! Organized by continent and with my flip flops glued to the floor from spilled soda I can proudly say I tried every single one. I then had to go lie down for half an hour or so. It was a lot of pop!

Coke Art, Atlanta

The tasting room, Atlanta

After I recovered, I headed out to check out CNN. I wasn't really planning on going, but it was right there. I have to say it was interesting, but not totally memorable. You get to watch broadcasting and learn a bit about how they got to be where they are. I would definitely recommend going in the building because it is pretty funky inside. Take a tour if you want a nice walk and a picture at a CNN new desk.

CNN World Headquarters, Atlanta

Giant escalator built from a roller coaster?
CNN Headquarters, Atlanta



Rhett Butler, KIA
Cycolrama, Atlanta

Downtown Atlanta was fun, I got lost a few times, and even had to pay a homeless guy to help me find a train station. He was not impressed when I would only give him Canadian money. The next place I went to was Cyclorama. I found it very odd that no one seemed to know what this place was. When I got there, it turned out only elementary school kids and elderly people really go to see it, but I think it was still worth it. Cyclorama is a painting from 1885. It is 42' tall and 358' in circumference. In the 1920's it was brought to the location it is in today and a diorama was built on the bottom to make it a very cool 3-D piece of art. You sit in a theatre and your move around the painting while hearing the history of the civil war and battle of Atlanta. Very cool, and I highly recommend.

Vegetarian Soul is a funky little restaurant in highland. I found it on Happy Cow and it had a lot of mixed reviews, however the consensus was they have possible the best vegan mac 'n cheese in the country, so I could not pass this up. I went in a very nice lady came and found me a table, read through the menu with me and eventually came to the buffet with me and pretty much ordered my dinner. She was so nice and I think they maybe don't get a lot of Canadians their way. Her, the other server and one of the guys from the kitchen all watched as I tried the vegan corn bread. So, so so good! I didn't take pictures because honestly, the place isn't much to photograph, but the food and the people there made it more than worth while. I left feeling fuller than I have in a long and with an offer to franchise a restaurant in Canada.

After this I called it a day and headed back to the hotel. There was a huge storm and crazy people on the train which we had to call 911 on eventually. All in all, I think I got a decent taste of what Atlanta can offer.

After a nice long sleep and a good breakfast at the Hyatt (Soy Milk and lots of fruit and vegetables with the free breakfast as well as bagels and cereal) I picked up my rental car and was off to the next stop - Savannah!

Eating out... Part II - Banff

I know I said I would get back on track with meal planning last week, but this did not happen. Not even close!


I was working out in Banff for five days, so I was able to re-test the creativity of hotels in this area. Those that know me are fully aware of my issues eating in hotels. I find that even when I let them know ahead of time that I am vegan, there is little to no thought put into what is served. Most meals are just meals with the sauce and meat removed or my favourite, roasted vegetables on grains.


I actually love roasted vegetables, but eat it for eight meals in a row and then see if you still love it!


I was staying at the Banff Springs Hotel and I was pleasantly surprised in the restaurant. I let my server know I was vegan and they had a whole printed menu available called the Life Style Menu. There were only a few options I could eat, but I can't tell you how welcoming it felt to walk in and not have to modify the menu or explain what vegan is.


They had a raw dish that was vegan, two vegan ones and a couple others that could have sauces swapped to make vegan. I heard there was a vegan cake on the menu too, but sadly I did not get to sample it. I guess I will have to go back!


Another thing that was very cool about the hotel is that if you join the president's club, you can add dietary requests to your account. This way when you go to the hotel, they are already aware and hopefully will plan accordingly. I was able to have soy milk in my room and at the meeting a planned for no extra charge.


OK enough about the Springs. All in all, it was much better than previous trips to the mountains meal-wise.


I also went and ate at The Eddie Burger + Bar. They have a make your own burger menu and it includes a pretty tasty veggie burger. I made my burger southwest style with avocado, salsa, red onions, lettuce and tomato. The burger was one of the messiest meals I have had in a while, but it was good. I am not sure if that was a homemade paddy or not, but it looked like one and had potato in it, which I really liked.



Eddie Burger Bar - Photo Credit: Urban Spoon


Another night I went out to Chaya and got some tasty udon noodle and umeboshi rice balls. It was a long day and this honestly was serious comfort food. Carbs, salt, warm. Yum. This restaurant is really affordable and also had some decent veggie sushi choices. I did not get to try even though the avocado rolls looked amazing!


Photo Courtesy of Urban Spoon

I got a great comment on a previous blog about writing on grocery shopping. Thanks Laura! That is what is coming next and maybe a new recipe. I have not forgotten that I need to make some cookies!


I love to hear other suggestions for post, email or send me a comment with ideas.

Happy Birthday to me!

Well, my birthday has come and gone. I was glad that in the end I went and partied. I wasn't planning on it, but was convinced by my friend. I got my hair done, bought new clothes (Which did not fit. Serves me right for being in such a rush).

This year, I decided to give myself a birthday present with a trip. Everyone put names of places in a hat and I ended up drawing Rio de Janeiro!! I am so excited. A little scared too. It sounds like Rio may not be the safest place in the world.

Now I am just deciding on when to go and whether I want to risk it and do it on my own, or go with a tour group. Honestly I know I will get to see more if I go on a group tour, but it is so much more expensive!

I found two promising tours. The first is a 15 day volunteering trip. It sounds amazing, but does not seem to have a lot of relaxing time. Essentially you work everyday with the exception of a couple of trips on the weekends. I can't go to Rio and not have a beach day! That honestly worries me.

There is also Carnival. So expensive, but man what an experience!

Will need to figure out the expenses and the timing and go from there I guess.