Walk vs. Hike

I've been walking. Not running. Just walking.

A few weeks ago my knee reminded me why regular running hasn't worked for me in a long time. Just when I get back in a groove, some nagging part of my body shuts me down.

So....walking.

I like to move, but move quickly. It takes patience to walk. Even the dog leans forward, pulling (though he's trained not too), straining to pick up the pace. He looks back at me. Why aren't we jogging his face asks. "I can't," I say out loud to him and the pavement and the trees and anyone who will listen. He and I are both happier when we take to the trails and the mountains. There it's okay to slow down. He is off leash and so am I. My mind doesn't race on the trail. It's distracted by the landscape and sounds. It has a job to do. Watch out for rocks, snakes, bears. My brain is simultaneously soothed and stimulated in the woods. It might just be the best form of therapy.

This morning we walked. While the car was being worked on we hoofed it to a nearby neighborhood around a small lake and walked three miles. The exercise felt good, the fresh air felt good, the chill that has finally hit our mornings felt good. But being on pavement, walking past houses, listening for traffic...none of that calmed me. I came away from our walk even more wound up than when I started. Which means its settled. I can no longer walk. I'll just have to hike.

Escape

 We escaped one evening last week. Packed up the (fresh from the mechanic) Landrover and took a little drive over to the Caddo river. Our mission: try out paddleboarding for the first time and camp one night. Get some fresh air and enjoy some family time.

A few things I learned during this trip. Don't forget to buy wood if you aren't camping in a heavily forested area. We did and what we could salvage made for a very green fire indeed. Also, premaking breakfast burritos and wrapping them in foil is a genius idea. Then you can just throw them on the coals. I did virtually the same thing for dinner the night before except I used tin pie pans. I chopped up potatoes at home and threw them in pie pans along with butter and seasonings. Then I made hamburger patties, wrapped them in bacon and then wrapped them in foil. They went in the pie pans alongside the potatoes. Foil over all that. These dinner tins went on the coals and after the potatoes were done I took the foil wrapped burgers out and opened them up and they continued to cook over the coals. It was one of the best campfire dinners I've had yet.

 And a very funny sidenote. We were camping at Caddo River Camping & Canoe and it is actually right in the middle of a small town on the river. This was the non-river side view from our campsite. The next morning when Warren was having a devil of a time getting the fire going again for coffee, I broke down and hiked over there for a few McCafe's. I know. I know. Next time I will just have to wait for french press java.

Eating Out Primal

or at least moderately healthy....

The kids and I took a little roadtrip at the beginning of July. We left our beautiful Arkansas, headed West through Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, then North into Colorado. Our final destination was Durango.

The underlying theme on this trip was education. Learning about the places we were and about the culture and history of the people we met. We tried to fit in as many amazing things as we could. We visited places, such as Cadillac Ranch (the one touristy place you must stop), Echo Amphitheater in New Mexico, Georgia O'Keefe's house in Abique, Mese Verde in Colorado. Once we made it to Durango, we spent time at the local river and on more than one occasion I made them walk the 14 block roundtrip downtown to see the locals and do some shopping. I also included them in all my visits to the local natural grocers. It still cracks me up to see how excited my kids get when they go in a grocery store and know they can have almost anything in there. They are so used to not being able to eat over half of the products carried in a traditional store. So visiting natural grocers on vacation is a true treat for them.

I was in for a surprise myself when we stopped in a tiny little gas station/feed store/café/grocer in Abique, New Mexico. We were in the middle of nowhere, had just stopped at some ruins to do some exploring and were hot and thirsty. I went in hoping to find something cold to drink besides water. As much as we love water, we were just really in the mood for something else. I wasn't expecting much from the looks of this place but inside I was pleasantly surprised. They had an amazing amount of fresh produce. Lots and lots of all natural snacks and then I came upon the holy grail. Or what my kids would consider the holy grail. Virgil's Root Beer. I grabbed them each one and then grabbed a bottle of this for myself. Holy heck it was yummy!

I certainly didn't fail to notice that feeding my family in line with our lifestyle was much easier the farther West we drove. Colorado was especially accommodating. There were more options to choose from, healthy fare was the norm.

Here are some of our eats from the trip.

4 hours on the road at this point. Jason's Deli did not disappoint.

 

El Salvadoran Pupusas. I basically just told the waitress to give me anything without
wheat in it. I wasn't being picky about corn on this trip. This dish was amazing.
The beet, carrot, and cabbage slaw was served cold and complemented
it so well. The kids had the most amazing gluten free buttermilk waffles.
We even went back on our last day in Santa Fe and ate breakfast here again. The Tune Up Café
is now on our permanent list of best restaurants.

I couldn't help but squeal with delight when saw this in our hotel. They had a very nice
restaurant called Red Sage that we ate dinner at one evening. It of course had an amazing wine selection.

Dinner at Red Sage in our hotel. This was an amazing glass of a Rhone that I can't remember
the vineyard name. This is also a perfect picture of how traveling alone with three kids can get
sometimes. She wasn't screaming, just making sure I understood she was serious about our conversation.

Duck fat fries. I nearly died.

I ordered the filet, rare. It came with no veggies. So of course I ate the duck fat fries.

Both the boys had buffalo sliders. They were topped with a spicy chile sauce and I was surprised
the little dudes still liked them. My kids are primal about 80% of the time. But this was
vacation, and I let them live it up.

We were in desperate need of a bathroom stop and on a whim I stopped
in here. It was one of the coolest natural grocers I have ever been in. If you
are ever in Pagosa Springs, CO give it a try. They had a exceptional deli area with a ton
of prepared foods ready to go. We stocked the cooler and the smoked salmon I got was
out of this world!

I picked this up at the little market above. I won't even try and stock these in our
store for fear I will eat the entire case myself.

On the day we visited Mesa Verde, we packed our lunch and after our hike
to see the ruins we stopped at an overlook for a picnic.

This was part of our spread. Turkey, cheese, gluten free pretzels. Simple.

There is a fabulous restaurant in Durango, CO called Ken & Sue's. They have a nice gluten
free selection, farm to table food, and your to go bag is an actual reusable shopping bag. This was an
appetizer of mussels in a coconut lime sauce. I wanted to lick the plate when it was gone.

 

 

Stuffed chicken over greens and mashed potatoes. Also at Ken & Sue's.

We also ate at our standard places like Panera and I couldn't turn down a Starbucks iced coffee on the road. Overall I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to stay as primal as possible. Renting a house with a kitchen helped a lot. We got very sick of eating out after the first 3 days. That first dinner we cooked in the rental house was comfort food for all of us.

Eating clean on the road is totally possible and can even be easy if you know what to look for.

Day 4 Eats & A Good Sign

If you follow along on Instagram (@primalhippie by the way) you might have seen some of these photos already. Sorry!


Breakfast started out with a bang! I got in some greens first thing after I noticed the lack of them on yesterdays menu. More spicy sausage that was blended up right in our very own meat market. Two over easy eggs fried in coconut oil on a bed of baby romaine.

I practiced yoga for about 30 minutes right around lunch time. When I was done with that I was in no mood for heavy rich food. Smoothie it is! Banana, Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, almond milk, and chia seeds. I have a Justin's addiction. I know this! When I attempt to complete a Whole30 in August I am going to have to give it up. Waaaahhhh! I poured this gorgeous concoction in my KOL pint glass and enjoyed. So excited that I get to see those boys in 3 days!

 

 

Dinnertime came and we were out of town. Normally when we are on the go we hit up Panera for healthy and tasty eats. You must remember that we are in Arkansas and even the bigger towns have yet to pick up on the farm to table craze. There are no amazing grassfed restaurants. No pop ups offering Paleo type fare. The three best places to eat in this town are Panera, Five Guys, and the local health food store. Yesterday evening I must have been out of my head because I let the 9 year old talk me into something else. He was debating for sushi which I almost agreed too, but I knew I couldn't be good and forgo the rice so I said no. He then rallied for Olive Garden. In the back of my mind I knew it was going to be a disaster. We got there. I ignored the breadsticks and requested their gluten free menu. It was tiny. Literally three options. What was I to expect though. I ordered their Mixed Grill. It was supposed to come with grilled veggies and broccoli with steak and chicken in a rosemary demiglaze. Instead of broccoli mine came with potatoes. I suspected they had been coated in flour before being roasted so I avoided them like the plague. All in all it was just yuck! I won't be talked out of our tried and true places again. I would have been much happier with a Five Guys burger bunless topped with jalapenos and other yumminess.



My not good dinner and evil potatoes!


 

But upon arriving home last night we got the most unexpected gift from good ole' Mother Nature.