Vegan eating while traveling

Living in California, I find that the vegetarian lifestyle is more widely accepted than in other states. I remember after a year at Cal Poly, my half sister in Pennsylvania jokingly referred to Californians as "granola girls and earth muffins" and laughing as she asked if I ate my sunflower, sprout and avacado sandwich. That was years ago but the stereotype remains.

I recently travelled from my home of 7 years, Sacramento, to Southern California for a FallProof practical exam weekend and noticed that the vegetarian lifestyle is flourishing down there compared to Northern California. For the road trip down, I packed lots of fresh veggies and stopped at several produce stands to get some local treats along the way.

After my 28-day Arise and Shine cleanse, I am enjoying making fruits and vegetables the main staple of my meals and have learned that being prepared is the key to success. This time of year is great for access to reasonably priced, local produce so I took full advantage during my trip.

I enjoyed Newport Beach for the first time and after long days at CSUFullerton for business, my friends and I dined at Bandera's, a local sushi joint, and ate in two nights. When dining out, I ordered fresh vegetables. I do not use dressing or sauces so ordering wasn't a problem. My taste buds have become super sensitive to herbs and fortunately, restaurants can easily accommodate that order.

After the practical exam weekend was over (yay, I'm now a certified FallProof Balance and Mobility instructor), I went to my favorite place ever; Venice Beach/Santa Monica area. There, I indulged in raw, vegan, organic dining at the best place ever: Euphoria with Raw-volution. We don't have those types of restaurants here in Sac yet but there were several to chose from in Santa Monica. I absolutely loved it. No dressings, no sauces, fresh ingredients, I was in heaven.

After an amazing Turbulence training style workout at Gold's gym in Venice Beach, I ate a supergreens salad and hummus platter with cocoanut juice. The next morning after running 13 fifty-yard sprints on the beach, I had a almond butter and apple sandwich on some type of fruit-based bread. It was amazing. Loved it and hope that more of this type of Raw, vegan, organic restaurant is offered in the Sacramento region soon. I will be there!

KellySaysDoThis: Plan to succeed by preparing your meals. Do not be left with an empty stomach and nothing healthy to eat.