Travel Lite

As our last long summer weekend rolls into view, many of us will be getting on a plane and out of town. These days, airlines are struggling to make ends meet and now charging their customers for everything from food and carry-on luggage to express seats. As I began packing for Miami, I started to think of the best way to save space and money while I try and extend the last few days of summer.

Pack wisely, not excessively
    - Lay out the clothes you want to take in days you'll be away and see what I can eliminate from there.  Could I wear Pant 1 with Top 2 on Monday and Top 2 with Skirt 1 on Friday? If I travel in jeans, can I dress them up with jewelry for a night on the town? These days many detergent companies make small travel size detergents so you can wash clothing in the sink and re-wear it on your trip.
    - Leave your hair dryer at home! Most hotels provide them; if not in the room, then you can borrow one from reception. If I can't leave behind your straighten iron, buy a mini flat iron so it takes up less room. It might take a bit longer to get the job done, but it saves room in the suitcase.
    - Use all space for packing. Taking sneakers or men's dress shoes? This is a prime space to store jewelry, socks, belts or dirty laundry on the way home.
    - Wear your bulkiest clothes on the plane. It gets cold on the plane so you can wear your sweater; in winter knee-high boots take up too much room in a suitcase so they come on-board me with; stuff your evening bag with lip balm, powder and mints and put into the purse you carry-on.

Bring snacks and buy water
    - High protein snacks come in handy when traveling. Ever been stuck on the runway for hours? A bag of Almonds never tasted so good! Or if you have jet lag and can't find a place to eat, protein bars come in handy.
    - Once past security, purchase a large bottle of water. I always refill my bottle at the hotel with tap water (except in Mexico & India) then I can bring the bottle to the pool, beach or when I'm out sightseeing. This way I don't have to stop or spend money to hydrate.

Stop by a market or grocery store
    - Eating out every meal can be expensive on vacation so I try and pick up a few items before I arrive at the hotel. Does the hotel have a mini-fridge? Great! I'll get some yogurt and granola so now I can eat breakfast in.
    - Stock up on local fruit so you can snack healthy in-between meals. Healthy snacking leaves you less hungry at mealtime so you'll also order less at restaurants. Your wallet will thank you!

There are thousands more travel trips that can make your vacation less stressful and more successful, such as calling your credit card company to let them know when and where you're going, packing an empty foldable duffle bag (along with a sheet of bubble wrap) for all purchases you plan to bring home or even sending your bag ahead so you don't have to deal with the airline loosing them. We could go on all day! What are the best tips you've learned from your travels? We want to know!

image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

L.O.V.E it yearly

My 5 day vegan cleanse from Organic Avenue has come to an end (read my daily recap below) and I feel great. Not once during the cleanse was I hungry, although I did dream about food, I was not prone to mood swings, I lost weight and I succeed in purging toxins from my body. Most importantly, this break from grocery shopping and eating out has given me the opportunity to think about what I put into my body everyday and how I want to change that going forward.

While I have spoken about clean eating before, this cleanse has made me realize how much of a difference unprocessed food can have on your body. It has also made me excited to learn to cook this way. The first day off the cleanse I did not go wild and I was able to stay satisfied and interested in my food. Here was the menu:

Breakfast: 0% Fage Greek yogurt with agave and granola and a cup of coffee with soymilk

Lunch:  Organic Avenue's Portobello wrap Snack: a mandarin orange

Dinner: a treat at my favorite sushi restaurant consisting of: unsweetened green tea, grilled eggplant with miso sauce and 2 sushi rolls (toro and oyster) with brown rice.

Overall, if I can carry on with the routine of eating 3 meals and 2 snacks a-day, exercising, drinking lots of water and commit to cooking at least 2 vegetarian meals a week then this cleanse will be a continued success. Luckily I have a husband who is willing to alter his meal plan as he sees the value in changing our diet. This support will make sticking to the plan all that much easier. I enjoyed the experience of this spring-cleaning so much that I am going to commit to doing it yearly. Next year, whether I do the next step cleanse from OA or opt for a more economical route,  I hope to continue my food and health education and find new and interesting ways to take care of my body.

photo courtesy of Simon Howden