Today’s guest post is from Jim, lover of wine, and hunter of deals.

Now, more than ever, people expect more, for less.

Vouchers, deals, offers.

Whenever I’m ordering food, buying a book, or shopping for electronics I always (ALWAYS) search for a voucher code or special offer before I complete the checkout. Why not? There are many websites set up for the sole purpose of providing vouchers.

But did you know it doesn’t end with these?

I’d never even considered buying wine online until recently, when I realized that most of the purchases I made where either online on my computer, or online via my smartphone.

I started by searching online for wine and was met with the usual retailers offering middle of the road wine at reasonable (reasonable, though not ideal) prices. A quick search for wine deals revealed interesting results.

Not only can you sign up for price alerts via email, but you can also compare prices on your favorite wines and get exclusive voucher codes for Laithwaites, Tesco, Virgin, Waitrose and more.

The important thing to remember is that sometimes, these deals and vouchers aren’t for a percentage off, so spending more isn’t always the best way to get the best deals. For instance, there was a $40 off when you reach a $100 spend. This means that you can spend up to $100 and have the price drop to $60, but obviously, spending over $100 still only ever gives you $40 off.

There are also ‘latest deals’ sections on these websites. These show you the regular price, the deal price and then any further discounts that you can get with a voucher on top. There are often ‘quick buy’ buttons that take you straight to the retailer’s product page so you don’t have to find the bottle you want again on the retailers website. One website even had a supermarket loyalty card points calculator, which I thought was pretty cool, as more points means more savings later on!

I suppose the only downside is that you tend to find yourself purchasing from many different suppliers and merchants in order to use the best codes and get the best deals on wine. But thinking about it, I normally check multiple sites when buying online anyway, so this hasn’t really affected me that much.

One interesting stat I heard is that towards Christmas, supermarkets tend to do deals on wine at up to 60% off the year-round price…BUT many other smaller wine merchants consistently have up to 30% off throughout the year. This is just another reason to use deals, vouchers and comparison sites, as you can work out the best place to buy your wine at any one time.

Jim is an amateur wine enthusiast. He knows what he likes and is prepared to take that little bit longer finding it if he can get it that little bit cheaper.

NomadicFoodie thanks partners and supporters such as this one for keeping things running around here.

       

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I can’t believe this is my first blog post about this. When I first moved to Portland, I had no idea how much one sandwich would change my life, but here we are.

Bunk Sandwiches makes the absolute best breakfast sandwich I have ever had. I think they put crack or something in it, because I crave it. I’m pretty sure we’re there almost every weekend as it’s the perfect Saturday or Sunday (read: hangover) breakfast sandwich.

I’ve been the Foursquare mayor here multiple times. When my sister and her family came to visit, they were here a total of three mornings. Two of those mornings we had Bunk Sandwiches for breakfast. I’ve taken my parents here. Every visitor that comes to Portland, I take here. A friend who lived in Oregon his whole life and never experienced Bunk for breakfast, I made sure he had a breakfast sandwich here the day before he moved to NYC.

The sandwiches themselves are pretty straightforward (meat, cheese, egg), but it’s the quality of ingredients that sets this sandwich so far above the others I’ve ever had. The sandwiches are served on a soft and chewy poppyseed roll with your choice of breakfast meat: ham, bacon, or sausage. The sausage (always my choice) is hand-pressed in-house and is seasoned so perfectly, I’m often almost brought to tears. It’s just slightly sweet and so, so juicy. I’m told the ham and bacon are to-die-for as well, but I can really only vouch for the sausage. A perfectly runny fried egg is slapped on top of your meat of choice, and to make it even more mouth-watering, Oregon’s Tillamook Vintage White Cheddar cheese is sprinkled on top. The combinations of sweet and savory, chewy and creamy, well, it’s something I have dreams about.

The lunch sandwiches are awesome, too, don’t get me wrong. They’re famous for the Pork Belly Cubano (yum!), the grilled cheese + tomato soup combo is lovely, and my personal favorite lunch sandwich is the roast beef with with horseradish, caramelized onions, dijon & sharp cheddar. Oh man, I want one of those right now. If you come to visit me, don’t be surprised if I take you here for multiple meals, but you can bet we’ll start with breakfast.

Don’t Take My Word for It (Meet the Press)

Don’t take my word for it. Take theirs. And theirs. Oh, and theirs. And Mario Batali’s. Because one of the guys who started Bunk Sandwhiches was Batali’s sous chef at NYC’s Po’s.

• NY Times
• Favorite review on the Portland Mercury: “I’ll challenge any eater to work their way through breakfast or lunch at Bunk and come away clean. Some of the sandwiches on Bunk’s blackboard present a pointed challenge in food-to-mouth delivery.”

Who to follow: 

• @bunksandwiches
• @fleurdelisbaker

So, when people move to Portland or come to visit and ask me where to eat breakfast? This is my #1, tried and true, please-take-me-with-you! choice. Always and forever.

Bunk Sandwiches

621 SE Morrison St.,  Portland, OR 97214 | 211 SW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Oh, and thanks to supporters of NomadicFoodie, like those that help you move for free all over the Texas area.

Photo credits: 1, 2

       

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So, yeah. Last July, I spent a week in San Francisco, completely fell in love with it, took a bunch of pictures, and then never posted them. So, I’m posting them now.

I arrived around noon on Monday. My super awesome friend, Chris, picked me up from the airport and toured me around the city while we waited for Rachael to finish work. In a matter of a single afternoon, I saw a decent handful of San Francisco’s most famous sites. I’d go back in a heartbeat, and if you’re considering a trip to San Francisco, check out FlightHub for cheap flights.

The Golden Gate Bridge

This one’s a given, right? We drove around a bit, through Golden Gate Park, and then across the bridge we went! It’s so cool seeing something you’ve only seen in photos up close and personal for the first time, isn’t it?

I mean. I got REAL up close and personal with this bridge.

Sausalito

Since we were already on that side of the bridge, I was happily detoured up to Sausalito to see tiny beach town tourism at its finest and to enjoy a drink and a pizza with a side of a beautiful marina view at Bar Bocce. Yes, exactly as the name suggests, there is a bocce ball court between the outdoor bar and the water front.

The “Full House” House

Ok, first of all, I’ve got to set this record straight. There are TWO houses Full House fans will consider worth seeing. The first is the row of houses shown at the end of the credits, which are known as the Painted Ladies and sit at the edge of Alamo Park. Those look like this:

[Photo: Brendan Bell]

The second is the actual front of the house that the Tanners lived in. That’s THIS house:

Finally, it was time to head to Rachael’s house, where I was greeted immediately by Rach’s handsome boyfriend with a hug, a tour, and a glass of rye.

Rach, he’s a keeper

 Oh, and this little Girl Cat met me with skeptical eyes, but don’t worry. We hit it off very quickly.

Rachael is a fabulous host who likes to experiment with new recipes just like me, and within 12 hours of my being there, she’d cooked us two amazing dishes. The first dish was a plum + goat cheese bruschetta (AND YES YOU CAN MAKE A MEAL OUT OF BREAD AND FRUIT AND CHEESE, MMK?) and was to die for.

The next meal she made was a breakfast of chilaquiles, and I didn’t get any photos of that because at that point, I was most concerned about mainlining coffee to my face. However, this breakfast was amazing, so yeah. THANKS, RACH. I’M MOVING’ IN.

Speaking of food. Oh my word, we ate so well in San Francisco! And this photo doesn’t even do it justice. In addition to this little montage of tasty morsels, there was a whole meal at AsiaSF that was insane (complete with a side of the most wonderful drag queens ever), pizza at Marcello’s that I’ve craved ever since, amazing single-pour coffee at Blue Bottle, and pork belly sliders at Alembic  that I’m still thinking about.

However, the collage below does include Jasper’s, Magnolia Brewery, Stack’s, Cako, and Sightglass. For the Portland folks, Sightglass totally reminded me of Coava, if Coava had a second level and saw more sunlight. Amazing coffee, beautiful space.

I spent other parts of my time meeting with clients, working from the CrushHub HQ, popping in and out of cute shops on Haight and letting Rachael and Lauren tour me around San Francisco as they so pleased.

I can not WAIT to get back.

        

Comments

• looks like a fabulous SF visit, i'll have to add some of these ... by katelin
• Fun visit. You hit up some great spots. by suki
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Hey, wine lovers!

This one’s for you.

Ever wonder how to pronounce Italian grape varietals? What about how to shop for the best wine value or how to use all your senses to taste wine? Kevin Zraly’s “Windows on the World Complete Wine Course” answers these questions (and more!), and I’ve got a copy of the book AND some awesome wine accessories for one lucky winner. The accessories include a silicon-tipped, silver-plated bottle stopper with the inscription “May all your vintages be great,” (aww) and a set of awesome wine glass charms with such descriptors as “fresh,” “tart,” and “seductive” engraved on them so you can find the word that best describes your wine — or your mood! — at the moment.

If you win, you should probably host a tasting party (and then invite me).

Want a sneak preview of the kind of information you’ll get in this book? Kevin Zraly has created four short (under 60 seconds) webisodes with pronunciation tips and more wine info. Check these out, then jump to the bottom to find out how to enter this giveaway.

• German Wine Pronunciation
• Using Your Senses to Taste Wine
• Best Wine Value
• Pronunciation Tips for Italian Wines

To enter the giveaway (two possible chances, please leave a separate comment for each entry):

• Leave a comment on this blog post letting me know one thing you’d like to understand or know better about wine or wine-tasting.
• Share this giveaway with your Twitter followers. Look! I made it easy for you. Click to tweet.

Contest runs for one week, and ends at 11:59pm on Friday, April 12, and the winner will be notified via email.

Disclaimer: I got a copy of this book, the wine stopper, and the charms myself in exchange for this review + giveaway. Opinions are — of course — my own. 

        

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For a week every spring, New York City is taken over by overflowing beer taps pouring out the best local brews. Beer events pop up around the city year round, but NYC Beer Week takes all of the events and shoves them in your face at one time. The staggering amount of events can make even the most seasoned beer connoisseurs heads spin. You have to choose your events wisely, lest you go too hard and the spend the majority of the week nursing a wicked hangover.

The ‘aPORKalypse Now’ Local Beer and Pork Festival was one of the highlights of NYC Beer Week. Taking place at Alewife NYC, the fest featured all local brews (which I love) and pork prepared in every way you can imagine.

Now here’s the funny thing – I don’t really like pork! At least that’s what I thought before the event. Turns out I’m just picky about my pork. The food was delightful. Pork from a smoker, marinated in au jus, served on artisan bread, or my favorite, served up as Chicharrónes.

And let’s not forget the beer! We got to choose from over 25 different varieties of local beer to try – both on tap and from casks. One word of advice I have for any beer event novices out there? Always bring a partner. (Preferably a friend who enjoys good beer.) Dave (my husband) and I always make sure to get different samples so we can try as much as possible. Bringing someone ensures that you get to try twice as much as you would normally, and without becoming too full or buzzed.

Being able to sample so many great beers from the local breweries themselves is fantastic, but the fact that I get to support these microbreweries on a more intimate level rather than just buying a six-pack at the store adds such a deeper level to my beer appreciation. Can’t wait till next year!

        

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Welcome to another addition of the unofficial category here loosely titled “An Education in Food.” In this (a favorite) category, I remind you all that I have zero culinary training (save for some Sur La Table and similar classes and a whole lot of recipe-pinning and reading), discover something about food, wine, or the culture around either, learn it, and then share it with you.

Today’s edition?

Creole vs. Cajun – What’s the Difference?

I’ve looked this up a number of times, so I figured it was time to commit it to memory (or at least, the blog archives). And if you’re traveling to the bayou and want to sample both Cajun and Creole cooking, check out these good eats in New Orleans. So, here we go.

Creole

The word Creole refers to New Orleans’ original European settlers (mostly French and Spanish, but also including those of Italian, German, Native American, Caribbean, Portuguese, and African descent) in French colonial Louisiana. They were mostly wealthy and arisotcratic, and many brought their own chefs from European capitals. This high-brow heritage would influence Creole food as we know it, food that is rich in variety and flavor, and is much more complicated than its simple Cajun counterpart.

Cajun

Cajun, on the other hand, is a nod to French colonists who settled in the Acadia region of Canada (today, this area includes New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia). These colonists were called les Acadians, and they migrated to an area of Louisiana now known as Acadiana following the British conquest of Acadia in the early 1700s.

In addition to a food culture drawn from the area (including flatlands and bayous), Cajuns also created their own Cajun French music and language unique to this group and location.

So, what about the food?

Creole food is a reflection of many rich, diverse cultures, and is considered a bit higher-brow than its Cajun counterpart. It’s more involved and varied, while Cajun food is much simpler. Examples of common Creole seasonings and ingredients include okra, spices, red peppers, garlic, tomatoes, black pepper, mustard, and potatoes. This more refined, luxurious food (originally prepared by servants with extensive access to time and exotic resources and seasonings) includes a lot of butter, cream, seafood (except shellfish), herbs, and garlic. For this reason, Creole food includes a number of rich sauces (like remoulade) and time-intensive dishes (like jambalaya).

Cajun food is famous for its seasoning, and this goes far beyond “spicy.” These dishes and flavors often start with a mirepoix (though they use bell pepper instead of carrots — something I want to try next time I make soup!), and then go on to include green onions, garlic, paprika, thyme, ground sassafras roots, and parsley. Upon their relocation to southwest Louisiana from Canada, they were met with a completely new terrain (swamps, bayous, and prairies) that included some exotic forms of meat, game, fish, produce, and grains. Applying their French cooking techniques to these new ingredients, Cajun cooking was born.

While Cajun food certainly includes spices and peppers, that’s just one element of this cuisine, and its important to think beyond “hot and spicy” when thinking about Cajun food.

So, there you go! Creole — a bit more complicated, upscale (in history, anyway) cuisine from the wealthy early settlers of New Orleans. Cajun, on the other hand, is the French-style cooking applied to locally available foods and seasonings in southwestern Louisiana, created by a group of people who were forced to leave their Acadian homes and relocate to America’s south.

This post was written in collaboration with Courtney Black.

       

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Chris and I often jokingly, lovingly refer to our kitchen as The Lab. Some of my favorite afternoons are spent chopping and prepping food, and experimenting with new recipes.

On a recent trip to the Yakima Valley, we picked up two different goat cheeses from Blue Barn Farm (Zillah, WA). One of those was a chocolate goat cheese, which, when spread on a graham cracker, tasted just like cheese cake if cheese cake wasn’t overly sweet (in my I-don’t-have-a-sweet-tooth opinion, this makes it absolutely perfect). The other was a plain goat cheese, and when we grabbed both of these, I knew they’d make excellent additions to The Lab.

Fast-forward a few days, to the night Chris and I had dinner with a friend and his parents (who were visiting from Florida). Our friend’s mother makes marmalade from a fruit tree in her front yard. A fruit called a calamondin, something I had never, ever heard of.

She went onto describe this little citrus fruit as something that sort of resembled an orange, but also kind of like a lime because the flavor was so intense. In fact, it’s sometimes called a “golden lime.” We discussed the various things one might do with a calamondin marmalade, and before I knew it, she was handing me a jar.

Now, she recommended to me that I put it on toast or use it as a marinade, and I fully intend to. But my Kitchen Lab experiment of that weekend involved mixing those goat cheeses with just about everything I could get my hands on in my kitchen, including this marmalade. It was AMAZING. I get the feeling that a number of jams, jellies, and marmalades would be excellent mixed with goat cheese, but this one with its key lime-like bittersweetness, matched up against the smooth and tangy goat cheese – well, it was perfection. I put the two on a shortbread cookie and called it dessert.

So, what exactly IS a calamondin?

Well, it’s a fruit tree and a citrus hybrid (or its tree is anyway) that is native to the Philippine Islands. In addition to “golden lime,” you may have heard it referred to as a “panama orange,” “Chinese orange,” “acid orange,” or “calamandarin,” and you can find them in China (where they are thought to have originated), Southeast Asia, India, Hawaii, and Central and North America.

Basically, it looks kind of like a tangerine or a clementine, but its flavor is much, much more intense. I’m told the calamondin marmalade pictured above includes the fruit and the rind (much like a key lime pie), and the bitter rind flavor is definitely present.

In short, it’s a cute little citrus fruit that makes a bomb ass sweet treat.

Next up? This stuff’s going on some chicken or pork. What would you do with it?

photo credits: 1, 2 [doniree walker]

       

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I knew when I moved to Oregon that I was lucky enough to have vineyards after vineyards at my fingertips. After all, this is Wine Country! I sort of knew that Washington also had some great wine regions and that while Oregon was the place for Pinot, Washington could boast some really great Cabs.

What I didn’t realize until after being here for a couple of years now, is that Washington’s wine country extends far beyond the Columbia Valley, up through the Yakima Valley, further beyond into Wenatchee, the Olympic Peninsula, and I’m sure many other regions and AVAs I don’t even know about yet.

I spent a recent weekend exploring the Yakima Valley during the Red Wine and Chocolate Festival. I know, right? What a great time to visit! I tasted a lot of wine (you’re welcome), and learned quite a bit about some grapes we don’t see much of down here in Oregon. More on the wineries and tasting rooms themselves later, for now — how about a brief little crash course in three awesome (red) grapes: Lemberger, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Franc.

Cheers!

Lemberger

According to Wikipedia, it’s not just that we first learned about Lemberger in Washington, but that Washington is one of the few wine regions in North America to have significant plantings of the grape. The German name (for this German grape) is Blaufränkisch. It’s a dark-skinned, late-ripening grape used for red wines, and it is really, really good. It grows not only in the Yakima Valley in Washington, but also on the Olympic Peninsula. Beyond Washington, there are small amounts New York State, Colorado, Ohio, and Virginia. The Colorado part doesn’t surprise me, since Colorado’s wine region on the Western Slope is dry, high desert that reminds me a lot of the Yakima Valley.

Speaking of the Yakima Valley, we tasted (and loved) the Lemberger at Two Mountain Winery.

In fact, we bought a bottle and brought it home with us, and after quickly sipping through that on our first night home, we realized we should’ve bought two. Or more. Oh, how I wish this was distributed in Oregon! Guess we’re just going to have to go back for more. Like, a case more.

Lemberger’s flavor characteristics include spicy, with notes of dark red fruit (like cherries, red currants, or blackberries). I definitely thought this wine had a really lovely, jammy, berry-ish flavor to it. Because of the cherry notes, I’d love to try this with some sort of lamb dish, or pretty much anything grilled.

Petite Sirah – Not a miniature Syrah!

Also known as “Durif,” the first thing we need to get out of the way is that Petite Sirah is not Syrah. It’s a totally different grape, though there is also a Petite Syrah. Here’s a little more on that (thanks again to Wikipedia, emphasis mine):

Petite Sirah is sometimes mistakenly spelled “Petite Syrah,” which has historically referred to a small berried clone of the Syrah grape by Rhône growers. In California, immigrant vine growers introduced Syrah in 1878 and used the phrase “Petite Syrah” to refer to the lower yields that the vines then were producing in California. Actual Petite Sirah (Durif) was then introduced in 1884.

We brought home with us a the 2009 The Estate Petite Sirah from Milbrandt Vineyards in Prosser, WA. This was the third of four wines featured on their Aromatic Tasting Menu, and for the Red Wine & Chocolate Festival happening the weekend we were there, they had it paired with a Maple Bacon Chocolate Salt Caramel and Humboldt Fog Chévre (MIND. BLOWING.).

We brought home both the wine AND some of those chocolates because OH MY GOD.

The Estates Petite Sirah is bright and jammy, and like the Lemberger, boasts some dark fruit and cherry flavors that make it really, really lovely.

The experts also think you’ll notice acidity, firm texture and mouth feel, with herbal and black pepper overtones, and other flavors of blue and black fruit (like plums and blueberries).

Something tells me this would also work nicely with lamb, grilled meats, and perhaps some sort of Jerk chicken or pulled pork. I’ll let you know what (if anything) we pair it with.

Cabernet Franc — Not just for blending!

Cabernet Franc is one of the main grapes (a black grape) in a Bordeaux-style blend (which also includes Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), and is generally softer than Cabernet Sauvignon. I like a big, bold Cab Sauv, but the lighter, more velvety texture of the Cab Francs we tasted in Yakima were smooth and sexy. Of the tasting rooms and vineyards we visited, you can find 100% Cab Franc at these places: Naches Heights Vineyard, Gamache Vintners, Cultura Wine, and Thurston Wolfe.

A lot of the vineyards we visited (and a lot of wineries that make Bordeaux blends in general) use a percentage of Cabernet Franc in those blends, and a few make a single varietal of Cab Franc that is just gorgeous.

There you have it! Three grapes that were either new to me, or hadn’t quite been explored the way we did this weekend. Stay tuned for more on the wineries we visited, more favorite wines, and tasting room highlights.

        

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You guys. You can make a creamy, non-dairy, vegan, whatever soup WITHOUT cream. Without parmesan. I know it sounds scary, but trust me. You won’t need (or miss) those flavors, as this soup is loaded with savory goodness that comes from within.

I’m a huge fan of soups because they’re so easy. It’s the easiest way I’ve discovered to deal with just about any leftovers (like sweet potatoes).

Leftover rice and vegetables? Chop some onions, celery, and carrots, soften those up in some olive oil, and throw it all together in a veggie broth for about 20 minutes. Bam. Vegetable rice soup.

Leftover quinoa? Same thing. Mirepoix it up, throw it in some broth, BAM. More soup. A bonus here is that leftover rice and quinoa and other such grains aren’t often as good the second day as they were the first. Soup fixes that.

Want to add a heartier texture to a broth-based soup? Roast a tomato or two with some garlic cloves, puree those up, and throw that in the soup. It’ll give a thin veggie broth added texture and flavor. Win, win.

Ok, let’s move on to what you came here for. Creamy, no-cream soups. I’ve experimented with cabbage and cauliflower, and ultimately I decided that a 50/50 mix of both was the best combination. Cauliflower has a light flavor that easily picks up on whatever else it’s cooked with. Roasted (green) cabbage takes on a really savory, buttery flavor that adds layers and layers of depth to this soup. The secret here is in a couple of easy details: roasted veggies and sautéed leeks.

Ingredients

• 1 leek, just the white and light green part, chopped
• 1 small cauliflower head
• 1 small head of green cabbage (look for something similar in size to the cauliflower; if that means half a large head of cabbage, so be it)
• vegetable broth (how much you use will depend on how thin you like your soups)
• 2 carrots, chopped into small pieces
• 4 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• optional: non-dairy milk (I used a little homemade cashew milk in one iteration of this when I ran out of broth; it worked fine, but it’s not necessary)

Instructions

Chop the cabbage and cauliflower into medium-sized pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast on 400 degrees for about a half hour. You’ll know they’re good and ready when they’re starting to brown just a little, but I’d recommend swiping a couple of test bites, just to be sure.

While these are almost done or are cooling off, grab a soup or stock pot and saute carrots, celery, and leek in a little bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft.

Add about a cup of broth to your sautéed veggies on the stovetop and simmer on low while you move on to the next step.

Put cauliflower and cabbage in a blender (you may have to do this in batches; also an immersion blender would work as well), and cover with broth. Blend until smooth, adding more broth (or water) to thin as desired. Add puréed veggies to the broth with the carrots, celery, and leeks and simmer everything together an additional 10 minutes, or until hot.

Serve immediately. I’d recommend serving alongside a bunch of green veggies. I’m on a broccolini kick, so I opted for that. Leftover soup will keep in the fridge for a few days. I usually add a little bit of water and blend before reheating as it thickens up a bit in the fridge.

Variations

I’ve added puréed roasted cauliflower to other broth-based soups to give them more texture. It’s an awesome way to get a savory, creamy taste and texture without fussing over a roux and/or using cream.

I’ve tried this cauliflower-only, cabbage-only, and they’re both just as good. Other great options (try combinations and let me know your favorite!): parsnips, leeks, potatoes, sweet potatoes, artichokes, sunchokes, and fennel.

I also save spinach and kale pulp from my morning juices and add about 1/8 cup or so of this to each serving of soup for added fiber. As the greens have already been juiced and are relatively dehydrated, they don’t change the flavor at all.

        

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We’ve discussed healthy eating and traveling before. At least twice.

Of course, I’m going to stick behind my tips of carrying healthy snacks (apples and almonds are my favorites) and never showing up to an airport hungry, but there are other ways to plan your entire trip with the goal of eating well the whole time. And I mean well like indulgent, fresh, savory, and delicious, as well as fresh, local, and healthy.

Staying in hotels severely limits your food choices to the continental breakfast and the hotel bar, and while there are some great hotels with some amazing restaurants, you still won’t have much control over what you have to choose from.

Instead, and I’ve done this a few times with great success, consider a vacation rental (where you basically rent someone’s open house, apartment, condo, or room) and get full access to a kitchen. This way, you can balance your dining out experiences with some at-home health kicks. Don’t think of it as missing out on buying food somewhere; think of it as a great way to eat like a local.

Just for fun, and to get you started, here are some ideas for taking food matters into your own hands while you’re thousands of miles from home.

Break the Fast | Green Smoothie

If you have access to a blender (or want to pack your Magic Bullet, which I am not above doing at all), smoothies are great ways to get a healthy jumpstart on the day without compromising with quick and easily accessible muffins and pastries.

My favorite power juice is a green juice, and is literally this easy:

• Kale (about a handful)
• 1 apple or a handful of blueberries (pictured here)
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 8 oz milk of choice

Layer the kale, fuit, and chia seeds. Top with milk. Blend until smooth, and add ice if you’d like.

Lunchtime | Keep it Light

For lunch, make it easy to make a salad or a wrap. If you have to buy things already chopped and ready to throw together, go for it! Make it as simple as you can. Otherwise, carve out about an hour or so of your time upon arrival to chop tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives for an easy Greek salad. Or, layer turkey breast and spinach on a wrap with hummus and/or olive oil, salt, and pepper for a wrap you can stash in your bag and take with you.

Dinner | Bring Local Goodness to You

The whole reason I started this blog was because I was traveling a lot, and the best part of traveling for me was the food. You can tell a lot about a place by its relationship to food, and it’s so fun and delicious to seek out the things that that place is known for.

Take Napa for instance. Obviously, Napa’s known for world-class wines, and as I learned when I visited last summer, it’s also a prime growing spot for olives (olive oil!), Meyer Lemons, and fruit and nut orchards. Even if wine is the shining star of its agricultural focus, the food scene there is fresh and vibrant. Starting in May, you can browse the Napa Farmers Market for fresh and local goodness. Pick one night of your visit, grab the bounty of the harvest and a [few] bottle[s] of local wines, and make a night of staying in and cooking and drinking fresh and local favorites.

Obviously, this works well wherever you’re traveling. Start with this list of Foodie Destinations, find the local farmers’ market, grab your morning juice and lunchtime staples, and plan a dinner around the region’s best and freshest offerings. FlipKey’s properties around the world (including here in Oregon!) come with a full kitchen which allows travelers to cook and eat like a local during their visit.

And when you do, call me? Because this sounds like a dream vacation.

       

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