Mark and I waited all year for this trip. 2012 was an incredible year of challenges and triumphs for us; what better way to celebrate our journey, ring in the New Year and enjoy our 4th wedding anniversary than to take a 9 day camping road trip across beautiful West Texas?!

Primary focus: Open roads, open minds, blue skies, good times, gratitude and delicious camping food. Mark planned the itinerary and I was in charge of the food, yes!

I spent about 1/2 an hour developing a menu and a grocery list. The verdict: $114= 3 meals a day + snacks for 9 days in West Texas….nothing but good ol veggies, beans, soups, fruit, bread and bourbon to get us through the cold. Clean, easy, tasty, fast food!!

Our trip was amazing and we ate easy, accessible, affordable food. In fact, each meal was a little under $2 per person and took an average of 15 minutes to throw together. The trick:

• dehydrated soups, hummus, and refried beans from the bulk section (saved on shelf-life and food storage)
• fresh fruits and veggies (oranges, apples, a pomelo, bananas, grape tomatoes, lemons, limes, fresh cilantro, 2 cucumbers, 1 bag of spinach, 3 onions, 5 avocados, a bunch of carrots, and a few hot peppers
• canned goods: vegan low-sodium chili, 2 cans of mixed dark greens, black beans, salsa, garlic, and tomato sauce
• wasa crackers, tortillas, sprouted sunflower seed bread, 1 cup of whole wheat noodles, sesame seeds, and raw: cacao granola, spiced nuts, and spicy spirulina sunflower seeds
• veggie bouillon, maple syrup, raw almond butter, honey, oatmeal, assorted dried herbs and spices from HEB’s bulk section, almond milk, granola, flax & chia seeds, and Omie’s pickled okra
• 1 cutting board
• Coleman double burner stove
• French press
• 1 pairing knife
• Cloth napkins
• Camping pots
• 1 tent!!!

Here are the pictures from our journey