Anita: 0:00

Also, be sure to place them securely in your car. Because accidents can happen as we well know Jarrod,

Jarrod: 0:09

And things can fall out. Because the way you put it in the van in our case, we have our van. But the way you put things in the van may not be the way that they are when you arrive at your destination.

Anita: 0:21

Hey there, Sunshine. Welcome to the Power On Plants podcast. We're your host, Jarrod and Anita Roussel and we're absolutely head over heels for whole plant foods, and helping you navigate this incredible plant based journey. That's because our lives have been completely changed by plant-based goodness. We used to struggle everyday with excess pounds and low energy, vascular disease, joint pain and lack of sleep, just to name a few. And even though we're medical professionals, we still weren't getting practical answers that actually worked. So we dug into the research, we started living what we learned. And now we both have our lives back. And that's what we want for you too. The truth is, you can do this, and it's not hard, you just need a way that will bring real and lasting change. And that path, it has to be simple and enjoyable. And it's got to be delicious, too. So are you ready to live your life to the fullest, then you're in the right place, because Living without limits. That's what power plants is all about. So pull up your chair, grab a matcha latte, and let's get started. Well, hello, Sunshine, we are so glad to have you back with us again today. I hope you're having an incredible day, wherever you are. And we are thrilled to have you joining us we have some exciting things coming up for you. You are not going to want to miss this. See, we just got back from a road trip with our four children. And maybe you're wondering, how do you make that work healthy plant based style? You know, we didn't wondered that several years ago, how in the world to you ate vegan whole food plant based on the guy when you're traveling and away from home.

Jarrod: 2:01

And I'm gonna let you in on a little secret here. It's way easier than you could ever imagine or realize,

Anita: 2:07

Oh, it is so much easier. And I think the lifestyle is just easier. The problem is, you start out and you just don't know what to do. And you've heard all these crazy things like, Well, you've got to go on a diet and you've got to be restrictive, and you can't eat the portion she want. And you're never going to be able to find those foods when you eat out. And oh, it's so hard to cook that way. And all those things are hog wash, okay, just bear with me and listen to what I'm going to tell you right here. This is doable, you just got to find the way to make it. So it's easy. And it's so much easier. I mean, Jared and I were just talking yesterday about This is so crazy, how easy it is to clean up after we eat. You know, after we cook a meal and eight things are so much easier because there's no oil involved. We don't have oil all over our stove all over our hands. And we know how to wind pants or how to cover things, you know, and make them safer and easier for cleanup and quicker. And when you have these tips and the strategies to live your life in a way that is simple. And that makes it quicker and easier. You're going to love the way you live. But you know, I always say it's got to taste delicious, too. If it doesn't taste good, there's no way it's going to last

Jarrod: 3:26

else matters. If it's if it's disgusting. It doesn't matter how quick you can get it on the table. No, you're not gonna love it, you're not gonna want to eat it. Absolutely. So today

Anita: 3:35

we're sharing with you how do you make whole food plant based living work, when you're on the road to travel for vacation, for business, a lot of these tips are going to apply as well. And we're going to kick things off today with the five simple things you can do before you travel to make things quick and easy and so much more enjoyable while you're away and on vacay. So welcome. Again, we are glad to have you here. Now you have a road trip coming up. And you want to eat well while you're there so you can feel great and have the energy you need so you can fully enjoy the trip and not need a vacation from your vacation to fully recover. There are so many things you can do to make it simple, but it all starts with planning ahead. So that's how we're going to kick this travel series off. You just need to know a few simple steps to set yourself up for a really fantastic time away. So let's dive into the top five things you can do before you set out on your adventure to ensure that it's filled with great memories and no regrets. Number one, whenever possible, choose an Airbnb condo or home. That way you can choose to have a kitchen for quick and easy meal prep. You can also look for hotels that include a kitchenette, like home to buy Hilton, Hampton Inn, so It's not just the regular rooms, but their suites and residence ends and many others. And yeah, go ahead when you

Jarrod: 5:07

may be surprised to find out what they include in it. So like with home two, it had a nice refrigerator. And we're not talking about one of those little tiny three cubic feet ones, it had a big fridge and even had two or three cubic feet of freezer space. But it also had a sink with a garbage disposal. That floored me, I've never seen a garbage disposal on a hotel before. But that's really nice for when you're cleaning out your dishes. It also had dishes,

Anita: 5:33

that's a great point shared because this is the thing. Tip number two is you cannot assume that because you're choosing an Airbnb or a suite that you'll get a kitchen. Okay, so you want to be sure to look at the photos of the room, or the condo of the hotel, not just to see if it's pretty, but to look at what it includes what is actually in there, that's going to make your life easier. God already mentioned a lot of the things specifically look for in those photos. Is there a refrigerator? Is there a freezer a sink, a disposal? Is there a small cutting board maybe or storage shelves that you could put your things on, you know, we stayed in a home too, I was floored that they actually had stored shelves running all along the wall. Now I'd like to at a different hotel, it didn't have that, that made all the difference for us, because that's different. Well, if we bought a few, we brought a few supplies with us. And we're going to be talking about that on upcoming episodes, you know, so we loaded up those shelves with the simple things we either brought with us or picked up at the store real quick once we got there or had delivered to our room, right. And so you'll have a place to put those things. And it makes it so much easier than living out of bags.

Jarrod: 6:39

And if we hadn't had the shelves, we would have had to put them on our countertop space or on the floor or just wherever we could find space.

Anita: 6:45

And if you're in one single room with six people, you're going to be tripping all over that stuff. You don't want that. So specifically also keep in mind, do they have a coffee pot most places do but check because when you can make not just coffee, but hot water in that pot, you're going to speed up your food prep, and it is going to make things so simple for you. So what else do you want to look for in that photo? Microwave? Now, does it happen to have a stovetop that can also be helpful, you don't have to have that at all. But it can be helpful. utensils, pots and pans. That's even better. Now, I do not want this to scare you, you're not going to be spending a lot of time on food prep while you're away. Because that would take away from your vacation experience. And we're not about that when we go somewhere. We want to be able to enjoy the place fully and not worry about what we're going to eat. And so these planning ahead steps that we're going to be sharing with you are going to make it so much easier once you get there. And really don't take much time when you have these tips and you know exactly what to do. We're going to show you some of the very best ways to make it only take minutes to do this and planning ahead when you're booking your stay is going to make this a breeze. Can you dine out while you're away whole food plant based? Absolutely. You don't have to cook everything in a room. But let's say maybe you want to save money by prepping some of your own meals in your room. Or maybe you don't want to spend hours of your vaycay waiting to be seated at a restaurant with your four kids who are all exhausted and starving after a busy day out on the town. No Mama's we know how that can be by the time dinner arrives. Everyone is exhausted from all the exploring and way too tired to go through the whole restaurant experience. We get it Jared and I have been there. Maybe you just want to avoid the pain and inflammation that comes with the meal that accidentally contained so much oil when you ate out. So planning ahead by staying in a place that provides this amazing setup. With all these appliances and tools for you will allow you to prep something in minutes and even have meals ready for you when you get back when you walk in the door from your fan day out on the town. So imagine opening the door stepping inside your vaycay place and it smells like your personal chef has been slaving away all day long. And all you did was a little bit of prepping ahead by choosing the right place that set you up to make minute meals that you love. And now you can breathe easy and enjoy the rest of your evening was smiles all around as a busy wife and a mother. That is a dream way to end your adventure filled day. Now, tip number three. If you're staying in a hotel suite, be sure to ask the front desk if they have an injection burner or consider bringing your own it blew our mind, didn't it? Jared? We asked. Well actually, we didn't even ask

Jarrod: 9:40

that and said oh by the way, we have an induction burner. I honestly never thought to ask about that. And these things are usually very small. They're about an inch or two high would be very convenient to have and just ask them say hey, are there any other amenities appliances, whatever that you offer, and I think you'll be pleasantly prize,

Anita: 10:00

we were shocked. I just think it's amazing that you can get these things now. And you don't have to worry about your kids touching that it's not going to burn their hand if they put it on a hot plate, because it works with magnetics. And so it's amazing. Yeah,

Jarrod: 10:12

that's a great point. If you're not familiar with induction, it uses a magnetic field to heat up the pot. So if you turn it on without a pot being present, it's not hot, you don't feel anything, it's just a magnetic field. And a lot of them have safety features where if it doesn't detect a pot on there within like, 30 seconds, it turns itself off, or, and we've had this in our own homes with a built in induction stove. So that if it overheated, so let's say you forgot about the pot in a boil dry and it got too hot, it would also turn itself off automatically. So a lot of safety features. They're so great for a hotel. So yeah, clearly ask about that.

Anita: 10:47

Here's an insider tip, Jared, and I love induction staves. A lot of people are just gaga over their gas stoves. We've had gas stoves and so many homes. Yeah, that could help be a whole rabbit trail there. I won't even go there. But I just want to tell you, if you're looking into a new stove for home, look at induction, it is so so worth it. But

Jarrod: 11:09

especially if you're trying to teach your little ones how to cook because you have the risk of little hands getting burned, because we actually did have Matthew, the pajamas he was wearing actually got a little syringe there. And that was it that sent us we said all right, we're getting rid of the cast, we're gonna get the induction. And you may think, okay, I can boil water faster on gas. Now, you know, you can't, I'm serious these things. Now the newer ones, they have some like hyperspeed. And they had a big pot of water boiling. And I don't know what five minutes, it was crazy. So if you

Anita: 11:41

want to save time in the kitchen, do the induction. But you know, thinking about the induction pot, you may think I don't want to stand and cook anything in the hotel room. I didn't do that. We took something with us that helped us not do that. I'm going to share that with you in a few minutes. But you don't even have to do that you don't have to stay in there and cook. But if you just know of one dish that you absolutely want to make, it's going to take you seconds, if you had some kind of stovetop burner, or an induction unit, these are the things that you can do to make that happen. It gives you options, right? It's not a necessary tool. But it comes in handy for prepping some meals. If those meals you want to make require a stovetop. Now, I want you to check to see also does that hotel if you're staying in a hotel suite, does it provide breakfast, because they will have some really nice things available during the morning meals especially that you can use to make your hotel stay simpler, too. Tip number four for planning ahead pack devices that will make your on the go life simpler. Now we talked about you could also take an induction burner if you had it. But you know, think about other things that you can take so you don't have to stand there and cook. These are the same ones that make your day to day whole food plant based life. incredibly enjoyable. Things like your high speed blender, your Nutribullet Pro or your Vitamix or an instant pot. That's the way I don't stand over the stove and cook with the Instant Pot or microwave. I'm serious Sister, you can have stuff on the table and within minutes, it is not hard. She is not joking. No. I mean, it's incredible what we made in our hotel room the other day, and we're going to be sharing that with you in that coming episodes. But these are the two essentials, your high speed blender and your instant pot that get used most every day while we're away. And while you're away, you're going to be using the same things too, because they're the same things we use every day all the time. So just take seconds to throw it into your car, ride it on your packing list thrown in your car, and it's gonna make food prep almost dreamy. I'm not kidding you, you are going to love that you throw them in now. Also, be sure to place them securely in your car. Because accidents can happen as we well know

Jarrod: 13:53

Jared, and things can fall out. Because the way you put it in the van in our case, we have our van. But the way you put things in the van may not be the way that they are. When you arrive at your destination. You hit some bumps, things shift. We have had some Vitamix crafts fall out of the back again, yeah,

Anita: 14:14

in a parking garage. We went for a conference in Jacksonville, and four years ago. Yeah, so all of a sudden I hear cheap, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, rolling through the garage, and I'm practically in tears because there's my Vitamix craft line broken on the floor.

Jarrod: 14:28

Well this back when we had our plastic one and the metal blade, it broke free and they both went separate directions.

Anita: 14:35

Oh, now we have the stainless one. It's not as much of a problem but it will dent so just take care.

Jarrod: 14:40

We had that happen too.

Anita: 14:43

So maybe you don't throw it in your car, toss it into your car, maybe you lovingly place it thoughtfully where it won't.

Jarrod: 14:49

Honestly what would be helpful for us is to have a cargo net in the back of our van that might be the next purchase we make and that would keep some of that stuff from shifting and falling out when we open the hatch.

Anita: 14:58

That's a great idea and you know For a family of six, we travel pretty light. I mean, we have some great travel tips for doing that as well, because we've gotten down to where we take for six people about two small, soft backpacks instead of a bunch of big luggage. And it's amazing when you learn how to roll your clothes and organize and simplify how easy it is to travel when you do that,

Jarrod: 15:17

so that you have room for your beloved Instant Pot and Vitamix and NutriBullet. We take all that stuff. Yeah. And so then, and then someone will share that with you. And so they aren't rolling

Anita: 15:27

across the floor of the parking garage right? Now they're stored securely in your vehicle. Exactly, exactly. So be sure to pack some of your favorite time saving devices and pack them carefully. Think about the tool she used daily. I'm not talking about the whole kitchen, just choose your most beloved ones and pack them perhaps at your apple core or slicer. We love eating apple slices with nut butter or brownie batter hummus that we've made ahead of time. This makes things really quick, really simple. You can also just, yeah, the nut butter so easy. I mean, you can buy nut butter package, she can take that little semi, you're there, you can take it with you, we're going to get more into the food in future episodes. But think about the tools like the apple core and slicer makes a great snack for kids. If you're out and about during the day. You can pop them in a little silicone baggie, take them with you it works great. Now how about a can opener do they have one of those, you might want to pack one of those or a large spoon, we always pack a large ladle and a chef's knife because a lot of times they don't have an eye for $1 It doesn't work. So we take that not necessary again. But something that brings us joy. So we take

Jarrod: 16:36

something that we use a lot. And if we every time we've it's happened where we've been without it. And it was a problem. Because if you're used to chef knife and you're having to use a dull steak knife to prepare food, it's not a pleasant experience. No.

Anita: 16:50

And if you have a larger family or even a smaller family, you could use a smaller one of things. Take us soup pot, we take a large soup pot, and we use it as a piece of our luggage. So I'll pack things in there that are glass that I might want to take. Like if I wanted to take some marinara sauce or I wanted to take my spices. We'll be sharing more about that again in upcoming episodes. But use that large soup pot as a piece of luggage to pack some of your breakable things in or some other things that you're bringing. And it will double as a large mixing bowl for you when you're there. So if all of a sudden you think you know, I don't want to make anything and yeah, they have this induction stovetop or yeah brought it or yeah, there's a stove in my unit. But I really just don't want to stand out and cook I'm too tired. I just want to put something in the instapot press start and love my life, then you've got it there to use as a mixing bowl because a lot of these places don't have a really good one. You may also need sealable bags. This is one thing that we would travel and forget about so many times. These are incredible for storing your left divers, or some sealable wrap of some calm, we have the beeswax wraps that are pressable. And you can press them right on, they're really super easy to carry with you. We also have

Jarrod: 17:59

silicone reusable storage bags are great. So these are

Anita: 18:03

things that are really handy to have around. And while you think you're thinking about it, just toss in a couple of garbage bags, because you always need those for something dirty clothes, some kind of leftovers to bring back something, it's really good to have that and

Jarrod: 18:16

a lot of times rentals may have the one that's in the garbage can. But then if you're there for any length of time, once you throw that away, you're left with nothing and then you got to go to the store and buy some more. So just grab a couple, toss it in your luggage and you're good to go.

Anita: 18:29

Absolutely. And if you're staying in a hotel suite that does not include dishes or utensils, consider packing if you are picking up a few paper plates, bowls, plastic were even better silicone where you know, we have some of that collapsible silicone bowls and caps we love that you can often find those that traveling camping sites are great places to pick those up. So think about those things ahead of time, what are they stocked with, and when you're staying in a condo or home, chances are, they're gonna have a lot of those items. If you're not sure if there'll be available, all you've got to do is shoot off a quick email to the owner or call the front desk at the hotel ahead of time, like Jared said before, see if certain items are available that you know you're going to need, they'll usually be very happy to help because they want to be sure you enjoy your stay. So you'll come back and recommend them to your friends. So think ahead of what tools that are going to make life simpler for you. Usually that's the things that make it simpler on a day to day basis. You don't have to take the whole kitchen, just your favorites, jot those down on a list ahead of time so you can grab them you won't walk off and forget them and you can use that list while you're packing. And now for the fifth and final prepping, packing, preparing planning for your trip. Tip number five is take a water filter or bottle water a lot of these cities or places you're going to travel, if you're going by car, you can do this. It's not hard to do and you're going to get there and the water's gonna taste terrible. It's going to be bad for you. It's going to make you feel Bad, just throw your Berkey. And again, don't throw it lovingly place it. But you know what I nearly

Jarrod: 20:05

lovingly. We've had that fall too. Yep, you gotta

Anita: 20:09

have that Berkey filter, take it if you have like a pure water filter that can go in a fridge, where you're going take that whatever will work for you take it or buy bottled water, it's very simple. We have grandparents that just came down and they picked up some bottled water on the way down. It's really that easy. And you're going to be so glad that you have that for drinking and prepping your meals. And is

Jarrod: 20:31

it absolutely necessary? No, no, but there are some cities that really heavily chlorinate their water a lot more so than others. You're tasting that. Yeah. And that's what we found for us where we live. Now. It's not that bad, although we use our Berkey at home. So, you know, we might not know the difference Exactly. Some of them. It smells like swimming pool. So it can ruin the flavors of your foods. And it's just not the best for you. So,

Anita: 20:57

so this episode has been chock full of incredible information that is going to make your trip wonderful, you're going to enjoy your experience, it's going to be so much easier, it's going to become doable. This is how you do it one step at a time. And we've given you the top five things that you can do ahead of time to plan and make this an enjoyable and memorable time with your family or friends. So number one for a recap, what do you do? Well, you're going to look at Airbnb and choose a condo or a home if you can, if that's not available, or you'd rather stay in a hotel, make sure you choose one that includes a kitchenette, or something like that, where you can cook and prep food in your room. Number two, look at photos ahead of time so that you know what's there for you so that you can set yourself up for success. Tip number three, if you're staying in a hotel suite, you want to ask the front desk, what they have and what they provide. And make sure you use their breakfast buffet and other items that they have like cups and plates and things to get your meal on the table easily and not have to pack so many things. Tip number four pack devices that are going to make your on the go life easier. Number five is make sure to take a water filter or bottled water if you don't like city water, and if that's going to make things more enjoyable for you. Now, maybe you're wondering, What in the world am I gonna eat on the way there in the car? Or how do I make food prep a breeze during my stay? Like, what how do I do that with the foods? You know, what do I need to take with me food wise? And what do you do if you want to dine out, then you're not going to want to miss the upcoming episodes because that's exactly what we're going to be sharing with you. We love to travel and we know you do too. But it becomes much more doable, much more enjoyable when you have the steps to take. You know how to plan ahead. And this is the first step. And then you know what to take what to get when you get there if you want to do that, how to dine out. All of these things will make your life so much easier. It has been a true joy and honor to hang out with you again today, Jared and I've had so much fun as always, we love it when you spend your time with us. We are honored to be a part of your whole food plant based journey. If you found this podcast episode helpful, make sure to click on the stars and just leave us a rating. It will help us so much to get the word out there. And if you have friends who also like to travel IQ, be sure to share this episode with them. It's going to help them so much to know how to plan ahead, click the share button on your favorite app or put a link to this episode in your favorite social media platform. Trust me they're gonna thank you because when you're trying to get healthy and you don't know what to do, if you've got somebody that can tell you five steps to pre prep ahead, it's gonna make your life so great, and they're gonna love you forever. I'm telling you, these things are the game changers. We have loved being with you again today. Have a great week sunshine, and we'll look forward to seeing you again for more travel tips and more about healthy plant based living making it doable, healing your body and feeling your best so you can live your absolute favorite life and live it to the fullest. We'll see you next time on power on plants.