I haven’t done a What I Ate Wednesday post in a few months and I thought it would be fun to share a day of camp eats with you! A lot of people (myself included a few years ago) think that camp food revolves around a few main staples. Grilled meat, big pots of chili, sandwiches, and s’mores. Sure, those are all easy and great camping meals, but you can cook SO much more outdoors. Plus, everything tastes just a little better when it’s kissed by a smoky campfire. 
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travel
Camping at Rock Cut State Park
“I also think it’s pointless for a human to paint scenes of nature when they can go outside and stand in it.” – Ron Swanson
Pictures of nature are nice, but I kind of agree with Ron. Go outside. Seriously. It will do you a world of good. Adam and I spend the weekend at Rock Cut State Park in Rockford, IL and it was just delightful! 
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On-The-Road-Food
I have some on-the-road food/snack ideas for you today because traveling doesn’t mean you have to eat at the gas station or stop at every fast food place known to man.
With a little careful and simple planning, you can have some healthy things ready for your road trip or a busy day away from home. You want things that are easily portable, taste good, and don’t necessarily need to be warm or cold. I know that sounds like a tall order but it can be done! 
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Three Thanksgivings
Three Thanksgivings in three days. If you weren’t aware, that is a lot of food. In the past, I probably would have worried about how I was going to navigate all that eating but this year I took a different approach.
I decided I wasn’t going to sit there and think about all the things I could or could not eat. I wasn’t going to fret about going overboard and shoving as much food in my face as possible. I was going to enjoy the people I was with, share the dishes I had made, and overall have a good time. In short I was going to not be a control freak and have a good Thanksgiving.
And you know what?
It was one of the best Thanksgivings ever. I spent time with the people I love and some I hadn’t seen in a long time. I made a chocolate peanut butter pie that was a hit (and I promise to share it soon). I laughed, I ate, I was thankful.
Like I said, one of the best Thanksgivings ever.
How was your holiday? Did you get to see friends and family? Eat any new dishes?
Rolla Roomie Reunion 2016
Alliterations are fun and so are roomie reunions. Good thing both of them are in today’s blog post!
So last week I spent some time with my college roommates in Rolla, Missouri where Ashley lives. I have been to Rolla before, but this was Jes’ first visit so Ashley got to show her all the sites. Now, Rolla is quite small. Yes, there is a university there (Missouri Science and Technology where Ashley works) but it only has 8,000 students. Those 8,000 students make up most of Rolla. Needless to say, most of our site seeing was not in Rolla.
Missouri is kind of pretty… especially the Ozarks
We picked Jes up from the St. Louis airport (almost 2 hours away from Rolla) and had dinner at a Thai place called Pearl’s Cafe. It was pretty good and I had Tom Kha Gai soup for the first time. It was probably the best part of my dinner and I’ve tried to recreate it but haven’t gotten it quite right. Soon….
Again… Missouri isn’t too shabby to look at
The next day after a stop at the Giddy Goat (a coffee place that had good variety for small town USA) we headed out to the Meramec Springs. This place was really beautiful. There was a fish sanctuary where you could feed fish (which we obviously did) little bridges, waterfalls, the spring, of course, museums, and trails. We walked around a bit and drove on the historic drive and saw old homesteads and a really pretty overlook of the Ozark Mountains.
Ashley checking out the Slag Notch. Still don’t know what that means
The fish sanctuary and the fish we fed.
Jes and Ashley by the cavern over the spring.
The actual spring… I thought it would be bubbling or something but it kind of just sits there.
After Meramac, we headed to Sybill’s for lunch. This place was in a super fancy house and they had some pretty good food. I got a strawberry avocado spinach salad and even thought it was a little sad when I removed the bacon, bleu cheese, and super sweet dressing, I added some sauteed summer squash and it made a pretty good meal.
Next, we went to The Public House which is a joint winery and brewery in St. James. This place was really nice and had a lot of indoor and outdoor space. Their gardens had a variety of yard games like bocci ball, Jenga, and lawn chess. There was a good selection of beer, cider, and wine and while played some games and caught up on life. Overall a great time.
Jes and her giant knight. They are both very excited
All the beers and a cider
Finally, we headed to a fudge factory. But not just any fudge factory, oh no.
Seriously, can’t make this up
Uranus Fudge Factory. Because the best fudge is found in Uranus. I can’t make this stuff up guys. There was also a burlesque dancing bar, tattoo parlor, and a food truck plaza. Ah, the good ol’ US of A.
That night I made a spaghetti squash casserole that will probably be on the blog this week. Then we just relaxed, watched Family Guy, old YouTube videos we made back in the day (like this one, you’re welcome Ashley) and laughed. Laughing is always a good thing.
It was a great trip, but I am glad to be back to my routine after over a week away. I’ve got new recipes to share and fall weather has finally made it’s way to Chicago. October is here and that means my birthday and anniversary are soon, yay! Oh, and speaking of anniversaries, Happy One Year Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Meyers! Have an awesome day and enjoy your new (puppy) addition! 
How was your week/weekend?
Life Healthfully Lived 