Farragut almost and verragud food

Hubbyman and I decided to take one of our random roadtrip this weekend.  As I was searching for a name within a decent driving distance, Farragut, TN jumped out at me and made me giggle.  I kept saying "Farragoot ees verra guud" (is very good).  It amused me, at least. :)

I have been having issues with food over the past month and a half or so* so I knew our usual tradition of fast food and snack food was just not going to be an option.  So I made us breakfast for the road as well as a picnic lunch and a few snacks.  A bit more work but definitely worth it in the long run!  We ended up just short of our destination because it took a lot longer than we expected to get there taking the back roads.  But we were still gone for almost 12 hours and had a really nice time spending the day together, driving around, talking, and looking at scenery. 

Here are a few pics from our day:

Breakfast on the road: toasted English muffin, Canadian bacon, fried egg and cheddar.  This was actually his; I made mine with nitrite-free ham instead of the Canadian bacon.  I wrapped them in foil and kept them warm in the oven until we were ready to go and then put them in an insulated lunch bag.  MUCH better than an Egg McMuffin from McDonald's!  Cheaper, too!

This is what most of our trip looked like. :)  Lots of trees and curvy roads!  I made several curvy jokes (in reference to me) during our trip as well. ;)

The sky was so pretty...it was fun watching the clouds during the more flat drives.

This was behind the toilet in the ladies' room at one of the gas stations we stopped at. :)

We're geeks.  We *had* to stop at this thrift store just based on the name since "Logan's Run" is one of our favorite classic sci-fi movies.  LOL  This shop was actually to help support a local pet rescue so that was a double bonus.

They didn't have any clothing that interested me but their homemade displays cracked me up.  Someone has a good sense of humor there.

Such a cheeky display! I didn't get a pic of my haul but I walked out with 2 cookbooks, a pair of meat forks, and a pair of crystal cat figurines that the cashier tried to steal. :)

More road, trees, and clouds

This dam was kind of cool... and instigated a lot of bad dam puns. :)

When we finally found a good spot to stop to eat our picnic, it started to rain so I had to assemble our sandwiches sitting in the front seat of his car.  That was not fun but the result was tasty!  BLT on toasted 100% whole wheat with a touch of mayo.  His was on toasted white bread since it's what he prefers.  I had everything made ahead of time and just had to assemble them.  The bread didn't get soggy that way. :)

My baked potato salad that I came up with in response to someone who said they didn't like potato salad. :)  It's just baked potatoes cut into pieces, uncured bacon bits (same kind of bacon I used in the sammiches above) and homemade ranch dressing.

By the end of our trip, I was really done with all the trees... and road... and sky.  LOL 

* At the end of May, I started getting sick whenever I ate.  It'd either hit me during my meal or right after and it was nasty.  Horrible stomach cramps, nausea, gross parts which shall not be named, etc.  You get the idea.  There were certain meals, though, where I was fine so I started tracking what was making me sick.  Basically, if it came in a box or was processed, it was the culprit.  So I've started changing my lifestyle to include "real foods."  If my 9-year-old nephew can't pronounce it, I'm avoiding eating it. 

There are exceptions to this, though, but they don't seem to be making me feel sick.  One is my diet soda.  I am addicted to Sprite Zero and Cherry Coke Zero.  I still drink them but I have reduced my intake drastically.  The other is bread.  Store bought bread is going to have chemicals in it to prolong its shelf life and I have no interest in making my own.  There are no stores or bakeries even remotely convenient to me that would have 100% "real" bread (the nearest is over 16 miles away and have hours not meant for night people).  I have found a store brand organic 100% Whole Wheat, though, that I love even though it still has a few preservatives in it.  The ingredient list is short and simple otherwise so that will work until I can get a breadmaking machine. :) 

This new way of eating requires more work so I have been spending my Sundays in the kitchen to prepare for the week but I feel so good.  It's worth it for me.  I've even lost 20 pounds since the beginning of June which is just a bonus side effect.  I am not forcing Hubbyman to make changes, but I will only cook one dinner.  Fortunately, I am a good cook and he has not complained about the less convenient dinners being set before him.

I have always loved to cook and I have a renewed passion about food now.  Don't be surprised if there starts being more food pictures and recipes, etc. on here. :)