Food on the road

Uno at the stove

Here is another installment of food on the road...

Early on, I wrote about the modern conveniences of living in an RV. One of the things people ask is about food, cooking, and meal planning. As you can see above, we have all the modern conveniences of home, in a more compact space. We even have built in slave, minion labor, that help with the day to day meal preparation.

We love to cook. In particular, if you ever met me, I like to eat! Uno, loves to cook and is quite accomplished at the young age of ten. She can cook a great omelet, and has learned many skills from her mom. She even cooks one dinner a week for the family with the assistance of Jen or myself.

When buying for a family of six, prepping, planning, and storage all begin deeply important. For one, we need to make sure that we buy enough in advance so that we can keep from running to the store everyday. We also have to get creative in sizes. We have found that half gallon milk containers are better to buy simply because their shape is more conducive to our storage needs and limited space.Thus, we have learned by trial and error what we can buy so that it meets our needs yet isn't so bulky preventing proper storage. 

That certainly doesn't mean we eat every meal at home. As a traveling consultant on the road, we have the ability to splurge a bit. Just this weekend, we celebrated my brother's MBA at one of his favorite restaurants, Fogo De Chao. Needless to say, it was an exquisite display of never ending meat! It was a lot of fun, great tasting, and enjoyed by all.

A family dinner, a day of unfortunate events

Kids setup the picnic table for a great summer dinner

Today was a tough day...

From the very start of the day, it started to rain. This made travel to my new work location difficult having to almost travel by the Force due to the heavy rain, crazy traffic, and newness to the area. Luckily, with my Waze App loaded on my iPhone, I was able to get turn by turn navigation and avoid some costly delays. Even with the bad weather, I was able to make good time and arrive to my new client site ready to work.

As with any client, there are politics and culture. I have to say that the culture at my new client location is the most difficult I have experienced in recent past. It seems that there are those who are the 'culture police' to make sure that everyone is following 'the policy.' So, I was a little put back by the change in scenery. Especially with worrying about every step I make could lead to someone sending some email to higher ups because of something I may have done. 

Use of headphones... Nope

Eating at your desk...Nope

Use of cellphone... Only in approved areas

Texting.... Nay, Nay!

Jen kicking back to enjoy a book after her tough day

I am a take charge kind of guy. You give me something, I get it done. I am diligent, hard working, and work fast. Part of that is due to my ability to focus a midst distractions. One of my tools is the use of headphones. Being able to listen to music or podcasts in the background allows me to drown out the drivel around me. So, the culture in this location will test my wits and my ability to focus. Change is always hard.

Jen had her own list of struggles today. For one, our oldest was falling behind in her schoolwork and only putting in minimal effort. That is a struggle with homeschooling. The more 'open' environment, can lead to laziness. It is important to identify the struggle, offer encouragement, and if necessary enforce proper habits so that they can succeed. Homeschooling is a pleasure for sure, but these struggles can be daunting. You don't want your children to fall behind. You want to make sure they are making steady progress. At times,  you have to reset, re-evaluate, and make a course correction. Jen, the trooper and mom-extraordinaire, had to take a stronger stance than usual, and Uno followed suit.

On top of that, we had another camper misadventure. We forgot to batten down the hatches so to speak and left the outdoor kitchen door lifted up. This has never been a problem in the past. I guess I say that a lot since we are still inexperienced as full timers. Water seemed to fly sideways and collect on top of the counter in the outdoor kitchen. It then flowed underneath and got the floor wet in the minion's bunk room. So Jen battled getting all the water up, closing the outdoor door (getting soaked in the process), and getting all the wet things dry. We had to go out and get a wet dry vac to help finish the job and using fans to help finish drying the carpet. 

As you can tell, both Jen and I were in foul moods by the evening. Instead of cooking for ourselves, we got take out Chinese and had a lovely evening at the picnic table. The weather was much cooler due to the rain and quite enjoyable. We finished dinner, kids biked, and Jen and I grabbed books, our zero gravity chairs, and set ourselves to a quiet evening. This lasted a while until the swarms of mosquitoes decided to descend to our location. Packing up the books, T-Rex, and a few odds and ends, we headed to the camper. We finished the evening watching '1911', a historical movie about the Chinese Revolution starring Jackie Chan. Tomorrow, will be a better day, at least we hope it to be.

The Waze To Go

Waze is a life saver!

How can I count the Waze?

How would you like instant notification of police in the area (if you like to drive fast)? You get an audible letting you know that you should be looking out for them.

Need to know if there are hazards on the road? Waze will alert you of cars, or other items on the road that you need to watch for.

Is the weather bad? How about traffic (how fast, how heavy, standstill)? Waze will let you know of the hazardous conditions, speed of traffic if slowed down, and other conditions that make your daily commute more informed.

Would you like a turn by turn navigation for free? Waze provides that as well. I am very impressed with this app. You earn points, can build a social network, , edit maps, and make the experience shared by all much better!

We used it to help find dinner yesterday. I wanted chicken wings. Something called out to my soul... 'Buffalo Wild Wings, Buffalo Wild Wings.' I said to my soul, 'It's not on my diet.' My soul could not be abated. I found myself traveling, with family in tow, and the Waze app running on my phone, delivering me to the promised land of wings.

What a great place, Sports, kid friendly food, chicken wings, buzz time trivia. I asked the manager if we could take up residence. He shook his head no, he said something like 'policy' and 'strange request' and 'you are freaking me out.' So we parted ways, I with full belly and the kids in tow. Even little T-Rex ate her Mac-N-Cheese, so that was a plus.

We were able to leave our table with only one spill. Dos, though drenched, had enjoyed herself too. We finished the evening with some kid movie that was interesting, a little over acted, and well... boring. I left to my comfy bed with book in tow. It was a great evening.

Food Adventures

Working a long day...

and Jen not feeling well...

Time for a night out on the town and out for dinner. We have been focused on all the experiences surrounding the RV, but sometimes it is good just to get out. One of the fun things about being on the road is experiencing new things. The Barnes Family loves to eat. Hey, it's me, the big guy right? I love to eat!

The problem was, all the non chain restaurants (well Red Lobster too) were full. Our first attempt was the Galveston Steak House. From there we tried to find something else and settled at Red Lobster. They were booked and a had a forty-five minute wait. Not conducive to a hungry band of minions who were happy with a choice of McDonald's.

Little Red Riding Hood?

Not going down that rabbit hole. I have paid my dues to the burger clown!

So we found an off the beaten path Indian Restaurant. I got there before the family and ordered some appetizers to appease the minions and distraught momma-san. When they arrived, they were greeted in Nan, and some other delicious appetizers.

My praises go out to the Indian House off 421 in Michigan City. It was a nice, clean, and family friendly environment. The food was delicious and tons of variety. Our children were able to sample several different entree selections and they liked many of them. It enabled for us to have a fun, comfortable, and enjoyable evening!

Breakfast Awesomeness

Come on... Stop drooling!

Off to work. Early in the morning and my wife got up with me and made me probably my most favorite breakfast in the world. "An omelet, light and fluffy...", to quote one of my favorite VeggieTales videos. Rounding it out with Dunkin' Donuts Coffee and fresh blueberries from the farmers market!

Before you start screaming at me for 'making' Jen get up and make me breakfast, I have to say it is a true blessing that Jen is more than willing to help me. I roll out of bed, shower, get dressed and have to be on the road in short order. My drive to the client site is a bit far from our campsite. We looked at others sites but they either didn't have room, or had less than admirable reviews online. We are pretty content with our location. While the drive makes my twelve hour day of work that much longer, a peaceful and restful place to call our home while on the road makes it worth it.

Uno and Minion 'Miss Mayham' find a frog

So Jen helps me tremendously by making me breakfast. It allows me to eat a healthy and well rounded breakfast without having to worry about fast food, junk food that is readily available at work, or other less than healthy options. With her help, I have been able to lose twenty seven pounds and keep it off!

Jen makes 'Arrakis' home everyday. From homeschooling, and keeping up with things, Jen has a lot on her hands. But we are having fun! Even when greeted with the dreaded 'black pyramid' as I arrived home today. For those who don't know about the 'black pyramid', it is what happens when the sewer backs up at the drain pipe and piles up behind it. 

Luckily we have a black water flush system. Hooked up the water hose to the system and ran it for about fifteen minutes to flush it out. Problem solved. It is those little things added to our camper that make it easy to maintain and solve the simple problems. Quick and easy, on to more fun.

One other thing... the door latch on our camper seemed very difficult to open last night. I was constantly getting up to open the door as the kids were coming back from playing or riding their bikes. Frustrated, I grabbed one of the most important tools in any mans arsenal... WD40. With a few squirts in the lock mechanism and along the latch and the problem was solved. 

And the hero for the day is..... Still Jen. One door fix still doesn't outweigh breakfast awesomeness.

Drums and Soda

Trying to keep our children well rounded on the road, we have tried to keep our children's music lessons as part of our program. Both my oldest and middle daughter keep busy with guitar lessons and piano lessons. However, my son is much more laid back and both of those options didn't seem to be a good fit for him. Well, while trying to get new strings for Jayelle's guitar, Jen and the minions visited a music shop. They were quite friendly and helpful. They even installed the strings for Jayelle. That is a plus because normally, I am the one having to do it for her. I don't mind, however this gave her the opportunity to practice during the day while I am at work.

JJ found his calling I believe. He wanted drums. While we don't have the room for a full percussion ensemble, we did find a djembe. It allows him to practice rhythm and work on different sounds made by striking the skin of the drum in different ways. I am excited for him. Normally, he loses interest rather quickly. I think when things become difficult or a sibling may be more gifted, he likes to stray away.  Since nobody in the house plays the drum, it is his opportunity to shine all by himself. We may have to struggle with him banging his lil' drum for a while, but I say 'bang on, my son!'

We also ventured out to the local outlet mall in Michigan City. Pretty cool place. The weather was nice for walking even though T-Rex, our littlest decided not to cooperate. We visited one of the chef supplies places and found a SodaStream with all the different flavors. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Diet Dr. Pepper. Being a soda addict is an affliction, I know. However buying all those expensive cans and bottles does hurt the budget a little. More so, having storage for all of it doesn't make good sense. We are so limited in space, buying extra and storing like we normally do at home is not an option. There have been nights I have had to do without (how sad, right?). With the SodaStream, they even have a Diet Dr. Pepper flavor. I guess that is all I needed to splurge on the unit.

I am very impressed .The flavors are great. They taste so close to the real thing, you will be surprised. The added benefits of cost, no plastic bottles to throw away, and the reduced calories in the other flavored drinks  makes this a real win for the Barnes family on the road!

Food and the RV

Cooking with all the conveniences of home

Well after a long day of work, I head home to our camp. After a year on the road consulting, you cannot imagine how good a home cooked meal sounds. As a consultant you spend your evenings searching for something new or stick to the same old food chains. Worst is the immersion of fast food day in a day out. Much like the college fifteen, consultants on average do the consultant forty. Long hours, inactivity, stress, all combine to push your health toward a downward spiral.

Road schooling, the advantage of having my kids with me wherever I go means home cooked meals. It allows us to prepare healthy options and consciously plan our meals throughout the week! One added benefit that comes from consulting is that I do get paid a per deim. Carefully planning meals and bringing my own lunch box (my awesome camo cooler) allows me to bank the per deim which allows for fun and adventures at little or no cost to us.

We have all the modern conveniences of home. Stove, microwave, well stocked fridge and freezer, along with outdoor grill round out our kitchen and necessaries. A decent pantry combined with some creative storage options enable us to meet the needs of a family of six. We even have opportunities to teach chemistry, math, history, and even geography by teaching the children how to cook.

Tonight was collard greens, cantaloupe, and lean strip stake. Home cooked meals beat any five star joint hands down!