Road Trip Report and Healthy Engine 2 Diet Chalupas

Let’s just say that taking a road trip with a family of small children to a college reunion is not the best scenario for a person attempting a 28 day vegan, no added fat, no processed food challenge. I’m not going to bore you with the gory details, but let’s just say “What happens in Princeton stays in Princeton.” I now understand why so many people ship their truck or car with companies like Cars Relo, it certainly makes them a lot easier, particularly if it saves them from having a long drive. If I had thought about, I’m just going to book a flight and do it that way, it would certainly make things a bit easier for me. So if you are thinking of going traveling, but don’t want to be stuck in a car for a long time, then you should consider getting your car shipped (particularly if you want to use it wherever you are going), you can get a quote here if you like!

That being said, you cannot deny that road trips can be a whole lot of fun. Later this year, my best friend is going on a road trip and has just upgraded her car especially for the occasion. She lives in Kansas, and managed to find an amazing car on the Conklin Cars website. She told me that they are Salina’s choice for used automobiles and she managed to bag herself a good deal on her new car. I cannot wait to see the car for myself sometime real soon! Seeing as this was a brand new car, the first thing she did was get car insurance, which is essential. Who wants to be worrying about this when there’s a road trip to be excited about? Anyway, as we all know, car insurance isn’t the cheapest. But it doesn’t have to be expensive, and providers like staveleyhead.co.uk will do their utmost to keep prices as low as possible while ensuring you and your loved ones can travel as safely as possible. By simply shopping around for some of the best deals to even attending traffic school (as this is said to lower insurance rates), these are just a few ways that drivers can find affordable car insurance. Now that the serious aspect is out of the way, let this road trip begin!

Now don’t get me wrong, Sophia and I stayed relatively “plant strong” for the entire 5 days. But there were some serious moments of weakness (me with the Indian food, the Belgian waffles and the ice cream truck treats, her with the sugar cereals and the ice cream truck treats). There were also some real highlights, most notably a barbecue at my brother’s house with tons of delicious plant strong food prepared by my sister-in-law (thanks Ruth!). And thanks to my plant strong ways, even with all of that indulgence, I didn’t gain an ounce. SHOCKING!

Being a total homebody, it was a real relief to be back to the daily grind. And because the daily grind around here involves some sort of experiment with a new (for us) plant strong recipe, last night’s dinner was Chalupas from The Engine 2 Diet book. Not surprisingly at all, it was a huge success. Easy and delicious, just like the other recipes from the book.

Healthy E2 Chalupas
Serves 2 (for the original recipe, my version served 2 adults and 1 child)

6 corn tortillas (I used 4 Sprouted Grain Wheat Tortillas)
1 can fat-free vegetarian refried beans
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves (I used a lot more and substituted in grape tomatoes)
1 jalapeno, diced (I omitted this)
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced (I used 1.5 avocados)
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 bunch cilantro
Salsa
My own additions: diced mango, black beans

Preheat oven to broil. Place the tortillas on a sprayed baking sheet (optional: line baking sheet with aluminum foil first) and broil for 2 minutes. Turn the tortillas and cook for one minute, or until crispy. Spread the tortillas with about 1/3 cup refried beans. Sprinkle on the optional black beans. Place tomato halves on each chalupa. Sprinkle jalapeno onto the chalupas. Broil for 5-7 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to droop (watch out that the chalupas don’t burn during this step–do not place them in the oven too close to the heat source). Divide up the avocado slices among the chalupas, and top with the lettuce, salsa, cilantro and optional mango.