Vegan on the Go!!

Banana Leaf on Bethel!!

My boy loving the Indian donuts as he calls them!!

My one year old loving the dumplings!! At the Loving Hut!!

This was YUMMY!! at The Loving Hut

Well, I recently reactivated my account on facebook, so that I could let everyone know about my blog and I got my first question yesterday from an old friend.  She has long been a vegetarian but trying to go vegan was a bit overwhelming, she asked if I could put a couple of typical days' meals and places to eat while out and about, especially for the kids.  So I had to really sit down and think about this because I am lucky enough to try to plan on being at home for mealtimes, just so I don't have to worry about what to feed the kids (and to save some money, I seriously don't get the argument that pizza or eating out can save you any money at all because its at least 20 bucks for a family of four and most of my meals can be made for less than that, with LEFTOVERS!!)  This brings me to my first important note that leftovers are huge in this house because they save me time and they are just as good the next day, if not better:)  But leftovers can be tricky to eat while out because they often need to be heated and they are hard to eat while moving or strolling (as the kids are doing).  If I know I am going to be out with the kids, I will try to pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches b/c this is a never fail choice for them and it's easy to pack and go.  We only have a handful of fast food places that we go to because of the limiting options, my number one would be Noodles and Co., as you cannot go wrong with pasta and they have a whole slew of vegan options, my kids love the Japanese pan noodles, which can be spicy, but I looked on their web page and many of there dishes can be made without the cheese and cream and there you go, a quick vegan option!!!!  The other two places that we eat are Banana Leaf on bethel, but its not for the faint hearted, some of their stuff is spicy, but my hubby and I love the Indian there, and we just made a new discovery; The Loving Hut, in Reynoldsburg, yes its a totally Vegan spot in Columbus, Ohio; hard to believe, but OMG, this place is sooooo good and everything is vegan, so you cannot go wrong!! If we lived even 20 minutes away from this restaurant we would be there all the time, the prices are amazing and I promise you will not be disappointed, try it out next time you are in the area!!!!
This all being said, it can be hard to get to these places, besides Noodles and Co.(they are popping up everywhere), but my hubby has just gotten a new job and now he is on the road for most of his lunches and he is finding luck at subway and taco bell.  At subway, he just gets a cold cut trio (with the meat on the side, to be fed to dogs!!, and no cheese), and at taco bell he gets a fresco bean burrito with no red sauce and extra lettuce!!  He tells me too that salads are always a no fail, but I know with kids that this is wishful thinking and its only some days I can get them to eat their salads.  The biggest thing when eating out is reading labels and asking questions, most places will be happy to substitute or make your meal made to order, I never feel bad about asking because if we are spending our hard earned money there, we deserve it!!
I am putting together a list of all the quick lunch options that we do at home for the kids, plus pictures too!! I know that food is better spoken through pictures and words, than just words so I will get too work!! Thanks Jen for the questions and keep them coming everyone, I love helping anyone who wants to start getting "Veganish" and I am learning while researching too!!!