As the temperatures started rising from the deep cold spell, we traveled to Door County for a weekend of skiing. Before traveling for more than a day or two, I typically checkout vegan food options to determine how much food prep I should do. As there seemed to be plenty of options available, I settled on bringing some veggies and hummus and a wrap (beets, carrots, dressing made from sunflower seeds, sprouts, and avocado wrapped in collard greens) from Green Kitchen. I also figured breakfasts would be easy -- simple oatmeal, etc. should be available at most coffee shops.
I have not had great experiences finding vegan options in previous years so I was really excited to see all the options available this year. Looking online, it seems that the bigger problem would be making sure we were considering that the majority of places that do remain open in the winter months, close at 5 PM.
After a long run on Saturday morning, we decided to checkout Greens N Grains, which looked to be a market and cafe. Unfortunately the cafe was closed, which I had not noticed online. The store was great, but not helpful for the mission to get food for someone approaching hangry. We defaulted to Blue Horse Beach Cafe. Once there, I found that the oatmeal was made with their granola (not vegan, and full of sugar and other ingredients I wasn't up for). Bummer. The one vegan option was a burrito, which was mostly carbs and not vegetables. I did opt for a fruit cup on Sunday from the Blue Horse Beach Cafe and their coffee was really great.
On Sunday, after a run and a couple of hours of skiing, our plan was to stop at a vegan cafe in Sturgeon Bay on our way home. Unfortunately, the cafe was closed. Although disappointed, I was not surprised or in bad spirits. This has happened before. Actually, I find this happens almost every time I travel.
Why is getting healthy and fresh vegan food difficult outside of larger cities? Over the years, I have found that when looking for vegan options, either there aren't many options to choose from or the options available aren't always healthy. I'm hoping that this is something that we can help change in the coming years. In the mean time, I will continue food prep nights before leaving for vacations.
Same here. So often we have to pack meals and snacks for these same kinds of adventures. We are professional planners! Have you used Happy Cow? Doesn’t help when places are closed, but at least you can research ahead of time. I’m also hopeful that more places will embrace at least an option or two for people like us.