Welcome 2021! As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, I feel his quote is particularly fitting for this blog: ” Even though we face difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”
This week I am going to deviate slightly from van life travel. After one year of retirement, touring the country– living in a van and experiencing life during a pandemic, I decided my New Year’s resolution would be that of being fully honest on my capabilities and accept I can’t do everything.
Being a Type A overachiever, who believed and spent the last 40+ years if you put enough effort and determination you can do anything you want to try, it’s hard for me to now admit I am prohibited in doing everything. Living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), now makes it no matter how hard I try there are things I just can’t do anymore well. TBI is a hidden or invisible disability I have been living with the last seven years. Many people don’t realize what is an invisible disability, a physical, mental or neurological condition that is not visible to others because they can occur in life but the person does not outwardly appear to have a problem since there is no need for a wheel chair, walker or crutches. After spending years multi-tasking, sitting on multiple global projects, advisory boards, commissions, tasks forces and doing it all successfully, empathetically, and professionally it’s hard for people who have interacted with me, that I just can’t do those things well anymore. When you have TBI your Amygdala and occipital lobe can be damaged. Your Amygdala is responsible for many important brain functions like, memory, learning, executive function and emotions while the occipital lobe controls your visual processing, distance and depth perception, object and facial recognition and memory formation. Due to my damaged Amygdala and occipital lobe:
I now forget a lot of things and need lists
If I am told something in confidence I may forget and discuss it
I no longer have a filter and say things I should know not to say that may hurt someone’s feelings (lack of executive function)
My emotions are constantly on over load,
I get overly upset if I hurt someone and can’t stop worrying about it
I anger easily over silly things
I am quick to cry
I am quick to yelling and raising my voice
I feel like I need to apologize to my husband multiple times a day for my behavior
It’s difficult when I drive, I must concentrate really hard due to my challenge with depth perception and reaction time has decreased significantly
I get migraines often, feel woozy and need to nap daily
Because of this, I sold my business at the end of 2019 and retired. I finally learned I couldn’t work anymore when I needed to nap daily, I’d get frustrated and set-off so easily, and if I had a hard day, I would be dizzy, nauseous and have a migraine. So, Greg made the executive decision for us to hit the road and enjoy the vanlife and start RGBAdventures to document our adventures. When you visit our blog, our YouTube, Facebook and Instagram it looks like all fun but you don’t see the tough days dealing with TBI. In a social media world, we see all the positives and don’t share the challenges. It’s hard to be vulnerable when we live in a society that must show competence and achievement.
I write this post for four reasons:
To remind us that many people have disabilities and challenges that are hidden and we don’t realize and that we need to be more patient and understanding, especially in a time of COVID-19
Don’t let social media get you depressed and feel like I wish I had that life, as that person probably feeling same challenges and difficulties as you but can’t really show it and wants to create positive influence in your day.
If I personally hurt you by my actions, I am so sorry it wasn’t my intent and I can’t make TBI an excuse but hope it gives you some understanding to forgive me eventually. And if you know someone who may have TBI please understand they may look normal but if they do something that upsets you try to understand that they may not have full ‘control’ of their brain anymore.
To remind myself and others that we can’t do everything and that it is okay to lean on friends, family and loved ones and admit when we need help. I hope this also allows you to ask for help.
During this pandemic, we need to give ourselves and our community a break and be more understanding. It’s okay for us to have a little more self-care and do a little less. It is a great time to enjoy the outdoors and what mother nature can bring us to relieve anxiety and stress. When I can’t control my brain, the one thing I appreciate the most living in a van right now and being able to control is being able to run, hike, bike, ski, paddleboard, swim and focus on my physical health. It’s okay to be vulnerable, not be perfect at everything and let people help you. If you want to learn more about TBI here is a great article. Hoping for a positive and wonderful 2021 for everyone!
When we set out for our one year + travels on the road I had huge grandiose plans to put our Bend home for rent for a year and our beach house on Airbnb vacation rental for a year and not come back. We were going to head North then East then South and not look back but COVID-19 hit and all plans changed. Finding reliable and dependable help during this time, was quite difficult so when things break at our two homes it ended up being us needing to travel back and fix. The idea of only staying in the great outdoors disappear when you need to get a lot of miles in and you are just too tired to go exploring down dirt roads. Those are the times that a Cracker Barrel parking lot doesn’t look too bad. The idea of visiting James Beard award winning restaurants all over the country has ended and I cook all our meals. So, my recommendation is be flexible, be ready to make course corrections and Cracker Barrel parking lots are a lot quieter than highway rest areas (except for the tweeker that we parked next to one unfortunate night in Rialto, CA, who decided to fire up his generator at 2am and run his grinder)!
Now that we have been van-lifing it for 10 months now, I have honed in some easy recipes to make on the road. With COVID-19, as I stated previously my idea of visiting James Beard award winning restaurants across the country is out the door and we pretty much never go out to eat. I make about 95% of all our meals in the van. A lot of our subscribers and other RVers ask how do we enjoy real meals on the road and eat healthy? I have to thank Greg on the wise purchase of the InstantPot! ( Disclosure: we are Amazon Associates, so we earn from qualifying purchases). I pretty much use it every other day. The 6-quart size makes about 2-3 meals for us per use. We eat very healthy and love the one pot clean-up! It really makes it easy to cook great dishes in our tiny kitchen.
Greg’s favorite meals are my coconut curry lentil soup, split pea and pancetta soup, boneless spareribs, vegetables, potatoes & brown rice, chicken sundried tomato sausage & vegetable pasta and last but not least for dessert lemon cheesecake. When you are on the road and don’t have an oven, dessert can get very tricky. I have mastered fruit cobblers, banana nut bread and chocolate peanut butter cake in the microwave. These could be helpful when you need to quench that sweet tooth.
Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup lentil
1 ½ cup brown rice
1 zucchini chopped
1 onion chopped
Handful of baby carrots cut in half
Handful of chopped kale
4 purple potatoes diced
1 sweet potato diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 shallot diced
1 yellow or green bell pepper diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
8 baby portabella mushrooms chopped
1 tablespoon ginger paste
4 cups of water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube soaking
1 can coconut milk
8 oz Greek coconut yogurt
2 teaspoons of following spices: grand masala, thyme, smoked paprika, turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
2 table spoons of coconut oil
Cooking instructions:
1. Turn instant pot on sauté and sauté for 5 minutes- coconut oil, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, shallot, mushrooms, bell pepper and add spices
2. Once onions are translucent pour in coconut milk, coconut yogurt, water, diced tomato, chopped kale, 1 ½ cup lentils and 1 ½ cup brown rice
3. Turn off sauté, put on instant pot lid, make sure its on seal, then select pressure cook for 24 minutes.
4. Let it release steam on its own for 15 minutes then select unseal a little steam may come out. Once all steam is released you are ready to enjoy.
Split Pea and Pancetta Soup
1 ½ cup brown rice
1 ½ cup split peas
1 zucchini chopped
1 onion chopped
1 package of pancetta (I like the diced pancetta at Trader Joes)
Handful of baby carrots cut in half
Handful of chopped kale
4 small golden potatoes diced
1 shallot diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
1 tablespoon ginger paste
6 cups of water with 1 vegetable bouyon cube soaking
1 can coconut milk
8 oz Greek coconut yogurt
2 teaspoons of following spices: thyme, dill, parsley, basil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 table spoons olive oil
Cooking instructions:
1. Turn instant pot on sauté and sauté for 5 minutes olive oil, ginger, garlic, onions, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, shallot, pancetta and add spices
2. Once onions are translucent pour in coconut milk, water, diced tomato, chopped kale, 1 ½ cup split peas and 1 ½ cup brown rice
3. Turn off sauté, put on instant pot lid, make sure it’s on seal, then select pressure cook for 20 minutes.
4. Let it release steam on its own for 15 minutes then select unseal a little steam may come out. Once all steam is released you are ready to enjoy.
Boneless spareribs, vegetables, potatoes & brown rice
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup jasmine rice
4 boneless spareribs chopped in 1-inch cubes (I like to get a package from Costco, they are long and 1 inch thick and then I put 4 in a Ziplock bag-usually you can get about 4 meals in one package)
1 onion chopped
½ bag of baby carrots cut in half
½ bag of broccoli crowns
8 baby portabella mushrooms chopped
6 small golden potatoes chopped in 4s
2 shallots diced
1 bell pepper Julianne
4 cloves of garlic diced
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 ½ cups of water with 1 vegetable bouyon cube soaking
2 teaspoons of following spices: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, onion salt, smoked paprika, basil, coriander, rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
2 table spoons sesame oil
Cooking instructions:
1. Turn instant pot on sauté and sauté for 5 minutes sesame, ginger, spare ribs, garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, shallot, bell pepper, mushrooms and add spices
2. Once onions are translucent pour in 1 ½ cups of water, 1 ½ cup jasmine rice
3. Turn off sauté, put on instant pot lid, make sure it’s on seal, then select pressure cook for 15 minutes or rice function
4. Let it release steam on its own for 15 minutes then select unseal a little steam may come out. While it is releasing put ½ bag of broccoli crowns in microwave for 2 ½ minutes. Once all steam is released add broccoli crowns and mix up and you are ready to enjoy.
Chicken sundried tomato sausage & vegetable pasta
1 zucchini chopped
1 onion chopped
8 baby portabella mushrooms chopped
Couple Handfuls of chopped kale
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
5 sundried tomatoes diced
1 can sliced black olives
1 shallot diced
1 green bell pepper diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
4 cups of water with 1 vegetable bouyon cube soaking
2 cups red wine
2 teaspoons of following spices: parsley, Italian spice, rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika
1 box of penne pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
2 table spoons of olive oil
Cooking instructions:
1. Turn instant pot on sauté and sauté for 5 minutes olive oil, garlic, onions, zucchini, mushroom, shallot, bell pepper and add spices
2. Once onions are translucent mix all items and make sure nothing is sticking to bottom you may need to add more olive oil and ensure nothing is sticking to bottom of the pot. Turn off sauté. Then pour in water, add pasta do not mix (this is important so you don’t burn your pasta) add, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped kale, red wine-make sure pasta is fully covered.
3. Put on lid, make sure it’s on seal, then select pressure cook for 10 minutes.
4. Let it release steam on its own for 15 minutes then select unseal a little steam may come out. Once all steam is released you are ready to enjoy.
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients:
1 rib eye steak or beef loin or beef roast (Trader Joes Balsamic Rosemary Roast is perfect) sliced in bitable pieces (marinate beef with 2 tablespoons: Worcestershire sauce & soy sauce, 1 teaspoon: garlic salt, onion salt, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, smoked paprika)
1 onion diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
5-8 baby portabella mushrooms sliced
1 shallot diced
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
8 oz of sour cream
1 bag penne pasta or tagliatelle pasta
4 cups of water with a beef bullion
2 tablespoons of butter
Cooling Instructions:
1. Turn instant pot on sauté and sauté for 5 minutes butter, garlic, onions, mushroom, shallot, steak and spices
2. Once onions are translucent mix all items and make sure nothing is sticking to bottom you may need to add more butter or olive oil and ensure nothing is sticking to bottom of the pot. Turn off sauté. Then pour in water, add pasta do not mix (this is important so you don’t burn your pasta) add cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and ensure all pasta is fully covered if not add a little more water.
3. Put on lid, make sure it’s on seal, then select pressure cook for 10 minutes.
4. I like to steam broccoli crowns in the microwave for 2.5 minutes to have with my stroganoff.
4. Let it release steam on its own for 15 minutes then select unseal a little steam may come out. Once all steam is released you are ready to enjoy.
Lemon cheesecake
Ingredients:
You’ll need a 6” cheesecake pan I like this one from Amazon
1 ½ cups of grounded graham crackers (I make a bag of grounded up graham crackers and bring a ziplock bag full)
3 tablespoons of salted butter
12 oz of cream cheese
1 egg
½ lemon juice
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon and cardamon
¼ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla (I like to use powder in the van)
Coconut oil spray
Cooking Instructions:
1. Spray pan with coconut oil.
2. Melt 2 ½ tablespoons of butter and then mix graham crackers then make crust in pan. I use a spoon to press the crumbs to bottom of pan and up the sides one inch. Put in refrigerator when done.
3. Mix ½ tablespoon of melted butter and cream cheese beat till smooth. Then add egg, brown sugar, honey, salt, cream, vanilla, lemon juice and flour until creamy. Then pour into cake pan. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and cardamon.
4. Cover the top of the pan with a piece of aluminum foil.
Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the Instant Pot and place the trivet in the bottom of the pot.
5. Create a “foil sling” by folding a 20-inch long piece of foil in half lengthwise two times. This “sling” will allow you place and remove the springform pan with ease.
6. Place the cheesecake pan in the center of the sling and carefully lower the pan into the Instant Pot. Fold down the excess foil from the sling to ensure the pot closes properly.
7. Lock the lid into place and make sure the vent is closed “sealing”. Press the “Manual” button and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
8. Let it manually release for 15 minutes.
Apple or Peach or Blueberry Crisp
Ingredients:
For crumble on top:
½ cup flour
½ cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 table spoons of butter chopped into smaller pieces
½ teaspoon cinnamon & cardamon & nutmeg
1 teaspoon a vanilla powder
¼ teaspoon salt
For Filling:
2 apples chopped or 2 peaches or ¼ cup of blueberries
2 tablespoons of butter
Honey for your desired taste, I use none as I feel the fruit is sweet enough
Cooking Instructions:
1. Get a microwave safe mug and melt 3 table spoons of butter
2. Pour in fruit add a little honey if you have a sweet tooth
3. In a measuring cup or bowl mix all crumble ingredients then pour onto the filling, mix well
4. Microwave for 90 seconds, mix and then microwave another 90 seconds. If you are at high elevations you may need to microwave for another 30-90 seconds.
Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of milk or half and half or coconut milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 table spoons of butter chopped into smaller pieces
½ teaspoon cinnamon & cardamon & nutmeg
1 teaspoon a vanilla powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 banana mashed
Cooking instructions:
1. Get a microwave safe mug and melt 2 tablespoons of butter
2. Add milk and all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly
3. Mash in banana and mix thoroughly
4. Microwave for 90 seconds, mix and then microwave another 90 seconds. If you are at high elevations you may need to microwave for another 30-90 seconds.
5. Be careful to not overcook but you don’t want it raw in places.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of milk or half and half or coconut milk
1 egg white
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons of peanut butter or cashew butter
2 table spoons of butter chopped into smaller pieces
½ teaspoon cinnamon & cardamon & nutmeg
2 teaspoons of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon a vanilla powder
½ a dark chocolate bar broken into pieces or handful of chocolate chips
Handful of cashews or pecans broken into small pieces
¼ teaspoon salt
Cooking instructions:
1. Get a microwave safe mug and melt 2 tablespoons of butter
2. Add milk, egg white, peanut butter mix thoroughly and smooth
3. Add all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly
4. Add chocolate bar or chips and nuts
5. Microwave for 90 seconds, mix and then microwave another 90 seconds. If you are at high elevations you may need to microwave for another 30-90 seconds.
6. Be careful to not overcook, it can dry out easily but you don’t want it raw in places.
We hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do! With the holidays coming up, next week we will post our top 25 gift ideas for the RVer or vanlifer you have in your life! Cheers!
Living full-time in your van/RV you end up purchasing several items thinking it will make your life so much better! After 10 months and living in about 25 square feet, we now know what is helpful in tight spaces. We have made a list of items ranging in price from a few bucks to a several hundred to meet people’s varying holiday budgets. We decided to share with you items we use either weekly or daily. Here are our top 25 holiday gift ideas before Black Friday! First, we’ll just list and hyperlink the items. Below the list is an explanation why we like the items so much and are recommending them. Happy Holidays!
So why these items? We find these items help us with everyday living. We try to find items that take up as little space as possible, are the most affordable and durable (as everyone who knows me, I am the Samsonite Gorilla when it comes to using items-if it can break, I will find a way to break it). First item on the list, is the Instant Pot! Being able to cook a full meal in one pot and typically in less than 30 minutes makes life easy and efficient! Plus, when you are doing the dishes it makes clean-up so much easier in a tiny space. When it comes to cooking, we use these items every day. The Instant Pot usually makes about 2-3 meals for a couple so these collapsible containers are great for storing leftovers and pack away nicely. I also like to steam my vegetables instead of them overcooking in the instant pot, this steamer does the trick in the microwave. We love our Espresso and our cooktop is induction so you must have a special induction coffee maker. This Induction Italian Espresso Maker makes the perfect espresso to fit in our Hydroflask Coffee Mugs (keeps your coffee nice and hot and spill proof, especially good for me as a clutz I am in the morning). We like to grind fresh coffee beans each morning, makes a wonderful scent throughout the van, this Coffee Grinder is durable and small to store. I also love the Hydroflask Wine Glasses, this way you don’t have to worry about glass breaking in your van and it keeps your wine the perfect temperature. There are so many recipes that require boiled water and if you are a tea lover, having boiling water in a couple minutes is great. We use this electric kettle every day. Getting your paper towels out of the way but in easy reach is important. I am surprised many RVs don’t come with a paper towel holder, we like the modern look of this paper towel holder and its durability. When you are living in less than 25 square feet if something can be used in multiple ways it is especially beneficial. We love Dr. Bronner’s Soap as it can be used as hand soap, dish soap, shower body soap and washing clothes soap. It is biodegradable and won’t hurt the environment and if you have dry skin we find it doesn’t dry you out. My favorite is the Dr. Bonner’s Liquid Lavender Soap. A lot of RVers worry about the fresh water in their water tanks and if its clean and how often to clean the tanks and how to clean the tanks. We solved this by getting a Berkey Water Filter. We love this, the water taste fantastic and we use it every day! If you have a hard time falling asleep like Greg and I do, we are huge fans of cbdMD Sleep Tincture. Bode is almost 11 years old and is a big fan of their cbdMD dog treats (really calms him down and he thinks they are super tasty) and the cbdMD Hip and Joint Soft Chews really helps his hips if he goes on too long of a walk or hike with us.
When we roll into a new camp spot either at a campground or boondocking. I usually have the ritual of putting the awning out, laying out the outdoor mat, setting up the compact camping chair and I love this camping stool if a friend comes by to sit or we typically used it as a table for drinks or electronic devices. After a long drive Greg and I love to roll out our backs with this back roller and stretch out with this yoga set. We also find there are many times you will get to a spot where there is no cell reception so having good walkie talkies that are long range and waterproof are helpful for communication when you are trying to find a camp spot, go out for a hike or bike ride alone or helping your spouse backup and avoid smacking into a tree or rock! People ask us what type of shoes do you use as you can’t bring too many pairs on the road? For the Spring, Summer and Fall we love these Chaco’s men sandals and Chaco’s women’s sandals they are super comfortable, great support and we can walk/hike for miles. One thing that is super important if you are walking in areas there are snakes is to have good walking sticks. Make sure you bring plenty of water on your hikes, we really like these water bottles from Hydroflask and this collapsible dog bowl for Bode. I also find after having two reconstructive knee surgeries, these walking sticks are great going downhill and in rocky areas. Don’t forget to bring your protein bars, we like these healthy protein bars as they are super healthy and have no added sugar but only the natural sugar from dates. I have low blood pressure so I need to take salt tablets, I find LMNT Recharge gives me the salt I need and flavors the water with a yummy citrus taste, so you get the rehydration benefits and a tasty drink! I have said multiple times in our blogs I have gone over a year without a cold and I live by this Zinc Spray. I take it when I feel run down, especially when I am out and around sick people. When I feel a possible cold coming on I take 3 sprays every 4 hours and Airborne vitamin C chewable and, so far no cold!
There are some important items you need for your RV to make life easier. If you are carrying bikes and are off roaders- like us, you go down a lot of dirt roads, hit the elements: like rain and snow. If you want your bikes to stay in good shape we love this duel bike cover from Formosa, it’s also big enough for electric bikes. They also stand behind their product; the zipper broke after 3 months and they sent us a new one when we contacted them! It’s nice to get the trash out of your van, we really like the Trasharoo that fits on our spare tire to put trash, our shovel, and some of our dumping supplies. Depending on the size of your RV you will want one or both of these options for doing laundry. When I am on the road, I use the Scrubba when I am at a campground and can easily hang a line. It rolls up so small and can store in any cabinet in our RV. If I am at our RV stop at Caballo Loco Ranch, where we have a storage trailer and more room, I use the Easy Go Portable Washer where I can do almost a full small load of laundry! They both work amazingly well and I use Dr. Bronner’s soap so I can dump the soap water and not damage any vegetation. When you are in limited space of a camper van there is not many places you can hang towels. We have found these XL Camp Towel great for drying off after a shower and can hang off the AC vent. We use these set of three Camp Towel Set (one for hand drying, one for dish drying and one for our feet when we step out of the shower and to dry off the shower) and all of these can easily hang off the AC unit with the snapping leash. GPS is great but sometimes you want that paper map! We love our Atlas where it shows rest stops, camp grounds and more details on national parks. When we hit the road we had no idea, how limited cell coverage is in a lot of the rural areas in this country the Weboost Cell and Internet Booster works great and usually doubles our reception coverage! We wouldn’t be able to enjoy Netflix, Amazon Prime, Pandora, AppleTV or maintain this blog without it! Living in a small camper van, you are limited on space and these Compression Clothes Travel Bags make it so we can take a lot more clothes in our small cabinet.
Last, but not least folks asks us what types of tech items we use often. I love to read and I love the Libby app where I can download 15 books from my library to my Kindle paper white e-reader. When we watch TV we like to use our Amazon Fire Stick or Apple HDMI Dongle . It is important you get the apple dongle and not one of the cheaper knock off brands as Amazon and Netflix will not let you stream with the knock off brand while with the Apple it works! If you are on the road and need a good affordable laptop, I can’t believe how inexpensive the Costco Lenovo Touchscreen IdeaPad for only $499 can do everything you need! It is a great product, dependable, I use it to make all my videos, maintain my blog and do everything else you need to do online. Also, Costco has great customer tech support. My laptop stopped working and I just sent it in and 4 days later it came back repaired or replaced. Last but not least is good Bluetooth ear buds. I loved these Apple Airpods that are currently on discount for Black Friday as they are super comfortable and they don’t light up and wake up Greg when I am listening to a book in the middle of the night to fall asleep.
We hope these are helpful and know they will make the RVer in your life super happy to get one of these items! Cheers, next week’s blog will bring my favorite recipes on the road- none take more than 30 minutes and some only 10 minutes.
(We are Amazon Associates & cbdMD Influencers, so we may earn from qualified purchases.)
Encouraging the Minimalist Life 