Travel Journal: Israel

They say that it takes a few days to get acclimated back to "real life" and to absorb everything we saw/heard/felt/tasted/climbed/experienced on the trip. Well, its been 4 days and I can still barely piece together the various fragments that make up the whole ten days. One aspect that really stands out is the people I met. While I may not see many of these people I spent every waking moment with (which was a lot, we like, barely got to sleep) I realized that there are no boundaries for the kinds of relationships I will form in life. Friendships can form on various levels and connections can be made between even VERY seemingly different people. I now have doctor, lawyer and hedge-fund friends! That's nuts! The experience really brought clarity to my own sense of self and made me realize that our "outer identities" (our jobs, where we live etc. etc.) don't really make us who we are- we are such individualized beings and true relationships are built on a much deeper level. 

Ok, enough of the real talk and onto the food and pictures, this is a food blog after all!
All of the food throughout the trip was far beyond as delicious as I could have imagined. The meals were fresh, simple and mostly inherently vegetarian (as many places kept kosher). The vegetables were the freshest ever! I ate some of the best cucumbers and tomatoes I've ever had in my whole life because everything in the country is local and organic with no fancy labels or certifications needed, that's just the way it is! All of the "emergency snacks" I packed were not necessary although we did hike 80million miles a day in the sweltering heat and spend the rest of the time on a bus, so they were definitely put to good use. Two meals of note, probably because they were the only instances I went off from the group to eat, were in Jerusalem. 

The first place was called Village Green a vegetarian/ vegan take out place located in the center of Jaffa. It was a causal salad bar situation that charged by weight so you could mix and match food. The gluten free and vegan chocolate mouse cake still stands out to me. 

Our second day in Jerusalem they gave us some free time to wander around the market to get lunch. Initially, my friend and I ran to Village Green since it was so good, but sadly it is closed on Shabbat. We literally stumbled into this adorable little place, such a lucky accident!

The place was teeny tiny. There was some seating upstairs, but we opted for a table outdoor, literally on the street of the market place. Great people watching. 

We started off with some sage mint tea (new obsession) and this bottomless salad that we couldn't even finish between the two of us. It was super simple, but as I mentioned earlier all the vegetables were the freshest ever!

Then we ended the meal with some tomatoey brown rice with spiced lentil burger patties. For dessert, we bought an assortment of halva from one of the stands in the market. No words or pictures can suffice how freaking beautiful this country is, but I'll shut up now and give you some glimpses of what I saw...

Healthy Travels: Israel

This blog, Trail of Kale originally began as a platform to record my vegan eats while studying abroad in Ghana in the fall of 2010. You may be able to infer by the lack of posts from that time, internet was not the only thing that was sparse in that country. Grumbly stomachs aside, I learned a lot from my travels- how to prepare and how to improvise when you are completely unprepared in a foreign place. Although I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the food situation in Israel (i.e salad for breakfast!) I'm leaning towards over-preparation. Between long plane rides, hiking and generally eating in a group of 40+ people, in the worst case scenario I'll make a new friend over some dark chocolate?

L-R: 2 bars of dark chocolate (don't want to worry about hidden milk derivatives in a foreign language) various types of raw trail mixes for hikes, various food-based protein bars (Pure bars have a simple ingredient list and Macrobars are my new found on the go obsession! the coconut granola one tastes like candy!) Yogi Tea bags for morning and evening and some stomach ease thrown in there, nut butter packets and an sleepy eye mask because the best way to fight jet-lag is sleep. 

L'hitraot! (see you soon)

For the Traveling Foodie

Now that I just graduated college, quit my job and found someone to sublet my apartment, I plan to travel as much as I can in the next few months before "real life" begins. Of course, the first think I thought of is what/how am I going to eat while wandering around unknown territory with all my belongings stuffed into one bag?? The following are some of my packing essentials:

Mobile Spice Kit

For foodies, nothing is scarier than being in a strange place where you're subject to sub-par food. The horror! With this handy Mobile Foodie Survival Kit, you can doctor up even the most repulsive meal. Stocked with organic herbs and spices, plus indispensable extras like wasabi. Containers are unlabeled so they can be re-used for your favorite spices (separate key included).

$26 via Uncommon Goods
Spices I plan to bring: Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes, Hot Curry, Sesame Seeds, Dulse Seaweed


Klean Kanteen Insulated Bottle

This may very well be my smartest purchase of the year. After sadly misplacing my regular 20oz canteen that I took with me everywhere (even to Ghana and back!) and going through a plethora of thurmoses (or is it thurmosi?) that never lived up to their spill-proof claims, I decided to finally invest in this bad boy. I legitimately use it all day, everyday. I first use it for my morning tea, which I can brew at home and just toss the bottle in my bag without the fear of soaking all my books and then enjoy the warm beverage an hour later in class (or actually, up to 8 hours later!) I end up re-filling it from a water fountain or sink, creating what I like to call "tea water" mmm and then eventually toss the tea bag (or actually strainer, see bellow) so I can sip on plenty of water throughout the day.
$28 via Klean Kanteen 


Stainless Steel Mesh Tea Strainer Ball

It's pretty self explanatory what you do with this one. I will mention though that it fits perfectly in my insulated Klean Kanteen AND I also use them at home too. I love loose tea, and I like using these mesh balls over non-reusable tea bags because you eliminate waste, toxins from bleached tea bags (yup, it's not just green tea you're brewin' in that mug) and best of all, you get make little concoctions out of different amounts of loose tea (bancha green + nettles + fresh grated ginger = yum)
$4 via Amazon

This Tea-Rex would also totally get the job done, in style.
$14 via Fred Flare 


Bottle Opener Ring

This is a very smart idea.
$9 via Fred Flare


Travel Space Bags

While this one isn't exactly food related, it will allow me to over pack as I usually do (how can I predict what I will feel like wearing a week in advance??) while leaving plenty of extra room for food and art supplies and other goodies picked up along the way! They also come in handy for keeping your dirty clothes separate from clean ones.
$4.99ea via The Container Store


Green Superfoods

I'm at a point in my life where if I don't get enough greens in one day, I feel it. I also understand that it's not always possible to eat three cups of spinach by lunch time when I'm away from home, especially if I'm not doing my own grocery shopping. This mix has everything that I fill my fridge and cabinets with at home, all in an amber glass jar! It's raw and contains 33 superfoods including spiralina, sprouted flax and chia seeds and 25 billion live probiotics per serving. Yes please!
$59.99 via Billy's Infinity Greens

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is full of dietary fiber,protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. It is the healthiest oil to cook with (high smoking point) and I personally love using it as a moisturizer for my entire body and my hair (so it eliminates the need to bring lotion + hair products + leave-in conditioner etc..). Definitely going my suitcase! Oh and did I mention it tastes freakin' delicious and you can use it to make raw chocolate...
$12 via Spectrum Naturals but also Trader Joes sells it (organic) for around $8 !!


Swiss Measuring Spoons

If you plan to do lots of cooking wherever you are going, these measuring spoons will pack up small and look bad ass. These would be great for camping!

$16 via Fred Flare

Zip-Locks
I used to make fun of my mom for obsessively putting every item she packed into individual zip-lock bags. Then I went on a trip and my sunscreen exploded all over my clothes on the way over, and now I put everything in zip locks yay! They not only keep things from spilling, but I'm always so happy when I have empty bags to put dirty or wet clothes in when I'm re-packing. Bottom line- mothers are always right and its a good idea to use these.


Trail Mix


Being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar food is not fun. Especially if there is a lack of options, or barriers such as language or travelers-stomach that keep you from trying local cuisine immediately upon arrival. I even keep trail mix with me when I'm just walking around NYC. It's perfect for tying me over until my next meal, and can be caloric enough to be used as a meal replacement if your not able to find one/ feel too sick to experiment with exotic foods at the moment. My favorite includes any and all raw nuts and dried fruits. I'm especially into raw almonds and goji berries these days.

Ginger Tea (and other tea you love)

I always bring tea with me whenever I travel now. Ginger tea in particular is perfect for aiding in digestion, which can easily be disrupted when traveling. If you love a particular tea in the morning, bringing it with you when you travel is a great way to feel comfortable in a new surrounding. You can also enjoy it anywhere- even on the plane just ask the flight attendant for some hot water and mmm soothing ginger tea that will keep you happy and hydrated :)
$5 via Yogi Tea (my favorite brand of tea bags...be sure to read the quotes!!)

Other Teas I plan to bring: Green tea, Roobios chai tea, Tulsi (a.k.a Holy Basil), Nettles and Peppermint 


What are your travel essentials?