Hello there, {{firstname}}!  

We spent some time in the heat, on the beach, by the salty seas in Mexico last week, far away from our usual foods (or grocery stores).  

As a mom who's thoughtful about the foods you feed your child, I'm sure you can relate to the extra layer of "adventure" when you travel away from your usual food routine.  

I packed mixed nuts, carrots and celery, almond butter packets, Epic meat sticks and bars, lettuce/turkey/kraut wraps and Gell-O for the plane, and a similar bag of snacks for the trip home.  (Surprisingly, the Gell-O passed security just fine; the lamb and venison meat bars were confiscated at customs, but turkey sticks were OK.)

Usually I travel with a lot of food, but not this time!  We were heading for the land of coconuts and avocados, fresh fish and salsas - I decided to trust we'd be OK.

Here are a couple of our easy vacation lunches:

fresh guacamole on fermented nuts & seeds toast

Avocado:

- full of beneficial fiber

- high protein and healthy fats

- antioxidants

- vitamins and minerals

Cilantro:

- detoxifying

- antioxidant

Lime:

- vitamin C

veggie sticks with sardines, kraut and starfruit on fermented nuts & seeds toast

Sardines:

- loaded with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats

- lots of selenium, B-12, calcium

Sauerkraut:

- lots of beneficial probiotic bacteria

- superior nutrient availablity

- fiber to support great bowel movements

Starfruit:

- vitamin C

- antioxidants, including quercitin

ferments I stocked the house with...

I found some kefir and sauerkraut at a nearby shop.  

While I was there, another helpful shopper handed me this bread and said "here's a gluten free bread made of fermented nuts and seeds."  I looked.  It said GLUTEN FREE.  I said "thanks!" and got three loaves.

Ahem... did you read the ingredients?  

Ha!  Clearly, I didn't.  

This gluten free family had already chowed through a loaf and a half of this "gluten free" bread by the time I took this picture and noticed the ingredients!

Now I have a question for you...

How would you feel if this happened to you?  What would you do next?  

Hit reply and tell me!

Love, 

Elissa

PS  On Wednesday, I'll tell you how I reacted, and why it's so different now than it was in the past.  

PPS  After that, I'll share the most gorgeous food images from our favorite beachside restaurant!