FOOD TALK

This weekend was a very productive weekend for us.  We went shopping for food to put in our first mail drops and OH MAN DID WE SHOP.  

First we went to Grocery Outlet - then we hit up Winco - and then ended our trip at Trader Joe's. 

GROCERY OUTLET

Why have I never been here?  I could not believe my eyes!  The deals!  It's a little creepy inside (especially the longer you stay in there) but I was enamored with the concept of this place.  Picked up some sunscreen, lotion, anti-itch soothing stuff, all of the oatmeal I could ask for, and more! 

WinCo

Usually a "no thank you" place - we were thrilled to make a trip out to WinCo.  It was nostalgic for me because, in college, I shopped there frequently.  Odd smells, strange characters, terrible location.... great prices!

Trader Joe's

WHO HAS BETTER SNACKS THAN TRADER JOE'S?

Having sketched out a general outline of how many meals we might need for the first few weeks, we went into this semi-prepared.  But... I didn't really end up sticking to the plan.  I completely forgot to even look at my carefully considered worksheet.  Here I was - impulsively throwing bag after bag of dried goods into my cart.  

Before the excursion, Ben and I sat down and listed every meal we would need for each and every mail drop.  Every breakfast, lunch and dinner was accounted for.  This definitely helped us wrap our brains around the whole notion of a "mail drop" and got us thinking about how much food specifically we were going to be eating each meal.  So we counted how many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners we had to purchase, generally made a list of some "good" food ideas, and called it a day.  

BUT - once we got to Grocery Outlet we sort of decided to abandon the "organized list" idea and instead, agreed to take buy frivolously, bring the mass of food home, lay it on the floor, and ration it all out AFTER we had purchased it.   

For those of you curious about where we are sending food drops: 

1. Scout & Frodo's (the Trail Angels who are hosting us the night before our trip in San Diego) - I'm considering this a "mail drop" since we are going to package up our food and send it to their house a few weeks prior to leaving.  We don't want to have to deal with shopping the day before we leave - nerves will be high enough.  Essentially - this box will contain the food that will get us to Mt. Laguna.

2. Mt. Laguna - I know, I know, it's only 43 miles in but we are starting off rusty and slow so we want to carry as little food weight as possible the first leg of the trip.

3.  Warner Springs - Obviously.  This is where most people mail themselves food even if they plan on using a "buy as you go" food resupply strategy.  

4.  Ziggy & the Bear (Trail Angels)

We are only sending ourselves food to these 4 places from home, ahead of time, and then we will switch to a "buy as you go" strategy and simply shop in town as we go.  There are exceptions to this rule once we hit Oregon/Washington that I will discuss later.... but for now - we are only focusing on getting our food together for Southern California!

mandatory fast food break in order to stay calm

in it's glowing glory

It is safe to say that all three of us have a very short fuse when it comes to shopping under fluorescent lights.  I can typically spend a maximum of 1 hour in a windowless store filled with shopping carts, children, humans, and bright lights.  Avoiding large (chain) grocery/department stores is something I do with skill.  This shopping trip was different.  It was an event.  We have been planning planning planning and thinking thinking thinking about this facet of our preparations for so long!  Our spirits were high and we got a kick out of it.  There were so many great backpacking options!  Such good people watching!

yep

It definitely gives you a rush to throw any and all food items that look appealing into a shopping cart willy-nilly.  This is not how i usually operate, but it was how I decided to handle the daunting task of shopping for 30+ meals all at once.  In real life, I love to browse recipes, make lists, carefully stick to these lists, make meals at home, eat healthy, and otherwise enjoy the process of eating.  However....... this new mode of operation was fun.  What flavor of pop tart?? Should I get 5 boxes? Sure.  How about Triscuits?? Do I even like those? I'm not sure.  Maybe I'll try 3 flavors.  GUSHERS ARE STILL AROUND? YES PLEASE.

This makes it sound like I am a junk food fiend.  I'm quite the opposite - but maybe that is why I am taking so much pleasure in buying copious amounts of it?  I did buy my fair share of gross-ness at WinCo but I also made sure to buy a lot of "healthy" food too....

I don't think I can wait to eat these

It's getting serious - this is only a sample