This is one of Daniel’s favorite recipes. Don’t be put off by the Indian spices – you may be able to find them in a regular grocery store, if not, try going to an Indian grocery store. You’ll find spices in bulk at great prices plus all the lentils and beans make a trip to an Indian grocery store well worth it.
Ingredients
3 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tbsp garlic, minced
16 oz red lentils, rinsed
9 oz chopped frozen spinach
3/4 cup brown rice
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Directions
Combine all ingredients in an 8 quart pressure cooker pot. Add enough water to cover ingredients by 1 1/2 inches. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
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This morning, Daniel finished the safe driver course to get a discount on our car insurance. It was time intensive and only marginally worth the discount we received.
We explored downtown Harlingen, TX and found a lot of secondhand clothing stores. One store in particular had an amazing assortment of designer clothes, clothes that sparkled, jewelry, and home goods.
We also stopped at the library which had an amazing fenced in courtyard.
Daniel trying to befriend a cat in the library courtyard
We tried joining a “walk” at the campground but it was an exercise class with yoga mats so we weren’t interested. Instead, we took the boys for a walk. Then we relaxed most of the day. Doing nothing is cathartic.
Today we had another relaxing day. Daniel and I both have lengthy to-do lists so we appreciated taking the time to get some things done. We tried going to an ice cream social but they did not have any non-dairy options. So we ended up in the hot tub and made our own “nice cream” using frozen bananas, almond milk, chocolate, and peanut butter.
This morning we got up early and did a beginners trail dance class. Trail dancing is couples line dancing and we had a lot of fun learning the dances and meeting new people. Everyone is so friendly down here. We learned the dance for Two Shots of Crown.
We also made sure Daniel’s computer works with the projector for tomorrow’s presentation, bought tickets for a concert on Wednesday, and asked the wood shop if they would help me make something.
We went to Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco, TX which is known for bird watching. We learned that people eat yucca flowers and the flowers are so popular in Mexico that people will just chop them down wherever they find them even if it means stealing from someone’s yard. We don’t condone theft but this seems like a more wholesome illegal activity.
Next we stopped in Hidalgo, TX to see the world’s largest killer bee. This town decided to embrace the U.S. arrival of the killer bee in 1990. Africanized honey bees aren’t more venomous than the average bee but they are more aggressive and will attack in droves.
We also went to McAllen, TX and stopped at the library. We love checking out local libraries. Daniel reads magazines and I look for vegan cookbooks I haven’t seen before.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0 (Thousand Trails)
Camping memberships: $14.92
Food: $166.63
Miles driven: 175.3 (61.1 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
You can make your own ice cream right at home without a lot of fuss. This recipe uses frozen bananas but the ice cream will not have a strong banana flavor. Frozen bananas tend to lend a creamy taste to smoothies and ice cream. So the next time you have a sweet tooth, give this recipe a try.
Ingredients
2 bananas, sliced and frozen
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup plant-based milk
Nuts for topping (optional)
Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Alternative Flavors
1 tsp Cinnamon and 1/4 cup Pecans
1/2 cup frozen Strawberries
Notes
We like using our NutriBullet to blend our ice cream.
Always keep some sliced bananas in your freezer.
Finding a good natural peanut butter which contains only peanuts and no added oil can be hard but it is possible.
This post contains affiliate links which do not cost you anything but we may earn a small commission which may help offset the cost of this website.
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We explored the campground and were quite impressed with all the activities offered. I think we’re going to take pickleball and line dancing classes. We toured the wood shop and looked at the amazing bowls and urns being made. In the next two weeks, we’re going to concerts and Daniel is going to do a 15 minute presentation on Healthy Living with Whole Food, Plant-Based Eating at a community meeting. This campground is like a mini The Villages in Florida.
Then we went to an RV dealer and looked at toy hauler campers. We are thinking we may upgrade to a toy hauler if we buy the Tesla Cybertruck. Right now we are struggling with being over the gross weight of our camper and being over the max towing capacity of the Tesla Model X.
Next we looked at Kubota tractors. We aren’t ready to buy right now but we will need a decent sized tractor for our Tennessee property.
We ended the evening by watching a Bee Gee’s concert with other campers at the community center. It was a video presentation and we enjoyed it more than we thought we would. It was also a fundraiser for the local animal shelter.
We started the day with coffee and a line dancing class. It was a ton of fun and we got a good workout and met some nice people. Then we stopped at the wood shop to have a board cut for our camper. We talked to some of the woodworkers who were very friendly. The things they make are beautiful! We were really impressed with all the equipment they had.
We did a couple of things around the camper and then spent the evening at the pool. It was so nice relaxing and listening to the birds as the sun set.
We drove to some SpaceX facilities today: StarBase and SpaceX Tracking Station. There is a whole little village on the grounds with tiny houses and Airstream campers, a medical clinic, a small grocery store, a recreation area, and it is near a beach on the gulf coast. Daniel was really excited to see these SpaceX facilities.
We were so close to the Mexican border that we had Mexican cell phone coverage and we went through a border patrol checkpoint (and, ironically, were asked if we were US citizens by someone who speaks English as a second language).
We took the boys on the beach for off-leash running and seashell collecting. The shells were really thick on this beach compared to other beaches where the shells were thin and broke easily. We drove to the Mexican border on the beach. There were no signs – the beach just ended at the Rio Grande River.
Next, we drove to South Padre Island, TX. It’s a tourist area so we didn’t find much to do but we did get some cheap beach towels.
It’s a beautiful sunny day and we decided to relax at the camper. Daniel will be giving a short WFPB presentation at the campground community meeting next Tuesday so he spent some time preparing. I did laundry and I made soy milk, dog food, and a baked peanut butter and oatmeal dish.
After dinner we spent the evening in the hot tub and met some new people. There are so many people who recently retired, sold their homes, and hit the road. It’s neat to hear their stories and share the excitement of living this lifestyle.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0 (Thousand Trails)
Camping memberships: $14.92
Food: $65.26
Miles driven: 235.3 (75.3 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
2-14-2024 H: 67ºF L: 57ºF Goose Island State Park, Rockport, TX
Today we traveled further south. The weather has been great around the Houston, TX area but we are aiming for the southern tip of Texas for the really warm weather. We are staying for one night at Goose Island State Park in Rockport, TX. Our site is right on the water. We drove to The Big Tree which is a tree thought to be 1000-2000 years old and one of the biggest in the US. There is a fence around it and a group of volunteers who take care of it. During times of drought the fire department waters the tree.
We also saw this awesome RV just down from our site. They are traveling the country to raise awareness about animals being used in research. We tried to meet them but they weren’t outside. Follow them on their website or listen to their podcast.
We traveled further south to Seawind RV Resort in Riviera, TX. It was an uneventful drive through very flat farmland. We did drive through Corpus Christi, TX which we will camp near in the future. Our campground is on the water but in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, we do not think very highly of this campground as they do not allow pit bulls per county regulations although I called the county and was told there is no ban on pit bulls in the county.
As we have traveled through various states, I have been amazed at the number of people still using plastic grocery bags. I always carry four reusable bags in my purse. We use these bags consistently. We refuse plastic bags if we buy more than will fit in our reusable bags as we always have more reusable bags in the car. I read an article today by NPR regarding how the oil industry has known since the 1980s that plastic recycling wasn’t a viable option to keep plastic out of the environment. The oil industry has a voice at international summits on the climate and environment. We, as consumers, must speak with our wallets. Of course, not using plastic grocery bags is only a small part of the solution but it is something that is easily doable. Once you start on the path to reduce plastic consumption, you’ll find yourself making other environmentally friendly decisions. Reduce, reuse, recycle!
It was rainy and cold today. We stayed at the camper and I made crackers out of mashed chickpeas, okara, and spices. They were so good!
We traveled south to Encore Sunshine RV Resort in Harlingen, TX. This campground is like The Villages in Florida – tons of activities like art classes, woodworking, dance classes, card games, live music, and a real sense of community. Apparently, there are a lot of travelers who are French Canadian because they have Pétanque which is a game similar to Bocce Ball. We are excited to be at this campground!
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $82
Camping memberships: $18.65
Food: $0
Miles driven: 451.8 (340.4 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 4
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
2-11-2024 H: 75°F L: 51°F Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, TX
Today is a travel day. We drove south to Brazos Bend State Park. We have been told that it is the alligator park. As in, hold-on-tight-to-small-children-and-pets-while-walking-on-the-trails type of alligator territory.
We took a toll road on our way south out of Houston and I’m pretty sure we’re going to get a citation for not having the proper electronic pass. Houston, your toll roads are confusing!
We have also noted that southern people seem to be a little crazy about Buc-ee’s. 50+ gas pumps, giant convenience store with clothing and home decor, and a bunch of unhealthy food. We don’t get it. Apparently, people are excited about their clean bathrooms which we appreciate but, we’d rather see clean bathrooms just be the standard at all public places.
We arrived at the campground and we saw four foot alligators before we even got to our campsite! Up until now, having traveled along the gulf coast from Florida to Texas without one sighting of an alligator, we were starting to think they were a myth. But they do exist!!
Unfortunately, our excitement was dampened by a camper malfunction – our slide out wouldn’t move. Luckily, Daniel is a genius and he is able to fix just about anything. At our last campsite, he built a small shelf for one of the kitchen cabinets and the wiring inside the cabinet was disturbed. He found one of the wires unplugged. Simple fix!
Once we got set up, we drove around the campground. Daniel talked to the camp hosts who suggested a particular lake to see large alligators. We didn’t have any luck seeing the alligators but we did notice springtime flowers everywhere.
2-12-2024 H: 59°F L: 44°F Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, TX
We stayed at the campground and did some hiking. We started at the visitor center where they had some rescued hatchling alligators and we got to touch one. These hatchlings were rescued from an abandoned nest and will be released when they are a year old. We then walked 6 miles with the boys and saw many alligators, including a mom with hatchlings, a turtle, wild boars, and many birds. We watched a man’s hat blow off and land right by an alligator near a bench. The man very bravely went to pick it up. If it had been me, I would have gotten a long stick to retrieve my hat.
Mom and hatchlings
2-13-2024 H: 66°F L:36°F Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, TX
We went to Galveston, TX today. It’s Fat Tuesday and we’ve been told it’s a big deal on the island. A parade was scheduled for the evening but we left before the parade.
Interesting fact: Galveston is the birthplace of Juneteenth – a celebration of June 19, 1865 – which was the day slavery was abolished in Texas, freeing one of the last groups of slaves in the United States.
We stopped at the beach on our way to Galveston and the boys had a ball running off leash. The boys get so excited about our adventures that they act like hooligans before we get them out of the car. In the video below, Daniel tried to get them to calm down.
We saw some cool stuff on the Strand in Galveston: a cute dog rocking an outfit in a stroller and a shark made entirely out of plastic garbage collected from the ocean and beaches.
We also heard from a follower of our website who has been inspired to eat more whole food, plant-based. Yay! Daniel is happy to offer advice or answer questions for anyone interested in better health through healthier food choices.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $72.51
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $0
Miles driven: 268.4 (121.5 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We just relaxed, did laundry, and napped. I made the worst, most watered down coffee of my life today. It definitely affected us as we could barely stay awake by mid-afternoon. I’m still figuring out the best way to use the new percolator.
Today we went on a free 90 minute educational boat tour of Port Houston. It was fun seeing the big freighters and we saw the U.S. Coast Guard driving around with a machine gun on the front of their boat. We were told by an artist, who is a retired teacher/principal, that the shipping channel used to be so polluted that, on a field trip, the boat had to turn around because so many kids got sick and vomited.
Today we met with Stacy and her friend, Debra, at Sawyer Yards, a very large converted space for artists’ studios. We had fun talking to some of the artists like Kathy Drago who does wonderful paintings of elderly women. I did not take any pictures of her paintings (I wasn’t sure it was allowed) but, if you have a chance, check out her website. I looked through her website and for some reason I had a strong emotional reaction to Marguerite (10 x 10 oil on wood). I got a fluttery feeling in my stomach and tears sprang to my eyes.
We had a great time hanging out with Stacy and Debra as we looked at the artwork. We hope to meet up with them in the future.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0 (Thousand Trails)
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $106.18
Miles driven: 224.2 (62.1 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We had a relaxing day at the campground. We stopped by the office to get the code for the gym. Then we took the boys to dog island. We sat outside the rest of the day and just relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine. Retirement rocks!
Today is the anniversary of our first contact – an email from Daniel. We were both on VeggieDate looking for “the one”. We very quickly became inseparable. To celebrate we went hiking with the boys at Sam Houston National Forest in New Waverly, TX. We also made a nice dinner of baked marinated tofu over a bed of brown rice with a pepper jack sauce, vegan of course.
We worked on stuff at the camper most of the day. Daniel is taking an online safe driver course to get a lower rate on car insurance. They did a whole section on how ABS brakes function which seemed a little weird because ABS brakes have been standard since 2004. Then we realized that people living in the south may not use ABS breaks very often so info on what and how is probably appropriate.
Today is an adventure day! Of course we started the day with a trip to dog island for the boys. They love it there so much!
The boys running to dog island
We drove to Houston and took a tour of the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern which cost $15 per person and was totally worth it. This cistern was built in 1926, took 95 days to complete, and held 15 million gallons of water for Houston residents. It was decommissioned in 2007 and turned into a park. It has 221 columns and is currently filled with about 10 inches of water which gives a nice optical illusion. The acoustics are amazing inside the cistern! Listen to the tour guide sing in the video below.
Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern
Our history tour guide sang for us because this cistern has an echo that lasts 17 seconds!
Next we walked in a park next to a river down to the bat bridge. We did not see any bats but we could hear them. They leave the bridge every night at dusk. The view of the city during our walk was beautiful. Houston has miles of underground tunnels that connect various office buildings. The tunnels offer shopping and dinning.
Houston skyline
Next we drove to graffiti park. We like street art and find the creative messages and artistic talent to be just as good as any museum.
Graffiti Park
We met Stacy, Daniel’s friend from college, for coffee. It was fun talking to her. She is funny and welcoming. And she gave us homemade vanilla extract! Can’t wait to use it in my cooking. We already have plans to meet up with her again on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Stacy
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0 (Thousand Trails)
Camping memberships: $14.92
Food: $26.33
Miles driven: 226 (65.6 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We sat outside to drink our coffee and we were serenaded by a Northern Mockingbird. Such loud, beautiful sounds coming out of such a little body.
We got a free car wash at a new facility and now the Tesla is sparkling! Daniel loved that we worked together after the wash to clean out the inside and wipe down the car.
We walked on a small boardwalk and met a family with a little girl. Marcel was fine with being pet until the girl hugged him. After that, he didn’t want anything to do with the family.
We went to Houston today. We enjoyed dinner at a vegan pop-up, Vuture, and sat with fellow vegans. Two were from Bosnia and are pregnant (hope Feb 18th is the day for you guys!).
Then we went to a cool coffee house, Brass Tacks, where most people were studying or working. We sat in the loft. The coffee, music, and ambiance were really good.
Brass Tacks
Then we went to a game store, Joystix, where they had a night of unlimited games for $15. We played pinball games and a lot of old school games like Pac-Man. Daniel tends to dominate at Air Hockey while I dominate at Skee-Ball.
We had a relaxing day today. I finally started to feel better. We took the boys to dog island but there were people there fishing and the boys were not interested in running around with strange people present. We spent the evening in the hot tub and it was so relaxing.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $87.91
Miles driven: 157.1 (47.2 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
1-25-2024 H: 72°F L: 63°F Bayou Segnette State Park, Westwego, LA
We had planned on going to a the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve just south of us today to do some hiking with the boys. Unfortunately, it rained all day and I’m more of a fair weather hiker and so are the boys. So we stayed home and caught up on chores. Daniel booked more camping reservations. We can book anywhere from 2-6 months in advance at most campgrounds. Daniel has to consider distance and elevation traveled when planning our stays because we pull the camper with an electric vehicle and need to plan charging stops.
Daniel did go to an Amazon Pick Up Counter to get some orders. We also got the cutest picture of Marcel from his foster mom.
Marcel as a baby
1-26-2024 H: 68°F L: 56°F Maxie’s Campground, Broussard, LA
Today is a travel day. After staying in NOLA and now driving through Louisiana, we both agree that this is a dirty state. There is garbage everywhere. Everything has a decayed look, even the nice homes look decayed somehow.
We stayed at Maxie’s Campground in Broussard, LA. We are just staying for one night as we make our way into Texas.
1-27-2024 H: 65°F L: 48°F Delta Downs Racetrack, Hotel & Casino, Vinton, LA
Today is another travel day. We are boondocking in a casino parking lot tonight. We took the boys for a walk and then explored the casino. They only had slot machines, no table games. We aren’t gamblers so it was no big deal and we were happy to just hang out in the camper. The inverter attached to the Tesla battery worked perfectly and gave us all the power we needed.
We drove to Texas where we will be spending two weeks at a campground. We are both looking forward to having an extended stay so we can relax.
We met the nicest people while charging the Tesla today! John and Maree were super friendly and we hope to meet up with them when we’re in Blanco, TX. We also met Leo who is the kind of guy who is instantly your friend and we hope to meet up with him too.
We arrived at Lake Conroe RV and Camping Resort which is a Thousand Trails campground. It is first come, first served for the campsites so we drove around to find one we liked. The campground is pretty full. We started to unhook at a dirt site on the outskirts but quickly realized the mother and three kids next door would be too loud for us to tolerate so we moved to another site. The site we ended up with has a huge cement pad which is great because there has been a lot of rain lately.
It was fantastic weather today so we stayed at our campsite and got things done. Daniel took everything out of the storage area where he keeps tools so he could get organized. He also fixed our new percolator so it could accommodate a glass knob on the lid. Using the percolator is a flashback to Daniel’s childhood as his mother used a percolator and it will give me more time in the morning compared to the pour over method we have been using.
We took the boys for a walk to check out the campground. We walked down by Lake Conroe and found an island where we could let the boys off leash. They had so much fun! Peter even went in the water. Peter also held up traffic on our walk because he chose to poop right in the middle of the road.
The boys love dog island
We went to Home Depot for some tools and parts Daniel needed. You can take dogs in stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Joann Fabrics. The boys enjoy exploring and it has been really helpful for them to get used to strangers.
Daniel worked on fixing the door on the Tesla, which hasn’t been shutting properly, while the boys and I took a nap. Then I made Whole Wheat Bread and Soy Milk.
I woke up sick so no adventures today. We did drive the boys to the dog island again and they loved it, especially Peter. We also went to Kroger (yay! We miss Kroger) and the post office. You can have mail delivered to “General Delivery” at some post offices so we will do that going forward. We also have to plan our Amazon purchases so we can pick them up at pick up counters or lockers because our current campground charges $5 per package delivered.
Peter enjoying the waterDog island
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $36.61
Camping memberships: $26.11
Food: $190.83
Miles driven: 509.2 (366.2 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 3
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
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