We love veggies and we want to get the most nutritional value out of them as we can. So a recent posting on NutritionFacts.org had us rethinking how we consume some of our veggies. Cooking can destroy some nutrients but allow better bioavailability for other nutrients. The best method is cooking for the shortest time possible.
Choose as many veggies as you’d like. Our favorites steamed in the pressure cooker include: carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale.
Directions
Rinse veggies and cut into small to medium pieces depending on how dense the veggie is. For instance, I thinly slice carrots and chop potatoes into small pieces. I break broccoli and cauliflower into medium sized pieces. I rip kale into pieces which are bite-sized.
Place all veggies into steamer basket.
Pressure cook on high for 1-2 minutes.
Do a quick release if you’d like the veggies to be slightly crispy. Wait 2-3 minutes to release pressure of you’d like your veggies to be softer.
Notes
If you do the quick release outside, it will prevent the hot steam from damaging your kitchen cabinets.
Based on Michael Greger, MD recommendations from NutritionFacts.org.
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.
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We had a relaxing day at the camper. The weather was cool so it was nice to sit outside. We are leaving tomorrow so we did a ton of laundry and cooking.
6-19-2024 H: 77°F L: 40°F The Hitching Post RV Park, Snowville, Utah
It’s a travel day! We are staying the night near the Utah border with Idaho. It was a great day to drive through Utah. Very sunny but not to hot. We had pretty views of the mountains from our campsite in Snowville, UT and enjoyed a full-ish moon.
We have some exciting news! We finally placed our order for the Tesla Cybertruck. Daniel got on “the list” for the Cybertruck in 2019. The truck has 11,000 lbs towing capacity so it will pull our camper with complete ease. We are going to keep the Tesla Model X too so we have a backup tow car and, since it has free supercharging, we will continue to use it for our adventure days of exploring.
6-20-2024 H: 92ºF L: 50ºF Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho
It’s another travel day! We traveled northwest into Idaho. We stopped in Burley, ID which was one of our charging stops. We were helped by a friendly man, Matt, at the post office. He helped extend our mail forwarding.
We stopped at another supercharger in Twin Falls, ID and were just minding our business when we found something spectacular in the parking lot. It’s the Snake River Canyon and Perrine Bridge. The bridge is the only man made structure in the US which allows BASE jumping year-round without a permit. The bridge is 486 feet above the river. We saw two people getting ready to jump as we were leaving.
We are staying a week at the Bruneau Dunes State Park. There is an observatory here which we plan on visiting on Saturday.
Views from our campsite
6-21-2024 H: 95°F L: 58°F Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho
We watched the sun set on our way to Crater of the Moon. It was such a pretty drive and very sparsely populated.
Two thousand years ago, volcanoes erupted so violently that they tore themselves apart. The lava and parts of the volcano crater flowed to the area of the Craters of the Moon and eroded over the years. It was very pretty and the park is very well maintained. They have lava tube caves you can go in but we weren’t able to explore those because it was too dark.
6-22-2024 H: 102°F L: 59°F Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho
It’s a hot one today but we did go for an early morning hike to the sand dunes. The Bruneau Dunes are the tallest freestanding dunes in North America.
We took a small adventure trip to see what cool things we may find. This part of the country has a lot of old signs which I have really enjoyed. We also stopped at an antique/consignment shop, The Calico Cupboard, in Glenns Ferry where the shopkeeper gave us a lot of suggestions on things to see and do.
Glenns Ferry, ID
In the evening we went to the Bruneau Dunes Observatory at our campground. We attended a nice presentation on space, stars, and the equipment at the observatory. We then went to view the night skies through a Planewave CDK 700 27” telescope and saw some nebulae. We also joined staff and volunteers outside who had some smaller telescopes set up to show us some of the star clusters mentioned in the presentation. My favorite is the ET cluster (NGC 457) in the constellation Cassiopeia. I also like the Fish Hook Asterism in the constellation Scorpius.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $167.80
Camping memberships: $18.65
Food: $9.89
Miles driven: 728.2 (319.8 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We stayed at this campground for 8 nights and paid $37.49 per night. It is right off the expressway but the road noise is not too bad. We were in site 30 which did not have any shade from trees. We recommend sites 22, 24, and 26 for shade and river views. There is a peninsula which you can access with a small foot bridge and we were happy to see them mowing the grass in this area during our stay. We would like to see a fenced in dog park on the peninsula. We did not use the bathhouse but our neighbors said it was in need of some work. (June 2024)
Great Salt Lake: Definitely worth a drive-by but we didn’t find any good areas to enjoy the lake without paying for state park entrance.
We stayed at this campground for one night. We paid $40.33. The campground was quiet and seemed well kept. The office is cute but there was no one there when we arrived. They do have a sign on how to self-register and pay using a drop box. We had been sent an email with our site number but when we arrived there was a boat parked in our site. We just chose another site. The hookups on our side of the campground were all in the front of the site – we could not connect our sewer hose without our camper hanging out into the road. We had to wait until morning to pull forward and dump. They have a dog park area but it is not fenced in. (June 2024)
Hog Canyon BLM Land
Kanab, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Dry Camping
We stayed at this BLM area for 3 nights. Our site was right next to a river with views of cliffs. This area is part of an OHV Trail system so we watched multiple people take their vehicles across the river (and almost get stuck). This spot is close to town where you can get water at a gas station. (Apr 2025)
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary: This animal sanctuary is awesome! Take their free Grand Tour, eat a $5 vegan buffet at the Angel Village Cafe, and give lots of love to the animals.
Dave’s Hollow Dixie National Forest
Bryce Canyon City • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking
We stayed at this site for two nights. There are designated sites for you to choose from and they are all very nice. We chose site 16. We found free water at the transit station. 4 bars LTE with Verizon. (Apr 2025)
Bryce Canyon National Park
Fishlake National Forest
Torrey, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking
We stayed at this site for two nights. Free EV charging was available close by at a bar. We got water from a gas station in town. It was quiet and peaceful although there was some traffic due to the ATV trails in the hills. (Apr 2025)
Capital Reef National Park: Stunning views and the Visitor Center has really well done displays on how the rock formations developed. We recommend driving down both canyons off the main road into the park.
Cotter Rd BLM
Moab, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking
We stayed here for 6 nights. It is BLM land and very popular with the ATV crowd. We enjoyed seeing the trains go by our camper with radioactive waste from the uranium cleanup site near town. We got water from an Exxon in Moab. There are both Superchargers and free Level 2 chargers in town. We did not have good cell phone coverage (Verizon 1 bar LTE). (Apr-May 2025)
Arches National Park
Canyonland National Park
La Verkin Overlook Rd BLM
La Verkin, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking
We stayed at this site for two nights. The area has several pullovers off the road and a bigger parking lot area that filled up in the evening. We had good cell phone coverage (Verizon 2 bars LTE). (May 2025)
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
Daniel has been working with a patient (for free, of course!) on improving health through whole food, plant-based eating. It has been very rewarding for him to help someone improve their health.
We drove into Salt Lake City to return the U-Haul and get a loaner Tesla. Daniel is having a lot of fun with the loaner because it’s a Model S Plaid – it’s very fast.
There is a fast moving river right next to our campground which we have enjoyed.
We relaxed at the camper most of the day. Our power was flickering but Daniel found that our surge protector was faulty because it had gotten wet. So some relaxing, laundry, chili, and whole wheat bread took up most of the day. We did really relish sharing the shade and a drink with our neighbors, Max and Nancy. We talked about many topics and really enjoyed their company.
We had leisurely coffee time this morning listening to the birds (there is a robin nest nearby) and looking at the hills and river.
Daniel picked up our car today. The repair involved changing out the 12 volt battery. Daniel put in a new 12 volt battery last October so we think this failure is related to the high-voltage battery failing two weeks ago.
We ended the evening by binge watching the rest of Bridgerton season 3 – definitely the best season yet. We can’t wait for season 4!
It was a little cooler today so we took the boys for a walk on the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail. It was a pretty walk next to Echo Reservoir. Next we drove around and found the town of Echo and an old site of the Pony Express.
We started our morning with coffee time outside and had a beautiful view of the mountains.
After doing some laundry, the boys took Daniel and I for a Father’s Day walk. We found a new luxury golf course/residential area being developed. Supposedly, one of the putting greens will go over the side of a cliff. There are some other residents in the development which we conversed with but we just got one syllable responses, mostly “moo”.
Peter had a vet appointment today for his annual vaccinations. He was afraid of the vet but the vet tech was super helpful. Marcel growled at everyone so he had to stay in the corner. He’s very protective of Peter and we refer to him as Peter’s guard dog.
Next, we drove around Salt Lake City and went to see the Great Salt Lake. Unfortunately, we didn’t find a place to stop and enjoy the lake for free. There was a state park but you had to pay an entrance fee to the park.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $42 (U-Haul)
Campsite: $224.94
Camping memberships: $22.38
Food: $277.66
Miles driven: 536.4 (155.7 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We did not spend much time in Wyoming so we don’t have many recommendations for activities in the areas we camped. We hope to return to Wyoming next year.
We stayed at this campground for one night. The sites are close together and you can hear road noise from the expressway. It was also extremely windy. We paid $32.77 for one night with our Passport America membership. They have many animals on the property and I have concerns about animal abuse. They have a very small pen filled with calves who looked sickly. I witnessed an ostrich pacing back and forth which generally indicates psychological distress. I think it’s sick to have children pet cows or any animal and then turn around and feed them those same animals at the on-site restaurant. (June 2024)
Elk Mountain RV Park
Elk Mountain, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Full hookup
Site 6Dog park
We stayed at this small campground for one night. The sites are small and may not fit a big rig. It was very quiet and we hardly saw any other campers. We loved hearing the nearby river. They have a fenced in area which we assumed was a dog park but it was not labeled as such. There was also what appeared to be a small junk yard on the edge of the campground. The cost was expensive at $50.89 for one night. (June 2024)
We stayed here for one night. We were told on the phone a couple of months ago that the cost was $35 per night; however, when we arrived we were charged $40 with no explanation for the price difference. We loved hearing and seeing the many trains on the other side of the expressway. We also loved watching the prairie dogs. (June 2024)
Point of Rocks Stagecoach Station: Old stagecoach stop in Point of Rocks which operated from 1862-1868 until the railroad made it obsolete.
BLM Land
Rock Springs, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking
We stayed here for one night for free. It was quiet and peaceful. The next morning we saw a camper van across the road and we had seen two RVs further down the main road. There are some ruts in the dirt two-track but nothing our Tesla couldn’t handle (see picture #2). We had three bars for Verizon service. The biggest negative was all the broken glass on the ground. We picked up a lot of the glass but probably didn’t put much of a dent in the problem. We were worried our dogs would cut their paws. (June 2024)
Signal Mountain Campground
Moran, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Electric only
We stayed for three nights at this campground and paid $58.28 per night. We stayed in site 34. There is access to Jackson Lake and beautiful mountain views from the campground. The sites are spaced far enough apart for some privacy. There is potable water and a dump station near the entrance. There is also a bathhouse and laundry. We enjoyed being right in the park and the major features of Grand Teton were within easy driving distance. We had good Verizon cell service (4 bars LTE). (Aug 2025)
Fishing Bridge RV Park
Yellowstone National Park, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Full hookup
We stayed at this campground for three nights and paid $120 per night. We stayed in campsite E177 and booked our reservation 6 months in advance. This campground is run by a private company not the national park service. Campground was well maintained. There is a gas station, general store with mostly snack food, and an automotive repair shop near the entrance to the campground. We had 1-2 bars LTE Verizon cell service which worked well for us most of the time. (Aug 2025)
BLM Land
Red Gulch Scenic Byway, Shell, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking
We stayed here for one night for free. We got water at a gas station in Greybull, WY and we charged our vehicles in Shell, WY. This BLM spot is in between these two small towns. We stayed in the parking/staging area for Red Gulch Byway but there are plenty of areas to boondock off of the byway which is a dirt road in good condition. There are also dinosaur tracks 5 miles down the road. The locals are friendly. We had one bar LTE with Verizon which provided intermittent cell service. (Aug 2025)
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We traveled to Elk Mountain, WY to stay one night in a tiny town with a tiny campground. We drove around and saw some awesome views of the mountains. We also saw a skunk crossing the bridge while we were looking at the river. So cute!
Skunk crossing bridgeRiver next to campground
6-9-2024 H: 84°F L: 45°F Point of Rocks Travel Center, Point of Rocks, Wyoming
We traveled west and are staying for one night in a campground next to the expressway. Daniel is geeked about all the trains going by and I am loving watching the prairie dogs. Daniel counted 106 cars on one train.
6-10-2024 H: 79°F L: 52°F BLM Dispersed Camping, Rock Springs, Wyoming
Well, we invited some prairie dogs to join us in our travels but, unfortunately, no one took us up on our offer. I had so much fun watching them from the windows of our camper.
We are traveling a little further west today. We stopped at an old stage coach stop built in 1861 and operated until 1968. The Point of Rocks Stage Station is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the few remaining stagecoach stations. It was at the junction of the Overland Trail and the Transcontinental Railroad. Following its stagecoach operations, the building was also a schoolhouse, store, ranch headquarters, and home. It was transferred to the State of Wyoming in 1947 and was restored in 1974.
The drive to our next campsite took us through the softer side of the Rocky Mountains.
We are boondocking on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land tonight. This will be our first experience staying on BLM land. You can camp for free on BLM land for up to 14 days. After 14 days, you must move to a new location outside of a 25 mile radius of the first campsite. BLM also has Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVA), such as Quartzite, Arizona, where you can boondock for 7 months for a cost of $180. You can find a map of BLM land here.
Well, we love camping on BLM land. It was so quiet and peaceful last night. We walked a two track up the hill with the boys as the sun was setting.
This morning we had to deal with another car issue: the battery was dead. The nearest Tesla Service Center is 180 miles away in Salt Lake City. We just signed up for Good Sam Roadside Assistance so we contacted them to help arrange a tow service. Four tow companies in the nearby town declined the job but Adams Towing in Salt Lake City agreed to come get us (thanks Josh!). Tow trucks rarely agree to take dogs in their trucks so Josh dropped Daniel off at a U-Haul so he could rent a truck to come get me, the boys, and the camper. We moved the camper to our next scheduled campground which is 45 minutes from the Tesla Service Center. The drive was pretty and we enjoyed seeing the hills becoming more green.
Poor “Hal”
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $128.38
Camping memberships: $14.92
Food: $60.03
Miles driven: 339.4 (107.2 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
Some parts of Colorado are pretty, some are not. We experienced both the best and worst of humanity in this state. If you are able to spend time away from the masses in the mountains, then we recommend visiting Colorado.
Site 10Bathhouse/laundryOfficeDog ParkDog parkJames
We stayed at this campground for 16 nights and paid $31.25 per night. It is in the middle of a very small, quiet town. The owners are very nice and we were pleasantly surprised to find a dog park. We really appreciated how considerate the man who cuts the grass was. He notified us he would be using an electric lawn mower near our campsite and he was concerned he might scare our dogs. The campground is older but well maintained. They have a resident cat, James, who is very friendly. They also allow you to receive packages at no charge. (May/June 2024)
Garden of the Gods: Beautiful area donated to the city of Colorado Springs. Entry is free.
Pikes Peak: Drive to the top of a mountain (14,115 feet) and enjoy the views. We also enjoyed the trails. There is an entry fee and reservations are recommended.
Old Colorado City, CO: Nice little town with shopping and restaurants. Check out the public restrooms in the park.
Manitou Springs, CO: Beautiful little town with natural springs scattered throughout the town.
We stayed at this campground for four nights and paid $37.77 per night. There is no cell service in the area but a library which provides WiFi is one mile away. The campground is beautiful and the park offers multiple trails (the Raccoon trail was hard to follow as it wasn’t marked very well). The campground was quiet and peaceful until the weekend warriors with kids showed up. Note: Barbie Jeep-type of electric vehicles are not allowed. (June 2024)
Visit the multiple small towns in the mountains like Central City, Black Hawk, Georgetown, and Red Cliff.
Hike the state park trails and visit Panorama Overlook.
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
6-4-2024 H: 80ºF L: 58ºF Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden, Colorado
We explored Manitou Springs, CO today. It is a quaint town with beautiful views of the mountains. It is a popular spot for tourists. It is known for its natural springs spread throughout the town. Daniel tasted the water from one of the springs and found it to be naturally carbonated. They also have a popular Penny Arcade with both vintage and newer games.
We went to Colorado Springs to pick up our car. The high voltage battery was replaced under warranty. We are happy to have the car and our belongings back.
We stopped in Central City and Black Hawk on the way back to our campsite. They are very cute old mining towns nestled in the mountains which are now thriving due to casinos.
6-5-2024 H: 73°F L: 57°F Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden, Colorado
We are going to Red Cliff, CO to honor Daniel’s brother, Dave. Red Cliff was one of Dave’s favorite places. During a road trip, he stumbled upon this small town and fell in love with its people and scenery. According to our camp host, Red Cliff was a popular town in the 1800s due to mining, almost became a ghost town, and now is a very nice place to visit.
Before going to Red Cliff, we stopped in Black Hawk at some of the cute shops. The shop keeper said the city is buying up land and creating an up-and-coming downtown experience.
On the drive to Red Cliff, we drove through the mountains and saw some mountain goats. We also drove past the abandoned mining town of Gilman, CO which had to be abandoned in 1984 on order of the EPA due to toxic pollutants in the water and soil.
Gilman, CO with abandoned mine on right
Red Cliff has a population of 275 and contains a restaurant/pub, post office, liquor store, and hotel. The homes are close together and the streets are narrow. We met a nice woman, Rebecca, who happens to be from Kalamazoo, MI, in the pub named Mango’s Mountain Grill. She was very friendly and we shared our story about Dave. She then told the chef about Dave so he bought us shots (thanks!). After drinks, we walked on Co. Rd 709, also called Shrine Pass, which is a dirt road and currently closed due to mud and snow. It was beautiful.
Driving back to our campsite we saw a bear.
6-6-2024 H: 74°F L: 51°F Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden, Colorado
We started our day with a hike on one of the state park trails. It’s so beautiful in the mountains. Next, we drove to Nederland, CO but we decided not to stop. On our way home, we went to the Panorama Overlook and it was stunning.
Well, we had a bad experience with a group of campers with kids. They were noisy and their kids were riding Barbie Jeeps on the road non-stop. Those vehicles are loud and, combined with the screaming and yelling from the kids, it was unbearable. I had to raise my voice to speak to Daniel when I was standing next to him on our own site. I made a complaint to the park ranger this morning. Turns out you are not allowed to have Barbie Jeeps at the campground.
It’s always good to be reminded of basic camping etiquette:
Do not walk through someone else’s campsite. It’s no different than walking through someone’s backyard.
Keep your kids and pets quiet. Everyone is excited to be camping but no one wants to hear your family over everything else. Some people, like me, will call and complain.
Today is a travel day. The drive down the mountain toward Boulder was awesome. The road followed a raging river and we saw some brave (or crazy?) rock climbers.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $146.06
Camping memberships: $14.92
Food: $40
Miles driven: 617.2 (213.7 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
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.
Kristin loves cooking but that doesn’t mean she wants to spend all day in the kitchen. Here are some things she uses and some tips which make cooking a lot easier.
Tools
Pressure Cooker
A pressure cooker makes cooking so easy and so quick. You can just add the ingredients, set the time, and walk away. Most electric pressure cookers have multiple functions such as sauté, rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt (yes, you can make vegan yogurt), etc. An 8 quart pressure cooker is recommendedwhich will allow you to have more leftovers and reduce the amount of time you need to cook each week. Our Instant Pot 8 quart pressure cooker came with a non-stick pot which we replaced with a stainless steel pot. We generally place the pressure cooker outside when cooking or releasing pressure so it doesn’t heat up our camper.
Tip: If you need to quickly release the pressure (vs natural release) just take the pressure cooker outside so you don’t need to worry about the hot steam damaging your wood cabinets.
Small Blender
We use a NutriBullet to make hummus, sauces, smoothies, and ice cream. It’s compact and easy to clean. The blender cups and blades are inexpensive to buy if you need to replace them.
Food Processor
We have used both an electric and non-electric food processor. We actually got rid of our electric food processor in favor of a lighter and, in our opinion better, hand operated model.
This inexpensive food chopper is great for chopping veggies. We use it most days to finely chop greens like spinach and kale with broccoli and carrot for a salad.
Freezer and Refrigerator Storage
To make cooking easier, we prepare onion, garlic, bananas, jalapeños, and other ingredients and then freeze them. Need 1/2 cup of chopped onion? No problem when you have it already prepared and just need to defrost it.
I really like Souper Cubes for freezing food. They come in the portion sizes of 2 cups, 1 cup, 1/2 cup, and 2 tbsp. They are made of food grade silicone, dishwasher safe, and you can put them in the oven (up to 415º).
I also use and like these one gallon freezer bags by Forid. Once I’ve frozen food in the Souper Cubes, I move it to these freezer bags. They take up very little space. I use painter’s tape to label them.
I absolutely love these Silipint 30 oz bowls with lids. I use them to store leftovers. They are so cute and colorful plus dishwasher, microwave, freezer and oven safe. They also have great clearance or Black Friday prices on their website.
If you are short on space, these collapsable bowls with lids may be a better option. They hold 27 oz and they are microwave, dishwasher, freezer, and oven safe.
Plant Milk Maker
We have used a soy milk maker for years. See my Soy Milk post. We also make almond milk using this device. You can choose to strain the pulp or not. We use our unstrained milk in food and strained milk in beverages. The pulp has a lot of nutritional value too so try to find creative ways to add it into your food.
Glass Jars to Store Homemade Milk
We use 64 oz glass jar pitchers to store our homemade plant milk. They are easy to clean by hand (opening is wide enough for me to put my hand in) or the dishwasher. Since they are glass, be careful not to put really hot milk in them or they might crack. I usually let our milk sit in the maker with the lid off for about 20 minutes before pouring it into our storage jars.
Cooking in Campers
Campers are not well insulated which means your air conditioner works hard during hot summer days. Heating up an oven inside your camper may not be the best option. We actually don’t have an oven in our small camper so we bought a Nuwave Brio 15.5 Qt Air Fryer Oven. We put it outside when we use it so it doesn’t heat up our camper.
Staple Foods
We keep certain foods stocked up in our pantry because we use them on a daily or weekly basis. These foods include:
Non-GMO soybeans for soy milk
Chickpeas for hummus, dog food, recipes, and snacking
Lentils for pressure cooker recipes or alone (red lentils make a great alternative to mashed potatoes)
Various beans for pressure cooker recipes (Lima beans, black beans, navy beans)
Garlic and onion, chopped and frozen
Cereal like oatmeal, Grape Nuts, and Shredded Wheat with added dried fruit
Lots of seasonings like chili powder, garlic powder, no salt seasoning, black pepper
Tips
Batch Prep Ingredients
The last thing I want to do is chop onions and mince garlic every time I cook so I prepare items in batches and freeze them.
I use a food processor/chopper to chop up the onions and freeze them in 1/2 cup portions
I use a food processor/chopper to chop garlic (we get large bags of peeled garlic at Costco) and freeze them in 1 or 2 tablespoon portions
I use the Nutribullet to chop jalapeños and freeze them in 2 tablespoon portions
I use the Nutribullet to purée bananas with a little almond milk and freeze in 2 tablespoon portions
I sauté greens and mushrooms and freeze them in 1/2 cup portions
2 tbsp frozen banana
Cooking on Travel Days
It’s not necessary to have your cooking be delayed by travel days. We try to drive less than three hours and arrive by 3:00 pm.
You can soak beans inside the pressure cooker pot. Place the pot in your sink when traveling.
Have all dry ingredients for bread or other baked goods prepared. Just add the wet ingredients when you arrive at your destination and bake.
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
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.
5-29-2024 H: 80°F L: 51°F Shady Grove Campground, Seibert, Colorado
We did laundry all day today because we had quite a bit. I also made Whole Wheat Bread. Daniel and I both got other things done which have been on our to-do lists for a while.
We also got an update on the Tesla. Estimated completion date is next Wednesday. Luckily, we will still be in the area next week.
5-30-2024 H: 78ºF L: 54ºF Shady Grove Campground, Seibert, Colorado
We went back to Colorado Springs, CO to do some more exploring. We drove up to Pikes Peak. It was a beautiful drive. We experienced a 35°F decrease in temperature and it snowed. The peak is at 14,115 feet with only 60% oxygen compared to sea level. We definitely felt lightheaded as we walked around the summit.
On the way out we stopped to hike a trail with the boys. It was so beautiful and the boys really enjoyed it and so did Daniel and I.
We stopped at The Joint (inside Avenue 19) in Colorado Springs for dinner. It’s in a trendy food court with a bar in the seating area. We both enjoyed an orange IPA while eating our sandwiches and reviewing today’s photos.
5-31-2024 H: 77°F L: 51°F Shady Grove Campground, Seibert, Colorado
After our Pikes Peak adventure yesterday, we were tired. It’s nice that our campground is quiet. It does see a lot of overnight stops so it must be on a major travel path.
6-1-2024 H: 81ºF L: 53ºF Shady Grove Campground, Seibert, Colorado
We started the morning off with a county-wide loss of power but it was restored within two hours. With the power restored I was able to use my new hairdryer which I love. It dries my hair so quickly and makes is straight. I love that I don’t have to mess around with a hairdryer and a brush. If you’re looking to upgrade your hair styling routine, I highly recommend the Revlon One-Step Volumizer Enhanced 1.0 Hair Dryer and Hot Air Brush.
We drove to Manitou Springs, CO but it was very crowded due to a wine tasting event so we went to Old Colorado City and walked around. It was a fun town to explore. We window shopped and went to the library.
The highlight of the town were the public restrooms – everything was automated by pushing a button, from the doors to the toilet paper dispenser. It looked like a large airplane bathroom. It even talked and warned me I had 10 minutes before the door opened.
Next we went to American Classics Marketplace which is a huge antique mall. The booths were haphazardly arranged and we got a little lost. We didn’t even look at everything it was so big.
6-2-2024 H: 89°F L: 56°H Shady Grove Campground, Seibert, Colorado
Today is our last day in Seibert, CO and our next campground only has electric hookup so we did a lot of laundry and batch cooking.
6-3-2024 H: 87ºF L: 54ºF Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden, Colorado
Today is a travel day. We are going west to stay at a Colorado State Park in the mountains at 9000 feet elevation. It is a beautiful campground with lots of trees. We have really missed trees. We love our Tennessee property, which is currently being developed, but we have agreed to remain open minded as we travel. If we find an area we really like, we may consider it. One thing we are both firm on is trees. We must have property with a lot of big trees.
Stats
Expenses:
Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $194.02
Camping memberships: $22.38
Food: $194.90
Miles driven: 944 (388 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
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 at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
