Editor’s Note: This post is written by a member of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

Hello! Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Wanda Jane. My legal paperwork declares me to be “born” in 2017, with a Ford 3.2 liter power stroke turbo Diesel engine on a Ford Transit chassis. My coach is a Wonder Murphy Bed model built by Leisure Travel Vans in Canada, but I became a native of America when I was acquired by my dealer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which I am proud to say is still my home! My sleek silver paint job gleams to onlookers whose heads turn as my Ford turbo diesel engine allows me to effortlessly cruise the interstates, back roads, and canyons of the beautiful country of America.

I met my family in March of 2018, and it was love at first sight on both of our parts. I’m titled to my long-time owners, David and Jennifer Hill (I will refer to them as “D and J”). Together, we care for the most lovable toy poodle named Oliver, but we call him Ollie.

My white Ultraleather seats are the perfect backdrop against Ollie’s ebony coat!

That day D and J first came to visit me will be a day I will always remember. J came with Ollie in tow and her dad, Stan, who has been one of my biggest admirers since we met. On a beautiful blue sky Colorado afternoon, J, Stan, and Ollie slid into the comfort of my sleek white leather seats, and I used my quiet engine, boasting 185 horsepower, 350 ft-lb torque, and my six-speed auto transmission to smoothly and quietly glide them on their first excursion in a Leisure Travel Van. As we effortlessly hummed down the road, I heard J comment to my dealer how much my drive felt like a car as we embarked on our first outing together. Back at the dealership, as they inspected my shiny paint, gleaming a sparkling silver in the afternoon light, I overheard J whisper to Stan that I was the one! I was delighted when D&J came back a few days later and drove me home to Denver! We’ve been on an adventure since that day!

These days between our adventures, I spend my winters in Florida and my beautiful summer days in the mountains of Colorado. This year, 2022, has been a busy and exciting time for me. After some sun-filled winter months in Florida, we headed to the mountains of Virginia for a surprise 80th birthday party for Stan, and he was very surprised and excited to see me again. As we left the heat of Florida, we had a bit of relief in the evening as we stayed outside of Savannah, Georgia. My air conditioner quickly cooled down my coach area until the temperature dropped enough to be comfortable. The next night in Asheville, North Carolina, we were greeted with pleasantly cool spring temperatures.

As we rolled into the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia, my diesel engine pushed effortlessly up the curvy mountain roads. I settled into Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, Virginia, for three nights. I highly recommend staying there if you are ever in that part of Virginia. It was so easy for me to settle in on our wide, mostly paved, and very level site.

It was an honor to host my old friend Stan and family at my site for breakfast in the quiet mountain air. J prepared a wonderful breakfast, and all our guests ate in the shade of my awning. The smells made me wish my diet could consist of more than diesel!

After the party, D, J, Ollie, and I cruised north to upstate New York with an overnight stay in Hagerstown, Maryland. By the time we spent our travel night in Hagerstown, we had driven back into winter temperatures! My furnace warmed the coach, so we all stayed nice and toasty as we rested and slept.

Sunset in wintery Hagerstown, Maryland

Once we reached our second destination in upstate New York, I settled into a beautiful parking spot with an amazing view where I would take a rest for the next month. The days were warm and sunny, but old man winter still visited at night. D&J was kind enough to winterize me before we departed from Maryland. I was thankful, as the antifreeze in my piping felt nice and loose compared to the tight, scary feeling of expanding water preparing to freeze! 

D&J hopped a plane to Europe for a wedding and vacation in the Burgundy region of France. While they were away, I enjoyed the springtime sun and looking at the Finger Lake vineyards I sat next to. Each day I watched as the vines came alive with new life and greenery. I found wonderful neighbors in a fox family and woke up each morning to baby kits playing close by. I was very grateful to my neighbor friends for keeping the rodents away from my tender wires and undercarriage.

When D&J returned, we took a day to restock my fridge and make sure all their belongings were properly packed in my cabinets. As the sun rose on a rural New York morning, we all hit the road to start our journey toward our Colorado summer!

My view of the vineyards at Seneca Lake, NY

The first night, we stayed at an old friend’s house on Duck Island in Cleveland, Ohio. As we set out on our journey, I listened to D&J talk about the motorhomes they had seen in France. From their descriptions, I’m sure they are my distant cousins, but I’ve never met any of them.

 

D&J wanted to catch up with their friend, so they leveled me on the street, allowing my propane tank to effortlessly run our newly stocked refrigerator overnight. I enjoyed my view of the Cuyahoga River for the night in this hip neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio.

After breakfast, we were on our way to Ludington, Michigan, where we stayed at the Cartier Park Campground. This campground is run by the city of Ludington, and rather nicely, I must say! We stayed there three nights. On the first day, the family rode their bicycles into town. D rode his black, sleek Electra while J cruised off on her pretty white Electra with turquoise rims and a special basket for Ollie. I must admit, at that moment, I was thankful I had carried the bikes on my handy dandy rack that D attached to my super functional shiny chrome rear ladder on my coach. This gave me a much-appreciated day to rest in the shade of our campsite and take in the songs of the birds after thirteen hours of cruising through four states.

 

On our second day in Ludington, I took the family on a beautiful scenic drive through Ludington State Park. The small, curvy, sandy roads were a breeze for my sleek 24-foot body. That night, J made her healthy version of the traditional Michigan pastie filling. D whipped up a batch of his homemade cassava wraps in the lodge cast iron skillet on my efficient gas burners. Once again, the smells make me dream of what it would be like to taste something other than diesel!

Healthy Michigan pastie filling with cassava wraps (recipe below)

Our third morning was perhaps the most exciting morning of my entire existence thus far! This was the day we would take the SS Badger Ferry from Ludington, across Lake Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The SS Badger is a historic coal-powered steam engine ferry. It is the last of its kind still in operation in North America. The journey across the lake takes about four hours.

Early that morning, D&J broke down camp. D works very efficiently outside, storing my electric cord, sewer hoses, and freshwater hose, along with dumping my tanks. Simultaneously, J tidied up my coach. I have great storage for all the necessities for living on the road, including a coffee pot and electric teapot! J always starts in the back of my coach and moves forward, ending with putting my sunshades and rugs away. Her last check is always to double-check all my cabinet latches. Hard as I try, I can’t seem to help her when she forgets to close one of those.

As we pull out of the campground, I am filled with anticipation of my very first trip on a boat! I could barely stand the excitement as we pulled into the docks. I was a little concerned when D&J had to separate from me, but my fears and worries quickly melted away as the talented dock hand gently and smoothly backed me onto the ship. I was filled with peace and confidence as he effortlessly guided me into my own cozy spot, along with a host of other motorhome and trailer friends who kept me company throughout the trip. It seemed a very short time until I could see the lake water moving out of the port hole on my side, and we were off on the journey. The breeze filled the ship, and the hum of the steam engines relaxed me so much that I napped almost the entire way. 

 

After the ship docked, the kind dock hands drove me to a waiting area where I was reunited with D&J. Boy, was I glad to see them! I was worried if their journey had been as smooth as mine. My worries soon subsided as I learned they also had a wonderful trip across the Great Lake. They enjoyed food, shopped at the gift store, and played bingo to pass the time, where J ended up being a frequent winner!

On my way to reunite with the family

Upon departing the ship, D, J, Ollie, and I drove along the pleasant country roads of Wisconsin and found our campground in Egg Harbor, where we would spend the next three nights in Door County, Wisconsin. We filled our days exploring the area. We broke camp every day, as we put in too much mileage for the bicycles, so I got to go along to see all the sights.

Nestled in my spot at Egg Harbor, WI

We found so many country markets in the area. Of course, J purchased the local Wisconsin-dried cherries. She made chicken over the charcoal fire and topped it with the most delicious smelling mushroom and cherry sauce! My coach smelled so good that the smell traveled out my open windows on the crisp Wisconsin evening, and I got a second whiff as it traveled outside toward my headlights.

Cherry mushroom sauce (recipe below)

From Wisconsin, we traveled to South Dakota, where we spent the next three nights. We drove through Badlands National Park to our destination, Mount Rushmore. As we cruised through western Minnesota into South Dakota, I could feel the temperatures start to rise, and by the time we reached the Badlands, it was a fiery 106ºF (+41ºC)! As we rode through the park, stopping often for buffalo and pictures of gorgeous vistas, I felt like I had rolled into an air fryer. The hot, dry heat fueled by the strong winds might have crisped me up if it weren’t for my sturdy paint job. Luckily there is no oil in my finish, or I might as well have been a crispy fresh french fry covered in badlands dust!

For the next couple of days, we explored some of the most gorgeous places, including Custer State Park and the Mount Rushmore National Monument. This area of South Dakota was some of the most beautiful scenery my wheels have ever rolled through. In the spirit of the Wild West, D cooked wonderful smelling steaks over charcoal on the Weber Smokey Joe that we store in my huge exterior storage compartment.

Nectarine salad (recipe below)

As we toured the Black Hills of South Dakota, the landscape started to have a western feel and made me anxious to reach my beloved Colorado summer!

On day 11 of our trip from upstate New York, and a total of fifteen states since we had left Florida, we set out for our home in Colorado. My engine hummed its way along the highways of Wyoming, back to our beloved state. I have never been so happy to make the steep, curvy, and winding trip over the continental divide, where I spend my summers at 9000 feet in the cool mountain air.

Brought some Badlands dust home!

After a shower to remove the Badlands dust from places I cannot mention, plus an assortment of bugs who had no chance when they decided to tackle me, I settled into my spot with a mountain view. A smile has remained on my face all summer as I reminisce about the round about cross-country trip through 15 states for my annual road trip, from the warm winters of Florida to the cool summers of Colorado.

As the summer sun and warm temperatures give way to the golden leaves of the Colorado aspen trees in the fall, I ponder where we will go in this beautiful country as we head out again soon to prepare me for the pleasant days of our winter life in Florida. As I enjoy the few last weeks of my mountain views, I am reminded that it truly is a Wonder-ful life that I live!

My sticker collection got an impressive expansion on this trip!

Recipes

Healthy Michigan Pastie Filling

1. Saute one onion and three minced garlic cloves in olive oil.
2. Add one pound of ground beef. Cook until beef is browned and crumbled.
3. Add cubed carrots and sweet potatoes that have been previously lightly steamed.
4. Add 1-2 TBS of fresh thyme.
5. Add one cup of white wine and simmer the mixture until the liquid is gone.
6. Serve in wraps.

Cassava Wraps

Ingredients:

1. Two cups of cassava flour
2. One cup of canned coconut milk
3. 1/2 cup of olive oil
4. 1/2 cup of water
5. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Combine ingredients in a medium-size bowl until well mixed. Divide dough into 10 equal parts and shape it into balls. Roll out each ball into a thin tortilla on a piece of parchment paper. Drizzle a pan with olive oil and cook tortillas for about 1-2 minutes.

Cherry Mushroom Sauce

1. Saute one diced onion and sliced mushrooms in olive oil and butter. When onions and mushrooms are slightly browned, add one cup red wine and one cup water
2. Add the desired amount of dried sour cherries and simmer until the mixture is a slightly thick sauce consistency.
3. Serve over your choice of meat.

Nectarine Salad

1. Slice or dice nectarines, cucumbers, and avocado.
2. Stir together with olive oil and lemon juice
3. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic.

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Hill is a member of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

How many lifestyles do we live during our days on this earth? Looking back to earlier times, I’ve realized just how much my lifestyle has evolved over the years.

Adopting And Adapting Camping

In the late 1980s, I was in my twenties and finding independence. After getting married in 1988, my husband and I started to build a life together and the lifestyle we adopted at the time influenced our story. We loved traveling and camping and as two working professionals, we took every opportunity on the weekends and on vacations to explore our world. Camping back then consisted of a two-person pop-up tent and a duffel bag filled with camping essentials however, electricity or “hookups” were not in our vocabulary during those days. On the weekends, we would spend time exploring with friends. Stuffing our tiny Toyota Camry with four (young) adults, tents, camping chairs, and sleeping bags sure didn’t provide much glamour but when it came to food, that’s where I brought out my love for cooking. My friend and I both shared the same love for cooking and together, we made each weekend a new culinary adventure by experimenting with cooking over campfires and charcoal. We made steak, seafood, and amazing pork chops on the same Weber Smokey Joe that we still use today! In the coals of our campfires, we cooked roasted potatoes, corn, and onions, just to mention a few.

The late 1990s was the beginning of bringing children into our lives. Our camping adventures started to involve a family tent with a 10 ft x 10 ft center and three rooms that extended from the sides. We had a portable crib in each one of the rooms and my husband and I slept in the center with all of our gear; needless to say, we no longer fit into a duffel bag! Our dinner choices became more simple with a family but we still appreciated a good burger over charcoal! Besides, how can you go wrong with a hotdog on a stick over the fire? Of course, roasted corn and potatoes still had their place in the hot coals of the fire, and s’mores were always the highlight of the evening!

A flash back to tent camping with young children.

The early to mid-2000s brought a much more hectic schedule than we could have ever imagined. Our camping weekends gave way to soccer games, dance recitals, swim meets, and gymnastic meets, and the camping adventures turned into backyard sleepovers and we added a simple 10 ft x 10 ft Coleman tent to our collection for the ease of setting up. Back yard parties with neighborhood families ended with s’mores and kids sleeping in the tent in the backyard. In those days, we fed ourselves well during our neighborhood parties even though our Smokey Joe gathered dust in the garage, our new Weber gas grill served the neighborhood well.

Back yard camping with young teenagers.

Empty Nesting And Changes For The Good

Fast forward to 2017, our last child graduated high school and moved away to college thus beginning our lives as empty nesters. This phase has proven to be the most drastic lifestyle change on many different levels. Inevitably, as you enter the empty nest phase, you do indeed get older but also as you get older, you have to watch your parents get even older and in many cases, decline in health. As with many people our age, we started to watch and deal with the health problems of our parents, particularly on my husband’s side. After months of research, we made the decision to go on a heart-healthy diet because of the heart disease that runs in my husband’s family. A major cause of heart disease is inflammation in the body so we decided to cut out all foods that cause inflammation from our diet which is a long list. The main foods on the list that we no longer eat are sugar, grains, legumes, and night shade vegetables which include tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers, and all members of the squash family. We have now been eating this way for five years and it’s become more of a lifestyle rather than a diet and while we never set weight loss as the reason for this change, with regular exercise my husband lost 35 pounds and I lost 14 pounds over the course of a few months.

Now that we have recently entered retirement, we continue to live this lifestyle with the goal of “living young until a ripe old age.” We often meet people who are curious about our eating style as well as those who are completely overwhelmed by it. Most people who are overwhelmed also struggle with weight or health problems and don’t believe they can sustain a healthy eating habit long term. If you are one of those people, I hope you find some encouragement in the substitutes in my delicious recipes.

Over the years, we have found substitutes for almost every type of food that we have eliminated. These substitutes are better for our bodies and overall health. However, don’t be fooled when it comes to calories. In many cases, these substitutes have equal or more calories. For example, most alternative flours are made from nuts which naturally are higher in calories. Therefore, don’t let yourself be tricked into believing you have a free ticket to overindulge yourself because just as many things go in life, moderation is important!

The Journey To Our “Wanda Jane”

About the time we became empty nesters and started our new eating lifestyle, my dad gave us an aged, Coleman trailer that he no longer used which we pulled to some new places that we had never been to in our home state of Colorado.

After a year of pulling around the old Coleman trailer, we attended the Denver RV Show where we were introduced to Leisure Travel Vans. A few months later, we drove our Wonder named Wanda Jane home from Colorado Springs. 

Turkey Meatball Sandwich Featuring Against The Grain Bread

To one pound of turkey, add:

• 1/4 cup green chili
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• 1 egg

Roll into balls and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and serve on a toasted bun with stone ground mustard, sauteed mushrooms, and provolone cheese.

The first thing people always tell us when they hear about all the foods we don’t eat is “I can’t live without bread!” We have actually found many great brands that are grain free. Some of our favorites are Base Culture and Against the Grain. We have also found some great crackers from Simple Mills which is a company that makes a variety of grain-free products. Our favorite is their almond crackers which have become a staple in our pantry.

Simple Mills Almond Crackers are the perfect staple for your pantry!

The next most popular comment is “I cannot give up Italian food”, especially pasta and pizza! Our favorite pasta substitutes are Miracle noodles and Jovial grain-free pasta. Against the Grain makes a wonderful grain-free pizza made with pesto.

Bolognese Featuring Miracle Noodles

• In 2 tbsp of olive oil, saute one diced onion, 3 diced garlic cloves, 2 diced celery stalks, 1/2 cup shredded carrots, and 1 cup sliced mushrooms until soft.
• Add 1 pound grass-fed organic ground beef and cook until browned and crumbled.
• Add 2 cups of white wine and 2 cups of water or chicken brother.
• Stir in 2 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tbsp oregano, t tbsp basil, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is reduced to half.
• Stir in 1 tbsp tapioca starch and 1/4 of warm water until smooth.
• Add mixture to ground beef and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
• To prepare noodles: rinse noodles in a colander for 2 minutes, add to a pot of boiling water and boil for 2 more minutes. Rinse for another 2 minutes and add to a hot sauce pan (with NO oil) and stir until all of the water is absorbed.

Top noodles with bolognese sauce and enjoy!

The third most popular comment is “I can’t give up Mexican food!” The brand Siete has you covered in so many ways! This is a family-owned brand that started because they had children with allergies. They make wonderful chips, taco shells, cassava, and almond flour wraps that don’t fall apart) Siete also makes a variety of Mexican sauces without additives, gluten, or sugar. Crepini and Egglife both make amazing crepe-like, grain-free wraps that can be used for an array of recipes including sandwiches and burritos.

Siete Chips

Enchiladas made with Crepini wraps

Lastly, there is the whole issue of sugar because it is literally in almost everything! Primal Kitchen does an amazing job with its sugar-free products. They make every condiment from ketchup to barbecue sauce to salad dressings and marinades all sugar-free! For a sugar substitute, we found that Lakanto makes a monkfruit sugar substitute. Monkfruit is a herbaceous perennial vine of the gourd family. This plant is cultivated for its fruit extract, which creates a sweetness 250 times stronger than sucrose. In our opinion, it tends to have a less undesirable aftertaste than pure stevia.  Needless to say, if you have a sweet tooth, monkfruit sweetener will get the job done! The best part is that when used in recipes, it behaves very similar to the real sugar without spiking your glucose. Note: I always reduce the amount by half when substituting in recipes. We choose to use monkfruit sparingly, but on those occasions where dessert is needed, it is a perfect choice! 

Primal Kitchen Sugar-Free Sauces

Monkfruit Sweetener

We also love Birchbenders which is a Denver, Colorado-based company that makes a wonderful sugar-free and grain-free mix for pancakes and waffles.

Birchbenders pancakes: Shown here with unsweetened yogurt, berries, and grain-free granola.

Look At How Far We’ve Come

At the beginning of our eating lifestyle, we either gave up foods we loved or tried baking them ourselves. Although we do have a few favorite recipes we still make from scratch along the way, we have found substitutes for almost everything. The products we have found make it very easy to continue eating healthy while we travel with Wanda Jane. We no longer have a desire for fast food or truck stop junk food and I feel just as great cooking in my LTV kitchen as I do in my own house. 

If you have considered adopting a more healthy eating plan for weight loss, health issues, or simply longevity of life, I hope you have gained some encouragement to do so. Start small by giving yourself a goal of thirty days. You can do anything for a short amount of time and chances are very great that you will join me in never turning back. After all, everyone deserves a long, healthy lifetime of enjoying their LTV lifestyles.

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Hill is a member of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

What does the term “road trip” mean to you? Often the word gets romanticized. The movies portray it as an adventure where people find relationships, extraordinary events, and even the meaning of life. However, in reality, road trips can be long, boring, and exhausting! Most of us don’t look forward to the road trips that require twenty-plus hours of attachment to the steering wheel to reach our final destination. These trips may become a necessity to see extended family or the means to arrive at a long overdue vacation. With aging parents on the east coast, my husband and I have found ourselves facing this sort of road trip multiple times in the last couple of years.

As a community of campers, or glampers, RV owners have a huge advantage over the average population, in that we can take our “homes” with us. We don’t have to drag suitcases into hotel rooms or sleep on questionable mattresses or leave our beloved furry family members behind. We travel down the road with the comforts of home. Even so, the long hours on the road can be draining and most of all, boring! Many of us tackle these trips with our eyes on the prize of our destination.

Having been in the position to make these trips multiple times, I would like to share with you some strategies I have utilized to add rest, character, and enjoyment into these trips – strategies that can turn the most boring road trips into memory makers for you and your passengers.

First of all, for me, it is helpful to place myself in a certain frame of mind. For example, even though I am facing a 4-day drive, I turn my mind away from the inconvenience and turn toward convenience. I consider taking my “tiny home” (as my husband and I often refer to our LTV Wonder) with me to be a convenience. Instead of thinking of a night on the road as stressful, I consider a night in a campground as an opportunity for a date night for my husband, David, and I to sit around a campfire and enjoy a delicious meal. Secondly, rather than scramble for food at unappealing roadside restaurants or unhealthy fast food stops, I plan ahead, stocking my refrigerator with fresh, healthy food for special meals on the road. With just a little thought and preparation, I can pull out of our driveway with a sense of excitement and adventure rather than a heart full of dread! I hope to inspire you, as you continue to read, with simple tips and wonderful recipes to make your next long drive a memorable one.

Most recently, my husband and I found ourselves facing a necessary road trip from our home in Colorado back to his childhood home in West Virginia, to deal with issues that arise with aging parents. A few days before our departure on this thirty-hour trip, I made a few simple food preparations to guarantee we don’t fall into the fast food trap of traveling. I froze meat for dinners for our three-night, four-day drive. I cooked a simple roasting chicken in my crock pot and roasted a pork tenderloin on the grill for dinner the night before we left. I made plans in my head for delicious lunches from the chicken and leftover pork.

We always try to make our longest driving days at the beginning of our trip. We have made this trip many times in our younger years in two grueling fifteen-hour days! Now, in our retired RV lifestyle, we have the luxury of stretching the trip out.

After almost nine hours of driving on day one, we pulled into our campsite in Salina, Kansas. We were pleased to be greeted with mid-80s temperatures and a great breeze. It was the perfect weather for sitting outside and starting up our little Weber Smokey Joe Grill. On the menu tonight was turkey burgers and baby kale caesar salad. Earlier in the day, we enjoyed Siete cassava wraps with sliced pork and avocado at our halfway point fuel stop. As the sun sets over the Kansas prairie, we settle in for a little relaxation and, of course, Netflix!

Day two takes us through the eastern hills of Kansas and into the green countryside of Missouri. After seven hours on the road, with a lunch pit stop of homemade egg salad on cassava wraps, we set up camp in Sullivan, Missouri. Once again, we fired up the Smokey Joe. This night, we celebrated the spirit of the heartland, whose guests we have been for the last two days, with beautiful, organic and grass-fed filet mignon! Paired on the side was charcoal-grilled bok choy and a green leaf salad accented with radish, carrots, and shaved fennel, topped with feta cheese and crushed pistachios. Once again, the sun set on a Netflix chill night that took us to the next day rested, with a great night of sleep.

Day three took us into the beauty of Kentucky horse country. Having put the two longest days of driving behind us, we set up our Louisville camp in mid-afternoon. As the sun went down behind the heavy trees at our campsite, we took a moment to relax beside a cracking fire while the charcoal flamed in the Smokey Joe for tonight’s mustard-marinated grilled chicken with charcoal roasted brocollini. We sat and enjoyed the fire after dinner this night, knowing that tomorrow would take us to our final destination, with the shortest driving day.

Day four brought us into wild and wonderful West Virginia! As Wanda Jane, our Wonder, cruised effortlessly through the tree-filled mountains, we stopped for a much-deserved lunch break. On the menu today was my homemade chicken salad from my organic roasted chicken. After a relaxing break in the comfort of our “tiny” home, we completed our journey to David’s childhood home, where we will spend time re-immersing ourselves with siblings, nieces, and nephews as we come alongside them in small town life for a few days. We took in the sounds and lights of Friday night football, then the glimmer and excitement of Saturday night fireworks, celebrating the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival. Sunday we were watching baseball while basking in the sun on a perfect fall day. We felt very blessed to have arrived safe and sound. Most of all, we were rested rather than exhausted and able to enjoy the festivities around us. The LTV lifestyle allowed us a memorable journey, where the only money spent was on fuel and an occasional toll. We have continued our healthy eating lifestyle on the road, thanks to the conveniences of Wanda Jane. She makes it possible to take all the pleasures and comfort of home on every trip.

Recipes

Turkey Burgers

For every one pound of ground turkey, add:

• 1/4 cup green chilis
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder

Form into patties and grill to 165 degrees. Serve atop baby kale with caesar dressing and parmesan cheese.

Roasted Chicken

Stuff chicken with onion, lemon, celery, garlic, and apple. Drizzle with olive oil and place lemon slices on top of chicken. Finish with salt and pepper. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours in a crock pot, or in a dutch oven at 350 degrees until the bird reaches 160 degrees.

Pork Tenderloin

Rub tenderloin with a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, minced onions, and red pepper flakes. Grill 4 minutes per side on high, then turn heat to low and cook until tenderloin reaches 150 degrees. Wrap in foil to let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Egg Salad

Mix:

• 6 grated, boiled eggs
• 2 tbs avocado mayonnaise
• 1 tbs diced pickles
• 1 tbs diced jalapenos
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Serve on sandwiches, lettuce wraps, or tortillas.

Filet Mignon

I have a basic seasoning salt mixture that I use to rub on all the meat that I cook. This steak was rubbed with course sea salt, course ground pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. To get a wonderful crunch on the outside without over cooking the inside, I cook my steaks slightly frozen on the inside.

Chicken Salad

Mix shredded chicken with avocado mayonnaise, diced celery, diced apples, and crushed pistachios. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Mustard Marinated Chicken

Marinate chicken in:

• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1 tbs diced jalapeños
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Place in freezer bag and freeze until ready for use. Grill over charcoal until chicken reaches 165 degrees.