A Week On the Beach

I'm baaaaack!

Seven days of sunshine and sand in Mexico have done this body good. I feel very blessed that my in-laws are members of a time share thus affording Mr. BB30 and I to get rad discounts for trips like this (I've mentioned before that I have been working hard on my savings). Otherwise, I would still be one very pale girl and my bikinis would still be in my dresser.

It actually took me a couple of days to relax and let the real world wash off of me, but I told myself that certain people, situations, and projects were not invited on my trip, and soon I was a vactioning pro.

We started out on a early flight out. I was intrigued by the individual movie/tv situation on the plane and had to give it a try. For some ridiculous reason I thought My Sister's Keeper was a good choice. Dumb move. I call the following picture: Why Am I Watching A Cancer Movie on Vacation?

I hate spoilers, so I don't want to ruin it for anyone else. Please private message me if you read this book and also saw the movie. I did and I have things to say!

Finally we arrived and were greeted with a hibiscus drink.

My best guess at the formula was one part flower and one thousand parts sugar. Holy Diabetes Batman! I enjoyed a couple of sips, but that was good enough for me.

C'mon BB30, get to the food! Did you starve to death?

Our room had a small kitchen in it and a little grocery store in the complex so this was our first stop after dropping our bags off in our room. Not only was the situation great for my wallet, but it was great for my health! Magically, they had my high protein/high fiber Kashi cereal AND almond milk. I was actually very surprised. We tended to make a bigger breakfast and have a snack in the afternoon, so my morning meal mostly consisted of cereal, a corn tortilla with vegetarian refriend beans and a cup of cinnamon coffee.

We didn't realize this was cinnamon coffee when we bought it, but it turned out be a delicious treat!

Much to our dismay, the we learned that the trip we booked did not include use of the fitness center without extra fees. Yipes! Extra fees? I'm on a budget people! When we went to this resort for our honeymoon we had nailed down a great routine of working in a midday trip to the gym to work off all of our guacamole y cervezas. It was great and we didn't return home feeling tubby. However we didn't let this get us down and committed to finding fitness alternatives. So each day (some times a couple off times a day) we went for a walk on the beach. We would walk for a few miles in the ocean and let the water work as resistance and turn around and make our way back. We would play in the ocean, read, rest, snack (usually the aforementioned guacamole), walk, hit the pool for laps and order some half price happy hour drinks and walk some more. Basically we adhered to the rule that if we ate or drank then got up and moved afterward. One day we decided to rent bikes (super cheap) and rode all over the resort's country club. It was so great to be getting exercise and fresh air and getting an up close and personal look at some of the gorgeous modern Mexican architecture.

You: So you just ate cereal, torillas, beans, guac and booze the whole time?
Me: Heck no!

One day we ventured into downtown Puerto Vallarta (we were staying in sort of a suburb where a string of resorts are). We stopped for lunch at a little open air restaurant and of course nothing was immediately animal product free. I talked to our nice waiter and asked if I could have some pasta and vegetables sauteed with oil (not butter) and he happily obliged. It was a delight! I call this picture: Suuure, Vegans Can't Eat Anything Good.

I kept myself in check (it was pasta after all) and took about 2/3rds of it back with me. We returned to our home base, took a walk and soaked up the rest of the day's sun, and Mr. BB30 suggested we stay in and cook up a vegan feast. I was so thrilled and touched that he wanted to share a vegan meal with me (we typically cook side by side and eat different things). We added a little extra pasta and more vegetables (carrots, zucchini, onions, mushrooms) to my leftover lunch and the result was muy delicioso!

Other great dinners I had were vegetable fajitas (para no queso) and a yummy lighter take on a veggie burrito that was full of meaty grilled eggplant and bell peppers. Super flavorful even without cheese. But speakingof cheese, oh how tempting was all the fresh cheese Mr.BB30 got at the grocery store!

All the cheese was so tempting but I stayed strong. One night I had a few bites of mussel that were underwhelming. I thought maybe the protein would do me good and I reasoned that they don't think or really feel. Blech. No thanks, I'll stick to how I am doing things.

On our bike riding adventure we stopped off at a little roadside restaurant we enjoyed last time we were there so Mr. BB30 could enjoy some tacos.

I really thought I wouldn't be able to get anything, but when I asked if there was a taco they could make me the man asked if I would like portabellos and spinach and onions sauteed in olive oil on a corn tortilla. Si, por favor! Was I really at a roadside eatery? Behold:

These were small little guys, only about six inches across and a few bites each so it made for a perfect little lunch and fueled us for the rest of our bike ride. So well seasoned and so well appreciated! Oh wait, I am not done. They brought out some freshly concocted salsa/relish hybrids. I must create these on my own!

This one was sort of a pickled relish and salsa combo with marinated cucumbers, sunflower seeds, bell peppers, whole peppercorns, onions, and crack.

This one was a pineapple salsa with onions and hot orange peppers, onions, and magic.

I could have taken a fork to these two condiment bowls and been happy. The flavor was just ridiculous and everything was so fresh!

We returned our bikes and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and sunning. We decided to cook another dinner in our room. I volunteered to be the chef so Mr. BB30 could relax.

I chopped some potatoes, onions, garlic, and pablano pepper to sautee...

...thinly sliced some zucchini to pan fry/grill....

..and steamed carrots and mixed them with black beans. Voila! A hearty vegan feast!

Romantico!

Yep, that's chips and guac. I was on vacation!

Oh...and I wore a bikini everyday!