Galveston, TX & Eating Healthy on Vacation

We just got back from a long weekend getaway to Galveston, TX.
We were supposed to leave for Siesta Keys FL on Friday but the red tide put a damper on that trip. My mother lives in Siesta Keys and warned us how bad it is there with this horrible red tide period they are going through. She said the beaches are desolate, the smell is terrible, tons of dead fish and animals washing up on shore, you can barely breathe...the list goes on. We were super sad that we didn't get to spend time with my mom but it was a good decision that we rescheduled.

I really wanted to take the kids on one last little, fun trip before school starts next week. Ty said,  find some place to go and let's go. Being the savvy trip planner that I am,  I got online and within 20 minutes, I booked the San Luis Resort in Galveston, TX. This resort is right on the ocean. I've been wanting to visit a Texas beach. People warned us that the Texas beaches weren't that nice. Buttttttt, now that I've been, I beg to differ. They were just as beautiful in their own ways. I mean, they aren't the New England beaches that I'm used to, but they still had lots of charm. The resort had pretty views and great amenities.  I honestly didn't know much about the area but decided we'd take a chance.

Turns out it was a great pick and we had a fun time playing in the sand, splashing in the pool and eating..... There was a great little pier with an amusement park on it called, Pleasure Pier. Maxwell wasn't feeling the best on Sunday so we decided to go on Monday or Tuesday. Unfortunately, they had the most only weekend hours and were closed Monday and Tuesday so we didn't get to go. I mean, it IS still summer, isn't it? We must have just missed summer hours. The kids were pretty bummed and so were we since the ginormous lit up carousel looked pretty magical in the evenings. If you ever go to Galveston, check it out....but check out the hours online before going as well! We did however spend lots of time on the beach and in the pool. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe that was next to the resort, kids pick. And dined in the Grotto and Steakhouse that were inside the resort.


So let's just talk about that for a minute, can we? Every time that we go away some place, we end up eating out mostly, as most people do when away on vacation. The problem is that we eat really clean and all organic, very little processed foods on a daily basis. Then we go away and are eating a lot of fried foods & processed foods. After about 3 or 4 days of this, I start to feel crappy, bloated and just overall not good. After every vacation I say to myself, "Why do I do this every time!?"  Mind you, I have the occasional cheat meal every now and then on a weekly basis. That doesn't seem to bother me. It's when I eat like that for  a period of days or more that it begins to really effect me. After not learning my lesson for the last 6 or 7 trips that we've been on, I've finally decided to plan out better ways to eat while I am away. I will most definitely eat out and indulge in drinks because I really do enjoy that aspect of vacation. Besides seeing new places, trying new foods is one of the best parts of traveling!  What I will change is being intentional about where and what I'm eating, or at least incorporate some good-gut foods during my vacations. One thing about Texas, (and even those from here will tell you this) there is a LOT of delicious yet unhealthy food to try here.  Haha, I know I will get slack from someone by saying that. Here there seems to be a lot of Tex-Mex, true southern and deep fried foods. These aren't my favorite foods by any means but I still like trying new dishes. No matter where you go, you will find healthy and unhealthy foods/restaurants.

My thoughts are that we will try to stay only at places that have a kitchen or kitchenette so that we can try and cook some of our own meals there. This would eliminate the need to eat out as much and also incorporate some healthy raw foods. Maybe sub breakfasts for going out to eat. Another thing I am going to do is to research the restaurants before we go and see if I can find some organic or clean-eating restaurants. I am also going to pack a bunch of clean snacks for travel. This will eliminate eating junk food as we travel on the plane, or to our destination. I am open to new ideas and would love if you would share them with me!!! This is a learning process for me since I never thought twice about eating healthy 2 years ago. I'm finding it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. It is more about making small choices to healthier things. Moderation is really key for me. Anyhow, I have a whole other post that I am working on with things that I have planned and lined up for the next trip coming up. Stay tuned for that.

For now, I will leave you with some photos from our getaway.... 
xo