Miriam checks in from Aspen, Colorado with more ideas for vegan food while on the road….
Creation is just pure beauty! And beauty is in the eye of the beholder but the overwhelming feeling you get, that’s love. Love is what I feel for the mountains, the transitioning yellow trees, the plush moss and the river hidden behind the conference center. Not many people knew about this little spot but many trails lead to a short hike straight to a beautiful calming river and the moss on the side of the trees provided a cozy little spot to lay your bum. Perfect moments to experience with a loved on or even on your own. I highly recommend a visit to Aspen, Colorado to all of my nature loving friends.
This past weekend Derrick got invited to speak at the Nexus conference and for those who don’t know about Nexus I’d like to share a bit about them before I get to our experience with food! Their motto is “Decentralizing the Decentralization” with their goal of sending rockets into space with box satellites to provide blockchain technology in space and allow for completely decentralized peer to peer free internet around the world. Pretty incredible and so was being in Aspen during Fall. We really enjoyed ourselves at the conference, meeting new faces and re-kindling connections. This conference stood out to me not only in the extraordinary projects they have going on but also in the nutritious food they offered their speakers and attendees. A huge thanks to whomever was in charge of breakfast and lunch! I’m guessing they’re well aware of the value nutrition offers to our cognitive function. Also, over the course of the weekend everyone was full of energy and I believe it allowed for an overall great experience.
There was also the use of compostable silverware and plates and a separate trash can for that purpose, which was exciting for us to notice. Sad to say, those plates were not going into the designated bin and the bin only lasted half a day. Turns out everything was heading straight to the landfill. At the least, they’ll decompose there. Perhaps these conferences would benefit from a a volunteer run “green team” in return for free attendance to the events?
Anyways, when you look over the table and see mountains of peaches and apples and next to them a tray full of delicious cocon
ut covered superfood energy balls you just have to move along the table and pick one up! These right here were my favorite. One tray had mango, cashew and sunflower energy balls and the next was almond, flax and chia. I’ve made a version of my own energy bars using dates as the base to hold them together and mine were protein packed as well. You just can’t go wrong with these!
After morning meditation, shower and missing the shuttle once or twice, we would head straight to breakfast. Breakfast was usually a bowl of granola with almond milk topped with mixed berries and on the side I would have a banana or apple along with a warm tea. I chose to keep my one cup throughout our days there and that was my way of producing less trash and also a reminder to bring my reusable water bottle with me everywhere we go.
Lunch was always delicious! With varieties to choose from their vegetarian options it was quite easy to make a vegan plate. From warm meatless chili soup to kale salad accompanied by a legume salad and hummus sandwiches. Needless to say, we were satisfied! And to snack in between, the options were a variety of smoothies, homemade almond butter cookies, nut mix, edamame, and tons of fruit with energy balls. Dessert was out after lunch and we got the chance to indulge in these sweet coconut berry cups. Yum!
We’re thankful to the Nexus team for organizing an amazing event, for their ongoing projects and for providing a healthy environment in the break tent. We had the energy we needed to keep busy in between talks and panels and get the interviews Derrick was wanting, including one with Dr. Ron Paul. I’m thankful I get the chance to travel with my partner, meet other inspiring freedom oriented individuals and to experience what this beautiful land has to offer.
For the love of all life, live consciously, my friends!
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