Today, we drove round-trip from Charlotte to Atlanta in one big roundtrip.  We were picking up Sophie, my sister-in-law, who flew in from England (sheÒ€ℒs staying forever!).  It was quite the journey.

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The pups came, too. πŸ™‚

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We did lots of junk-food-snacking on the drive, IÒ€ℒll admit.  I think we were both more bored than hungry.  We crushed an entire bag of Salt and Vinegar crisps, and we ate split half a bar of dark chocolate, too.

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Plus, two fruit leathers.

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Upon arrival in Atlanta, we reviewed all of your restaurant suggestions and decided to go to Sunflower Cafe, which also had great reviews on the Yelp app.

 

First, we had to let the dogs out.  We checked out the iPhone and drove to the nearest green square (AKA park).  Happily, we stumbled upon a cute little walking trail.

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And then we went into the restaurant:

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I was SO impressed with the menu at this place Γ’β‚¬β€œ eggplant lasagna, sesame tofu chicken, veggie meatloaf, quinoa bowls.  I was pretty full from all the chips and chocolate so I ordered several small plates.

 

Veggie spring rolls, split with the Husband:

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A fruit and veggie kebob, which had apple, zucchini, a Brussel sprout, and broccoli.

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And a salad with mixed greens, beets, goat cheese, and pecans.  Lovely!  I needed some veggies in my life.

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After a stop in Starbucks, I slammed a latte and picked up the second driving shift. Ughhh.  It was ROUGH.

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ItÒ€ℒs 1:20 AM and we finally arrived home.  A bed is screaminÒ€ℒ my name.

{ 63 comments }

 

  • hippierunner March 15, 2011, 1:34 am

    Junk food from Trader Joe’s is so fun! I love how the chocolate wrapper matched the chip bag!

    • alison March 15, 2011, 7:04 am

      Ha. I thought the same thing about the color coordinated wrappers.

      • Caitlin March 15, 2011, 9:44 am

        me too!!!!!!!!!

  • Laura March 15, 2011, 1:39 am

    Nice that you’ll have your SIL in the country full-time! πŸ™‚ Is she going to be living close to you?

  • Maryann (The Balanced Bean) March 15, 2011, 1:44 am

    Sunflower Cafe sounds delicious!Sounds like quite the road trip, good thing you had TJs snacks to help get you through it πŸ™‚

  • maria @ Chasing the Now March 15, 2011, 2:21 am

    Glad the trip went okay. Traveling is always stressful and its easy to eat out of boredom. In the scheme of life potato chips and chocolate won’t hurt. πŸ™‚

  • Emma (Namaste Everyday) March 15, 2011, 2:52 am

    sounds like a lovely day! also I am convinced that anything from Trader Joe’s falls under a certain category of junk food and it’s not as bad as other stuff πŸ˜‰

    • faith @ lovelyascharged March 15, 2011, 9:48 am

      Haha, I’m always saying the same thing about chips and chocolate or other treats from whole foods.

  • J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) March 15, 2011, 4:34 am

    Sounds like a fun little trip! Glad you’re home safely now. πŸ™‚ All of your dinner look deeeelish.

  • J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) March 15, 2011, 4:34 am

    By the way, love the “drive to nearest green square” method for walking the pups, LOL. Clever!

  • anne March 15, 2011, 5:27 am

    hooray so happy you went with my suggestion πŸ™‚
    i hope it didn’t disappoint!
    if you’re ever in portland, oregon (aka vegan mecca) i can give you the local’s guide to the best (locally grown) food ever!

    • Caitlin March 15, 2011, 9:45 am

      it was so good, anne! thanks so much πŸ™‚

  • Little Bookworm March 15, 2011, 5:43 am

    Glad the trip went well! Love the Operation Beautiful notes! πŸ™‚

  • Sarah (Running To Slow Things Down) March 15, 2011, 6:08 am

    Fun trip (despite the long drive!) I’m glad you guys made it home safe and sound. πŸ˜€

  • Lauren March 15, 2011, 6:33 am

    What a fun road trip and a great dinner find. I love stumbling on great new little restaurants when we travel.

  • The Teenage Taste March 15, 2011, 6:56 am

    Glad you had a fun time! The food looks amazing, as usual!
    Have a great week Caitlin! πŸ˜€

  • Jumanah @ Healthy Living in the Middle East March 15, 2011, 7:09 am

    Glad you had a good and safe trip. The food at Sunflower Cafe looks delicious- especially those veggie spring rolls. YUM!

  • Toni March 15, 2011, 7:24 am

    Glad you had a good trip! It’s always fun when family visits!!

  • Ash @ Good Taste Healthy Me March 15, 2011, 7:28 am

    Sounds like a long but good trip. That fruit and veggie kabob looks amazing! What kind of flavor did it have? I’d love to recreate it!

    • Caitlin March 15, 2011, 9:45 am

      It had a light asian sauce on top – love.

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey March 15, 2011, 7:28 am

    Cafe Sunflower looks great! Glad you had a safe trip!

  • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) March 15, 2011, 7:30 am

    Cafe Sunflower is very well known here for being good, not just for its vegetarian cuisine. Next time you are here longer, let me know and we will venture to some more great places in Atlanta. I hope you got some sleep last night.

  • Kara March 15, 2011, 7:35 am

    You couldn’t pay me to take my crazy hound on a road trip. Your dogs must be so much better πŸ™‚

  • Holly @ Couch Potato Athlete March 15, 2011, 7:43 am

    Well when I think of junk food I thnk of candy bars and Doritos — you did much better than that πŸ™‚

    That fruit/veggie kabob looks so good! I’m glad you made it home safe and sound.

  • Lee March 15, 2011, 7:45 am

    I think a trip to Sunflower Cafe is in my near future. I haven’t been in a while.

  • Baking 'n' Books March 15, 2011, 7:58 am

    Beautiful shot of the restaurant.

    Is Sophie living with you??

    • Caitlin March 15, 2011, 9:46 am

      Temporarily πŸ™‚ We have a pretty small house though and have to house my father in law every 10 days for 5 days so it’s going to get crammed fast.

  • Kristy @ KristyRuns March 15, 2011, 8:04 am

    Glad you enjoyed it! They have a vegan power bowl which is awesome! πŸ™‚

  • Annie@stronghealthyfit March 15, 2011, 8:34 am

    Ugh that IS a lot of driving for one day! Very cool that your SIL is moving here for good. And that veggie kebab is SO cute! What a great idea.

  • Joanne March 15, 2011, 8:43 am

    Quick trip. I bet the pups were happy to tag along. Shane loves his road trips.
    I’m the same way in the car, all I can think about is snacking. But then I get to the point where snacky food start to be such a turn off. I need a REAL meal.
    The Sunflower Cafe looks like it would suit me just fine. Good eats! and… Go Operation Beautiful! Post those notes, girl!

  • Alayna @ Thyme Bombe March 15, 2011, 8:50 am

    I wish you were stopping in Atlanta for longer. Glad you enjoyed the nearly unanimous recommendation though!

  • Nacho Lindsay March 15, 2011, 8:59 am

    You probably need some nachos and perhaps a margarita to soothe your traveling woes.

  • Katie March 15, 2011, 9:11 am

    that little trail you were on is where i run all the time! i love it back there πŸ™‚ haha its so neat to see yall in my ‘hood!

    • Libbie March 15, 2011, 10:23 am

      That’s where I run too! When I saw it, I thought I know that trail!
      haha!

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin March 15, 2011, 9:18 am

    Yikes that sounds like a long day! But it looks like you got a great meal out of it. πŸ˜€

  • Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman March 15, 2011, 9:19 am

    Those veggie spring rolls look great. I know it’s only 9 am but I could totally go for a few right now.

  • Haleigh March 15, 2011, 9:25 am

    I never crave junk food except for on long road trips. I think it’s just a habit from my childhood that I don’t really want to give up, since I don’t go on many road trips anyway. Dinner in Atlanta looks fabulous!

    • Caitlin March 15, 2011, 9:42 am

      I agree 10000000000000%!

  • Carolyn @ Lovin' Losing March 15, 2011, 9:31 am

    Those spring rolls look amazing! Glad you got there and back safely!

  • Ilana March 15, 2011, 9:35 am

    Oh man.. I used to live in ATL and Sunflower was our favorite. Yummmmmmmmmmmm I miss it!!

  • rebecca lustig March 15, 2011, 9:47 am

    the fruit and veggie kabob looks SOOOO good.

  • Liz March 15, 2011, 9:53 am

    Out of curiosity, what did you do with the dogs when you were at dinner? My dog is too much of a nut to leave in the car.

    • Caitlin March 15, 2011, 10:30 am

      Left them in the car πŸ™‚ It was like 65 degrees outside so I didn’t have to worry about overheating at all, and they just sleep in there.

  • Katie March 15, 2011, 9:54 am

    Glad you liked Cafe Sunflower!

  • Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table March 15, 2011, 9:59 am

    Glad you liked your ATL meal! You’ll have to come back when the new vegan restaurant opens!

  • Katie @ PEACEBEME March 15, 2011, 10:05 am

    I always have such an urge to snack on road trips. I do think it’s from being bored. Somehow snacking and long drives just go together. πŸ™‚

  • Ashley @ Feeding Ashley March 15, 2011, 10:18 am

    Oh wow. That’s a long trip, I don’t know if I could do it! At least the food was good!

  • Clare March 15, 2011, 10:22 am

    Love that first photo of the sky.

  • Gwen March 15, 2011, 10:22 am

    Those spring rolls look awesome. I love all forms of spring/egg rolls. I want to go to a restaurant that serves them exclusively!

  • Amber K March 15, 2011, 10:26 am

    One day I will have a smart phone! And then road trips will be awesome because we’ll be able to look up great places on the go! I love the Operation Beautiful notes you left!

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss March 15, 2011, 10:49 am

    Wow, that is quite the roadtrip! You’re such a nice friend to do all that!

  • Clarissa @ SoberandtheCity March 15, 2011, 11:12 am

    I love the notes on the mirror! Just the positive read you need on a long drive πŸ™‚

  • Kristen March 15, 2011, 11:33 am

    I love road trips! Looks like you had fun and got some great (and yummy) food!
    I hope you get some sleep

  • Mary (what's cookin' with mary) March 15, 2011, 11:36 am

    B & I love rode trips, but I am lucky bc he loves to do all the driving πŸ™‚

  • Kacy March 15, 2011, 12:00 pm

    Salt and vinegar chips are my jam. Hope you got some sleep!

  • Sam (the neurotic yogini) March 15, 2011, 12:39 pm

    My bf and I recently went on a roadtrip to AL from TX… 14 hour drive. I drove a total of 2 hours… hahah. Love my boy.

  • Ali March 15, 2011, 12:52 pm

    That veggie kabob looks terrific!!!

  • Val @ Balancing Val March 15, 2011, 1:00 pm

    What a stunning picture of you, Caitlin!!

    πŸ˜€

  • LauraJayne March 15, 2011, 1:42 pm

    I am SO glad that you went to Cafe Sunflower! I love this place – and I’m glad that you enjoyed it! The cookbook is amazing too – and has some of my favorite recipes from the restaurant! Glad you had a safe trip!

  • Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife March 15, 2011, 1:44 pm

    whoa! That is one fabulously long road trip! Glad you did it safely (and so quickly-ONE day!!) And your meal looks awesome πŸ™‚

  • Rachel March 15, 2011, 1:44 pm

    I’m so glad you went to Cafe Sunflower! I live in Knoxville now, but I am from and my family still lives in Atlanta. Every time I go home, I stop there. I’m the only vegan in my family, but I’ve got my meat-obsessed dad and brother to love the restaurant also. I hope you enjoyed your dinner, but I’m glad I wasn’t the one doing all the driving!

    • Caitlin March 15, 2011, 3:42 pm

      Oh I love KNoxville πŸ™‚ They have some good veggie places there too!

  • Kiran March 15, 2011, 1:57 pm

    Darn! TJ’s cute chocolate wrapper is truly a way to woo me πŸ™‚

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