Moxy Invades England

Last week, the Moxy crew hit the road and flew over to the U.K. for the Thanksgiving break for our first ever family European trip.  The boys have been traveling with us since they were born, but this was by far the longest distance that we have ever tried to do with them and I’m so excited to announce that it was a great success!  Our goal for this week was to create a fun combination of touristy site seeing, visiting with old friends from our days living in the southwest part of the country, and casual exploration and do all of that while also preserving as much of our healthy lifestyle as possible.

To be perfectly honest, the first two were quite a bit easier than the last.  It can be very difficult to maintain the diet and exercise routine that is critical to maintain Derek’s sugar levels.  This post is therefore going to be a quick roundup of tips and ideas for minimizing the disruption to healthy habits while on the road.

• Airlines:  We flew Virgin Atlantic direct to London and it was a fantastic flight and crew.  One thing that we did not realize was that the meals on the flights are really delicious, but loaded with unhealthy sugar levels.  However, the crew let us know that for the next time, we just had to make a note of the dietary requirements on the reservation and they would be happy to prepare a special meal.  This is also important to know for kids’ meals, our boys unfortunately did not appreciate the sophisticated recipes that were meant to impress the adult travelers!
• Lodging:  We took advantage of staying at an AirBNB property which was truly a key reason the trip was so successful.  The flat we booked was fantastic and in a perfect location, but just as importantly, it allowed us the ability to shop at the local grocery store and fill the kitchen with healthy fruit and veg, please we decided to cook a few dinners at home (saving both money and health!
• Cafes:  Unlike in the U.S., most of the cafes around London and in the country do not serve anything other than coffee and pastries or other sweet breakfast choices.  So, if you’re going to be eating breakfast out, know that you’ll be limited to just a hot drink on the go.  The alternative, take advantage of the hotel breakfast included packages because a ‘Full English” breakfast means you’ll get eggs, bacon, sausage, toast (you can choose ‘brown’ which is whole wheat), beans and tomatoes.
• Pubs:  You really can’t say you’ve been in the U.K. until you’ve visited a traditional English pub.  There is nearly one on every corner of the country and many of them have become fantastic foodie experiences.  Keep away from the chain owned pubs for the more interesting menus.  We stopped at a beautiful pub called the Carpenter’s Arms while traveling in the south west part of the country and my meal easily stood up to some of the best I’ve had in big city restaurants.  Yelp and Waze both work really well in the U.K. to help find these gems.
• Exercise:  I find that going to a gym is not something that I want to make time for when traveling with my family, but I do get quite a bit of walking in.  One of the most fun ‘workouts’ our family got during this trip was during a walk in the moors, in Dartmoor, during a crazy windy day.  We hiked up to this wonderful rock formation and had a chance to appreciate the unique environment of the moors while also using muscles all around our bodies trying to stay upright on the hills.  Even though the whole walk took about 30 minutes, it was a great way for all of us to stretch our legs and spend some really terrific time together enjoying the gifts of Mother Nature.

I hope that this was a helpful set of tips and ideas for you while you travel and would love to hear what you have experienced while you’re on the road!

The Moxy Mamma

Hi I’m Anna. I’m a mom, wife, full time executive, part time amateur cook and love to be creative whenever I can.

In 2014, my husband received news that he had Type II Diabetes.I’m on a mission to eat great food and create delicious recipes that are packed with flavor instead of added sugar.

Do Good, Eat Great and Put some Moxy on your plate! (more about Anna)