Food trucks and rest-day eating

Happy Wednesday! Another food post is coming your way thanks to “What I Ate Wednesday” …

But first, some background: On Sunday, Dave and I went to the Presidio neighborhood of San Francisco to experience the weekly “Off the Grid” food truck picnic. After paying a few dollars for parking, we were surprised to see a park packed full of people on a very foggy and dreary Sunday in the month of “Fog-ust.”

Off the Grid holds picnics at various places around the Bay Area, and Dave and I had never attended one before. This particular Off the Grid event was a sort of like a mini-food festival with a lot of gourmet fare, sweets and drinks available.

Off the Grid

Unlike many of the other park days we’ve done over the past two years, the Presidio seems to offer a much more family-friendly environment. In fact, I’d never seen so many little kids and families in the City in one place. There were tons of men with babies strapped to their chests and cold beer in their hands. It’s a good look. And apparently a popular thing to do on a Sunday.

We showed up kid-less (obviously), brought a blanket, wore sweaters to fend of the chilly wind and arrived with hungry bellies.

And now back to the full food recap from that day …

Breakfast at home at 8:45 a.m.

This was a late breakfast for me. I had been up for a while before eating it, but because our apartment is so small, I had to wait until Dave got up to prepare my meal. I needed to use the microwave, boil water and bang some things around in the kitchen to make the following hearty yogurt parfait …

Sunday morning breakfast

This concoction includes one cup of plain Greek yogurt, one teaspoon of Chia seeds, one sliced up banana, a handful of plain raw almonds chopped up and a strawberry SOYJOY bar, which I heated up for 10 seconds before crumbling it onto the parfait. SOYJOY sent me a couple of boxes of bars to try, and my favorite way to eat them is softened up a bit and mixed with something else.

I also had some green tea, sweetened with milk and stevia.

Because of my later breakfast, I skipped my mid-morning snack, and we went straight to the picnic.

Lunch at Off the Grid 12:30 p.m.

There were tons of food trucks and vendors to choose from, but knowing we needed cash and the lines were long, Dave and I decided to eat from the same place. We chose the Little Green Cyclo food truck featuring fresh Vietnamese street food.

Here’s what I enjoyed …

Off the Grid lunch

It was underwhelming.

It’s a fresh salad with lettuce, picked onions and daikon, cucumbers, bean sprouts, mint, cilantro, fried shallots, crushed roasted peanuts, soy sauce, fish sauce and Mary’s free-range nine-spice grilled chicken. I thought there were going to be way more veggies in this salad, and I also would have like it if the chicken hadn’t come out cold. Nonetheless, while juggling my multiple beverages (I also had a canned lemon-flavored Pellegrino, as well as a little tiny glass of rose wine and a bottled water), I ate the whole thing. It got better toward the bottom, where some of the good stuff was hidden.

Off the Grid Ashley

I do like a little mid-day vino on a Sunday in the park.

After eating our less-than-phenomenal meals, we sat back and enjoyed people-watching and chatting for a couple of hours, then went home to veg for the rest of the afternoon.

Because it was a rest day for me, I was a little off with my snacking and eating routine. Perhaps I wasn’t as hungry because I hardly moved all day. Compared to the weekdays in which I work out for at least an hour and walk seven miles, Sunday was truly sedentary.

Mid-afternoon snack at home at 5 p.m.

Knowing I needed at least a little something before dinner, I had this crunchy Fuji apple.

Afternoon apple snack

After a short nap, Dave and I played a quiz question card game, in which I won, and then, it was time for Sunday’s main event. Taco night.

Dinner at 8 p.m.

Alongside a little more wine, I enjoyed this amazing spread, made with care by Dave.

Sunday night taco dinner

Blue corn tortillas, grilled chicken, grilled peppers, onions, tomatoes, tons of guacamole, hot salsa and black beans on the side.

And yes, he made enough for us to have leftovers on Monday night too. What a man.

Dessert at 8:45 p.m.

A glass of soy milk, just to finish off my palate.

Soy milkYes, I said soy. I’m trying some new things, and because soy milk has a little more protein than almond milk, I’m attempting to cycle it in here and there. So far so good, and it’s a nice sweet taste.

And that was it. A full day of eats shown completely, minus a few beverages, some vitamins and some gum.

Usually my weekend eats are a little less structured than during the week, and this Sunday had a few surprises, like the appearance of a glass of wine at lunch and dinner. Whatever.

Now, if you enjoyed these food pictures, check out my previous posts, or visit the hostess and “What I Ate Wednesday” creator: Peas and Crayons.

  1. A full day of eating in pictures
  2. Another full day of my eats and drinks
  3. Real food isn’t always pretty
  4. Do you have a balanced dining out strategy?
  5. What I ate and drank all day
  6. Three meals, two snacks and a shake

Questions of the day

Do you eat differently on the weekend than during the week? Have you ever enjoyed the food truck experience?

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23 Comments

  1. The Off the Grid food truck thing looks like fun!! Not sure so much about all the kids & babies though, lol. I just LOVE SF – so many delicious food options (coming to visit again later this month)! Sorry your meal from the food truck was underwhelming.
    Happy Wednesday!

  2. What a bummer your meal from the food truck was nothing spectacular! Some of the best food I’ve eaten have been from food trucks in the past. 😉

    My weekend eats are typically kind of all over the place just depending on what’s going on. I always eat a healthy breakfast, but beyond that, it’s a toss up. Some weekend days are pretty “normal” for me (three meals + a couple snacks) while other weekend days are all over the place. It almost always involves a little more indulgence though, which is good for the soul. 🙂

  3. I think Presidio is my favourite neighborhood in San Francisco. Then again, I haven’t truly explored the city too much in my 4-5 visits there. Food truck food is freakin amazing, isn’t it? I kinda want to have a picnic style lunch and grab some of that food after a climb in Crissy Fields, OMG… do you know what? We should do that some time together. Are you up for it?! Have you climbed before?

    1. Hi! I’ve never climbed before. I like the Presidio a lot, but my ‘hood is my favorite (Nob Hill). Have you been around the Mission? There are some great spots there. And yes, normally food truck food is awesome. Not for me on Sunday though. We should plan a climbing trip!!

  4. Where I used to live, food trucks were pretty big. I didn’t live there long enough to visit many, but there was this one food truck that did crepes, and it was the only place in town you could get crepes…O.M.G. I am such a sucker for crepes!! Where I live currently (northern AZ), there sadly isn’t a food truck scene–I love me a good food truck rodeo!

    Also: those tacos look amazing! I’m lucky to also have a manpanion who pitches in with cooking (chowing down on his chicken salad right now). I like to make tacos pretty regularly, but lately I’ve also been loving carnitas! Some cabbage, lime juice, tomatoes, and avocado makes them divine (and great for leftovers)! Rubies and Radishes has a recipe I love.

    1. Hi Suzanne! Thanks for stopping by. I love your enthusiasm with all the exclamation points. And I’m so glad you’ve got a man who cooks.
      Carnitas sound yummy!

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