*This is previous post from my old blog
The crowd near the Banjo Stage this past weekend at Hardly Strictly, photo courtesy of Mando Navarro

This past weekend I went to a free bluegrass music event, Hardly Strictly, in San Francisco. There was food at this event that I was excited to try, but I also brought my own food and beverages because it’s allowed! Pretty awesome. I also brought some of my own food because we were planning on being there for some time and I didn’t want to be tempted to get anything that wasn’t good for me or would make me feel yucky. The best way to avoid being tempted by foods that aren’t real foods is to make sure to bring plenty of your own and scope out the food that is being sold there prior to the event.

What I Prepared:

My not so pretty-looking salad in a jar. But it was delicious!

~Salad in a Jar

Homemade Dressing (balsamic vinegar & olive oil)
Quinoa
Carrots
Beets (my own pickled beets!)
Cherry tomatoes
Basil
Spring lettuce mix/Spinach
*all organic ingredients

My salad in a jar mixed up and ready to eat.
~Chickpea Wrap w/Carrots and Beets

Mashed up chickpeas
Olive oil
Salt
parsley
Carrots sliced thin
Beets sliced thin
*all organic ingredients
~Pasta w/fried Tofu Cubes, parsley and olive oil w/balsamic vinegar

Cooked pasta, cooled
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
*all organic ingredients

Snacks

~Local, Garlic-Onion Pistachios (from the Farmers Market)

~Kettle Chips, non-GMO (I couldn’t find the organic ones but I made sure to get non-GMO)

~Mary’s Gone Crackers, organic, non-GMO
Some of my snacks for the weekend
~Organic, Green Grapes

~Olives from Whole Foods

~Organic Cranberry Goat Cheese & a multi-grain roll made at Whole Foods

Organic, Cranberry Goat Cheese, Muti-grain Roll and Groundswell Wine
Drinks

~Water-They also had water refill stations available for refilling the water bottles you bring to refill

~White Wine made with organic grapes, Groundswell
This is my new wine of choice that I brought with me to the festival. I get it at Whole Foods for $5.99 sometimes on sale for $4.99. I was finding it difficult to make the switch to organic wine because it’s expensive so I decided that I was OK with starting with wine made from organic grapes. I think it’s a great start to making the switch to 100% organic, non-GMO wine, and it’s pretty tasty too!

~Boonville Anderson Valley Beer
Mando and I have been to their brewery and we love their beer. It’s pretty local and non-GMO! We were lucky to grab the last couple Summer Solstice beers for the festival.

What I Purchased at the Event
I also got a pizza the first day and vegan sushi, kale vegetable taco and more pizza the second day.
The pizza was organic and non-GMO so that was great! The sushi was sustainable (even though I got the vegan sushi) and I stuck with the veggie taco at the Peace, Love, Tacos stand.
Summer Squash Flatbread Pizza

Full of Life pizza stand at Hardly Strictly, gets my approval! It’s organic, 100% handmade, made with local ingredients and really delicious!

Vegetable taco from Peace, Love, Tacos
Their food is 100% dairy- free but when I asked where they got their beef and if it was grass fed, they laughed. It’s always good to ask so you know what not to get. I also like to ask for my friends who eat meat. I recommended Let’s Be Frank because they serve grass-fed hot dogs and the sustainable sushi.
There were also organic coffee stands as well.
I loved being able to bring my own food but it was great to have the option for organic, sustainable food. I only wish all of the stands could be organic.
Me in my floppy hat eating some sushi
Vegan Sushi Roll from Sustainable Sushi SoCal

I love seeing organic, sustainable food and drinks being sold!
Other Non-Harmful Products to Bring

~Alba Bontanica Sunscreen, paraben free, no animal testing, gluten free and made with vegetarian ingredients

~EO Lavender, Hand Sanitizer wipes, paraben free & GMO free
Yes, there are GMO’s in your hand sanitizer! These wipes were great to have after using the porta potties and they smelled great.

Other Stuff to Bring-

~Cooler
~Blanket
~Portable Chairs