A great place to stop in between Detroit and Chicago is the People’s Food Co-Op in Kalamazoo. They’re not affiliated with the one in Ann Arbor (I asked). They have quite a few vegan items to choose from and all of it is easily marked vegan on the signs. They also put “love” as one of the ingredients 
On our way to Chicago, Rob got a Tofurky Sandwich with avocado and I had a Cauliflower Peanut Pasta Salad. The salad was good but it contained peas so I ate around them. I didn’t finish all of the salad so Rob ate what was left, peas and all. To drink, we each had an Izze. Rob got Blackberry and I went for the Pomegranate. The co-op also sold these delicious almond butter bars topped with chocolate (vegan). On the way back to Detroit, we decided to try their soups. They had three to choose from and they were all vegan. Rob had the green chili which was nice and spicy. I had a sweet potato soup which was fabulous. I really liked the co-op. It’s very small but the employees were really helpful and friendly. I’m just glad we found an in-between point that has vegan-friendly food.
Rob’s Tofurky Sandwich & My Cauliflower Peanut Pasta Salad (a bit pricey but you can’t always avoid that while traveling):
There’s a good Middle Eastern restaurant in Schaumburg, IL called Pita House. We’ve been there several times over the past few years. I really like their Mama Gannouj which is like Baba Gannouj but it’s made with zucchini instead of eggplant. It’s delicious. I also tried their lentil soup which was good, but it wasn’t anything like the crushed lentil soup I can get around here. I opted for the falafel plate with rice this time. It was great and very filling.
We stayed at an apartment-style hotel geared towards business travelers. I like those places because you get a mini-kitchen and they are more spacious than a typical hotel room. We had an apartment on the second floor. On the night we went to Pita House for take-out, it was raining and very windy. Earlier, I lost my umbrella to the weather when the wind tore it apart. When we got back, we had a short walk from our car to the outdoor staircase. Since it was raining and we were umbrella-less, we made a run for it. I took about one step on the stairs when I noticed something. Looking back at me from the top of the stairs was a giant raccoon. Not exactly what you want to see while carrying a bag of food!!! All I could say to Rob was Raccoon!!! Run!!! Rob said “Follow Me” So we ran back into the rain and I followed him to a staircase located on the other side. Luckily, this was enough to make the raccoon go back down the stairs and we could safely enter the apartment. I wonder if any of the other hotel guests heard the commotion and wondered what the heck was going on?
Lentil soup, hot sauce (I think they might make their own, it’s spicy, love it!!), Mama Gannouj, tahini sauce, falafel plate with rice, and pita bread:
We also stopped at Starbucks and got Gingerbread Soy Cappuccinos. I love the gingerbread flavor and will have to buy a bottle for when I make coffees at home (I have a Starbucks Barista Athena espresso machine). I was intrigued that a label of your order prints out and they stick it on the appropriate cup size. What a cool way to do it. As you can tell, we don’t go to Starbucks much because I make our coffees at home. The baristas were much nicer than the ones in the Detroit area too. They didn’t make any grunting noises or annoyed faces when I ordered soy.
