We have a nice weekend planned with the fam at a resort. I rented a small villa with mini kitchen (cook top and microwave, no oven).
Most of the foods I make don't save up ahead because we eat pretty fresh. But really I"m just drawing a blank on what to make up ahead and eat. Being 80-90 % plant based, we eat very little meat or dairy. I do give my kids some cheese . There are restaurants on the resort, but they are crazy overpriced and you need a reservation for everything. Thought it would be simpler with our small children to eat in the room a couple of times. I really just think I don't feel like cooking at all today and neither do I feel like menu planning, but this vacation is in a couple of days, so I need to get on it. I need to find a way to make the meals both special and simple (or at least pre prepped) TIA.
yes there is a 'fridge
thanks barbalee. I remember the days when we'd eat bad on vacation. But I just cannot tolerate the way heavy food makes me feel anymore. Raw would not fly, I'm not looking for trying something with a learning curve, I'm just trying to get it done at this point (plus one of my kids has only 4 teeth).
You can make up roasted veggies/sauteed veggies and quinoa, add in some nuts or feta cheese, delish.
Also, you can prep a tabbouleh salad ahead of time (I use quinoa instead of bulgar for this as well) and add tomatoes in just before serving to keep the salad fresh longer.
Lentil vegetable salad. Couscous dish with nuts and raisins.
I probably wouldn't cook at all, it's just a weekend. Bring a cooler with your fav snacks and munchies, plenty of fruit, crackers, sandwich stuff, cookies, maybe a pasta/potato salad or a simple fried rice or noodle dish that can either be heated or eaten at room temp.
I'd still eat either lunch or dinner out, it's a vacation after all, and vegetarian options are fairly abundant these days.
Why not just eat raw for the weekend so you don't have to actually cook anything?
Yeah! That sounds like fun! Being a vegetarian myself, with a family of vegetarians, I know exactly what you mean.
We traveled for a year in a ten trailer and a mini van across the US and I tell you it was an adventure. Not just the traveling, but trying to stay healthy. It was a almost full time job. :)
I do know that we did a lot more grazing then we did actual meals while we were "on the go". We just kept the fridge/cooler full of "grab-ables" and when the kids were hungry they ate.
It's only a couple of days right? You can prep many things and then bring them along:
**rice/chick peas/lentils etc - make a batch or two ahead, they will keep for a few days and you can add ANYTHING to them.
**pasta, if you do pasta, bring it along. cook it up, add some EVOO and some veggies and voila dinner!
**a sandwhich bar is always fun. Cut up as many veggies as you can find (shredding them is even better) and put it in containers (not plastic bags). Put it out on the table for lunch each day and let the family get creative with their meals.
**We do Isagenix protein shakes for breakfast, have for the past 8 years, but you can always do home made granola in yogurt (do you do any kind of yogurt?) It is a great meal or snack.
**pita, tortilla shells, mini buns, anything goes in those, be creative.
**and then of course there is always fruit and lots of it. Cut up fruit is easy, delicious and nutritious.
I honour you for sticking with your healthy meal plan even when it's a bit more challenging.
B.
Make up a bunch of bean burrito's, with cheese for the kids, without cheese for you.
Is there a fridge in that room? You said it is a mini kitchen with cook top and microwave, no oven.
And its just for a weekend?
Anyway:
Tofu
Hummus
Pita or Naan bread
Sweet potatoes or squash
Soy beans
Beans
Nuts
Quinoa
Nori
Cereal with Almond milk
Whole grain breads
Almond butter
Vegan Ravioli (which Costco has)
Any veggie in any form.
In fact, Costco has all of the things I listed. I just bring it home and cook it my way.
And its all Vegan, which my Husband is, and thus I cook all of those things and get it at Costco.
We've done quinoa cakes ( pre cooked ), pre made egg zuccini oanckaes which we like cold, tortilla with humus cold, tortilla with cheese and salsa ( got a quesidilla maker for room), avocado and turkey sandwich, avocado humus sandwich, fruit salad with yogurt, almond butter and fruit or veggies, veggie chips with cheese, granola with yogurt and almond butter , pre made cold pasta salad. I have used travel smoothie maker in the past with fruit , juice almond butter ice.
We eati in the room lunch and early mornings but only dinner one night. We just want something else but really, I can only handle so much garbage when we stay at legoland and Disney and we go often! I can relate because we eat little meat and organic so all our tummies suffer if we eat at non healthy restaurants. Good luck!
Banana and peanut butter, cereal, hummus and avocado. Salad. Vegan cupcakes. Spaghetti. Daiya vegan cheese tortillas. Bean burritos with vegan cheese.
Our approach on vacations is to work out a way to eat two meals a day in the room and one meal out. We do that to save money (no particular diet for us), however it also means we can eat a bit healthier. So, for breakfasts, we will have cereals (usually Cheerios of a couple kinds) on hand, some fresh fruit (bananas, strawberries, mango, oranges), yogurt, bread, and spreads (peanut butter, jam, apple butter, houmous). You also could make a batch of pancakes and take them with you to reheat in the mornings. Bringing some quick oats will provide a good breakfast for the baby (and maybe others too). The bread and spreads provides a good option for lunch/dinner. We also bring/buy some fresh veggies (cucumbers, peppers, grape tomatoes, baby carrots) which will go well with sandwiches for the folks with teeth.
Should you feel a sudden burst of energy in the next day, you could cook a pot of an easy bean soup (lentil/etc) and take a couple plastic containers of it with you to reheat when needed. If you feel up for cooking one night, you could do pasta and a bottled sauce, make some salad, and you're set! It's only a few days. Have fun!
