So you rented a place that has a kitchen so you can continue to eat whole food, plant-based (WFPB) while on vacation. Now it is time to figure out what to cook! Here are a few ideas from my last family vacation with my husband, 1-, 4-, and 6-year-old.
Breakfast!
My go to breakfast on vacation is the same as when I’m at home. I mash a banana on the bottom of a bowl (optional), then add old fashion oats, maybe some Ezekiel cereal, and tons of berries/fruit on top! I like to pack a zip lock bag of mixed hemp, chia, and flax seeds that I use to mix in my breakfast daily.
I also make pancakes for my kids ahead of time that I put in the freezer, then I throw them in our checked bag until we get settled into our room. Every morning I throw them into the toaster to reheat, put some peanut butter and jelly on top that I bought at the local grocery store and breakfast is served…quickly! Even my 1-year-old enjoys my pancakes cut up.
Tacos!
Making tacos is the perfect and easiest thing to throw together when you are short on time or kitchen equipment, of course there are many variations on how to do this. I will show you what I came up with last minute without preplanning….
I purchased:
- 1 can of plain black beans
- 1 frozen package of mixed rice, peppers, and corn with no additives
- 1 jar of salsa
- 1 package premade guacamole
- 1 taco dinner kit hard shells
Optional: lettuce, tomatoes, olives etc.
I did my best finding products with little to no added salt, sugar, or oil. Hard taco shells do not come without added oil; you could consider finding whole wheat soft shells if you want to fully omit the oil. I liked the idea of buying the taco dinner kit because it included taco seasoning that I used to season the beans, rice, and veggie mixture.
All you have to do is heat up the frozen rice mix and beans, mix in the taco seasoning to your preference, heat the taco shells for a min or two in the oven, dump in the bean/rice mixture and top with salsa and premade guacamole and bam! You have a delicious well-rounded meal that most everyone will enjoy.
You could also have just plan chips and salsa or guacamole on the side.
Pita sandwiches!
I was able to find some whole wheat pitas that I never can find in my hometown, so I decided to buy these and make peanut butter banana pitas for my children. My husband and I made pitas filled with hummus, cucumber, and peppers instead. On the side, we had apple slices with peanut butter, grapes, chips and salsa, my premade peanut butter balls and seed crackers as well as Triscuit crackers I purchased to encourage my kids to eat the hummus. Everyone was happy eating this smorgasbord for lunch and we continued to eat it throughout our trip for snacks and other quick meals.
Edamame!
A perfect snack or addition to any meal. You can buy frozen edamame at most grocery stores. I usually just plop them in a bowl, fill the bowl with water and microwave until heated through. I also purchased a small cheap bottle of soy sauce for dipping.
Noodles!
I bought my kids favorite brown rice noodles and cooked them up over the stove. I used a few drops of soy sauce I had for the edamame on the noodles for a sauce. My kids love this. Easy and plain. Of course, I paired it with some fresh fruit. If you can get your kids to eat more veggies than I can-don’t forget to find a bag of mixed veggies in the freezer isle to heat up and add on top!
Classic Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches!
This was my go-to when we were out of our room. I packed them in our diaper bag and away we went. I also made sure I had enough whole wheat bread to pack us all a sandwich for the plane ride home.
There really are endless possibilities of what you can prepare for yourself or your family while on a vacation, but for my latest trip, this is what I did! I hope you found this helpful.
Author: Alison Gerrish PA-C, Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional