In need of a holiday and craving some quality skiing, I decided to invite myself on my father’s annual ski trip – classic Jae! I joined my Dad and 3 of his buddies on their trip to Utah. He has skied with these guys for as long as I can remember and boy do they have a routine. First stop from the airport is the grocery store. They get the shuttle driver to stop and they buy food for the week. It is pretty incredible. They buy breakfast goods, sandwich fixings, plenty of noshes for appetizers and different entree items.
It got me thinking…how many of you cook (on purpose) while on holiday? Many of you want to avoid cooking or it doesn’t even cross your mind, but then you feel frustrated that you gained weight while out of town and realize how much money you spent on so many meals out. How can you turn that around and make your holidays work for you?
Have you ever booked a vacation with a room with a kitchen so you can cook? Looking back on my childhood I am realizing that is what we always did because my father never wanted to eat every meal out! Smart and effective man he is…
So consider this…I just spent 4 days with the boys (I mean men…) in Utah and it really can be healthy and delicious and will not break your waist line or wallet.
For breakfast they bought cereals, milk, yogurt, eggs, tabasco sauce(my addition), bread, peanut butter and jam. Coffee and tea of course. You can also add oatmeal and fixings or consider dinner leftovers for breakfast.
For lunch they made sandwiches everyday for the mountain and had nuts, fresh fruit and whole grain chips to snack on or you could easily bring dinner leftovers in a small tupperware too.
Dinner was split between my Dad and Dave, the other chef of the group. Every night started with a good vegetable salad and then entrees varied. The first night was chicken breasts with sun dried tomatoes, baked yams and broccoli, Second night was pasta with spicy sausage and broccoli, third night was chicken, green beans and rice and last night was Grandma’s chicken with saffron rice, peas and bell peppers. So good!
There are so many things you can do here to keep things simple and tasty. Depending on the group who is traveling and how many people like to cook you can split up shifts and recipes. Choose a few proteins, a few starches, plenty of vegetables and a few sauces/condiments/spices that go with most foods. Check in advance for the closest grocery stores and figure out if it is doable and convenient. Keep recipes simple, look in advance online and get a bunch of recipes prepared and have a grocery list ready to go. You can do this!
Here are a few one pot wonders/leftovers from some of my favorite blogs to motivate you. Try these at home or on the road. These are just a few to get you going – consider stews, soups or chilis. Search “one pot wonders” online or just make your protein, starch and vegetable with similar flavors and notice how well they all go together in one big bowl of goodness.
Braised Moroccan Chicken and Olives
Roast Chicken Sandwich
Steak on Arugula with Parmesan and Balsamic
Shakshuka
It goes back to what I am always saying…figure out how to make it work for you! If you travel a lot and are always gaining weight per trip then lets make a change. If you want to learn how to make cooking easier, cooking in bulk is the best way I know how to do it so you have plenty of leftovers.
What is your favorite one pot wonder? How do you make it work for you? Or where I can I assist you in finding a strategy?
I already miss the mountains…thanks guys for a wonderful trip!