Three Easy, Nutritious Meals for the Road
By Rachel Puryear
One common issue people run into with road life, especially where their vehicle has limited kitchen facilities, is meals while glamping. However, you can make easy, delicious meals without spending lots of money on takeout, or sacrificing good nutrition.
Here are three types of easy meals you can prepare on the road, even if your van or RV has limited kitchen facilities or hookups:
Soft Tacos
Tacos are as easy and simple as they are delicious, and they can be highly nutritious, too.
Beans and other legumes, and rice are classic staples of tacos, and these keep easily in a van, even if refrigeration is minimal or absent. These can be stored for a long time in dry form – just make sure you seal them well, or keep them in canned form.
Tortillas – whichever kind you prefer – also keep well without refrigeration needed. Again, just be sure to keep them well sealed.
Slicing a fresh avocado into the tacos will add great nutrition, and they are delicious. These can keep unrefrigerated up to several days if purchased unripe (they will be firm when unripe, and soften as they ripen).
Meat/protein can be the hardest thing to store when refrigeration is limited. One solution is to simply have vegan tacos, which is a delicious option. Another is to use canned meats, or to purchase fresh meat when you’re able, and cook it quickly.
Soup in an Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
Soup is the ultimate comfort food. It’s tasty, it will warm you up on chilly nights, it will stick to your ribs, and it can easily be made chock full of nutrients, too.
Soup is incredibly versatile. You can follow classic recipes, or you can put anything you like in it, to the extent of your own imagination.
Legumes, rice, pastas, and grains all keep well unrefrigerated, yet cook easily in a pressure cooker. Canned or fresh veggies and meat can be added, and all ingredients can cook easily together.
Stir-Fry in an Electric Skillet
A stir-fry is quick and easy, yet delicious and high in nutrition. It’s also an excellent and versatile choice if you’re following a low-carb program.
This is a great option for when you’ve just gone shopping, either at a grocery store or a farmer’s market, and you want to mix together lots of things you’ve just bought. If refrigeration is limited, cooking your raw ingredients together can help to preserve them longer.
If you’re not close to shopping facilities, you can also mix together canned food to make stir-fry.
Easy Cooking, Food Prep, and Food Storage Supplies for the Road
Here are recommendations for the tools you’ll need to prepare nutritious, delicious, yet easy meals while on the road:
Electric Skillet
You won’t need a stove – or propane – with this electric skillet, you just plug it in and easily cook anything you want in it:
Bella electric ceramic titanium skillet with lid.
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
Think of this as a portable kitchen. You could eat very well on all the things you can cook with one of these, and they are easy and quick to use:
Jackery Power Source
You may be wondering right now how you’re going to plug in those items if you’re going off grid, and won’t have an electrical outlet or solar.
That’s a great question, and here’s your answer – a portable power source:
Tip: On the Amazon page, look right below the price and check the box to apply a coupon. $150 off for without solar panels, and $300 off for with solar panels.
You can use the solar panel option to recharge the Jackery. Or, you can charge it while you’re at campsites, or you may be able to charge it using your vehicle while driving.
The Jackery can also power items like phones, computers, c-pap machines, and more.
Cooler
In a van or RV that’s off grid but has adequate solar power, you have some simple options for refrigeration – though it will of course be smaller than a residential fridge. Here’s a great option:
BougeRV 12V freezer/refrigerator (interchangeable) for travel,ranging from 34 quart to 53 quart.
Items Often Overlooked
Don’t forget a can opener, if you’ll be relying on canned foods. Keep food fresh, and keep critters out of it with airtight food storage containers. Bring plenty of drinking water, too.
Thank you, dear readers, for reading, following, and sharing. Here’s to delicious, nutritious meals enjoyed while on the road.
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Check out my other blog, too – World Class Hugs, at https://worldclasshugs.com. It’s about celebrating empathic and “HSP” people, overcoming toxic patterns and learning better ways of relating to others, and traveling and nature photos.
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