August 28, 2017Summer has so many highlights… long days, bright sun, time spent with family, vacation.
Even better: long days in the bright sun with family on vacation. When you’ve planned the perfect summer getaway, what you want to do is just that — get away. But unless you’re headed to an all-inclusive resort where everything is done for you, chances are you’ll spend at least some time each day in the kitchen. And we all know what hotel and rental kitchens can be like — they’re just not the same.
To help you prep for vacation and make it as relaxing as possible, we have 5 pre-trip tips and 5 easy and delicious vacation-perfect recipes for you to try:
Before you go:
Ask. Call or email the hotel/owner of the rental property and ask what cookware and utensils are available. This will save you from packing things you don’t need, or from not packing things you’ve assumed will be there.
Make note of the appliances and utensils you use daily. For example, if you just can’t go without your morning smoothie, you might want to add your blender to the packing list.
Go grocery shopping. If you have room in your luggage or car, a pre-vacation trip to the grocery store can save you a huge headache — especially if you’re traveling with kids. At the very least, you can pick up some snacks and the ingredients for your first meal, so you don’t arrive at your destination with a hungry, cranky family and no meal in sight. (Yikes!)
Pack the essentials. You might find yourself at a vacation rental with a fully stocked pantry, or you could find yourself in the middle of nowhere without so much as a bottle of olive oil. Here’s a basic pantry list to spark some ideas.
Plan your meals. This will get rid of the “what’s for dinner?” conversation that invades typical weeknights and will get you thinking ahead.
In fact, we have a few ideas for you…
5 simple vacation-friendly meal ideas:
When planning your vacation meals, ditch the complicated dishes in favor of meals that are easy (as in, they don’t have many steps or require multiple pans. Who wants to spend all night doing dishes on vacation?).
These five recipes require ingredients that are easy to find, they taste delicious and they work well as leftovers:
French Bread Pesto Chicken Pizza from TheKitchn.com
Baked Salmon and Asparagus from CookingClassy.com
BLT Salad from NatashasKitchen.com
Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil from DamnDelicious.net
One Pot Chicken Spinach Pasta from Chef-In-Training.com
With these tips and recipes, you’ll feel at home in the kitchen while on vacation, without spending much time there. After all, there’s a lot of fun in the sun to be had. You deserve to enjoy it!
What are your favorite vacation meal prep tips, tricks and recipes? Share them in the comments below, or over on Facebook!
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