Eating healthy, home-cooked (vegetarian) meals while travelling can be challenging, but it’s easier with a kitchen!  Long-term hotels, vacation homes, and some resorts have a full-size kitchen that I am happy to utilize.

The following shopping and recipe list provides 14 healthy meals (That’s 7 days of lunches and dinners for 1 person, or 7 meals each for 2 people).  These oil-free, low-sodium, low-fat vegetarian recipes share a lot of the same ingredients, so they are cost-efficient, and at the end of my trip, I have no waste!

SHOPPING LIST:

For Recipes (x12 meals – see Recipes section below):

• Vegetable (or mushroom) broth, 7-8 cups (2 32 oz. boxes)
• Onion, 3 medium
• Garlic, 1 medium bulb
• Bell pepper, 3 medium
• Tomatoes, 3 medium
• Sweet potato, 2 medium
• Black beans (or pinto beans), 1 cup uncooked
• Lentils, 1 cup uncooked
• Quinoa, 2 cups uncooked (~12 oz. bag)
• Spaghetti Sauce, 25 oz. jar
• Spaghetti Squash, 1 medium (if it’s out of season, then any healthy pasta)

For Salads (x2 meals) and Snacks:

• Spinach and raw veggies
• Nuts and seeds
• (Healthy) Chips
• Fresh fruit
• Hummus (for salads and dipping)
• Salsa (for salads, dipping, and topping on meals)
• Dark chocolate!

For Breakfast (x7):

• Ezekiel cereal or granola
• Almond milk, 7 cups (2 32-ounce boxes)*
• Berries

• If the hotel has a blender, I use any leftover almond milk, fruit including berries, spinach, and cucumbers to make delicious and nutritious smoothies.

RECIPES:

Garlic, Onions, Bell Peppers, and Tomatoes (Prep)

• Vegetable (or mushroom) broth, 2 cups
• Onion, 3 medium
• Garlic, 1 medium bulb
• Bell pepper, 3 medium
• Tomatoes, 3 medium

1. Brown the onions on medium heat.
2. Add 2 cup broth, add the garlic and bell peppers. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash w/ Chunky Sauce (4 meals)

• Spaghetti Squash, 1 medium (if it’s out of season, then use healthy pasta)
• Spaghetti Sauce, 16 oz. jar

1. Bake the spaghetti squash in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  Cut it in half and use a fork to serve the spaghetti-like squash noodles.
2. Warm a jar of spaghetti sauce. Add 1/4 of the Garlic-Onions-Bell Peppers-Tomatoes mix. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add the chunky spaghetti sauce to the spaghetti squash noodles.

Sweet Potato with Beans (4 meals)

• Water, 6 cups
• Vegetable broth, 1 cup
• Sweet Potato, 4 medium
• Black beans (or pinto beans), 1 cup uncooked

1. Soak the beans overnight.
2. Boil the water, add the black beans, and simmer for 4 hours. Drain.
3. Add 1 cup broth and 1/4 of the Garlic-Onions-Bell Peppers-Tomatoes mix.  Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bake the sweet potato at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Combine all ingredients into each sweet potato.

Quinoa and Lentils  (4 meals)

• Water, 3 cups
• Vegetable broth, 4 cups
• Lentils, 1 cup uncooked
• Quinoa (or brown rice), 2 cups uncooked

1. Boil 3 cups water, add the lentils, and simmer for 25 minutes. Drain.
2. Separately, boil 4 cups vegetable broth, add the quinoa, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Combine all ingredients. Add 50% of the Garlic-Onions-Bell Peppers-Tomatoes mix. Simmer for 15 minutes.