Meal plan for those who don't like to cook
You can pick and choose things from this list. You can also healthy-things-up by adding more fruits and veggies, decreasing your meat consumption and using other dishes. That all said, we'll be on vac...
Forum Discussion
I enjoy cooking and eating outdoors but not much for breakfast or lunch when it's too hot. So I do a lot of base cooking at home and freeze the goods.
Leaving on a 17 day trip next Tuesday and have already pre made:
BREAKFAST FOODS
http://www.ivillage.com/classic-fried-egg-sandwich-0/3-b-373616#373624 Just make whatever kind of filling you like.
banana pancakes
yeast waffles (some plain-those are planned for a fried chicken and waffle dinner; some w/ blueberries)
http://www.ivillage.com/classic-fried-egg-sandwich/3-r-373017 I add tomato and avocado slices on site.
home fries
Berry muffins
That's about it for hot breakfasts beyond the inevitable leftover creations late in the trip.
Cold breakfast are fruit smoothies (wuv my manual blender!), vanilla yoghurt and fresh fruit, maybe add a lil granola or museli. As well exactly 2 mini boxes of whatever sugar laden stuff Kellog's is calling breakfast food as a once a week "treat". You can tell I'm not a fan of Count Chocula and Lucky Charms but errrrr the kiddos I travel with are;).
LUNCH FOODS
various cold soups: gazpacho, asparagus, green pea or hot soups: black bean, vegetarian chili, and tomato basil. Served w/ a sandwich or wrap.
or a main course salad.
Dinner ingredients make aheads are:
Pasta sauces. This year I made a Bolognese and sausage ragu plus 2 types of pesto:arugula and basil.
Gumbo base.
sofritto
compound butters. Some with various herbs and aromatics to finish a dish and a equal flour and butter mix to thicken sauces.
small portions of homemade meat and vegetable stocks/broths for sauces and main course soups.
rice and elbow macaroni (both freeze beautifully but you get a better result with the macaroni by cutting the cooking time by a few mins. before freezing IMO)
ratatouille
parboiled string beans (can be grilled, added to soup or stir fried)
baby bok choy
chopped onions,shallots, peppers all of which flash freeze nicely.
chopped garlic frozen in oil.
Chicken parts and slice pork cutlets frozen in brine. Pre thin sliced beef for stirfry and Singapore style main course soup.
Butterflied Cornish hens (they grill faster with no backs). Grilled meat one night and chicken dumpling soup with the leftovers, another.
I know we'll have Italian, Indian, French, Latin and Asian inspired meals this trip but haven't written out a formal menu as I normally do. Actually not true. My 'puter crashed in the middle of filling out the spreadsheet and it's gone w/ the wind now. That'll teach me to save while working in future. Sigh. Sooooo I'll prolly wing it this year w/ the ingredients and prep on hand except for the 4th and 14th of July. Those menus have already been included in my evites since I'll be entertaining those days.
Leaving on a 17 day trip next Tuesday and have already pre made:
BREAKFAST FOODS
http://www.ivillage.com/classic-fried-egg-sandwich-0/3-b-373616#373624 Just make whatever kind of filling you like.
banana pancakes
yeast waffles (some plain-those are planned for a fried chicken and waffle dinner; some w/ blueberries)
http://www.ivillage.com/classic-fried-egg-sandwich/3-r-373017 I add tomato and avocado slices on site.
home fries
Berry muffins
That's about it for hot breakfasts beyond the inevitable leftover creations late in the trip.
Cold breakfast are fruit smoothies (wuv my manual blender!), vanilla yoghurt and fresh fruit, maybe add a lil granola or museli. As well exactly 2 mini boxes of whatever sugar laden stuff Kellog's is calling breakfast food as a once a week "treat". You can tell I'm not a fan of Count Chocula and Lucky Charms but errrrr the kiddos I travel with are;).
LUNCH FOODS
various cold soups: gazpacho, asparagus, green pea or hot soups: black bean, vegetarian chili, and tomato basil. Served w/ a sandwich or wrap.
or a main course salad.
Dinner ingredients make aheads are:
Pasta sauces. This year I made a Bolognese and sausage ragu plus 2 types of pesto:arugula and basil.
Gumbo base.
sofritto
compound butters. Some with various herbs and aromatics to finish a dish and a equal flour and butter mix to thicken sauces.
small portions of homemade meat and vegetable stocks/broths for sauces and main course soups.
rice and elbow macaroni (both freeze beautifully but you get a better result with the macaroni by cutting the cooking time by a few mins. before freezing IMO)
ratatouille
parboiled string beans (can be grilled, added to soup or stir fried)
baby bok choy
chopped onions,shallots, peppers all of which flash freeze nicely.
chopped garlic frozen in oil.
Chicken parts and slice pork cutlets frozen in brine. Pre thin sliced beef for stirfry and Singapore style main course soup.
Butterflied Cornish hens (they grill faster with no backs). Grilled meat one night and chicken dumpling soup with the leftovers, another.
I know we'll have Italian, Indian, French, Latin and Asian inspired meals this trip but haven't written out a formal menu as I normally do. Actually not true. My 'puter crashed in the middle of filling out the spreadsheet and it's gone w/ the wind now. That'll teach me to save while working in future. Sigh. Sooooo I'll prolly wing it this year w/ the ingredients and prep on hand except for the 4th and 14th of July. Those menus have already been included in my evites since I'll be entertaining those days.
