In our previous post in this series, we wrote about our RV kitchen set-up and factors surrounding meal prep. Here, we provide specific insight into what we actually eat on the road.
Overall, our meal selection is slightly limited, but mostly, it hasn’t changed much since we’ve been on the road. We eat a lot of fresh food, and we cook nearly all of the same meals. However, we definitely eat fewer baked items and goodies due to our oven situation (click on the link above for more information on this) and limited storage space for all the from-scratch ingredients Jessie requires for baking (she is well known for her homemade baked goods). This has been the only significant adjustment, as Jessie misses baking and I miss eating what she bakes! Otherwise, our meals have remained pretty similar. Here’s a quick run-down of a typical week’s worth of meals on the road:
Breakfast:
- Cereal
- Fresh Fruit
- Oatmeal (we like the quick-cook steel cut oats) with walnuts, crasins, local honey, cinnamon, and a dash of almond milk
- Greek Yogurt with granola
- Biscuits
- Scrambled eggs
- Blueberry pancakes
- French toast
- Whole wheat pita with peanut butter
Lunch:
- Peanut butter and jelly or honey or banana (we eat a lot of these, as they pack well for hiking and we’re almost always on the go at lunch time)
- Turkey sandwiches
- Chips
- Apples and/or pears
- Carrots and/or raw broccoli
- Almonds
- Hummus with pita and veggies
- Trader Joes Snickerdoodle Cookies (me)
Dinner:
- Grilled turkey burgers, hamburgers (rarely), chicken, veggie kabobs
- Grilled fish (mahi or salmon)
- Soup, sometimes with grilled cheese
- Grilled sweet potato and/or zucchini
- Salad
- Spaghetti/penne with Italian bread dipped in olive oil mixture
- Fresh, frozen, or canned beans (green, baked, etc.)
- Other fresh, frozen or canned veggies
- Fresh or canned peaches/pears
- Black beans and rice with pineapple and avocado with chips and salsa
- Breakfast for dinner
- Salmon, tuna, or chicken salad
- Fried egg and avocado on grilled bread or toast
Snacks:
- Clif, Hammer, Lara, and/or Luna bars
- Homemade trail mix
- Fruit (fresh, dried, or canned)
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts)
- Hummus and carrots
- Cheese and crackers
- The occasional Snickers bar (me) or scoop of ice cream or fro yo (Jessie)
Final and important notes:
We tend to make bigger meals at dinner and eat leftovers for a day or two. One very important consideration is water usage when cleaning up dishes. Early in our trip we were very surprised to find out just how many gallons of water we were using to clean up after a meal. Since we have limited capacity to collect our grey water (aka: sink water) and must find an appropriate place to dispose of it, this has become a daily consideration for us. Another consideration is propane usage. Generally propane is cheap so we don’t worry about this too much but it is sometimes difficult to find a good location to get our propane bottles filled. Simply put, bigger meals and eating leftovers mean less grey water and less propane use.
Time:
We are rarely in a hurry these days. Without a work schedule or camping reservations, it just isn’t a big deal if we take an hour or more to prepare and eat a meal. This is a luxury we’ve taken full advantage of this year. And we’ve taken the opportunity to eat 50%+ of our meals outdoors. A picnic or three a day is a lovely way to enjoy a meal.
Dining Out:
Well, we’d like to do it more often. But it is expensive (for us) so we generally don’t eat out more than a few times a month. Since we rarely stay anywhere long enough to find the best local spots, we have been frequently disappointed by $20-$30 meals out that aren’t as good as we could make in our RV kitchen for $5. As I like to remind Jessie, Panda Express and Five Guys will never let you down.
We admit to getting stuck in a food rut every once in a while. What are you cooking up these days? We’d love to hear!
As always, thanks for reading! What else would you like to know about our real life on the road?