I was asked by a reader:
Hey Katie,
It would be great if you could do a post on eating healthy on vacation, especially how you deal with when you first arrive and haven’t had time to go grocery shopping yet. I always struggle with that! And working out too. Love your blog by the way!
I’m really lucky because the beach house where we’re staying is equipped with a full kitchen (oven, microwave, fridge and freezer). And—as I mentioned in my previous post—my parents drove down a week before me, taking dangerous “Katie things” I couldn’t bring on an airplane. They also bought a few staples, during the week, to save me from having to go grocery shopping first thing.
Breakfast was an old favorite: Blended Oatmeal Pudding.
I cooked the oatmeal in Texas and took it on the airplane in a small Magic Bullet cup. Thankfully, no one tried to stop me.
The above was my breakfast backdrop.
For lunch, on the first day, I utilized some of the items my parents bought. My meal was close to the ugly meal from yesterday’s post—with the monster salad, Artisana coconut butter, and Chee-fu. The only difference was that I had a bowl of corn instead of the zucchini fries. And now that I have had time to go grocery shopping, I’m eating very similarly to the way I always eat.
There’s just one exception: Since I’m on vacation, I want to enjoy the scenery, the town, the beach, etc. I don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen all day. So I’m keeping things simple—less cooking, more “thrown together” meals, with lotsa salads and fresh fruits and veggies (taking advantage of those side-of-the-road farmers’ markets we don’t have in Texas). Plus, being out shopping or hanging in the town requires portable snacks, so I’ll often exchange my beloved blended pudding or Vita-Mix ice cream snacks for Jocalat bars, fudge baby bars, raw nuts, or especially fresh farmer’s-market fruits. Yesterday afternoon, for example, I feasted on this:
Juiciest box of raspberries ever. In the words of Usher: OMG! These berries hail from the cutest little farmer’s-market stand. Honestly, I want to box up the entire stand and transport it with me back to Texas. Why don’t we have places like this? Almost everything is organic, everything is local, and the stand boasts the ripest and juiciest fruit/veg. Berries, peppers, asparagus, salad greens, apples, peaches, tomatoes…
Question of the Day:
How do you eat healthily on vacation? And in the summertime, do you tend to stick to the same type of routine, or do you completely deviate from how you live during the rest of the year?
Personally, I love the freedom of not having to be at a specific place at a specific time (unlike in college– *blah*). However, as far as eating is concerned, I still pretty much eat around the same times because that’s when my body is conditioned to feel hungry. Same thing with sleeping: For the most part, I still fall asleep around 11ish and wake up naturally around 6:30 or so. If I mess with my sleep routine too much, my body feels it the next day. (All rules go out the window on dancing nights, though. Sometimes, feeling icky later is soooo worth it!) But the rest of my family—and some of my friends—follow a completely different lifestyle during the summer months, eating dinner at 10PM, sleeping til noon, and having pizza for breakfast.
Thanks, Gisela, for the question. I’ll try to get to the second part of your question (about working out) later this week.
Looks like a lovely place, where you are!
I haven’t been on holiday for over 3years now, so I hardly remember how I eat! But I can imagine I’d stick to roughly the same routine, cos that’s what my body is set to, like yours. Food wise – lots of fresh stuff! No need to eat badly on holiday 🙂
thank u so much. im going to spain for ten days in july and im starting to panic over the whole food situation? any suggestions? also, i never got an emial from ya! no worries. ur probably busy!hows long island treating u! lol xoxoxxo
Katie,
I HOPE YOU SEE THIS!
Ack! I DID email you :(. Did you check your junk box? My emails to people sometimes end up there. What part of Long Island are you on? I’d love to meet up :).
It’s harder to eat better on vacation, so I make sure I eat reasonable portion sizes!
Fresh berries are a MUST in summer, no matter where life takes me 🙂 I also stock up on Larabars 😀 Raw food on the go is where it’s AT!
Aww duckies! 🙂
Most of my travel is to go to conferences for work, and no matter how much advance notice I give them, I don’t rely on vegan food being readily available. I pack a lot of food in my carry-ons (and checked bag if I can afford it). I take larabars, clif bars, trail mix, nuts, “hardier” fruit like apples and oranges, and ramen noodles to cook at the hotel (if it comes down to that). I also pack food for the travel day and sometimes the next day, like sandwiches, crackers, etc. I probably travel with as much food as clothes. If I’m lucky, it all comes back home with me, but I definitely prefer to be prepared.
OH MY GOSH!!!! THOSE RASPBERRIES. MY MOUTH IS ACTUALLY WATERING. they are my FAVOURITE fruit and thsoe look absolutely delicious and so bright and fresh and colourful! yum, good choice of snack Katie! now that my raspberry excitement is over..
i tend to stick to the same times of eating all year round! but my brothers….they tend to sleep all day and are awake at night munching through chinese takeaways and pick and mix sweeties!xx
I’m getting ready to go on vacation this weekend, too! I plan on stocking up on Larabars, raw almonds, and fresh fruit for portable snacks– then seeing how it goes! We’re going to be camping a couple of nights, so fresh produce might be hard to come by… and a blender is out of the question!
But I never worry TOO much about vacation eating. We’re going to be active and enjoy the company of our friends, so if I have a few splurges here and there, that’s okay with me!
I’m so jealous of your breakfast view! That beach looks so relaxing!
I always bring snacks onto the airplane. I find that fresh fruit is the most filling. Although, sadly, I often have tummy issues when I travel. I totally recommend drinking more water! . . . I think I’m going to go make some fudge babies. 🙂
I typically eat out more on vacation, for obvious reasons, but I usually eat the same types of foods, even if I eat out. I still try to squeeze in my fruits and veggies and limit desserts to when absolutely necessary 😉
This is always a huge, and the FIRST concern of mine when I go somewhere else! It can be so uncomfortable being vegan in a new place. When I just go with my husband its easy cause we grocery shop, but if we are visiting someone or family it can get so difficult! Due to it being difficult in the beginning though I know realize that I just need to plan ahead and I think eventually itll become second nature!