Post Vacation Meal Planning

Feeling too tired to cook after a long trip? You’re exhausted from traveling, but you still need food to eat! This video is your ultimate guide to hassle-free meal planning and prep before your next vacation.  Learn how to avoid going grocery shopping in the week after your vacation.  Prepare these foods before you leave for your vacation so you can enjoy them when you return home from your trip. We discuss a couple meal planning strategies and specific meals that will serve you best! Whether you're a seasoned traveler or planning your first family getaway, these tips will ensure you have stress-free cooking when you step back home.

1. Planning and Timing

   1. Make this plan between two weeks and one month out from leaving for your trip

   2. Decide which strategy to use

      1. Have full meals already prepared

      2. Stock ingredients that are ready to cook

      3. Rely on external services (restaurant delivery, very kind friends & family, chefate grocery delivery)

2. What will we want to eat?

   1. fresh, simple, home cooked meals or packaged foods?

   2. What foods might you be tired of when you get home from that vacation?

      1. Tropical foods; rich, heavy dishes; spicy dishes; camping food, etc.

      2. Avoid these foods so that you don’t come home to a stocked pantry/freezer of foods you really don’t want to eat

   3. Seasonality

      1. Soups? Casseroles? Fresh Salads? Grilling Recipes? Will you have produce from your garden?

   4. Could you be bringing any regional ingredients home with you?

      1. Manchego Cheese and Jamon from Spain

      2. Smoked Salmon from the northwest US

      3. Gumbo from New Orleans

      4. Breakfast Burritos from Albuquerque

3. Determine the best way to prep those meals

   1. Can you cook a larger portion than normal of this meal in the coming week(s) and save half in the freezer?

      1. Soups

      2. Casseroles

      3. Burritos

      4. Slow cooked meat (pulled pork, carne adovada, rotisserie chicken)

   2. Can you purchase frozen ingredients that will create your meal?

      1. Frozen veggies and fruits, pasta sauces, etc

      2. Can you freeze ingredients to ensure they will last until you get home?

         1. Tortillas, bread, cheese, meat, spinach, 

   3. What can you keep in the pantry?

      1. Dried pasta, beans, rice, cereal, oatmeal, ramen

1. Execute the Plan

   1. Write down your plan and the required number of servings

   2. Check what you already have in your pantry and freezer and write a shopping list to fill in the gaps

   3. Label everything as you place it in the freezer and organize your freezer to have these items front and center

   4. In the pantry, group together the ingredients you will be using

   5. Before you leave for you trip, hang your list of meals on the fridge door, pantry door, or someplace you’ll see it as soon as you get home (because you might forget)

   6. As soon as you get home, start thawing the frozen items that will need to thaw before preparing

Examples from chefate’s meal plan:

1. Chicken Pesto Pasta

2. Street Tacos

3. Winter Salad

4. crockpot soup - three bean turkey chili or vegan veggie minestrone

5. Overnight Oats

Packaged Food Recommendations

1. Meal kits at your grocery store

2. Frozen Meals - pizza, burritos, chicken pot pies, frozen stir fry, tv dinners

3. Pantry Staples

   1. Boxed Mac’n’Cheese

   2. Hamburger Helper

   3. pasta and jar of sauce (marinara or alfredo)

4. Quick Breakfasts like oatmeal, cereal, frozen waffles, breakfast bars