Homemade, healthy, vegetarian meals in the van. Yes please!
Hi there, it’s Jen with @the.waglers and we are weekend van lifers. When we are out on the road, we like to be self-sustained. We pack enough food and water so that we do not have to go into small towns to stock up. I’m excited to share with you some tips for making cooking on the road easy, healthy and fast. All it takes is a little planning and prep at home.
Let’s go through a meal prep for a weekend away.
Meals (overview):
Day 1:
Breakfast: Overnight oats
Lunch: Orzo salad
Dinner: Taco night
Day 2:
Breakfast: Tofu and/or egg scramble
Lunch: Falafel pitas
Dinner: Fresh veggie pasta
We have a 2 burner, induction cooktop in our van, which along with a few key kitchen items allow us to whip up some healthy meals in just a few minutes. We prefer to spend time on the road adventuring or relaxing… but definitely not cooking all day.
Packing List:
- Overnight oats (premade) + toppings (berries, nuts, seeds, maple syrup, etc.)
- Tofu/eggs
- Orzo salad (premade)
- Falafels (premade)
- Chopped carrots, radish, cabbage (for falafel pita lunch)
- Chopped onions, peppers, garlic (for tacos, scramble and pasta night – bring a bit)
- Fresh tomatoes
- Pitas
- Wraps/taco shells
- Dry pasta
- Frozen hash browns for your scramble. No freezer? Pre-bake some potatoes instead.
- Hummus and tahini (premade or store bought)
- Can of beans (for taco night)
- Salsa, ketchup and other condiments
Kitchen Essentials:
- Pots/pans – our induction stovetop came with a few pans, we use those
- A few plates, bowls, cups, silverware (we tend to have 2-4 of each item for 2 of us)
- Small cutting board and knife
- A big serving spoon and spatula
- Small teapot and Chemex (for pour over coffee)
Additionally, we keep a few spices, coffee and tea, olive oil, avocado oil and a small emergency food bin (which contains some beans, rice and pasta) in the van. And we always have snacks… sometimes girl scout cookies!
Day 1: Breakfast is easy. Stir up your overnight oats and add your toppings. Eat right out of the container you packed it in and save yourself a dish to wash. Typically, we are either driving or adventuring on day 1 which makes an already prepped lunch key! I will often pre-portion orzo salad for our lunches. Sometimes we go wild and add avocado, hummus or a falafel on top. Taco Tuesday is our favorite meal of the week and in the van, who knows what day it is? Our veggie tacos do vary with the seasons (check out our website for Tacos 3 Ways) and we tend to use veggies from our home garden. We often add a can of black beans and throw everything in a tortilla with premade tomatillo salsa (recipe on our website) or fresh diced garden tomatoes.
Day 2: Start the morning off right with some coffee and get those hash browns on the stove. This is the most time-consuming meal we make (it takes 10-15min) because it takes a while to get frozen hash browns nice and crispy on the van stove. Once your hash browns cook, add your leftovers from taco Tuesday and/or any other veggies. My husband will often add a fried egg on top of his breakfast. Lunch is easy. Stuff your pita with premade falafels, hummus and tahini. The chopped carrots, cabbage and radishes you brought top this lunch off well. If you’re still hungry for dinner, boil some water for pasta and then sauté up a fresh veggie sauce to go on top. We have a delicious fresh pasta sauce recipe on our website also that we often will prep ahead of time.
For full recipes and other #vanlife inspiration visit our website https://thewaglers.com and follow us on Instagram @the.waglers
