Featured Vanlifer – Vanessa Chavarriaga

Vanlife Eats
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Featured Vanlifer – Vanessa Chavarriaga

Our featured vanlifer Vanessa has been travelling in her van Van-essa for over 2 years. Vanessa loves the outdoors and is a keen trail runner and has climbed a fair few mountains! Check out her Instagram at @vanessa_chav to see incredible photos of her outdoor adventures.

Originally from Columbia and now living in the USA Vanessa has witnessed the inequality in accessing outdoor trails and the like for BIPOC individuals and is working to improve this, search #DiversifyOutdoors on social media for more information.

Vanessa is a keen forager, and uses foraged food when cooking in her van. Read on to find out what our featured vanlifer likes to eat when travelling in self-built van, Van-essa.

What is your favourite feature of your van?

All of the cozy nooks and places to sit.

What has been your favourite experience in your van so far?

I really enjoy the simplicity and freedom I’m granted through van life. My favorite experiences include being able to sleep at trailheads and waking up before dawn for big mountain climbs. Afterwards I feel like I float all the way down to my van and everything I need is there waiting for me! Another favorite experience is being able to forage for mushrooms in the spring and early summer. This year I had great luck finding golden river morels along the Yellowstone river. I was able to forage, clean, and cook them all from my van! I really enjoy being on the road and being independent — especially when I can cook better foods than I would find at restaurants!

What has been your worst experience in your van?

I have faced my fair share of build-out and maintenance nightmares! My van does this terrifying thing where the check engine light comes on and a start countdown commences. Basically the van starts counting down from 10, and once it gets to 0 it will no longer start. Car maintenance issues are always stressful, but even more-so when the car also happens to be your home! It’s helpful to have a plan or a friend that will let you crash at their house in case the van is having issues. 

Describe your van kitchen setup

Unfortunately my dream van kitchen has not been built yet! We have been building our van in segments for the sake of cost/time. Right now I have a Dometic fridge/freezer, a toaster, an Ikea kitchen island cart as a counter and storage, and a NEMO Helio pressure shower as a sink. I use an MSR camp stove for cooking, which I have to assemble every time I want to cook. It is all functional but I am definitely hoping to improve the situation by getting a Dometic stove and a foot pump sink!

What is your favourite van kitchen accessory and why?

Definitely the toaster. I love making toasts and it is such an easy and convenient way to heat things up! Especially considering my stove situation. I use the toaster for bread, croissants, tortillas, and more. I recently discovered I can make grilled cheese sandwiches by flipping the toaster on its side and sliding in some bread with slices of cheese on top. It’s genius!

What is your favourite thing to cook in your van?

My favorite things to cook in the van are mushrooms that I forage myself. It’s so exciting to incorporate them into decadent pastas, stir-frys, omelets, and toasts. Because I mainly live in my van during summers I also like to eat lots of fresh foods and non-cook meals. I inhale salads with veggies from my friend’s garden, avocado and lox toasts, and smoothies! It feels so good to take advantage of our short growing season and eat as locally as I can!

Have you had any cooking disasters in your van?

I’ve had a few particularly messy experiences with beets…the problem is they stain EVERYTHING. When your bed is two feet from your kitchen, things get messy real fast! I’m also working on storage solutions for fruits and veggies that don’t go in the fridge. Right now I keep those items on my bed but it’s not always the most stable. Last summer one of my avocados rolled away and went missing for a few days…luckily I found it before it went bad!

Do you have any first hand funny van life stories to tell?

I spent most of the spring down by the Yellowstone river — such a nice place to sleep. It was my first spring in the area and I was shocked by how much the river was rising from all of the snowmelt. One night my partner and I slept at a familiar fishing access site. At about 5am we heard a knock on our van and the sheriff announcing himself. I was prepared for the regular “you can’t sleep here, please park somewhere else” conversation. Much to our surprise, when we opened the van door we found that the van was IN the water. The river had risen so much overnight that our parking area had turned into a steady stream, and was continuing to rise! Needless to say we were very thankful that the sheriff woke us up. If not, we would have probably kept sleeping and maybe even washed away!

Instagram: @vanessa_chav

You can catch up with Vanessa through the social media links on her profile.

Click here to see their profile

Want to be featured on
vanlifeeats.com?

To apply for a featured post on vanlifeeats.com simply follow this link and fill out the application form. We promote all featured van lifers across all our social media networks, we send out a “featured Van Lifer” sticker for your van as well as awarding you a prestigious badge for your profile on our website.

Apply to be featured here!

Flavorstone – the vanlife pan that can

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Flavorstone – the vanlife pan that can

Looking for the best vanlife cooking pan? Shallow fry, deep fry, boil, bake and even steam all from one lightweight, non-stick heavy-duty pan. Everything that makes the perfect vanlife cooking pan.

One pan to rule them all

We had been talking about replacing our rusty old cast iron skillet pan for a while. Then one crazy early morning whilst up with the kids (pre-kids TV early), flicking through channels I found myself pausing on a shopping channel.

Not to the kids best amusement, I managed to watch the demonstrations on how this pan could do just about everything you could ever need on a stove-top. I was totally impressed!

I could see this pan not only replacing our skillet pan but also replacing at least one saucepan.

With tired eyes (probably not the best time to be on a shopping channel) I found myself visiting the website and placing an order for £84.99.

After a morning cup of tea I was starting to regret what I had done. I am a terror with spontaneous internet purchase when I am tired or have had a tipple or two.

Had I made a mistake or had I found the best vanlife cooking pan?

It had been a long night and the little ones had had restless night so I had left Sophie to have a lie in. I had a feeling I knew what her reaction would be when I told her I had bought our pan on a shopping channel.

I’ve found the best vanlife cooking pan, I’ve bought it from the shopping channel… there was the eye rolls!

When I explained what it was and why I thought it would be so good she agreed it sounded ideal and we both looked forward to testing it out.

What’s in the Box

When the pan arrived we unwrapped each component.

  • One deep pan
  • One glass lid with vent
  • One detachable handle
  • One frying basket
  • One silicone steaming tray

We were very impressed at how every element of the set stacks within itself and forms a nice little compact set that is easy to store.

The pan itself feels sturdy and has a good solid base. The finish is a stone effect non-stick smooth finish.

The removable handle attaches with a grip mechinsism and feels solid and has a good grip.

Every element feels of a good quality and give the impression of a solid long lasting pan.

Steaming

Stemaing is one of the best methods of cooking vegetables. Water can soak out many of the nutrients in your vegetables and since teaming avoids any contact with water it is excellent for preserving these nutrients.

Steaming was one of the most appealing aspects of the Flavorstone and is one of the reasons why we are putting up as possibly the best vanlife cooking pan.

How many of you have a stackable steaming set in your van? They are bulky and hard to store. I’m sure many of you just boil your vegetables for convenience. Right?

We added some water in the bottom of the Flavorstone pan and placed the silicone steaming tray within the pan. Once the water started to boil we placed our cut vegetables upon the tray and placed the lid on the pan.

Within 10 minutes we lifted the lid off the pan and sure enough we had perfectly steamed broccoli!

Boiling

As the Flavorstone has high 24cm it means you can easily use the pan for boiling.

We use it to boil pasta, eggs, stocks , soups, stews etc. It has completley replaced the need for a saucepan.

Oven Bake

When removing the detachable handle the pan works perfectly as an oven dish. It even fits inside our small Kampa Ignis 10 litre oven.

This has made it possible for us to bake meals such as lasagne, pasta bakes and sheperds pie.

Deep Fry

The Flavorstone comes complete with a frying basket so that you can deep fry.

We don’t often deep fry in our van due to smells and its not typically something we eat often. However, we are partial to some fried chips so that is exactly what we cooked for the test.

The pan isn’t that deep but it is deep enough to get 2 portions of chips on the go.

Cleaning the Pan

Most new pans are coated in non-stick and are easy to clean at first but after weeks of use the stick wears away and it becomes harder and harder to keep clean.

We have used the Flavorstone time and time again almost every day and it has still retained its non stick properties as of day one.

Conclusion

Our personal conclusion is that we have found the perfect vanlife pan for our van and our cooking style. Being fulltime in the van we have found the versitility of the Flavorstone to be the best feature of the pan.

Whilst other might still prefer to carry onboard a cast iron skillet, deep saucepan and an oven dish, we have found this pan to perfectly replace them all and without any jeopardy to the quality of our cooking.

We cook ALOT in our van and the Flavorstone is our goto pan for just about everything from casseroles to steamed veggies.

You will see us using the Flavorstone in almost all of our videos and pictures.

Any questions then comment below and we will happily answer.

Vanlife Secret Santa

Vanlife Eats
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Vanlife Secret Santa

We are proud to be hosting the vanlife secret Santa of 2020. We will be setting a fun new theme and encouraging global entries. Here is how you can join in the festive fun and make another Vanlifers Christmas by sending them a gift!

Please note that just becasue we are hosting the event, the gifts do not need to be food related at all.

What is Vanlife Secret Santa?

Like a traditional Secret Santa, similar to what you would do within a workplace or amongst friends, Vanlife Secret Santa is a means of anonymously sending gifts to one another within the Vanlife community.

With this year being a difficult year for many of us and the aim of the Secret Santa is to spread a little festive cheer throughout our community.

vanlife christmas present

What is the theme for Vanlife Secret Santa?

The theme for Vanlife Secret Santa 2020 is “Home-Made/Van-Made”. The idea behind this theme is to give a personal touch to your gift preferably by either making something or by sending a home-made gift made by someone else.

The theme is not compulsory and please do not be put off participating in this years Vanlife Secret Santa if you cant follow the theme. If you can follow the theme then great, but if not then you can still send the gift of your choice.

Either put some love into your own creation or share the love by using and supporting local sellers, home crafters and businesses.

vanlife christmas

How to enter?

To enter this year’s Vanlife Secret Santa you will need to enter using the entry form below, you will then added to the entries. On the 22nd November, your name will be added to the Vanlife Secret Santa organiser management site drawnames.co.uk. You will receive an email to enter all of your details.

Once you have been entered you will have the chance to enter your details including your gift address as well as a wish list option which you should use as an indication to what style and taste you have.

The wishlist should be used as a guide for your secret Santa. Remember the theme is “home-made/van-made” where possible.

What are the rules for Vanlife Secret Santa?

The rules for entering are simple.

  1. It’s a secret! When you know your recipient, don’t go messaging or revealing yourself!
  2. Enter before the closing date of 20th November
  3. You will be notified of who you are gifting to on the 22nd November
  4. Budget = £30 GBP / $40 USD / €33 Euros
  5. Post your gift before the 5th December
  6. Do not forget to send a gift! Everyone is matched and it would be pretty harsh if someone was to miss out!
  7. When you receive your gift take a photo and post on Instagram with the hashtag #vanlifesecretsanta and tag @vanlifesecretsanta and @vanlife_eats

Enter Here

Enter here to participate in this years Vanlife Secret Santa.
All information is strictly private and secured with GDPR and SSL security..

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Wonderbag – Product Review

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Wonderbag – Product Review

Wondering how to do slow cooking in a campervan? The Wonerbag makes slow cooking in your campervan easy and uses the bare minimum of power consumption. Here is our first-hand experience in using the Wonderbag.

The Wonderbag has an incredible ethos behind it, helping in the reduction of carbon (CO2) emissions that are pumped into the environment by the use of cooking over an open fire.

It also helps aid in the prevention of forest/bush fires and deforestation across the globe.

Every day, more than 3.5 billion people cook over an open fire and the Wonderbag helps reduce the impact this has on our environment as well as freeing up the laborious unpaid tasks involved in creating large long-lasting cooking fires typically that of woman and children.

In a whole year a Wonderbag could save:

  • 70% less fuel required fo cook
  • 2 tons of carbon environmental emissions reduced
  • 60% less indoor/in-van air pollution
  • 1,000 litres cooking water spared
  • 1,300 hours of unpaid labour reduced
  • 10x more income for women living in extreme poverty
  • 5 large trees saved from deforestation

The Wondebag campaign ensures that families living in poverty are supplied with a Wondebag so that they can more efficiently cook for their family.

Sarah, the creator of the Wonderbag, grew up in Africa working alongside families and woman living in poverty. She then setout to make a difference and

How are the Wonderbags made available to families in poverty?

There are options for you to make a simple donation that supplies a Wonderbag but also for every one Wonderbag purchased, a second is donated to a family living in poverty.

What is a Wonderbag

The Wonderbag is an insulated thermal draw-string bag that acts as a heat-retaining oven. This makes it an ideal solution for slow cooking and keeping food hot for up to 12 hours.

The Wonderbag is not that dissimilar to a classic dutch oven or a hay-box and utilises the cooking method of thermal cooking that has been around for centuries.

The earliest known records of using this cooking method date back to medieval times.

Why does a Wonderbag suit Vanlife?

Wonderbag slow cooking in your campervan means stews, tender meats and generally keeping food warm for long periods of time. You could be travelling in your van over a distance, out hiking in the great outdoors or just out working, and when you finally get to settle in your van you have a delicious cooked meal ready and waiting.

Having hot and nutritious food is an essential part of living or travelling in a van and slow cooking is an incredible means of getting maximum flavour from your meals.

Who else would benefit from using a Wonderbag?

Anyone conscious on power consumption and time would benefit from using a Wonderbag for slow cooking.

Suitable users could be:

  • Campers
  • Those living in a Boat
  • Motorhomes / RV
  • Hikers
  • People living in self converted barns, sheds and tiny homes

It could even be a usuful kitchen gadget within a regular home. Warm your meal through and leave it in the Wonderbag to finish cooking until you get home.

Our experience in using the Wonderbag

We originally had a slow cooker on board and we would let the food cook whilst we were on the road during the day. It was great!

The downside was that the cooker was hghly power consuming and unless the engine was running we couldnt really use it.

When we discovered the Wonderbag we were intrigued and purchased one immediately. Could this put delicious slow-cooked meals more regularly on our vanlife menu?

Unpacking

We ordered our Wonderbag on Amazon at the price of £49.99 which we didnt think was an ureasonable price.

When it arrived it was compressed within a vacuum packed bag and so once opened it was incredibly satisfying watching this large puffy bag grow into shape….the simple things huh!

Whilst we waited for 1 hour to pass for the wonderbag to form it’s natural shape we had a good look through all the content.

The Wonderbag comes with some information about the Wonderbag charity and a handful of recipes to try.

Cooking

Our first recipe was pretty adventurous as we went for a chicken stew. Straight in with confidence!

The instructions state that you need to heat everything up to a boil before leaving to slow cook in the Wonderbag so we fried up some onions, added some chicken thighs to seer and then some extra veg and finnaly some stock. After bringing to the boil we removed from the stove, and placed the lidded pan into the Wonderbag.

The pan fitted quite snug and we placed the Wonderbag lid on top and finnaly pulled the drawstring engulfing the pan into the Wonderbag.

3 hours later…

Excitedly we revealed the pan from the Wonderbag and removed the lid.

We found the stew to be at a warm temperature and borderline cooked! What did we do wrong?

We had a suspicion and a few days later we repeated the test. This time we used a much thicker stone pot.

3 hours later…

Steam erupted from the pot as we removed the lid and there was a hot and perfectly tender and hot chicken stew! Woohoo!

Conclusion

We have continued to use the Wonderbag numerous times and we have had real succsess. Typically we would prepare and cook during lunchtime and leave the pan in the Wonderbag until the evening.

Slow cooking in our campervan has always been a treat as we are typically very busy during the afternoons, even when travelling.

I work from our van so when I take a break during lunchtime it is ideal to cook something to slow cook in the Wonderbag and enjoy in the evening.

It is vital that you have a suitable pan or pot to use with the Wonderbag.

Our first use was not a great success but then after thinking about it our pan was thin and would no way retain enough heat to aid the cooking process.

The pan we use is a Flavourstone induction pan which we highly recommend for Vanlife cooking.

The other key to slow cooking in your Wonderbag is to ensure you cook the food enough prior to placing the food inside the Wonderbag. It needs to cook through first and the cooking process within the Wonderbag is to finish and soften the food.

Here is the recommended cooking time for common foods:

Whilst not essential, we highly recommend the Wonderbag as an energy efficent means of slow cooking and keeping food warm.

If you love slow cooked meats in particular you will LOVE the Wonderbag!

Featured Vanlifers – Biwak Kitchen

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Featured Vanlifers – Biwak Kitchen

Meet our featured vanlifers with a difference! Maria & Dominic don’t have a converted van yet! They love vanlife though and often hire a campervan and head out on adventure. The reason we have decided to feature them is because of their passion for outdoor cooking. They have a cookbook dedicated to this which you can purchase here.

Vanlife often allows park-ups in amazing locations, so why not make the most of it and cook outside! Their insta page Biwakkitchen showcases amazing ideas for cooking whilst on hikes, walks, etc.

Do you ever cook in a van?

Yes! We cook almost everywhere: in a van, on a mountain top, on a lonely beach, in the woods, or on a flower meadow.

What is the best thing about outdoor cooking?

That’s quite simple: food tastes better outdoors! Outdoor cooking is where you don’t need a fancy kitchen for great meals and where you don’t need to reserve any table for a sparkling candlelit dinner! That’s the difference and that’s what turns it into a special experience every time anew.

What is your cooking set-up?

Our basic cooking setup when hiking is a little gas stove and a collapsible camping pot. That saves a lot of space, it is not only compact but also lightweight. What we always carry along is a wooden spoon, a few dishes, a tea towel, a DIY biodegradable dish soap, trash bags, and what should never be missing is our set of spices. In order to save weight, we also started cooking with dehydrated vegetables and already pre-packed portions. What we suggest is that you never try to save weight by reducing your water supplies.

Do you have a favourite cooking accessory?

Our favourite cooking accessory is definitely our spice box. The thing is that most often it’s the spices that bring other ingredients to live. So we love to experiment with them and to explore new tastes. However, another accessory we’ve fallen in love with recently is the omnia oven. It opens up a new world to outdoor cooking or better baking possibilities. 

What is your favourite meal to make?

Hard to say. It depends on the kind of adventure we’re up to. When we’re on a multi-day backpacking trip we prefer easy and simple one-pot-meals that are also energizing. Like a quinoa salad, an avocado sandwich, oat patties. Whereas in the van we prefer more fancy and creative recipes. Some of our favorites are: bulgur ananas, mushroom balls, or millet balls with coconut veggies… and for breakfast, we love the pink pancakes made with raw beetroot. 

Where has been your favourite place to cook a meal?

Our favourite place for outdoor cooking the coast side. We love to hear the smooth sound of the waves while preparing a meal and looking at the endless ocean while eating lets us dive even further into a world of aromas. Seems like the sea gives our dishes an extra pinch of freshness.

Any cooking disasters?

Oh yes more than enough! You don’t want to know how often our cooking pot has already fallen over. You need a good dose of patience and of humor, because things don’t always go as planned when you’re out cooking in the great outdoors.

Cookbook!

Maria & Dominic have released a cookbook full of recipes for cooking outdoors. Their book Experience nature and good food is available on Amazon and was originally a KickStarter project, which shows the support they have had for the book. It is available in English and German and all recipes are vegetarian. We are currently running a competition with them where you could win a copy of their book, head to our Insta page for all the details (closes 1st November 2020)

Instagram: @biwakkitchen

You can catch up with Maria & Dominic through the social media links on their profile. Head to their profile to have a look at their favourite recipes to make in the great outdoors

Click here to see their profile

Want to be featured on
vanlifeeats.com?

To apply for a featured post on vanlifeeats.com simply follow this link and fill out the application form. We promote all featured van lifers across all our social media networks, we send out a “featured Van Lifer” sticker for your van as well as awarding you a prestigious badge for your profile on our website.

Apply to be featured here!

Zyliss Easy Pull Food Processor

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Zyliss Easy Pull Food Processor

Mess free chopping in a tiny kitchen! The zyliss easy pull, could this be the best vanlife kitchen gadget so far?

We are always cooking in our van and being van foodies we always cook as fresh as possible. This does mean a lot of chopping vegetables and often means a lot of mess!

When we first discovered the powerless food processor it was the Zyliss that stood out in the foreground and we instantly purchased one from Amazon at a surprisingly low cost.

I must admit that I was sceptical and questioned the ability and durability straight away. Could those tiny blades really chop through an onion? Could it really finely chop? Hmmm… let’s put it to the test.

What’s in the Zyliss Easy Pull box

After unpackaging the Zyliss Easy Pull we found it very simple to piece together.

The box contains:

  • The base pot
  • The top section complete with the pull cord and handle
  • The spindle complete with two blades
  • An additional plastic arm/scoop

The Zyliss Easy Pull is quite small but the perfect size for vanlife. The 750ml pot can easily get one onion (halved) inside the pot and that is exactly where we started.

The chop

After halving and peeling the onion we dropped it inside the pot and attached the spindle and the top.

zyliss-easy-pull-onion

3-5 pulls for a course chop…
The first pull was a little tough, but to our amazement the second and third pull glided through the onion and remaining in the pot after 3 pulls was a chopped onion! Awesome!

8-10 pulls for a fine chop…
Each pull was very easy and incredibly after 10 pulls the onion was almost juiced! Could the Zyliss Easy Pull be replacing our blender too??

Mess-Free

This is probably my favourite element of using the Zyliss Easy Pull and what could just make this the best vanlife kitchen gadget.

The vegetable goes into the pot, the veg gets chopped in the pot and the veg gets emptied from the pot into the pan.

Typically when chopping onions, bits go everywhere. Under the grill, behind the counter, on the floor and no matter how careful you are bits of onion just escape. The Zyliss Easy Pull prevents this mess in your tiny kitchen.

Our Conclusion

After spending months using the Zyliss Easy Pull we have found that we use it nearly everyday. It has become an essential vanlife kitchen item to us and we would feel crippled without it.

The blades have only ever so slightly worn and it will still cut onions, apples and carrot with little effort.

Cleaning the Easy Pull is not as easy as we would have liked. The ridges on the inside of the pot manage to clog up with the residue of chopped vegetables. The top section must not get wet as the water will rust inside the mechanism and also the blades are so sharp to wipe clean.

Be wary of those incredibly sharp little blades! I have cut myself several times when cleaning the blades.

The Zyliss Easy pull is definitely an essential vanlife kitchen accessory and has made it into our Vanlife kitchen store.

Product Review – Lifetub

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Product Review – Lifetub

We came across the Lifetub products on Instagram. When they offered to send us some products to review there was no way we could say no!

Cooking in a tiny kitchen can get messy!! It’s one of the reasons we love an organised van kitchen here at vanlife eats. Storage is a big part of having an organised kitchen, and this is where Lifetub may be able to help.

A little bit about Lifetub…

Lifetub was cooked up by a husband and wife team, their the aim is to reduce plastic use and protect our oceans. The tubs themselves are made from borosilicate glass, which is resistant to extreme temperatures and tougher than regular glass. The BPA free plastic lids have removable clips and silicone seal for cleaning. They are safe to use in the fridge, freezer, oven (and if you’re in a house kitchen) the microwave and dishwasher. Life on the road can be bumpy sometimes, if a lid were to break it is possible to buy replacement lids without buying a whole new set.

Is Lifetub suitable for vanlife?

In a word, yes! Glass tubs may not seem like the ideal choice for a van kitchen. We appreciate there may be concerns of breakages and also the weight. Here’s why we think Lifetub could work for vanlife and why we are happy to use them in our van.

Sustainability

A lot of vanlifers are passionate about leading a sustainable lifestyle and looking after our environment. Reducing plastic use is something we feel passionate about as well reducing our food waste. Re-using these tubs instead of plastic ones helps reduce our plastic use. The glass will not stain, hold smells or warp like plastic.

Living sustainably means trying to reduce all waste, and as such we are big fans of saving leftovers. Nobody wants to open their campervan fridge after driving down a bumpy road to find their soup has leaked everywhere. These tubs claim to be leak-proof. I have tried my best to shake my butternut squash soup from them, but definitely no leakages! They are ideal for storing meals for walks or hikes. You can have total confidence when you sit down to eat your meal, the contents will still be in the tub rather than your bag.

Sturdiness

Although made of glass (a banned word in some vans!) the bases feel surprisingly sturdy. They look as though they would survive a drop or two – although we didn’t test this! If the glass were to break it is designed to break into large pieces rather than shatter.

We have been testing a large and small tub, the smaller one fits nicely inside the larger one for storage. When travelling with them you could also wrap them in a towel for peace of mind. The lids feel well made, the clips are secure and can be removed for cleaning. They clip on and off to the base easily and securely.

Stylish

The products look nice, while this is not necessarily the most important part of choosing a product, it helps right? We think they look really well made and like the colours. I have been testing the silicone lid when heating up lunch in the microwave at work, and it has attracted many admiring glances and comments.

What else did we like about Lifetub?

One of the things we really love about this product is that the silicone seal is completely removable from the lid. We have all had tubs where the silicone seal has got mouldy where we are unable to clean it. Lifetub makes all of that easy by being able to remove this seal to clean it and clean underneath it. We managed to do it quite easily and re-checked the tub for leakages afterwards and it was still good.

What didn’t we like about LifeTub?

Our first thought before they arrived was that they wouldn’t be suitable for our van as they were glass. We are happy to say that opinion changed, but we understand not everyone would be convinced. We’re not recommending anyone to kit their entire van kitchen out with them, but a set of them is not going to add a noticeable amount of weight to your van. If you are concerned about breakages and weight then perhaps these aren’t the products for you and your van.

Finally….

We will continue to use these in our van and we think others will like them too. They reduce plastic use in our van, and are leak-proof so we can store food with confidence.

The main disadvantage with this product is also one of it’s benefits, and that is it being made from glass. We appreciate that weight can be an issue in a van, we have had many issues with that ourselves. Due to this we probably wouldn’t stock our entire van kitchen with these. We will continue to use our reusable plastic tubs for storing pasta, rice etc. The Lifetub is now a must have for picnics and adventures though. It keeps our food fresh and we are confident there will be no leaks.

If you are a part time vanlifer they are fantastic, they make meal prep easy! Store in the freezer at home, then put in the camper fridge when you set off on your journeys. When defrosted you have a meal ready to heat. (These tubs should not be used on open flame)

Overall we are very happy with Lifetub. If you want to purchase some go to our store and click on the buy now link which will take you directly to Amazon.

We do not receive payment for reviews although we may have been sent the product free of charge. We do this to ensure you only ever read our honest opinion.

Vanlife Bake Off 2020

Vanlife Eats
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Vanlife Bake Off 2020

Join in with all the campervan baking fun and be in with a chance to win the best campervan kitchen gadget… an Omnia oven!

In collaboration with Brown Bird and Company

If you have seen The Great British Bake Off you will know it is a British institution. They place bakers in a marque and ask them to bake according to the weekly theme, e.g. cakes, biscuits, bread. Surely such culinary delights can’t be made in a rolling home, a tiny kitchen, a campervan….. Can they?

We need YOU to show it can be done! Sometimes without an oven, a fridge or freezer and most likely without a fancy Kitchen Aid – future vanlife kitchen goal right there! Let’s show the World that just because we travel or live in a home on wheels, we don’t live off stale chunks of bread and noodles you cook using a kettle – we can bake and bake we shall!

We have teamed up with Brown Bird who are no strangers to creating delicious breads, cakes and other meals in their van – usually in their Omnia Stove-top oven.

The Rules

Each week will follow the theme set by the Great British Bake Off TV program that airs every Tuesday at 8 pm in the UK.

All photos are to be posted on Instagram tagging both @vanlife_eats and @brownbirdandcompany , make sure to use #vanbakeoff too!

For example, week one is cake week so you would bake a cake of your choosing using vanlife kitchen style equipment. We appreciate not everyone lives full time in their vans so it’s ok to cook out of your van, but please keep in mind the suitability of the recipe being baked in a van.

Vanlife Eats alongside Brown Bird and Company will judge the creation, based on the presentation, the suitability of campervan baking and also how in theme the bake is. Each week a winner will be chosen as STAR BAKER, their recipe will get featured on this very site! Each star baker is then in with a chance of winning an Omnia Stove top oven courtesy of Brown Bird and Company.

If you haven’t heard of an Omnia, they are the best thing to come out of Sweden (minus Abba obviously). They can be used just like an oven but on a stove top so are ideal for vanlife, motorhomers, rvers, boatlife and even in the home. If you are already bang on trend and have an Omnia, do not fret, Brown Bird have you covered – you can choose 2 Omnia accessories instead if you are the lucky winner.

If you are not lucky enough to win this year, you can purchase one directly from Brown Bird.

Week 1 – Cake Week

Where better to start than with cake?!? On the TV show contestants were challenged to bake a Battenburg cake and a pineapple upside down cake. The show stopper was a cake caricature! We didn’t think we could manage that in our van so we used our Omnia oven to create a Toffee Apple Upside Cake.

We had some amazing entries for our first week, including some vegan cakes and a paleo cake. The Omnia was a common choice for bakers to make their cakes. The winner however, was a show stopping battenburg!

Winner of cake week @freespirit_c_g

Week 2 – Biscuit Week

We’re onto week 2 now, biscuit week! On the tv show bakers had to bake macaroons, florentines and a tea set made from biscuit! Cooking biscuits in a van can be tricky without an oven. We decided to use our Omnia which worked perfectly but meant we had to cook in batches which was a little time consuming. We stuck with the theme and created Florentine Biscuit Bites.

Again we had some fantastically creative entries this week, lemony jammy dodgers, cookies and shortbread. Some even made in a ridge monkey. The winner this week though had to be the double baked chocolate biscotti!

Winner of Biscuit week – @jessrose_litherland

Week 3 – Bread week

Onto bread week now. The tv bakers were required to make soda bread, rainbow bagels and a bread plaque! We stuck to a more traditional cheddar and onion loaf

This week you tiny kitchen cooks surpassed expectations, Brown Bird and us found it very difficult to pick a winner, so we didn’t. We picked 2!!! We had some delicious looking entries including naan breads, focaccia and even a stuffed loaf. The worthy winners though had to be these delicious bagels which were filled with burgers, and these delicious burger buns. Burgers all round this week!

Bread week winner – @the_peri_pot
Bread week winner – @2-wanderers-on-the-road

Week 4 – Chocolate Week

It was onto chocolate week, the first challenge for the TV bakers were brownies. The technical challenge was a tricky chocolate babka. The show stopping finale was a tiered white chocolate cake.

Once again, we stuck with our trusty Omnia oven. We decided to use our silicon muffin mould again. We made double chocolate banana muffins, the recipe can be found here

There wasn’t too many entries for van bake off this week, we wonder if the show left you feeling a little uninspired. Brown bird were definitely inspired and they created an AMAZING chocolate babka in their van.

The entries we did get looked delicious, quality over quantity right? We had an amazing looking chocolate & peanut butter cake, a festive Halloween entry. A scrummy looking nutella banana bread, some salted caramel chocolate muffins. Another entry was a fab chestnut and chocolate cake cooked in the Omnia. There was a very well deserving winner this week who definitely created her own show stopper. It was our original star baker Carrie of @freespirit_c_g who wowed us again. This time is was with her Triple Chocolate Orange Drizzle Cake.

Chocolate week winner @freespirit_c_g

Week 5 – Pastry Week

Week 5 meant pastry in vanlife bake off, sweet or savoury. The TV bakers were challenged with cornish pasties and eclairs. For the show stopper they had to create a tart with a pastry cage over the top! We made some Cheesy Potato & Leek Pasties with leftovers.

Once again we had some delicious looking entries. There was a good mixture of sweet and savoury entries. Of the sweet entries there were some peach danishes (baked in a car) and a sweet pumpkin pie. They also included a delicious pear & stem ginger pie from our double star baker @freespirit_c_g. The final sweet entry was some toblerone turnovers which looked cooked to perfection!

Of the savoury entries we had some sausage rolls cooked on a sandwich toaster, inventive! Special mention has to go to @wildernessvandwellers for their incredible entry. It was a very close call between their amazing pie and the star baker entry. Both had incredible detail on the top of the pie and it must have been very time-consuming. This autumn inspired pie was filled with pumpkin, lentil and sage.

The very deserving star baker this week created one of the most deep filled pies we have ever seen! Well done to @nextstopevwhere It was full to the brim with chicken, leek and mushroom. The detail on the top was amazing and must have taken so much time – We never thought we would see our name in pastry!

Pastry week winner @nextstopevwhere

Next week is very exciting, it’s Japanese week….. Stay tuned

Featured Vanlifers – Laura and Benedict

Vanlife Eats
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Featured Vanlifers – Laura and Benedict

Laura and Benedict are some of our newest vanlifers – in the sense that they are new to our site and new to vanlife! They gave up their jobs and their flat and are embarking on full time vanlife together in their van Nellie. They are big fans of oats, which feature in their breakfast most days, read more below about what they like to eat while in Nellie the van. You can follow their journey along at @lauraandbenedict Make sure to check out their YouTube too for an excellent tutorial on how NOT to empty your Porta Potti.

Which country are you based in?

England

HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD YOUR VAN?

1 month!

Was it self built?

No, it was newly converted when we bought it although we have added many of our own modifications. 

What is your favourite feature in your van?

Our big comfy bed! 

How do you travel in your van?

Full time

What’s your favourite vanlife experience so far?

The ultimate Nellie experience so far was probably the day we bought her. We’d been searching for a little while and were on an ever growing time constraint to find a home on wheels due to the tenancy on our flat running out. After some long but quick road trips to Devon and South London, we set out to Essex with the idea that we’d be viewing a van that had potential. 

When we arrived we knew that this van was the one and it was then or never. The feeling of making a big purchase, parting with all the money you have, knowing that anything could happen once you drive that van away is something that neither of us felt ‘adult’ enough for (despite being in our mid/late twenties) but that was the start to this epic adventure and we’re so ready to journey further into it.

What has been your worst experience so far?

We had a pretty hilarious experience upon first emptying our cassette toilet. Ben had watched countless tutorials on how to do it and assured that he knew exactly what he was doing, only to press a release button and end up making a bit of a mess. If you want to see how NOT to empty a cassette toilet then head to our YouTube to watch the Vlog. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDGLLG14_bQ

What’s your kitchen set-up?

Cooking, food and nutrition is a huge part of our lives so when looking for a van we wanted to make sure there was plenty of space to get our recipes on. Laura is an oat-based breakfast specialist and actually has a food/yoga blog (http://instagram.com/self.tula) and Benedict loves to master plant-based dinners, often making up recipes to create nutritious and delicious treats. 

We have two gas hobs which is all we need. We have thought about an oven but for the time being are going to make do. It is fun to get creative and the more limited you are, the more creative you have to be. That’s what makes cooking fun! 

What’s your favourite van kitchen accessory?

Our kitchen roll holder which hangs above the sink. It was made out of leftover wood from some shelving that we were putting up. Ben just made it without planning on doing so. It’s definitely really important to keep your van tidy, especially when cooking. A small space soon becomes cluttered and a mess will form very quickly (especially with Ben around) so it’s handy to have a quick clean up nearby. 

We also made cupboard interiors that hold all our pots, pans and plates in place when we’re on the move. It means we have proper ceramic plates instead of eating from camping gear. Although, we haven’t been on any gnarly roads just yet so we’ll see if they definitely hold up!

Favourite things to cook in your van?

Oats are our staple breakfast and we’ve developed so many ways to make them; from stove top porridge, oat pancakes, crepes and homemade granola. 

We heat up fruit, usually cherries or berries, and add in chia seeds to create a chia jam. The chia seeds thicken it right up and it serves as a beautiful topping. Breakfast is a real ritual for us so its probably our favourite thing to cook full stop. 

Check out their fab recipe for Easy Vegan Berry Oats HERE

Any cooking disasters?

So far, so good. Other than the state of Ben’s top after he’s eaten…

Any funny stories?

We’re (hopefully) days away from setting off on the road for travels so it’s been fairly uneventful so far. We did book the van in for a service just after we bought it and it wouldn’t start as we went to drive it to the garage. The AA had to be called out and the AA guy loved our van so much. He took a video to send to his sister who follows vanlifers, followed us on Instagram and YouTube and wanted to feature in our Vlog! Shout out to Rob from the AA!

Instagram: @lauraandbenedict

You can catch up with Laura, Benedict & Nellie through the social media links on their profile. Head to their profile to have a look at their favourite recipes to make in their van

Click here to see their profile

Want to be featured on
vanlifeeats.com?

To apply for a featured post on vanlifeeats.com simply follow this link and fill out the application form. We promote all featured van lifers across all our social media networks, we send out a “featured Van Lifer” sticker for your van as well as awarding you a prestigious badge for your profile on our website.

Apply to be featured here!

8 Of The Best Vanlife Meals To Cook Whilst Travelling

Vanlife Eats
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8 Of The Best Vanlife Meals To Cook Whilst Travelling

What are the Best Vanlife Meals To Cook Whilst Travelling?

Being passionate vanlife foodies and from speaking regularly to the vanlife community about food, recipes and what they love to cook in their vans, we have compiled 8 of the best vanlife meals to cook on the road whilst travelling. 

Travelling in your converted van or living the vanlife dream can be a pretty fast-paced and it is important to be prepared so that you can enjoy the culinary side of vanlife.

We cook some very adventurous meals in our van and on the other side of the extreme we continuously hear people say they usually just live on pasta whilst travelling in their vans. This is usually just down to a lack of being organised and being unprepared.

We put together Vanlife Eats because we wanted to inspire people with great and easy food that can be made on the road.

Upon chatting with vanlifers worldwide, we always ask “what are the best vanlife meals to cook whilst travelling”. We often hear the same meals being spoken about and we wanted to share this with our followers.

All of the recipes below are compiled from the results of surveys and conversations we have had with vanlife cooks across the globe.

The outcome is ideal for suggestions for when you’re stuck with what to cook next in your van. 

Counting down from 8 here are the best vanlife meals to cook whilst travelling. 

Recipe & Photo @the_peri_pot

8. Stew

One pot, a variety of ingredients and the spices of your choice make stews an incredibly easy and hassle free meal to cook in your van.

Whilst a stew might seem like a daunting dish to create whilst travelling, with the smell of the stew cooking away teasing your taste buds for a couple of hours, the hardest part is actually not eating it all before it’s even dinner time! 

This dish can be easily created with either meat, legumes or just veg in a single burner, minimal gas and one stovetop pot and it really is such a versatile dish to cook with so many variations. 

Cook a meat stew slowly for maximum flavour and simmer in wine, beer, stock or water, add the vegetables of your choice and salivate your way through to dinner time. 

Serve the stew with rice, mash, couscous or add potatoes to the stew to create a whole meal in the one single pot. 

After a few hours you’ll have created a mouth-watering dinner which is especially a treat when warding off a cold night.

Photo & Recipe @vanlifeeats

7. Spaghetti Bolognese

Bolognese is that simple comfort food dish that’s heart warming and brings back memories of

home. 

Traditional Italian recipes use a mixture of both pork and beef mince but that’s all very well if you have a full-size kitchen, us vanlifers can make an awesome Bolognese sauce by using just one type of mince. 

Vegetarians and vegans favour this dish too as meat free mince can make an amazing Bolognese! Personally I love a lentil ragu!

Spaghetti is the classic pasta shape of choice but it really does work well with but about every pasta shape so feel free to use anything you have on hand. 

Bolognese sauce also pairs amazingly with rice or bread, so bulk cook and enjoy this dish throughout the week by mixing up the garnishes. 

This dish does require two saucepans but if you only have one burner then simply remove the cooked bolognese whilst the spaghetti is cooking, then combine the two pans when cooked.

For some reason, Bolognese sauces always taste better the next day too so go ahead and make a huge pot and save enough to pop in the fridge for tomorrow’s quick lunch! 

6. Frittatas

A few eggs and a frying pan come together to create a hearty protein-rich breakfast, lunch or

dinner. 

A frittata can be cooked in just 15 minutes and is also ideal for using up leftovers from yesterday’s meals, and it’s actually better to have vegetables and meat that’s been pre-cooked for this dish so make sure you keep your leftovers in the fridge.  

Frittatas are just Ideal for vanlife as it is a great method of repurposing ingredients and using up those unused or uneaten veggies.

Customize this Spanish classic with just about any filling you have on hand, fill it with cheese, vegetables, potatoes, herbs, meats or fish then serve hot or cold.

Photo and recipe credit @vannaspice

5. Mexican Rice Bowl

Brown rice, beans, avocado, vegetables are all the staple behind the legendary Mexican rice bowl, but the versatility behind the rice bowl allows you to get creative and add your own twist.

Mexican rice bowls are especially popular with vanlifers as the ingredients which can be paired together are so diverse. You can include just about anything you like and it’s a lot of fun to prepare and make look nice. 

You can enjoy a Mexican rice bowl at any temperature, hot as a stir-fried dish or cold as a mixed salad.

Leftover ingredients are transformed with a quick fry, a hint of spice and a top up of some

extra healthiness (tinned kidney beans and tinned sweetcorn are a perfect match).

Look out for our rice bowl challenge coming up!

4. Chilli

Made with meat or with plant-based alternatives a hearty chilli always warms the spot.

The classic chilli con carne is a ground beef based dish, with tomatoes, red kidney beans and spices. It is often served with rice or flat bread. This can easily be made from a campervan twin stove.

We often have people raving about veggie chilli and is also a regular meal made in our very own van.

Veggie chilli can be created with a range of ingredients including, Quorn mince, soy granules and lentils which all closely match the traditional minced meat texture. Lentils seem to be the most popular amongst vanlife recipes as they are tasty, give the perfect texture, easily stored and long-lasting.

When you add the spices and vegetables the chilli really comes to life. Especially suited spices are cumin and paprika.

You will only need one pot for the chilli but if you decide to serve with rice you’ll need a second hob or remove the chilli and cook the rice afterwards. Simmer gently on a low flame until softened.

Chilli is another dish that is even better the next day as the flavours have time to develop so don’t be scared to cook up a big pot and save room in your fridge. 

3. Lentil curry

Lentils are filling, nutritious, affordable and quick to cook, taking only about 15 minutes. The lentil curry can be made with several variations of sauce base such as tomato or coconut.

Lentils are easily storable with a long use by date making them a van kitchen essential staple. 

Nutritionally, whether tinned or dried they have a high source of protein, fibre and iron whilst being low in calories. 

Dried lentils triple in size during cooking to produce a substantial meal, so they fill you up nicely. Spice up the lentil curry with your preferred spices and herbs, serve with rice or a naan (van made of course) and enjoy.

vanlife mac n cheese
Photo and Recipe credit @myvanchef

2. Mac ‘N’ Cheese

Next level Mac ‘n’ Cheese can be made with basic combination of ingredients which makes it one of the best vanlife meals. 

If your van has an oven or grill then there are options for a crispy breadcrumb topping as a crust for the oozing cheesy pasta beneath but this dish is still perfection on the stovetop alone. 

Everyone has a favourite Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe and this can include flavour combinations of different cheeses, mushroom, corn, bacon and even truffle. 

With these endless flavour combinations, there’s a Mac ‘n’ Cheese for everyone. Comment below with your favourite combination. 

Mac ‘n’ Cheese is another meal that’s great the next day so use leftovers used to make Mac ‘n’ Cheese sandwiches which are a real guilty pleasure of mine!

best vanlife recipe tacos
Photo and Recipe credit @overlandeats

So here we have it, the vanlifers voted best vanlife meal to cook whilst travelling…

1. Tacos

We all bow down to the mighty Taco as they are essentially a vehicle for your favourite foods, vegetarians, vegans, carnivores – tacos are for everyone.

Classic recipes will include Mexican flavours with beans, meat and cheese as fillings. You really can pack a tortilla with anything you fancy and you’ve got yourself a delicious Taco. 

Depending on the fillings a taco can be created without any need for cooking, just simple assembly of the ingredients you have on hand. 

The flour tortilla can be transformed into breakfast, lunch, a snack for a trek or dinner, just adjust the filling according to the occasion. 

Lightweight, cheap, filling and with a long shelf-life, tortillas are one of the best ingredients to stock up on for a trip. 

Alternatively make your own fresh tortilla whilst on the move using four basic ingredients which you’re likely to have on board (flour, water, vegetable oil and salt), a fresh tortilla can be prepared in 45 minutes with a single frying pan and stovetop. 

Once prepared, tacos can be wrapped in tinfoil to save on clean-up and enjoyed hot or cold.

What’s your favourite taco filling? 

Conclusion

So here we have the ultimate best vanlife meals that people are cooking in their vans. Please comment below and tell us if we’ve missed your favourite.

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