One of the best things about RV travel is that you take your restaurant with you! You can get by on sandwiches and cereal if you choose, but with a stove, sink, and full fridge you don’t have to! Jay and I used to eat out a lot on dates and traveling, but with my ever increasing mast cell disease, the risk is not as worth it as it used to be. So, when we began to plan for our West trip this year, I agreed to plan ALL of our meals, while Jay set about planning our fun. It was a win-win!
The biggest hurdle was the amount of days we would be on the road. We planned to be gone about 10 days from home, and part of that was traveling where there would be no Whole Foods stores, or any for that matter. So, I made a menu plan for each day of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That way, we could shift the menu around, but I’d be sure to have plenty for at least those meals.
I bought a large quality roast, sealed well in plastic. I chose not to cut it up until the first meal, as I wanted it to stay as fresh as possible. Histamines increase as meat ages or cooks, so I had to keep that in mind. Histamines are a HUGE trigger for me, which is why eating is Always a challenge. The first meal was a beef stew of sorts. I cut up about a pound and a half into chunks, added it my Instantpot with chopped potatoes and some frozen mixed veggies. I added some seasoning and some water, and out came a Yummy beef stew! I also cut the rest of the roast into large slices, and placed them in a freezer bag in the freezer. This also slows down histamines, and gave me a lot of good meals of just meat & potatoes within 30 minutes in my Instantpot.
A word about the Pot. It rode on the floor, next to something as we traveled, since we were moving and bumping a bit. It “spits” more than at home on the counter, so add in more liquid than you usually would. Also, avoid chopping meat while your husband drives the RV down windy roads in Kansas. Just Sayin’ 😉
I bought a “clean” bag of Idaho potatoes for the trip, not dirty ones that needed lots of cleaning. All I had to do was peel them, rinse them, and cut them for my pot. We ate 5 pounds on the trip, and no one ever complained of getting tired of them. I also bought a large bag of Kirkland Organic Frozen Mixed Vegetables, so that no matter what I was making, I could add veggies to it. I chose not to take much fresh produce, as I didn’t want to keep up with them, especially given my histamine issue. I packed organic apple sauce and canned pears for fruit for the family, and one large container of grapes for snacks. Bananas are always good for lots of walking, as Jessica gets leg cramps, and those help.
Breakfast was some frozen waffles for the girls and reheated sausages(to reduce smell.) Jay made eggs when we were stopped somewhere at breakfast time. He is a great breakfast chef! We ate sandwiches or leftovers from dinner for lunch. I had the usual sandwich makings, but I only ate one, as those are not low histamine. I had also made a batch of gluten free sausage biscuits before we left, so those went quickly.
Easy recipe: 1 Lb sausage (we use preservative free)
2 cups gluten free flour (Krusteaz)
2 cups sharp cheese
I mix those together in a stand mixer (or by hand) and then drizzle some milk in until “patty” consistency. Bake in oiled muffin tins for about 20 mins at 350. YUM! Cut them in half to reheat, and YUM again. Excellent for road trips! but not-low histamine
In my meal plans I included chicken, pork, and beef, our regulars. I found organic chicken breast at Costco in packs, and a small organic pork roast at Harris Teeter. I added some sweet potatoes and spices to the pork, and it was a HIT. The chicken was cooked as a casserole with rice, sauce, and veggies, as well as just cut up and “grilled” in the Pot. On our camping trips over a fire, we usually make HOBO dinners out of ground beef, potatoes and carrots, so we made that same recipe in the Pot for good measure. We agree its good, but the fire is preferred.
Chopped up preservative free hotdogs were a lunchtime hit after we roasted them the night before. (not low-histamine)
The key to traveling with allergies is to know your own limits. I took plenty of yummy things the family could enjoy (we have one gluten free) and also plenty of safe foods for me. I had organic chocolate ice cream in the freezer, but they bought a couple of ice cream treats while we traveled. Just plan for necessities, but also plan for some special things. Can’t have s’mores? How about organic dark chocolate squares? Then pack some! Plan to enjoy your trip as much as you can. We honestly came home and did not miss anything culinary while we traveled.
And keep in mind paper products! You don’t want to have to wash dishes all the time on limited water. We used a lot more paper on this trip.
My menu plan looked like this:
Beef Stew w/Potatoes
Chicken Casserole (rice)
Pork w/Sweet Potatoes
Campfire Hotdogs
Spaghetti (I eat the meat before the sauce is added)
Hobos (grnd beef, potatoes, pepper & onion)
Roast and Potatoes (tastes like steak!)
Chicken and Veggies
Then I packed sauces, condiments, and parmesan for everyone to add what they wanted.
We came home with leftovers, and no one complained at all about the meals.
A little planning, and organizing what to freeze/what to defrost, and you can have a successful trip as well!
and I’ll discuss coffee in the next post: Medical Care on The Road.
‘cuz yeah That happened.
Hmm, I think I want to go have some steak and potatoes. I mean roast. haha
Branch Of The Vine 