Make like a local

Eating local fruits and veggies that are in season while on travel is a sure-fire way to take advantage of the geography and climate you are visiting. One of our favorite ways of capitalizing on the local ambiance is spending time at Farmer's Markets. Besides the obvious opportunity to pick up ripe and fresh produce, flowers, and baked goods, the people watching is always entertaining.

Most Farmer's Markets are high tech these days and it's fairly easy to Google the city you are visiting and 'farmer's market' to get a list of the days, times, and locations where you can find the vendors set up and selling an array of tasty delights. The challenge is to buy only what you need while on vacation. It's easy to get caught up in the colors and smells and over purchase. Remember, you're on vacation and need to stay flexible - or have a really good plan on how you are going to eat and enjoy all the stuff buy.







Kari On and Keep Traveling

Timeshare kitchen equipment

If you're going to travel a la 'a timeshare' property, it helps to know the basic equipment that usually comes standard in the kitchen. On our recent vacation we stayed at a Marriott Vacation Resort Timeshare. We've found that most of the Marriott kitchens are fairly well stocked with the following:

Knife block (steak knives, bread knife, paring knife, carving knife, kitchen shears)
Cutting board
Tea kettle
Storage containers (usually the 'medium' size)
Blender (usually one that is great for making frozen drinks!)
Salad bowl with serving fork and spoon
Glass bowl with lid (medium size)
Glasses (wine, water, and juice size) - 6
Plastic glasses - 6
Plates, bowls, and coffee cups - 6
Serving platter
Serving bowl (medium size)
Cutlery
Pots (small, medium, and large)
Pans (medium size frying pan, and slightly larger pan)
Baking dish (Pyrex 'casserole' size)
Mixing bowl
Mixing cup
Colander
Serving utensils
Measuring spoons
Peeler
Can opener
Pizza cutter
Bottle opener
Whisk
Wooden spoon
Spatula
Toaster
Coffee pot
Pot holders

We've learned to bring from home the following:

Griddle - makes pancake cooking much faster!
Coffee grinder - we love fresh ground beans
Ziploc bags - all sizes
Tin foil - for leftovers, the BBQ, etc.
Plastic wrap - for leftovers (yeah...we could just use the tin foil)

On our last trip I discovered our kitchen was without a cookie sheet. I called the front desk to see if it was missing or just not part of the standard equipment. As it turns out, the units do not come with cookie sheets; however, the manager offered to check with housekeeping... and like magic, a brand new cookie sheet was delivered it to our room within 20 minutes. (Kudos Marriott!!!)

We like to think of cooking as a hobby not a chore and the timeshare makes cooking in a great option when we're on vacation.

























Kari On and Keep Traveling

Plan now, relax later

A little planning can make a big difference – and save lots of time and money on vacation. Our goal is to keep it simple, but still have tasty and somewhat healthy meals. The key is figuring out what to bring from home and what to buy locally. Of course it makes a big difference if you are flying or driving. And if you are driving, it is important to factor in how long the trip will take (hours vs. days) on what you will want to pack. I find it easier to navigate my neighborhood store: I know where things are, I’m familiar with the prices, I can factor in sales and specials, so the more I can do in advance the better.

For our SoCal trip we created a menu and activity plan. The boys each brought a friend - which means we were planning food for 4 very active growing boys and 2 adults. The boys gave us ideas on what type of food they thought would be fun on vacation. Graham and I have been exercising a lot so we opted for high protein meals. After all the input, here’s our plan:







Once the plan was in place, we worked out what we could bring from home:



And then I tried to anticipate what I would need to get locally:




It might seem like a lot of planning up front, but it pays off when you can sit back and relax. According to Preston’s friend, it must have had some positive impact because he said, “my favorite part of the trip was everyone eating dinner together!”

Kari On and Keep Traveling

Resist Vacation Conformity

There are those that insist vacation means eating every meal out – not me! I do love going out to eat, experiencing new flavors, tastes, smells, and soaking up the ambiance. However, I quickly slip in to overload if I have to do it every day for every meal.

We keep learning great ways to make dining in on vacation easier, healthier, and by all means fun. On our recent vacation I cut up chicken, poured on some Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki, tossed it all in to a freezer bag – and froze it solid! I also cut up all the veggies we had in the refrigerator the morning we were leaving, put them in a separate freezer bag with some more of the Soy Vay, and sealed it tight. The key was remembering to pack it up and put it in the cooler before we left the house. On our 6 hour drive the frozen chicken was perfect for helping keep the veggies and rest of our perishables cool.

My kids love arriving at new destinations and getting the ‘lay of the land’ as soon as we will set them free. As long as the boys help us unload the car and put their stuff in their room, they can go discover while we get dinner ready. We love this time settling in to our new ‘home away from home’ and shifting in to vacation mode.

Keeping dinner easy, chicken and veggie skewers, (we also made some rice-a-roni – boys eat a lot!!!!) was the perfect way start to a great week in Southern California.


Prepped at home!


Yum!

Kari On and Keep Traveling

No Leaving until the Sheets are Changed

We have this crazy rule in our house that everything needs to be spic and span before we go on vacation. Without a doubt, I’m completely neurotic in the hours leading up to our walking out the door and transitioning in to vacation mode. Pre departure always starts out with the feeling of plenty of time to change the sheets, vacuum the floors, take out the trash, clean the refrigerator, rotate the laundry, empty the dishwasher, fluff the pillows, water the plants, and deodorize the toilets.

Ha! So much easier said than done.

On departure day we always wake up early, skip the coffee in bed, strip off the sheets and start a load of laundry. Those first 20 minutes we feel like we could conquer the world. We are so productive! We are cleaning and organizing machines! We are making great time! Somewhere after this initial 20 minutes of brilliance and 2 hours later we are at each others throats wondering why in the world we waited up NOW to clean the entire house. It’s not even like our house is dirty, but I have this uncontrollable need to make sure EVERYTHING is done before we go. I become obsessed with thinking we have time to do more – should we quickly clean the windows? Touch up the paint? Re-grout the tile?

The kids have learned to stay out of the way the final 20 minutes before we lock up and shove off. They know absolutely NO using the bathroom if the toilet is sparkly clean with blue-tinted water and no final snack that might leave a crumb on the counter.

You may think I’m crazy to go through such extremes when the goal is to chill out and slip in to vacation bliss as quickly as possible – and I completely understand that. But for me, after a fun-filled vacation I find returning home, walking in to a clean house and climbing in to my own bed with crisp clean sheets is the best way to top off time away from home.

Kari On and Keep Traveling

Coffee can turn a good morning in to a great morning!

Home or on travel, we start every morning with coffee. My ritual is the first cup in bed while I read the news and my favorite blogs. This is the one time of day when my husband truly spoils me – he gladly gets up first, makes the coffee, and delivers the piping hot cup to me bedside. I am loved! When it’s time for my second cup, I’m adequately caffeinated and coherent enough to get vertical and tackle the day.

Finding new coffee roasters is a travel must for us. There is something about the coffee house culture that defines a neighborhood and instantly makes us feel part of the local community. As an added bonus, most of the coffee roasters we visit usually have a delicious array of pastries from a local bakery – it’s fantastic, we get two local treats with one stop. Best of all, coffee joints attract the full spectrum of humanity and we never know what interesting characters we’ll run across sitting at a table (or outside on the curb) sipping a ‘cuppa joe’. The baristas are usually very friendly and happy to share their favorite local spots for surfing, shopping, eating, and hanging out.

It might seem silly at first, but packing our coffee grinder on trips is a must for us. Freshly ground coffee beans are definitely one of my top 10 favorite smells and catching a whiff of those aromatic grinds instantly perks me up. The minimal amount of space the coffee grinder takes in the suitcase is worth its weight in the pure caffeine bliss we experience with every cup of locally roasted deliciousness.





Kari On and Keep Traveling

The Hardest Part of Travel...

Without a doubt, the BIGGEST challenge of all for us when traveling is leaving our dog. Magnum will be 14 in June and we know (sniff sniff) he won't be with us forever. We've had Magnum since he was 8 weeks old and our boys have never known life without him. Although Magnum sleeps a lot these days, he still has his moments when he acts like a puppy: chasing the tennis ball, trying to catch his tail, and going absolutely insane with excitement when he sees his lead and knows he's going on a walk. The walks these days are short, but the bliss Magnum exudes when he goes to the bus stop and back makes me pause to appreciate how even the briefest of outings can bring him such joy.

For such an old dog, Magnum is still naughty as can be. Lately Mag has developed a craving for toilet paper. If all the bathroom doors aren't closed, Magnum will sneak down the hallway, position himself right in front of the toilet paper holder, grab an edge of the toilet paper, and start eating asfastashecan! This isn't an occasional event, if there is a chance for Magnum to go unnoticed in the bathroom, he'll capitalize and have a tp snack EVERY day. Crazy old boy!

We love Magnum and all agree the hardest part of travel is leaving him behind.


What a trooper to tolerate the bunny ears!



Kari On and Keep Traveling

5 Travel Myths Busted

1. It’s expensive. Sure, travel can be expensive, very expensive; however, there are lots of options and ways to reduce costs. My favorite place to reduce costs is reducing the number of meals we eat out. I like the 80/20 rule or the 3 out of 5 rule. If a family has 5 eating opportunities a day on vacation (Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner), by eating 3 of those ‘meals’ with ingredients you get at the local market or pack from home, you’ll quickly save on the cost of the whole trip.

2. It’s fattening. By all means reduce the urge to binge, binge, binge. A little indulging is a good thing, but splurging at every opportunity on vacation is just bad head work. We all know that portion size at restaurants and venues has increased significantly over time. Don’t deny yourself a special treat here and there – just don’t go overboard at every funnel cake cart you pass. Another great option: share. My husband’s not big on sharing; however, through some training on my part, he now savors his half of dessert and about 30 minutes later he thanks me for preventing his “I’m so stuffed I can hardly move” feeling.

3. It’s time consuming / pre planning takes too much time. True, pre-planning does take some time. Begin to think of pre-trip organization as a hobby and soon it feels like fun. Taking the time to figure out some menu ideas and options a week before the trip starts the mental transition in to vacation mode.

4. Eating ‘in’ means missing ‘out’. Absolutely NOT. Eating in means MORE opportunities to go out. The more you can keep costs in check on vacation, the more vacations you can take!

5. There’s no way my family will go along with this. Honestly most of the time I don’t even think my family notices we’re saving money and not eating out at every meal. As long as there is good, tasty food available when they are hungry, they are happy.

Kari On and Keep Traveling

Resolve to travel more...and spend less!

Looking back, our resolve to travel more and spend less really began on our honeymoon. As most couples starting out, we didn’t have a lot of money, we hadn’t accumulated a stash of frequent flyer miles, and we didn’t have any hotel points for free nights or room upgrades. But we did have a desire to travel and take in as much culture and atmosphere as humanly possible in less than three weeks.

Our destinations of choice: France, Portugal, and Spain. We certainly didn’t start out with saving money in mind, we just wanted to have fun, see, and do as much as we could squeeze in to a day. The saving part almost happened by accident. Maybe it was exhaustion from the wedding, or the less than comfortable flight folded like pretzels back in coach, or the 9-hour time difference. Whatever the initial trigger, our timing for eating was completely out of sync with the gastro pulse of these dynamic countries. Not to worry, we absolutely got in our fair share of indulging in decadent French pastries, savoring unique Portuguese cuisine, and sampling both traditional and creative Spanish tapas. But fortunate for us, our mixed up internal time clocks led us to finding a passion for preparing food in our hotel room and figuring out how to pack snacks and meals for day trips.

We discovered that we love exploring all sorts of food markets: boulangerie patisseries, fromagerie, boucheries, epicerie. Spending time in these markets almost instantly made us feel connected to the people and the local neighborhoods. The challenge was what to buy, how to cook it (we didn’t have a kitchen in our hotel room), and how to eat it (we didn’t have dishes or utensils). Over the years we have figured it out. We’re always adapting and with each trip we pick up more tips and ideas that keep us going from one adventure to the next.

One of my greatest memories of our time in France is when we went to explore the Palace and Gardens of Versailles. With over 800 hectares of land, we walked and walked for miles. I’m convinced we saw every one of the almost 200,000 trees and I’m almost positive we saw all 50 fountains. Not only did we walk the perimeter of the Grand Canal, but we also took every path we could find. We were in the gardens for hours. Before we set off on this day trip adventure, we stopped at a local boulangerie in Paris and picked up a fresh baguette, headed next door to the fromagerie for a wheel of Camembert cheese, and made a quick stop at the market for some water. Never before has bread, cheese and water tasted so good as it did on that bench in Versailles.

We love to eat out and discover new culinary delights and we make sure to splurge on every trip we take. We also love to travel to all corners of the globe. The secret is balance. Doing both can get really expensive really fast. So we’ve worked out a plan to incorporate as much of both as possible to maximize on seeing and doing as much as possible.


Cherish the memories!

Kari On and Keep Traveling

Happiness is calling

For me, happiness is having a plan! And there's nothing quite like putting the plan in to action.

For our upcoming trip I'm making a few things ahead of time so when we hit our destination we can transition quickly in to vacation mode. Today I whipped up a batch of super easy and great tasting Clementine-Cranberry Scones and put them in the freezer so we'll have them ready for our trip. Of course the boys each had a scone hot out of the oven (Preston's rationale was a couple less scones would fit better in the freezer bag!)

Clementine-Cranberry Scone
(Originally Orange-Currant Scone - but I had clementines and dried cranberries so I adapted the recipe :) )

Source: www.epicurious.com

These scones are terrific with butter and honey or marmalade.

3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cups chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled buttermilk

3/4 cup dried currants (I used cranberries)
1 tablespoon grated orange peel (I used clementine peel)
Additional sugar

Preheat oven to 425F. Ine large baking sheet with foil. Stir flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add butter and shortening; using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Add 1 cup buttermilk, currants and orange peel. Stir gently until dough comes together in large moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Gently knead 3 or 4 turns to combine well. Divide into 2 pieces; flatten into 3/4-inch thick rounds. Using floured knife, cut each round into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake scones until light golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Cool completely and then freeze so you can pack them up for your trip.

Hard to put a price on these because I had all the items in my pantry; however, for comparison, the price of similar type and size scones at the farmers market are $2.50/each. I made 16 scones and will be taking 14 (less the two the boys ate!) of them on our trip. If we bought scones on our trip, we would have spent $35!


Happy ingredients


Coming together nicely


Divided and flattened


Cooling (I put some fun red, white, and blue sprinkles on half the batch)


Packed up for the freezer

Kari On and Keep Traveling

Snap, Crackle, Pop-sibilities

It doesn't get much better than this! I absolutely love when one key ingredient can shine in multiple meals. Today's star: Rice Krispies. This classic cereal hands down makes the best marshmallow snacks - and they are so easy (there is no comparison between the homemade version and the pre-made treats), they are delish in a bowl for breakfast, and one of my favorite ways to use the cereal is as a binding ingredient in meatloaf (recipe to be posted in a future post). However, I'm most excited about the Orange-Walnut Scone recipe I just tried. This scone recipe uses Rice Krispies AND Bisquick (see my previous post) - two of my go-to staples when we travel. These were so good that my family gobbled them up before I was able to get a photo, so I will be sure to add one next time I make these.

2 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
2 cups biscuit baking mix
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup currants
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/3 cup fat-free milk (I use soy milk)
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
Vegetable cooking spray

1. In large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal, baking mix and the 1/3 cup sugar, breaking up the lumps in the baking mix. Stir in walnuts and currants. Add egg, orange peel and milk, mixing until mixture forms a ball. Flatten dough into 7 1/2-inch circle. Using large knife, cut into 6 wedges. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With fork, beat together egg white and water. Brush over tops of scones. Sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon sugar.

2. Bake at 375° F about 13 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold. Store in airtight container.

Yield: 6 scones




(These get gobbled up quick too...kids and adults love this classic treat!)

Kari On and Keep Traveling

Who knew...it could be this easy?!?! CHILI

It almost feels like cheating when dinner is so easy and tastes so good. The key to this chili is the brand of beans - the spices make it seem much more complicated than it is.

1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup bottled salsa
2 cans (or more depending on how far you want to stretch this meal) 15 1/2 oz S&W Chili Beans (undrained)
1 can diced tomatoes (sometimes I give these a whirl in the blender since my boys prefer not to see any tomatoes!)
1 sm can V-8 juice

1 pkg Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper and ground turkey; cook until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in the salsa, beans, tomatoes, and V-8 juice. Spoon mixture into a casserole dish.
3. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions. Let batter rest and then spoon evenly over the turkey mixture. Bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes or until golden.

Serve with you favorite chili topping: cheese, cilantro, sour cream (I prefer plain Greek yogurt), red onions, etc.

You can also omit the corn muffin top and just heat up the chili on the stove. Or, make the corn bread as a side (even though this creates another dish to clean).







Kari On and Keep Traveling

Smoothie Mix Master

We love smoothies for breakfast, a mid-day snack and even for dessert. Making smoothies 'at home' (I've yet to stay in a timeshare unit without a blender!) not only saves money, but you get to control all the ingredients. We love picking up fresh fruit from the farmers market to customize our drinks to the local seasonal flavors. Smoothies are also one of those great meals to make that can use up the odds and ends of ingredients you have on hand. We strive to keep our smoothies healthy with fruit, oats, wheatgerm, peanut butter, honey, and protein powder. The beauty of these drinks is the countless concoctions you can create: green smoothies, berry smoothies, peach smoothies, veggie smoothies, yogurt smoothies - you name it, you can make it. On vacation, try keeping the flavors local so you can fully embrace the regional delights.



Kari On and Keep Traveling

Trick yourself into saving

I picked up these great ciabattini rolls at the local bakery - 6 rolls for $3. These pillows of deliciousness made the perfect sandwiches. The bread was so fresh I just sliced the rolls in half and nestled in a few pieces of rolled deli ham. That was it. No mayo, no mustard, no cheese. Just bread and ham. The simplicity was beyond satisfying. Crazily enough, I wasn't even trying to save money, I just thought the rolls looked yummy so I bought them.





Kari On and Keep Traveling

By all means treat yourself!

Nothing says vacation like a little indulgence. The key is to find the right balance. For us, we all have a passion for discovering new bakeries and like to get a little something special everyday. Maybe it's a morning sticky bun with a steaming cup of freshly roasted coffee, or an afternoon 'just out of the oven' cookie to recharge our batteries, or some over-the-top dessert to finish the evening on a happy sweet note. We just make sure we only bakery splurge no more than ONCE a day. Not only is this approach good for the wallet, but it's also good for making sure our clothes still fit by the end of vacation.

An added bonus that helps keep calorie-guilt in check is when we find a bakery within walking distance from where we are staying...ha, now that I think about I see how this could be a double-edge sword depending on how close or far you have to walk!





Kari On and Keep Traveling

Your wallet called…it wants you to make some savvy choices

We love making pancakes from scratch at home. We get creative and add lots of extras when the mood strikes – bananas, blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, wheat germ, etc. However, when we’re on vacation we like to keep it simple and our favorite go to pancakes on the road are the simple and classic ones we make with Bisquick.

Now that our boys are getting older they no longer eat from the Kids Menu at restaurants. Ordering pancakes from a local breakfast joint usually runs around $8-10 per person – granted someone else is doing the cooking and clean up; but, Bisquick pancakes are super easy, super tasty, and if you score a deal like I did on our last vacation, super cheap! A round of restaurant pancakes for my family of 4 can set us back over $40 (and that’s not including the coffee and juice we are sure to order too!) Plus sometimes the kids bring friends with them on our vacations…add a couple more kids and the bill adds up quickly. The Bisquick breakfast feeds us all for well under $10!

Bisquick - $4.59 (but I got mine for $1.22…and we get multiple batches of pancakes per box)
1 Egg - $0.40 (rounding up – and assuming a dozen eggs is about $4)
1 ½ cup milk - $0.75 (rounding up – and assuming a gallon of milk is about $5)
Syrup $0.50 (completely taking a gouge with this estimate – but a bottle of syrup seems to last a really long time)
Butter - $1.00 (another guess – and I’m pretty sure I’m over estimating)

But wait, there’s more: not only are Bisquick pancakes delicious, but we also use the baking mix for strawberry shortcakes, coffee cake, banana bread, quiche, and random other dishes. So many yummy options that are a breeze to make!







Kari On and Keep Traveling

The Garanimal Concept

I have always loved the Garanimals concept! According to their website, Garanimals was founded on a simple but unique concept: to help parents affordably dress their young children in comfortable clothing that is easy to mix and match. Each Garanimals line may be mixed and matched as separates, and the color and style mix and match with any piece within that line. I remember pairing the giraffe with the giraffe and the lion with the lion – but I don’t think they do it that way anymore.

I’ve always thought of my approach to cooking on vacation similar to the Garanimal model: buy produce and ingredients that you can mix and match to create multiple meals. The ultimate goal is to have no leftovers on the last day of vacation.

The tomatoes, peppers, and spinach you use for dinner can also double as delicious add on to a morning omelet. The celery (in the peanut butter and celery snack post from yesterday) also tastes great in tuna salad. Future posts will begin to better illustrate how all the ingredients work together.



Kari On and Keep Traveling

A wholesome, and oh so satisfying snack

Sometimes I think we forget about how simple eating healthy can be. It's amazing how much more satisfied I feel when I eat real food. One of my go to foods on vacation is peanut butter - it's packed full of protein and oh so versatile: PBJ sandwiches, PB on toast, PB with bananas, PB cookies...and my favorite peanut better and celery!

Peanut Butter (I LOVE the Better'n Peanut Butter All Natural)
Celery

Wash the celery and dab dry with paper towel
Fill the celery 'well' with peanut butter

Eat and Enjoy (and let your childhood memories of eating this as a kid come flooding back)!







Kari On and Keep Traveling