Eat Smart on Vacation…and a review of Creamy Tortellini
Did you know that an average person gains 2 – 5 lb on a four day vacation? Many people abandon their healthy diet as soon as they hit the road. The temptation of trying new restaurants and all-you-can-eat buffets; the pang of hunger with the long car-ride; the thirst under the hot sun while touring towns; the sense of “I deserve it” … after all, who is in the mood to count calories when the hand-dipped ice cream and boardwalk fries are at every corner?
Let’s face it, you WILL want to eat out – that’s kind of the whole point of being on vacation. But you don’t have to eat out ALL the time! The key is to limit your dining out to only ONCE a day. And it all starts with – packing:
- Pack a snack bag for the ride: protein bars, grapes, bananas, jerky, nuts are good choices.
- Pack water bottles: ice water should be on-hand at all time whenever possible.
- Pack a cooler with breakfast/easy meal items: whole grain bread, natural peanut butter, granola, baby bell cheeses are good choices.
If you have access to a kitchenette, stop at local grocery store and pack up easy-to-prepare ingredients. Have a pasta night at your vacation home.
When you know that you are only eating out once a day, you will choose a really special restaurant judiciously, one that will create great memory. If you choose LUNCH to be your meal out, you can usually get better deals and better seating, and not tempted by the dessert menu or the wine list offered at dinner time.
If you are going on a road trip, and don’t want to stock up on too many ingredients for your kitchenette, you might want to give Dream Dinners a try. Our dinners are complete with everything you need, so it is super easy and there is no waste.
One of the easy pasta Dream Dinners that’s perfect for the road is Creamy Tortellini. These Italian cheese filled tortellini ore simmered a creamy marinara sauce with tender peas and savory bacon. It is a quick, wholesome dinner on the stove for 25 minutes.
Have a great summer!