My last article offering three tips for simplifying included comments about how I've simplified my diet as I travel in "My McVansion." Madmike, a blog reader, sent in a comment that he would like to see the list I have developed for my personal diet and tastes while traveling the highways and byways of America. So, to follow up on that article and to respond to Madmike's request, here is my shopping list.
Ed
Helvey's My McVansion Travel Food & Sundries Shopping List
Meat
(Protein):
Canned Chicken*
Canned Salmon*
Canned Tuna*
Chicken*
Beef*
Pork including bacon (occasionally)*
Fish, fresh, various
Hot Dogs, all beef or turkey based*
Sausage, beef or turkey based*
Cold Cuts, prefer turkey based*
Soup:
Progresso Soups, Lite/low sodium*
Yakisoba Soup
Cereal
(Grain):
Great Value Grape Nuts
Great Value Honey Oat Crunch with
Almonds
Oatmeal
Bread
(Grain):
12 or 15 Whole Grain Bread*
Rolls & Buns - Various*
Dairy:
Dannon Lite & Fit Greek Yogurt
or equivalent*
Blue Diamond Almond/Coconut Milk
Cream Cheese - various*
String Cheese
Other Cheeses*
Eggsa
Butter (real - Land of Lakes)*
Crackers
& Snacks:
Carr's water crackers*
Snyder's of Hanover pretzel pieces*
Chocolate Chip/Oatmeal Raisin
Cookies (one kind/small packs)*
Beverages:
Black or Breakfast Tea*
Chai tea
Green Tea
4C Lite to Go powdered drink*
Bolthouse Smoothies*
Juice, fresh squeezed, sugar-free
Water*
(Never any soda type soft drinks or coffee)
Vegetables
& Fruits:
Celery Sticks*
Broccoli*
Spinach*
Romaine Lettuce
Potatoes*
Sweet Potatoes*
Corn on the Cob
Green Beans
Other veggies as available
Salad Fixings*
Tomatoes*
Bananas*
Navel Oranges
Grapesa
Strawberries
Fruit Cups - Del Monte, Dole or
similar (in water)*
Other fruits as available
Condiments,
Spices, etc.
Miracle Whip*
Mustard*
Catsup*
Salt*
Pepper, coarse*
Lemon-Pepper
Chili Pepper*
Onion Powder*
Garlic Powder
Parsley*
Italian Seasoning
Cinnamon
Tumeric
Misc.
Peanut Butter*
Jelly or Jam*
Sundries
Paper Towels*
Paper Plates*
Plastic Cups (reusable)*
Plastic Eating Utensils*
ZipLoc Bags (usually two sizes)*
Aluminum Foil & Plastic Wrap*
Toilet Paper*
Lysol Antibacterial & Air
Freshener Spray*
Lysol Antibacterial Towelettes*
Dawn Dish Washing Soap*
Gain Liquid Clothes Detergent*
So,
there you have it. Everything with an * is either currently on board or
has been on board in the last year.
Important
Notes
Now,
let me make some important notes to clarify things a bit. I know there are some
readers who are going to question my choices on how healthy and/or nutritious
the items are. Let me first reiterate, these are MY choices and I am not
suggesting or recommending that you have to consider all or any of these items
for you and your lifestyle.
Second,
everything on this list I have chosen very carefully. Not everything is on board
all the time. There just isn't enough room (or weight capacity) to carry all of
this all the time.
Anything canned or packaged like soups, hot dogs, cold cuts (or lunch meat for those not from the New Jersey/New York metro area) and other foods are vetted by me on a few criteria. The criteria include, the amount of sugar, sodium and other ingredients that I can't pronounce. I look for packaged foods that have the least amount of these items. Another criteria is space. How much room do the items take up in a vehicle with limited space? Still, another criteria is convenience in preparation. I'm not always in a place where I can easily start an open fire to cook and grill on. Additionally, I don't have a full complement of cooking pots, pans and utensils, so I make my choices partially based on what I have to prepare foods with.
Anything canned or packaged like soups, hot dogs, cold cuts (or lunch meat for those not from the New Jersey/New York metro area) and other foods are vetted by me on a few criteria. The criteria include, the amount of sugar, sodium and other ingredients that I can't pronounce. I look for packaged foods that have the least amount of these items. Another criteria is space. How much room do the items take up in a vehicle with limited space? Still, another criteria is convenience in preparation. I'm not always in a place where I can easily start an open fire to cook and grill on. Additionally, I don't have a full complement of cooking pots, pans and utensils, so I make my choices partially based on what I have to prepare foods with.
I
like fresh meats, fish, veggies and fruit, however, I don't really have any
serious freezer space in my 2.7 cu. ft. refrigerator. To be honest, a 2.7 cu.
ft. refrigerator offers very little space to keep much of any of the items that must
be refrigerated. I don't refrigerate catsup, mustard, Miracle Whip salad
dressing, certain fruits and veggies, peanut butter, jelly/jam and other items
most people refrigerate. These items (and others) don't actually require
refrigeration, but I try to use them up reasonably quickly.
Repackaging
to Conserve Space and Items Not on the List
I
repackage some items eliminating bulky boxes and other containers and use
flexible ZipLoc bags (that I often can reuse depending on what is kept in
them). This list also allows me a fair amount of variety. Since I can't keep
everything in the van all the time, I simply change certain items from the list
to keep eating from becoming boring. And, if I see something that's not on the
list as a standard item, I might buy it so I can enjoy the flexibility.
For
example, I like sauerkraut, pork & beans, baked beans, chili, beef stew and
homemade soups like 15 bean soup with sausage and split pea soup with ham and
potatoes. I don't usually have a way to make large pots of chili, bean soup or
pea soup, but when the opportunity presents itself, I jump on it. I love
sauerkraut on hot dogs and with various kinds of sausage.
I
also love baked beans and pork and beans, however, they usually have a lot of
sugar in them, more than I like to eat very often. Plus, I attempt not to eat
certain items like those when I'm going to be in close proximity to other
people for reasons I'm sure you're aware of. So, they are occasional treats,
along with a small pie or a couple donuts or bear claws from time to time.
I'm
NOT a Newbie at this
Remember,
of my nearly 50 years of adult life, I've spent about 50% of them being fully
responsible for my own nutrition and meal preparation. I've been considered a
very good cook by a lot of my friends. However, there is a significant difference
when one goes from a well equipped kitchen to living off the grid in roughly 50
sq. ft. So, I know what I like. I/m careful to maintain a good level of quality
nutrition and I balance that with the necessity to conserve space and
accommodate a convenience factor. I feel that I eat well. My doctor finds no
deficiencies in all of my medical lab work. Could I do better? Absolutely! But,
I'm not going to deny myself the pleasure of eating the foods that sustain
me and I enjoy.
Of
course, this kind of diet/menu also allows me the freedom to enjoy a nice
pizza, other Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Polish, Cajun, German, traditional American food as well as others from time to time. Life is to live.
Food is fuel and is necessary for proper functioning, but in my book, it's also
part of the pleasure of living.
Share
Your List and Ideas
I
hope this list and my notes are helpful for planning your own culinary
delights, especially if you're a nomadic traveler. Submit your comments about
my list and what you like on your list. I may be missing something that you're
already enjoying.
2 comments:
Like yourself I carry the things I like, not all of those things would be carried by someone else, but they're in MY van 😱
Sound like we have similar tastes. I have one tote that is the "kitchen" and another that is the "pantry". Everything is organized and easy to use in the van, or deployed onto table outside.
Hope to see you on the road!
Dan
Thanks for the response to my query. As I am serving as my elderly mother's caregiver, I am mostly living unfree, but also living vicariously "free" through blogs like yours and vandwelling groups.
I get out a few times a year and have been trying out things like cup of noodles and spicy noodle bowls. They are ok, but get old quickly. I have experimented with the Mountain House meals. Much better, but cost is significant. I wonder what a freeze dried sauerkraut with kielbasa would be like :-)
I micro RV in a Prius, so I look for ways to avoid need for refrigeration.
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