I just got back from a weekend with hometown friends at a gorgeous cottage near Lake Michigan. We had such fun and ate so well that I want to share our menu with you. Next week, I’ll share the menu and directions I made for my Taster to use while I was gone.
Cooking at the cottage let us save money, avoid bar fights, and adapt to various diets. Using boxed salad and bottled salad dressing made it easy. We also got to talk and laugh more freely that we might have in public.
Learning to cook a few simple recipes gives you the power to make vacations better. You can make a difference!
Menu Day 1
- Dinner: Red Lentil Stew (from Fifty Weeks of Green) on quinoa, boxed salad with bottled dressing
Menu Day 2
- Breakfast: Peanut butter on toast and bananas
- Lunch: Red Lentil Stew on baked sweet potatoes, boxed salad with bottled dressing
- Dinner: Spicy Peanut Noodles with Seasonal Vegetables (from Wildly Affordable Organic) and sliced bananas
Menu Day 3
- Breakfast: Peanut butter on toast and bananas
- Lunch: Hummus, pitas, salad, vegetable sticks, and leftovers from previous meals
- Dinner: Summer Pasta with Olives and Vegetables
Desserts and Nibbles
I brought two dozen Hot Italian Cocoa Cookies to share and a sampler of chocolate bars from Escazu Chocolates. We picked up some fresh sweet cherries, corn chips, walnuts, and guacamole on the way.
Do you cook on vacation or with your friends? What are your favorite foods and tips? Please log in and share in the comments below.
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We eat in most of the time when on vacation because eating out is expensive and it is hard to stick to our WFPB plan in restaurants. We look for farmer’s markets and splurge on fresh fruit and veggies (like your cherries in MI). We usually make a large pot of some kind of vegan chili because so far we have found everyone likes it and doesn’t miss the meat. Also it is great for lunches the next day. We also make pasta salad, and I can’t wait to try your recipe. I usually add a can of some kind of beans to ours to increase the protein. We usually do a pancake breakfast at least once because we finally have time and it’s a great group project. Our favorite treat is to take turns making some special appetizers to go with iced tea or adult beverages as we sit on the porch before dinner and relax and talk. I’m really looking forward to our next gathering in CO in September!
Marian, that sounds so smart and so much fun! I love the idea of pancakes and of your beverage experiences. Hope your next trip rocks!
I’m having a giggle at the thought of our “peace, love, and organic veggies” Linda getting into bar fights! Your menus sound great. How could you go wrong with peanut noodles and red lentils? My next vacation will be at an affordable little cabin with a kitchen, which I hunted for so that I don’t need to eat at restaurants. I’ll let your meal plan be my guide.
Thank you, dear Chessie! LOL! You are so right that bar fights are not my idea of fun. But if someone says a bad word about beans, I just have to defend their honor! Hope your vacation is calm and delicious. You are smart to choose a cabin with a kitchen.