Well, the travel portion of my summer is here and I’m ready! I’m headed to my family’s beach place for the week and then I’m headed to Italy for almost two weeks. I’m so excited! I’ll be taking pictures while there and writing blogs about where to eat in Venice and Positano. Unfortunately, Josh can’t make it to the beach and has to stay home to work and cooking is NOT his forté. I went ahead and meal prepped some simple meals for him to have for lunches and dinners while I’m gone and packed some things to take with me to the beach so I know I have some staples. It’s always better to be over prepared and have something you know you can eat, than wing it and then be frustrated when there’s nothing for you to have. I think as a vegan it’s just what you have to do when you don’t know what is going to be available to you. You can’t just leave it up to chance.

For Josh, I made several burrito bowls with brown rice, black beans, cucumber, and lettuce and he just has to add to pico, guacamole, and salsa. I also made some salads with lettuce, cucumber, carrots, chickpeas, and broccoli and he adds the oil-free balsamic. I left him homemade hummus with pita that he can toast and have that with grapes. He has a leftover burger from the other night with fruit and I’m sure he’ll grab some Chipotle along the way as well.

For the 4th, we’re going to have a lot of people there to celebrate my Dad’s birthday so I made 6 cans of chickpeas worth of oil-free hummus to have for an appetizer. I’m also bringing a side of hummus for my lunches with lavash or bread, and with veggies to make sandwiches. I’m bringing rice crackers, pretzels, and fruit for snacking. I’m also bringing brown rice, dry whole wheat pasta, and tofu for lunch or dinner. I can always fall back on potatoes, veggies, and fruit. These are just some staples that I know I can rely on while I’m out of town and they can help me stay on track while on vacation. I’m going to try my best to stay high carb low fat and get my steps in walking or biking.

I hope these meal prep ideas and staples to bring on vacation help you with your summer travels! The more you plan ahead, the easier it is to succeed.