Summer vacation means keeping things simple and easy. Which for many, means very little to no cooking. But when it comes to what we eat, giving someone else or packaged convenience foods the power over what fuels us during this sacred time off can backfire if we’re not careful. With a little extra planning and a willingness to think outside the box, cooking for yourself can become an important and meaningful part of your next vacation. That’s why I’m taking a look at what those benefits are as well as 7 tips for making it a fun and relaxing part of your vacation routine.

Why Cook for Yourself on Vacation?

While cooking for yourself on vacation has many benefits, here are my top reasons.

It saves money. There is no doubt that eating foods that you associate with a particular place or foods that place is known for are among the best parts of a vacation. Eating out in these cases is well worth the extra money you may pay for the luxury of trying new foods or old favorites that someone else prepares. But if there’s nothing special about what you’re eating out, think about the cost. Eating a modest breakfast or lunch out for a family of four can run anywhere between $20-$50. Eating a modest dinner out can run anywhere between $45 – $100. Add in snacks of any kind and you may be talking about $105 – $210 a day for food. For a seven-day vacation for a family of four, that’s $735 – $1,470 for eating while on vacation. By comparison, a weekly shopping trip (food items only) for a family of four is usually between $150 – $225. If you plan on providing breakfast and lunch items for yourself for six days out of your seven-day vacation as well as snacks and plan to cook four to five dinners, you could save between $400 – $800 on your food costs.

It saves time and energy. Finding new restaurants and trying something different for a specific special meal on vacation can be loads of fun. But let’s face it, having to find somewhere to eat for three meals a day can be a big drain on your precious vacation time, not to mention your energy. I can remember wanting to get out and about bright and early in New York one day and saying we would just find something quick and simple for breakfast. Since the hotel we were staying at was in more of a neighborhood area, most of the surrounding restaurants were nice sit-down type places. Since we were all starving at that point, there wasn’t a lot of appreciating the sights as we walked. Twenty minutes later, we ended up at a Dunkin Donuts. Not to knock the Dunkin, but we could have just as easily whipped up a quick, comparable breakfast on our own and been out and seeing and doing much quicker and with a lot less grumbling.

It gives you control over the food you’re eating. From a health perspective, it doesn’t get much more clear-cut than this. While you probably want to ease up on trying to make every meal and snack healthy on vacation, if you ease up too much, you could very easily wind up feeling worse instead of better by the time you get to the end. If you’re eating the most fantastic food ever, then that might be worth it, but if the food is nothing special, you don’t want your health to be sacrificed in the process.

It can provide some much-needed grounding when away from home. While spending time away from home can be just what the doctor ordered, it can also be a bit of a shock to our system. Eating familiar foods or more like what we’re used to can help ground us so that we can enjoy all that we’re seeing and doing.

7 Tips for Making Cooking on Vacation Fun and Relaxing

1. Make sure you have a kitchen at your disposal. Look for hotel rooms or suites with a kitchenette or at least a cooktop, microwave and full refrigerator. These are often comparable in price to a regular hotel room. Another great option is a vacation rental with a full kitchen. These are also often comparable to or less expensive than a regular hotel room.
2. Scout out nearby grocery stores ahead of time. You can easily map nearby grocery stores as part of planning where you’re going to stay. If you’re going to be in a big city or where it’s not easy to drive, be sure to find a place to stay with a grocery store or market very nearby since you will be carrying groceries. You’ll also want to take the whole family along so that everyone can carry groceries on the way back – or take a stroller! While you may have to make a second trip mid-week if you can’t carry everything at one time, try to get as much in one trip as possible. For the same reason that you don’t want to search for somewhere to eat for every meal, you also don’t want to be going to the grocery store every day either. Another idea is that if you don’t have a car or you really don’t want to go to the grocery store, see if you can order your groceries online and have them delivered. While this will cost a little more, it may be worth it depending on your situation.
3. Plan your meals and make a grocery list.While this is one of the least fun things about regular grocery shopping, it is well worth it anytime, but especially when you’re buying groceries on vacation. This makes it so that you have everything you need on hand and that you don’t end up buying more than you need. It also gives you a clear idea of what you’re looking for when you’re going into a new grocery store, which as we all know, can be a little challenging.
4. Plan for snacks. Snacks on vacation are a must. Fruits and packs of nuts and trail mix are very portable and easy to eat on the go or just sitting and relaxing. Make sure you also have plenty of bottles of water. If everyone is taking a backpack or bag of some sort, just split up the bottles and snacks between you so that no one is carrying everything.
5. Keep it simple. If you just really want to go all out and try to fix a full meal inspired by the local cuisine, go for it. Otherwise, keep the meals you’re cooking simple and familiar. After a full day of sightseeing, activities or being with family and friends, the last thing you’re probably going to want to do is fix a full meal that you’ve never tried before. Eating something different or local is what your eating out experiences are for.
6. Visit a local farmer’s market or outdoor market. This is a fun way to immerse yourself in the local culture and eat seasonally even while you’re away. If you’re in the United States, Local Harvest lets you find what’s available near where you’ll be staying so that you can know your options ahead of time.
7. Create a restful and relaxing setting for cooking. You can do this by having a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail while cooking, bring candles with you or buy them once you get there and play your favorite music or music that matches wherever you are. While you might not do all of this for yourself when you cook at home, this is vacation. Creating a relaxing atmosphere may even make cooking one of the things you look forward to while you’re away.

While cooking doesn’t fit with every vacation, it can be a part of most if you simply think a little differently than what you may be used to. For more tips on how to keep your next vacation relaxing, fun and healthy, be sure and check out  Integrated Wellness While On Vacation and Hotel Fitness Center Tips.

The post Benefits of Cooking for Yourself While on Vacation appeared first on Peppermint Tea.

I can’t say it was love at first sight. In fact, I was fairly intimidated going from my flip phone to this mini-computer that fit in my hand. I was awkward, self-conscious and all the things you normally feel when you’re first getting to know each other. But as soon as I found out everything this magical piece of technology known as a “smart phone” could actually do, I was over the moon. It wasn’t too long though before our healthy love affair became a one-sided obsession.

Now, if I accidentally leave it at home or walk from one room to another without it, it feels as if I’m missing a part of myself. Considering I have a wonderful husband, two sons and a dog who’s only wish in life is to be petted, this in no way shape or form could be classified as a healthy relationship with my cellphone. That’s why, when I saw a segment on Good Morning America with ABC anchor Dan Harris and How To Break Up With Your Phone author Catherine Price about how she helped him to break up with his phone, I knew I had to do the same. I’m a health and wellness writer for heaven’s sake! I know this isn’t healthy, and it’s certainly not good for my overall wellbeing. With the help of GMA’s #phonebreakup Challenge, I’m breaking up with my cellphone. While we’re not saying goodbye, we’re definitely seeing other people – and at least for me, that’s a good thing! After reading this, you may want to evaluate whether you’re in need of a phone breakup as well.

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through some of the links included on this page.

In the Beginning

Since I work for myself, the idea that I didn’t have to be tied to my desk to get emails and to stay on top of work was completely freeing. As was the idea that I could take my documents with me to my son’s afternoon baseball games so that if a client needed something, I could address it quickly and get back to cheering him on. Yes, there were definitely significant advantages to my new love.

I used to get quietly upset with friends who would text while we were having a conversation – did I not have their undivided attention?! – but when I got my phone, I could not only text, I could surf the web, make tweaks to something for work and have my calendar reminders constantly dinging at me while I carried on a conversation. Just like when you try to juggle spending time with your sweetheart while also not having your friends feel neglected, at some point, it usually doesn’t work out to everyone’s liking.

I received my first warning sign that this might not go too well when I took a trip with my husband to Maine the weekend after I got my phone. I had never been there, and we were driving up the coast. Coming from North Carolina, where our beaches are smooth and sandy, I couldn’t wait to see the rocky coastline. I had plugged in the directions to our hotel and was “navigating” while my husband drove. I was enthralled that my phone – of all things – had a mapping system that meant I would never get lost again. I was following the blue dot intently and finally exclaimed that the blue dot said we should be getting near the ocean soon. My husband gave me one of his amused (snarky) sideways glances, pointed and said, “You mean the ocean that’s right there?” Yes, we had been driving right beside the ocean for at least a couple of minutes, and I hadn’t even noticed. I was looking at the blue dot on my phone! Needless to say, I still hear about that every now and then.

I thought the phone had redeemed itself though when during that same trip, I stole a look at my email while my husband was in the bathroom at a restaurant. There was a note from a client that I hadn’t heard from in a while who had a project for me. If I had waited until we got back home to see and answer the email, I might have lost the project. See! This was going to be a beautiful thing – the multi-tasker in me was head over heels. With the help of my phone, I really could do it all!

We’re Not Courting Anymore

It didn’t take long to realize that we weren’t courting anymore. I was hooked, dependent and obsessed, and my phone was very demanding. It was constantly making noises at me, constantly drawing my attention to it and constantly offering some new way that I never had to be bored or “waste time” again. Instead of being completely present when the entire family was sitting around watching TV after dinner, I could still be in the room, “spending time with my boys” while not truly engaged with them because I was checking email, playing a game, on social media or surfing the web on my phone at the same time. Now that one of those boys is away at college and the other is a full-fledged teenager who usually just wants to be in his room after dinner, what I wouldn’t give to have at least a few of those evenings together back. What’s worse, I wasn’t modeling a healthy way to manage my relationship with my phone for them, and while my older one has come to that on his own, my younger one is still in the newly obsessed phase.

When I saw the segment on GMA, I thought their challenge was an interesting idea and might be a fun thing to try when I had time. I quickly realized though that it was needed more than I thought when I went an entire week with getting sucked into my phone at breakfast instead of talking with my son. Not that he’s an eager conversationalist in the mornings, but still, that’s an opportunity to connect and I wasn’t taking advantage of it. I knew something needed to change. My phone and I needed to just be friends.

Setting the Stage for the Breakup

While Catherine Price’s book very gently walks us through a four-week breakup, I knew I needed to just rip the band-aid off. That’s why I went for the seven-day #breakup Challenge that she put together for GMA. She makes it clear from the beginning that the goal is to recognize that we’re not going to get rid of our phones, but we are going to start treating them like the tool they are and not like a member of the family or in my case, an appendage. Once I signed up for the challenge, I received two welcome/prep emails and then an email for each day of the challenge. The prep emails helped me to define my goals for my new relationship with my phone and had me learn to keep my phone out of my bedroom. This was a big step for me because yes, I am one of those… my phone slept on my nightstand. Of course, in my defense, when my oldest was out late, I felt like I needed to have the phone where he could reach me if needed. Now that I have several years before I have to worry about that with my youngest, there’s no need for my phone to share my bedroom. We don’t have that kind of relationship anymore.

As part of the prep for the challenge, I also learned how to clean up my phone and to get rid of those apps that were just serving as old baggage. I had FOUR screens of apps, half of which I didn’t even know what they were for. I learned how to organize the apps I did keep into folders and how to make my phone as plain as possible by removing the photo of my boys as my screensaver. Now I can spend more time with them in person than getting distracted by looking at them on my phone. I will also say that my phone now looks like how I want my brain to be – organized and uncluttered. Don’t worry though, Catherine isn’t that friend (or mother) that makes you feel bad for letting things get the way they are. She understands where we’re coming from and explains the reason behind every step that we take throughout the breakup.

Next – the Breakup

Now that the stage has been set for my breakup, I’m ready to do it. I know it probably won’t be pleasant, but it’s needed. Be sure and check out my next post for a look at how it went and why you might want to consider jumping on the breakup bandwagon too. Unhealthy relationships, even with our phones, are not good for us mentally or physically. I for one, can’t wait to start the next chapter in my life, where I spend more time interacting with the people who mean the most to me and less time with my phone.

If you want to join me, feel free to leave a comment below, send me an email at Robyn@robynmooring.com or connect through social media. Breakups are always more bearable when there’s a friend to offer support!

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