Eatin' Good on the Road

A little planning makes eating on the road easy and fun

There are two things we don't want to do on a vacation: spend time in a grocery store and spend time cooking when we would rather be out golfing/fishing/goofing off. Sure, there are times when we want to lounge around and show off our cooking skills, but we don't want to have to cook. And when we do decide to cook we don't want to be frustrated because we can't find it and we don't want to have to go the store to get started. So, we've devised some rules for the road to make RV meals easier and cooking less frustrating:

1. Create a well stocked pantry for the road. Your road pantry should mirror your pantry at home. Take an inventory of what you have at home. As much as practical, put similar items in the RV--leaving out the obvious that you don't even use at home. If you like spices, make sure that you carry a full complement in the RV. It's frustrating to have a craving for cinnamon toast to find that you have no cinnamon.

2. Do a little planning. Break out a calendar and make a meal plan. Pencil in the foods that you and your family like to eat. Run your menu by the crew to get their input. Consider any diet restrictions. Don't forget special occasions.

3. Add convenience foods for back-up. Sure, you are going to make Aunt Mabel's luscious casserole for dinner on Wednesday, but what if the fish are biting/you're tired/you gotta get back on the golf course? That's when you will want to fall back on that nuke-it-and-eat-it wonder. The grocery stores have a dizzying array of semi-prepared foods, or check the online stores. Have some on hand for contingencies.

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Dennis Weaver -- having burnt food from Miami, Florida to Point Barrow, Alaska -- is RTA's road food expert. He has logged thousands of hours on the roads, trails, and waterways of America including many of Alaska's wilderness rivers and has consistently been elected the trips' "chief cook and bottle washer." Dennis is currently general manager at The Prepared Pantry, a company in Rigby, Idaho, that produces ready-to-eat meals and baking mixes packaged in Mylar. Weatherproof, bug-proof, and critter resistant, they're ideal for both roadtrips and back woods camping. Dennis may be reached at dweaver@preparedpantry.com.