The last few weeks I was feeling disappointed that I had put my motorhome away for the winter. It was warm and sunny and just great weather for a trip or two. This is leading me to consider a later winterization in 2012, maybe even late November. But then again today it is pouring rain with predictions of two inches of rain followed by six inches of snow by tomorrow morning. Yuck. Regardless, I think a final trip or two could easily have been enjoyed before putting Ecovision into storage. Right now she’s only six miles away, but once she’s off full insurance she stays put until Spring.
In the meantime I’ve been again thinking about food on the road. I’ll be taking my first extended 3-week trip caravanning to Jekyll Island with Great Lakers Marilyn, Tommie, and Jackie in April. This brings up new issues including how to manage food.
One dish I’ve been craving on the road is pasta, but I haven’t yet made any because it takes so long to boil the pasta. So recently I scoured the pasta aisle and found one that cooks in five minutes: Barilla’s Piccolini (a mini rotini). As a bonus it’s high in fiber at six grams per serving and it does cook quickly. I plan to make my own healthy meat sauce ahead of time. I’ll use some of my frozen homemade tomato sauce, brown up some grass-fed beef from Arbor Farms in a little olive oil, and add some fresh veggies. I’ll divide the sauce into small BPA-free storage containers, label, and freeze. Then when I load up for Jekyll Island early April, I’ll just move the containers into Ecovision’s freezer. Then all I’ll have to do on the road is move a container into the refrigerator a day or so ahead, boil the pasta, microwave the sauce, combine past and sauce, and enjoy.
And by the way, grass-fed beef really does taste better and is healthier than ground beef from cows of unknown origin and living conditions. I’ve only recently tried it after reading about it on musician and full-timer Glenn Morrissette’s RVing blog ToSimplify so am a new convert. Indeed I have found that grass-fed beef is a completely different eating experience and worth every extra penny.
Barilla listed two other varieties of small pasta that have “three times more fiber”: Mini Penne and Mini Conchiglie (shells). I love the Piccolini because the sauce clings to it. I’m sure there are many other brands that have fast-cooking, healthy choices, but this one works for me. Below is a recipe from the box. It would be easy to get the fresh ingredients at a farm market and make on the road. I haven’t yet tried it, but it sounds good:
Mini Rotini with Grape Tomatoes, Leeks, & Green Beans
Sauce:
- 4 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 1 leek, white part sliced thin
- 2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
- Salt and pepper to taste
Pasta:
- 1 box Barilla Piccolini
- 2 cups green beans, cut 1/2 long
- 1/2 cup Romano cheese, shredded
In skillet, heat olive oil and saute leeks over high heat until slightly browned. Add grape tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and saute two more minutes. Cook pasta and green beans in the same pot for 5 minutes. Drain and toss with the rest of the vegetables. Top with cheese before serving (being lactose-intolerant, no cheese for me!).
Remember you can find farmers markets all over the country through localharvest.org. If I try this recipe and like it, I’ll add to the recipes page. Meantime, I’m starting a menu for the three-week trip knowing that as Great Lakers we’ll probably eat out quite a bit. But I think I’ll find at least one yummy recipe for all four of us to share.
For those of you that haven’t checked into the RVing Women member area lately, today I read this message from the webmaster, Diane Walker:
I also noted that there are more postings on the classified ads including RVs for sale, work-camping opportunities, and winter rentals.
