I use to travel a lot for work, but not so much anymore. But when I do, I always consider where am I going to eat, how am I going to get good coffee and stay hydrated. For me many times, I am able to get so much work done in a hotel room, so having to go out to eat is a hassle. I also find that I eat more or waste more when I eat out.
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| My essential coffee prep elements |
During my stay in various hotel rooms I have gathered some tips to make it easy to eat on the cheap while traveling for work or pleasure and staying in a hotel room:
Essential things I pack in my suitcase kitchen, no matter where I go:
-Travel kettle
-Salton brand Multi Pot
-Melitta One-cup pour-over brewer and paper cone filters
-Insulated travel mug
-small pouch of my Cafe Du Monde Coffee with Chicory and 10 Twinnings Lady Grey Tea
-can of evaporated milk
-packages of instant oatmeal, quick soups or noodle cups
-nuts, dried fruit, package of flour tortillas and small container of peanut butter
-Can opener and corkscrew
-Plastic water bottle
-selection of various size ziploc and garbage bags
-Plastic cutlery
-small collapsible cooler
-Good host iced tea powder
-bananas - they travel really well
-disinfectant wipes
-paper plates
-seasoning mix
When I get to my destination I try to find a grocery store for fruit and veggies, cooked meat or prepped salads. I can purchase sandwich meat and sliced cheese to go with my tortillas for sandwiches. With the collapsible cooler, ice from the hotel, and the ziplocs bags, the sandwich meat and cheese stay cold for however long I need them to.
If I buy too much for my small cooler, i also use the ice bucket or the recycling bin to hold ice to hold any of my drinks, orange juice, pop, or bottled water etc.
My all time favorite hotel food to make for breakfast and/or lunch are banana peanut butter tortillas. They are so filling and all the ingredients travel really well.
With Salton brand Multi pot, I make quick pasta dishes that are filling and easy. I can even bring a can of vegetables or beans and heat them up in my room.
If the room I am staying in has a small fridge, I add a small cutting board, chef knife and paring knife. Then I am able to purchase more fruit and vegetables and cut them up for snacks and salads.
For hotels rooms that also include a microwave, the picture below is an example of one dinner I had while staying in a hotel. It was filling and enough for dinner and snack the next day.
if you are able to drive to a hotel, and you have a fridge and microwave, you are set! The possibilities are endless. I once drove from Kelowna, BC to North Battleford, Saskatchewan with 2 teenage boys. We stayed in a small motel with a kitchenette for 5 nights. On the way back we stayed in Edmonton for 2 nights. During those 7 nights and 9 days, we ate out once for a quick breakfast and coffee. Otherwise I prepped all the meals, organized all the snacks and had to drinks ready. I saved so much money by deciding on a menu and prepping what food I could before we left. For example, a few weeks before we left I made a big batch of spaghetti sauce and froze most of it. I brought a container with us, while it was in the cooler it kept other things cool. When we got to the motel, I just had to make the pasta and dinner was done. There was lots leftover for the kids the next for lunch.
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| Small kitchenette in North Battleford, Sask |
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| Cooking chicken in my electric skillet. I used it for a pasta dish, Butter chicken, and chicken wraps. |
Reader best tips for cooking real meals in a hotel room
Cooking in a hotel room - Portable kitchen
What are your favorite tips and tricks fro surviving hotel room meal prep and cooking? Post your comments and links to resources!
