It’s evident that the macrobiotic diet has carried with us in Van Life, called Great Life Diet, it is meant to be. Because van life is a great life.
Our van kitchen is the tiniest kitchen imaginable, and we cross through a lot of food deserts. So how do we keep the kid’s vitamin and nutrient levels up high so we have energy for all the adventures? Mastering food prep. We went macrobiotic years ago with hopes it would cure health issues. It didn’t cure them, but made them mostly manageable. We have a few tips for delicious, colorful, nutrient-rich, van meals. The top three: greens cut & ready to serve, homemade omega-rich flax dressing, and veggie-packed one pot meals.
Tip # 1: Greens Cut & Ready to Serve
Macrobiotic living taught me over a decade ago that you always want to have parsley, cilantro, and any other green (ours is usually kale) always cut and ready to go. That way, when you are making any meal, you can throw a nutrient-packed green on the top. Try to get a rainbow on your plate every time, but settle at least for some fresh green.
So if you opened our van fridge, we always have: either parsley, cilantro, or both, cut, and usually kale, cabbage or green onion cut. We also pack the fridge with colorful veggies, radish, carrot, mushroom, as much as we can fit.
We load up on organic noodle Miso Ramen or Veggie Ramen soups in the van pantry, and when the kids want a quick meal you throw parsley, cilantro, or green onion in the cup and you get instant soup with fresh greens. Staying true to macrobiotics and the importance of quality ferments, we also keep miso paste to add to the packaged miso ramen in the van at all times.
Tip # 2: Talenti Jars Fit Lots of Produce in a Van Fridge
We take the talenti jar, pre-cut fruits and veggies pretty seriously. We use old talenti jars (that are BPA-free) and super easy to fit in the van fridge, and, well we get to eat the talenti ice cream in order to get our best storage containers ever.
We go for a grocery stop and its not uncommon for me to park for an hour in the parking lot to cut and prep everything at once. In the summer, we cut a watermelon, serve it to the kids, and put the rest in Talenti jars. So you can seriously fit almost entire watermelon in a tiny van fridge! I’m also master at packing the fridge, every last inch. You truly have to be, in order for meals to be a rainbow in a van. We always, of course, leave room for our favorite ferments: kombucha for the kids and fermented barley for the adults.
Tip # 3: Fresh Van Veggies on Good ‘Ol Pizza
It’s all about balance in this van family. Pizza night is a must. Sometimes, instead of running around town trying to find a good pizza joint with acceptably fresh produce, we just stock the non-refrigeration-required pizza crusts (perfect for van life with limited fridge space). Then, each kid puts their own pizza together to their liking. Because of that principle of always having greens cut & ready to eat, we usually always have some veggies to add. If we forget the pan, we use tinfoil. A little trickier but it’s van life, after all.
Tip # 4: Homemade Flax Dressing
I have shared this salad dressing recipe with friends from all over the country. You will almost never find our van fridge without the homemade flax dressing in a big jar ready to pour. We bought the dressings recipe book from Casa De Luz in Austin, Texas back in 2010. It is our most loved recipe book. But I have the recipe memorized, as I’ve made dozens of gallons of it over the years. Not exaggerating. It’s an omega-3, antibacterial, gut-healthy immune system boost. Send me a message and I’ll happily share the recipe!
Tip # 5: Veggie-Packed One Pot Meals
It’s pretty easy, actually, to take any chili or lentil soup recipe, add the ingredients, and just double the veggies. Because they never put enough veggies in the recipe. And, as we all know, veggies should be a higher portion on our plates than protein. Plus, let’s be realistic, in van life, lots of time it is a one-bowl meal. So make it count. And of course, don’t forget to throw those greens ready to serve (like cilantro or parsley) on the top in plenty!
We also make one-pot veggie rich breakfasts, like millet porridge with butternut squash and onion. Our van kids gobble it up! Fuel in our belly is always as important as fuel in the van. Bon appétit!
