Being "those people" - whole food eating on vaca!

My family and I recently went on a sort of mini vacation to a water park themed hotel for a couple of days. We had a blast.  We were water logged, exhausted, and happy by the end of our stay.  However, the trip to provide the challenge of what to eat while we were there.  Of course, there were all kinds of restaurants in and around the hotel.  And, of course, none of these touted a "whole foods/paleo" menu.

We had to decide how rigid we needed to be with our family's eating habits - would we be "those people" who go on vacation and bring their own food?  If it were just my husband and me, I think that we would have "cheated" and not felt too bad about it.  (He did, after all just take me out for my birthday recently and we both enjoyed stuffing our faces with whatever we wanted!).  But, the bigger question revolves around our oldest son who has been diagnosed with Autism.  The paleo diet has helped him in ways we never dreamed.  If you don't know him well, he can basically pass for a "typical kid" - which is a far cry from where he was when we started.  So, for us, sticking to the diet has larger implications than just whether or not our stomachs might feel icky for a day or two.

So, yes- we were "those people".  We brought an entire cooler and food bad with us and used the hotel room's fridge and mircowave to heat up our meals.

What does a family of six take for quick, reheatable meals for their vacation?  Well, here's what we had packed for our water park loving fuel:

- Lots of various nuts and fruits
- Shepherd's pie (basically meatloaf with mashed potatoes on top)
- "Kid Chili" (browned hamburger then simmered in spaghetti sauce, with a little extra tomato sauce and some chili pepper and paprika added in)
- Cauliflower soup
- Oven roasted brussels sprouts and bacon

We did do one "cheat meal" which included getting some hotdogs (no buns!) for the kids to eat in the car after leaving the hotel.  Hey, we're not that crazy. :)

Until next time, my friends.... Live well!

Becky