Airstream Food - General

Those who know me know I love to cook so its time for a food blog. Transitioning from a gourmet kitchen with all the gadgets and a fully stocked pantry, to cooking in an Airstream was something I worried a lot about before changing my lifestyle. I love to cook, especially for others so entertaining was a big part of my life; the month prior to moving out of my house, I baked bread almost every day - I miss that. On the plus side, traveling exposes me to a lot of Farmer's Markets that I would otherwise have missed out on; so far I've found fresh bread, eggs, honey, sprouts, kale, spinach, and other veggies at FMs in NM and AZ.

During the first two months of Airstream life, I’ve adapted by simplifying; cleaning up after cooking is certainly much easier in the AS:) In general, there isn’t a lot of space so the biggest change is cooking with fewer gadgets (see photos of a few favorites below), less space, and a much smaller pantry; this leads to repetition. For breakfast, my favorites include:

• Fresh fruit, topped with non-fat plain yogurt and nuts
• Low fat, low-sugar granola (hard to find) with non-fat, plain yogurt or whole milk
• Whole grain shredded wheat with whole milk

If I’m out hiking or doing another all-day activity, I’ll typically bring fruit and a PB&J sandwich for lunch. If I’m home, I tend to snack on fruit, nuts, and raw veggies or make a salad.

Fresh, local tortillas are everywhere in NM so while traveling in that state, burritos filled with cheese, beans, HB eggs, and/or veggies were frequently on the dinner menu. I buy sprouts (bean and alfalfa) whenever I find them in the grocery store and try to eat them every day; they make a great burrito filling. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Bragg Liquid Aminos, Tikka Masala, and teriyaki all made great toppings.

When I find fresh spinach, radishes, and other veggies, I eat salads for dinner. One gadget I took on the AS is my flax grinder so I have freshly ground flax in as many meals as possible (also great with yogurt and fruit!). Also add Chia seeds whenever I remember. Avocados seem to be abundant in the grocery stores so I've been eating a lot in burritos or in guacamole; sometimes I'll just mix a ripe avocado with a few grape tomatoes, cumin, and salt and spread it on crackers or a flower tortilla - quick and yummy! Adding cheese, salsa, jalapeños, and/or sprouts make a nice burrito; sometimes I heat the tortilla, sometimes not.

Most of the above is made inside the AS. Since I don’t eat meat, I tend not to cook over a campfire or grill; this simplifies cooking and is one less gadget I need.

Since the Osteoporosis diagnosis, my diet has changed significantly. I still don’t eat beef, pork, or chicken, but I’ve added more fish, eat eggs (mostly HB), and drink whole milk. This has added a lot more fat to my diet as well as more calcium.

The Airstream slide out pantry

Portable Fagor induction stovetop (1600watts); note fresh fruit:).

Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder (200watts)

UtiliTEA hot water kettle (1500watts) sitting on my propane stove lid.

Appliance wattage is critical to know when dry camping; I'll find out soon whether the recent "fix" to my AS will allow me to use these appliances while dry camping.