Easy Meals for a Solo Retreat

Packing it away is what I’ve been doing well of late…eating more than I should of things I shouldn’t. So, when I took off recently, I decided to only pack good eats.

good eats

The Grocery List

For four days of solo meals, here’s what I packed:

  • 1 pound of ground bison
  • A package of king trumpet mushrooms
  • A bunch of kale
  • Garlic scapes
  • A garlic salt seasoning
  • 1 cantaloupe
  • A container of pea sprouts
  • A bag of arugula and one of spinach
  • Avocados
  • A red pepper
  • Mangos
  • Toasted brown rice
  • Homemade balsamic vinaigrette
  • A roasted kabocha squash
  • 3 bananas
  • Cinnamon
  • 1 pound of grapes
  • Olives and roasted garlic
  • Coffee & coconut milk (+ French press)
  • Snacks

food items

Meals I Ate

Alternating Hearty Breakfasts (incl. Coffee):

  • Sautéed and seasoned bison, mushrooms, kale and scapes with a side of cantaloupe
  • Pumpkin smoothies (kabocha, banana, spinach and some cinnamon)

breakfast

Lunch: Spinach, arugula, sprout salad with red peppers, avocados and mangoes sprinkled with toasted brown rice and dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette I’d mixed up quickly at home.

lunch

Pack Snacks: Plantain chips, dried mangoes, almond butter

Light Supper: Grapes and olives

Beverages: And I drank plenty of water and green tea, as well as coffee from my little French press with a drop of whole fat coconut milk.

coffee and coconut milk

Other Options

While the above is how I put together the ingredients I had – I was trying to be efficient – here are some other meal ideas you could use them in:

  • A bison patty with a spinach side salad
  • A fruit salad of mangoes, cantaloupe, grapes, and bananas
  • Mashed and heated kabocha squash with toasted brown rice and coconut milk
  • Arugula with roasted grapes and garlic scapes
  • Sautéed red pepper, garlic scapes, chopped olives and mushrooms rolled in kale leaves and steamed just enough to soften the leaves

It worked out well to eat a hearty breakfast. After hiking all day on breakfast and some snacks, I really didn’t crave heavy meals later on. Light fruit and veggies were all I needed.

The Gear

I was lucky that the place I stayed in had a blender, a stove with cook wear, and some dishes. Were it not for that, I would have made sure to take a pot, nix the smoothie, and have a small cutting board, a plate and some utensils along.

gear

What I did take was a French press (a life saver), a tea ball, a pocket knife, a couple of zip baggies, a water bottle, and the cooler I packed everything in.