Can You Eat Healthy While on Vacation?

Every year for the past 10 years we have gone to Duck, North Carolina for our summer vacation.  We rent a house where we cook about half our meals, and eat the other meals "out".  And never in those 10 years have I put on any weight - honestly!  What's my secret?  Well, there are several actually.

First of all, and most important of all, I take long walks along the shore every day.  I take my ipod with me and select songs with a nice steady beat and just go and go and go...


On the nights I cook, I bring recipes from home, making it easy to stick to a low-fat, relatively low calorie diet.  When we do go out, I make sure to order any sauces "on the side", including salad dressings.  Because salad dressings can be surprisingly high in both fat and calories, I am careful to order either a Balsamic Vinaigrette or whatever the restaurant's "low-fat" dressing might be.  If the main dish comes with anything fried or ooey-gooey creamy, I replace it with either rice or vegetables.   You can always replace items on any menu at any restaurant.  Even at sandwich shops or deli's, you can omit the sauces and the cheese and skip the fries.  I do not put butter on baked or sweet potatoes or on the restaurant's bread.  But I always do have a piece of bread - it's one of my weaknesses.  : )

I'm on vacation, so when we eat out, I do have an occasional dessert, usually a fruit cobbler or something like it with no ice cream.  I have an outstanding recipe for a very easy fresh fruit pie and make a couple of them when we eat at the beach house.  We stop at a local fruit stand on the way to the house and I like to buy fresh blueberries and peaches for these pies.  I use low-fat ready-made graham cracker crusts and mash half the fruit in a saucepan, add a little water, cornstarch, raw sugar to taste, and make a "glaze".  Then I line the pie crust with slices of the peaches or a layer of the berries and pour the glaze on top.  Then it goes in the refrigerator until it sets. 

For breakfast I eat oatmeal, Go Lean Crunch with Soy milk, or a bagel with fat free cream cheese and a piece of fruit.  Lunch at the house is often a salad - I make a nice one with boiled fingerling potatoes, dried fruit, fresh baby greens, and a homemade vinaigrette.  I don't have time to make this salad too often when I'm home - too busy...

I always look forward to our "beach week".  It's incredibly relaxing.  There are no demands, no set schedule to follow, and nowhere we "have" to be.  Part of what I really enjoy there is the food - I must confess.  We have a favorite restaurant we go to every year, then we try a couple of "new" ones, which have included a Brewery, a Japanese steakhouse, and a nice Mexican restaurant in Nags Head.  And keeping it healthy is really not too tough at all. 

Hope you find this helpful.   Happy summer to you all!