What’s the best thing about vacations?

Some might cite the health benefits of taking time away from work and routine. These include less depression, lower blood pressure, and so on. Others, especially workers in creative fields, might say that vacations help them come up with innovative ideas and be more productive when they return to work.

Of course, no matter how much you may want to travel somewhere right now, going on vacation isn’t always possible. If a pandemic, lack of funds, or change of plans is stopping you from traveling, why not try recreating some vacation meals while staying at home? Even if you didn’t plan on staycationing, at least you can make meal planning a bit more fun and exciting.

That being said, here are 5 vacation-inspired meals that are easy to make at home.

1. Frittatas for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner

The great thing about frittatas is they’re almost infinitely customizable. Plus, they’re good for any time of the day. You don’t even have to heat a frittata, it will taste just as good at room temperature or straight from the refrigerator.

Now, if you’re new to making frittatas, there are some tips to keep in mind. First, don’t overbeat the eggs. You’ll also want to pre-cook the ingredients you’ll want to include in your frittata.

For a basic frittata recipe, all you need are some olive oil, diced onions, large eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. After cooking the egg mixture in a skillet, you can then bake it for about 18 minutes in the oven until it sets.

2. Toaster-Oven Tostadas

Do you miss eating tostadas, especially the ones from Garland Bazaar? If you have some black beans, cheddar, and corn tortillas, you can make tostadas with your good ol’ toaster oven.

Of course, don’t forget to add the lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, salad greens, avocado, and salsa. After layering the beans and cheese, they’re ready to eat after toasting.

3. Not Your Typical Instant Ramen

Nothing beats authentic Japanese ramen, but in a pinch, you can upgrade instant ramen with a variety of ingredients.

Try experimenting with different recipes such as adding peanut butter, frying ramen noodles with some veggies and meat, or make some creamy soup with a little coconut milk. You can also learn to cook some ramen egg to make the whole thing feel a bit more like the real deal.

4. Chicken Gyros

If what’s missing from your staycation meals is some low-calorie, but filling meal, try gyros. You can make them with chicken or lean steak.

As for the other ingredients, you’ll need some peppers, some garlic, oregano, and Greek yogurt. You’ll also need cucumbers, mint, yellow or red bell peppers, and pitta bread. Prep work will take you about 10 minutes, while cook time is around 4 minutes.

5. Sweeten Up Your Vacation Meals

Your staycation or vacation meal plan wouldn’t be complete without some desserts.

For something sweet and refreshing, why not bake some German Apple cake? Or if you have an ice cream maker, try your hand at making coconut or avocado ice cream.

There are tons of dessert recipes you can research online. Pick the ones that remind you of your favorite vacation spots to make the most of your staycation.

Miss Traveling?

Now that you know some vacation meals you can make right at home, don’t feel too sad if you can’t travel just yet.

You can still explore the world through our travel-related articles. Feel free to browse our site for more travel tips, tricks, and hacks.