I can't believe I'm about to say this, but cooking in the hotel room is fun! Well, maybe it's fun because anything I cook my mom actually eats and enjoys, which is a stark difference than cooking for two young boys and a picky husband.
As a reminder (or if you missed the first post in this series), I'm in Ohio on some family business and did a grocery store trip to stock our hotel room for three meals.
Total cost for this trip was $26.21 and we've gotten three meals (plus leftovers) out of it easily!
This last one is a super quick one-pot vegetarian dish that combines a box of flavored quinoa-brown rice mix...
a can of black beans and some fresh veggies. My mom nailed it when she said all we were missing was a can of corn. It would have made a great addition. Next time for sure!
Here's how I made it yesterday...
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 package of Spanish Quinoa and Brown Rice Blend
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
Sauté the onion, squash and pepper in a pot.
Add 1 ¾ cups of water, the rice mix and its flavor packet. Bring to a boil then lower to medium and continue to lightly boil for 5 minutes. Cover and then simmer for 15 minutes.
Fluff with a fork, stir in the beans and serve.
I forgot how much fun it is to build a meal out of a convenience item like this. I used to do it all the time but the family isn't too keen on one-pot dishes. I may just have to start sneaking them in again.
Total cost of meal: $6.46, which includes total cost of ALL items used for this dish but many will be used for other meals as well, like the onion and bell pepper. This one came out to only $2.15 a serving!
- Hotel Cooking Meal 1: Turkey Sausage and Vegetables Over Rice
- Hotel Cooking Meal 2: Beef Stew With Sweet Potatoes, Mushrooms and Smashed Garlic
| Servings | Amt per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 cups | |||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs | |
| 320 | 3g | 11g | old: 6 | new: 7 |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein | |
| 5g | 1g | 58g | 14g | |
Did you cook the quinoa WITH the sauteed veggies or is a separate pot? If yes, FANTABULOUS! I always thought I had to do them separately.
I did!! No need to separate.
Loved all 3 of these ideas and plan on making at least one of them this week! Thanks for sharing your adventure!