Issue #234: My 3-Day Food Diary and How I Approach Groceries and Cooking in the Van

Simple, small space cooking.

🎥 ‘Listers’ on YouTube: Ohh my gosh I am obsessed with this hilarious documentary, in which two brothers travel in their Kia Sedona to try to spot over 700 bird species in the Lower 48. My friend Jenn (who I met through Morning Person book club!) texted it to me while she was twenty minutes in and we proceeded to live-text during our watch, which felt necessary because there are so many quotable moments. Just trust us!

☁️ Writing down dreams: I dream every night, but have never gotten into the habit of writing them down, until recently, despite taking a dream course with Satya Doyle Byock! I’m still working on learning how to interpret them, but have been fascinated by the symbolism and rich visuals in them, and how much more of the dream comes back to me as soon as I begin writing. It’s made me look forward to sleep even more!

🎥 ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die:’ Sam Rockwell stars in this unhinged comedy as a man who holds patrons captive in a diner, claiming to be coming from the future, in a movie that captures the absurdity of the times with a “Groundhog Day” twist.

One of the questions I’ve received most often since moving into the van is how I approach cooking and grocery-shopping for such a small space. The truth is that, while it takes a bit more intentionality, I’ve been impressed by the meals I’m able to create in such a small space and the ways the challenge stretches my imagination, and pushes me to come up a wide variety of different, simple healthy meals (you can read more about my approach to “healthy” eating here!). Below, I shared details on every aspect of cooking and grocery-shopping in the van—compared to when I’m at home. I think you’ll find that many of these tips apply to any small space, not just a home on wheels. Read on for:

• A 3-day food diary, with real examples of how I eat and cook

• The foods I always keep stocked in my fridge

• Simple, low-effort and easy cleanup meal ideas

• How I breakdown my grocery shopping into fresh essentials, shelf-stable staples, and “meal-makers”

P.S. Here’s what I cook and spend during a busy week at home and a peak inside my maximalist fridge and pantry at home.