When Dr. Greene's story first appeared in the New York Times, I read it with great interest, nodding in agreement at this line:

On the road, life was more challenging.

Yes, indeed. My husband is a photographer who would much rather be lugging his big camera up a steep path next to a waterfall or canyon in the outbacks than be here in the burbs. We travel on a tight budget and a taste for good, healthy food. We stay in hotels, though, so he can work with the film in a relatively clean place. I make dinner in the hotel room, usually a variation on the Rice Cooker Stew recipe below. I look for rooms with mini-fridges and microwaves, but can get along with just the cooler, rice cooker, and coffee pot that we bring along.

Before we leave for a trip, I print out maps to stores where I'll be able to stock up before heading out to the less-populated areas. With a bag or two of organic produce, rice, canned beans, and canned tomatoes, plus cereal and sandwich fixings, we're able to eat delicious, healthy food wherever we go.

What's your secret for eating well on the road? Share your tips and recipes in the comment section below. And come back tomorrow for ideas about feeding your freezer so it can feed you, plus a recipe for strawberry ice cream.

Rice-Cooker Stew Recipe

You don't need a whole kitchen to cook. Here's a complete meal you can make with just a rice cooker, perfect for cooking in a hotel room, dorm room, or where ever you have electricity but no other cooking facilities. It's good at home, too, for those days when you want a fast, no-fuss meal.

By changing the types of beans and flavoring of the tomatoes, you can use the same recipe to make a wide variety of meals. Try kidney beans with chili-style tomatoes, chick peas with basil, garlic, and oregano, black beans with garlic and onions, and pinto beans with jalapenos.

Active time: 12 minutes. Total time: about 40 minutes, depending on your rice cooker. Makes 4 servings, 1 cup each.

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice
1 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper or zucchini, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, with seasoning if you like

1 can (15 ounces) rinsed beans
salt to taste
grated or cubed cheese (optional)

Method

1. Put rice, water, chopped onion, chopped green pepper or zucchini, minced garlic, and tomatoes with the juice in rice cooker. Turn cooker on and let it complete its cooking cycle.
2. Meanwhile, rinse the beans and cut up cheese into 1/4 inch cubes if needed. When the cooking cycle is done, add beans to rice mixture and stir. Turn cooker back on to warm the beans for about 2 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
3. Serve topped with grated or cubed cheese if desired. Refrigerate any extra or throw it away if you don't have access to a refrigerator.

Tips and notes

• ‹ Feeding your Freezer
• Cooking with the Seasons: Easy and Joyful at ... ›