Feeding your family during a vacation can be tough.  Long days, busy schedules, and high altitudes may make you want to order in pizza every night, but we’ve got a few recipes that will be easy to prepare and save you money by not eating out every night. The nice thing is that most of our vacation rental properties in Keystone feature a full size kitchen and all of the cooking supplies you need to make a great meal.  Cooking while you’re on vacation does present its challenges- you’re usually working with fewer tools, unfamiliar appliances and without your normal spice cabinet.  You will also be busy with activities and tired at the end of the day! What you should look for when you are planning your meals are some simple, easy-to-make recipes that will please even the pickiest eaters, feed a crowd, have few ingredients and make plenty of leftovers.  Here are four of our favorite easy dinner recipes for your next family ski vacation:

Easy Mexican Fajitas

Ingredients:
– Medium size flour tortillas
– 1 Lb. skirt or flank steak
– 1 Package taco of fajita seasoning
– 1 White or yellow onion
– 1 Red bell pepper
– 1 Green bell pepper
– 2 Tbsp olive oil
– Prepared guacamole
– Prepared pico de gallo salsa
– Shredded cheddar cheese
– Sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  Rub the steak with half of the fajita seasoning and salt and pepper and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Slice onions and peppers and then sauté in olive oil over Medium heat.  Take the meat out of the oven and then slice it against the grain in thin strips. Warm tortillas in the microwave for 30 – 40 seconds.  Serve ingredients in bowls or plates and let your family create their own as they please!

Beef and Bean Chili

Ingredients:
– 2 Lbs ground beef or buffalo
– 1 Large onion, chopped
– 2 Stalks of celery, chopped
– 8 Cups (4-15oz cans or 2-28oz cans) tomato sauce
– 8 Cups (4-15oz cans) beans (2 kidney, 1 pinto and 1 black or garbanzo)
– 1/4 Cup chili seasoning (your favorite brand)
– Salt & pepper, to taste
– Cayenne pepper, to taste
– Chopped fresh or canned jalapeno peppers, to taste
– 1/2 Lb. elbow macaroni

Directions:
In a large stockpot, brown the beef. Break it apart into large chunks, season with salt, pepper, and about half of the chili seasoning and cook until it is just slightly  pink.  Once the meat is browned, stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Bring everything to a boil and then cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes.  The flavors only get better the longer you simmer;  if you have a crockpot, you can throw everything in before you head out to the mountain, and the feast will be ready when you get back at the end of the day! In the meantime, cook up the pasta and set aside.  Once you are ready to eat, add the macaroni pasta to the chili and serve hot with shredded cheese, sour cream and corn chips or crackers for the perfect warm and easy to prepare meal!  You can leave the jalapenos out if your family doesn’t like spicy foods.

Italian Chicken, Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli

Ingredients:
-2 Lbs. mix of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts
-8 Tsp melted butter
-1 Cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
-2 Tsp olive oil
-1 Lb. baby new potatoes, halved
-1 Half white onion, chopped
-1 Clove garlic, chopped
-1 Large head of broccoli
-1 Half of lemon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.  Dress the chicken with 6 tsp melted butter, then  roll in seasoned breadcrumbs and place in a casserole dish or roasting pan. In another pan, drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Chop the garlic and onions and add to the potato mix.  Cover both dishes with tinfoil or pan covers and cook both the chicken and potatoes for 40 minutes.  About 5 minutes before the timer beeps, steam the broccoli and top with juice of lemon, a pinch of salt and remaining butter.  Serve and enjoy!

B for D (Breakfast for Dinner)

Ingredients:
-1 Box of pancake mix
-Eggs (2 per person)
-Bacon
-Milk
-Fresh blueberries
-Butter
-Maple syrup
-Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
Start with the bacon, either fry or bake according to package directions.  Make the pancakes according to recipe on box, adding the blueberries into the batter. Crack all of the eggs in a bowl, add a splash of milk, whisk and scramble, adding the cheddar cheese if you’d like.  Serve this for breakfast or dinner, a family favorite!

Keystone has a few small markets where you can purchase groceries, but we recommend planning your meals and grocery list on the plane or in the car ahead of time and then stopping at the City Market in Dillon before you head into Keystone.  You will be exiting off of I-70 at the ‘Dillon/Silverthorne’ exit, take an immediate left and the City Market will be two stoplights ahead on the left, and then Keystone is about 7 miles further down the road. Remember to look for recipes with a simple and short ingredient list that are easy to prepare. Also think about things that are easy and quick for breakfast and snacks to take with you on the mountain, such as granola bars.  Bottled water is not really necessary, as the water in Keystone tastes great! Many of our ski condos come stocked with crock-pots, which is a great tool for ski vacation meals- just throw it all in in the morning and dinner is ready when you get home!  Check out the SummitCove.com’s ‘Ski Vacation Meal Ideas’ Board on Pinterest for more easy recipes!