The 30-Minute Dinner to Help Me Poop After Vacation

• Vacation means new foods, schedule changes and travel stress—all of which can leave you constipated.
• A dietitian shares her go-to meal—Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Quinoa Skillet—to help with digestion.
• This fiber-rich, pantry-friendly dish is made in a skillet, making it easy on you and your gut.

When I go on vacation, the one thing I look forward to more than the sights is the food. There’s nothing I love more than scrolling social media to find the best places to eat before I travel and planning my itinerary accordingly. However, all that new-to-me cuisine combined with the stressors of travel often leaves my digestive system feeling, well, a bit sluggish. Unfortunately, travel constipation is quite common. That’s because traveling is inherently fraught with a variety of factors like time zone changes, inactivity and stress that can impact your gut. 

So what’s a girl to do after vacation to reset her digestion? My strategy as a dietitian is to focus on rehydrating and adding as much fiber as possible to my meals. Even though ordering takeout is tempting after a long day of travel, I always try to get back into a routine sooner rather than later, which means cooking at home. One meal I keep in my back pocket to address tummy troubles post-vacation is this Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Quinoa Skillet dish. This one recipe truly checks all the boxes: it’s fast (just 30 minutes!), high in fiber, pantry-friendly and can be made in just one skillet.  

Why This Recipe is My Post-Vacation Go-To

Packed with Fiber-Rich Ingredients

To tackle travel constipation fast, there’s no better time than that first meal at home to get in some fiber. When I want to add a ton of fiber to a meal, the one ingredient I always reach for is beans. They’re one of my favorite plant-based proteins since they are a powerhouse of nutrients packed into a single food. What’s more, using black beans alongside a few other fiber-rich foods like quinoa and sweet potatoes in this skillet means the fiber tally adds up fast. In fact, the total fiber per serving of the finished dish is a whopping 11 grams of fiber or 39% of your daily needs.1 Paired with a large glass of water (or two) and a short post-dinner walk, this fiber-rich meal usually has things moving again by morning. 

Made from Pantry Staples

In the week prior to leaving on vacation, I make it my mission to use up as many fresh foods in the fridge as possible. While this habit saves me from having to toss out wilted veggies once I return, it also means I have to get creative with pantry staples for that first meal at home. Luckily, this quinoa skillet is made entirely from pantry staples that I almost always have on hand, like sweet potatoes, quinoa, canned black beans, onion, canned tomatoes and frozen corn. While the original recipe calls for some fresh cilantro to garnish, it’s ok to skip it when fresh ingredients aren’t on hand.  

Easy One-Skillet Meal

I love a one-pan dinner any time, but especially when I’ve just returned from vacation. From unpacking and starting laundry to catching up on sleep, there are plenty of things to keep me busy post-vacation without adding more dishes to the list. That’s why this sweet potato, black bean and quinoa skillet has become a no-brainer for my first back-to-routine meal. You don’t even need to get out a sheet pan or heat the oven. This clever recipe calls for boiling the cubed potatoes in water in the skillet until tender. Even the quinoa cooks in the skillet with the rest of the ingredients rather than a separate saucepan. 

High-Fiber Meal Plan to Try

7-Day High-Fiber Meal Plan for Constipation, Created by a Dietitian

Our Expert Take

After vacation, the one thing I crave most is a home-cooked meal loaded with nutrition, especially fiber. That’s one of the many reasons why this skillet recipe is my go-to. It’s ready in just 30 minutes and relies on pantry staples, so I can make it when I return and my fridge is looking bare. Plus, it is truly a one-pan meal, so there’s no need to add dishes to the list of things to tackle now that I’m back home. If you, like me, could use a bit of a gut reset after travelling to get things moving, try making this skillet after your next trip. Just one serving packs in over a quarter of your daily fiber needs to help get you back on track with your normal pooping schedule in no time.