I just got back from an 11-day visit to my mom's house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Normally, this visit is call for an orgy of cheese-laden enchiladas, deep-fried sopaipillas smothered in honey, and chips and salsa with every meal. But since I was with my toddler daughter, I had to exercise restraint. And being away from our own well-stocked refrigerator and regular routine made me realize how easy it is to let a vacation mood (even when you're staying with family) interfere with your best-intentioned eating habits.

If you're planning your own end-of-summer getaway, I've gleaned some ideas from my own experience on how you can vacation without gaining 20 pounds, not to mention throwing your eco-conscious intentions to the wind.

Eat like a local. Whenever I travel, I like to do some research first to find out about the favorite local diners, cafes and other restaurants. It's easy to do with Web sites like Chowhound or Roadfood. In Santa Fe, this means a huevos rancheros breakfast at Tia Sophia's and dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Tomasita's, where the enchiladas are smothered with spicy and addictive red chile. Wherever you end up, it's always nicer to patronize local establishments (though, judging from the wait at Tomasita's, they don't need my help!), than to dine at an anonymous national chain.

Find a farmers' market. Santa Fe has an amazing farmers' market, and in August, it was overflowing with heirloom tomatoes, roasted green chile, plump ears of corn, and crazy varieties of squash and cucumbers that I'd never even heard of. I went every Saturday that I was there, and my family carted home bags of fresh produce from local farmers and Indian reservations to eat during the week. My daughter, Sadie, particularly loved the pesticide-free apricots we found, and an unusual flatbread stuffed with pumpkin and pine nuts. Local Harvest can help you find a farmers' market across the country. And even if you're staying in a hotel, you could pick up some fresh fruit to snack on throughout the day, or some locally made bread and cheese for a picnic lunch.

Dine "in" for a meal a day. To save money, calories and sanity (three restaurant meals a day with a toddler would drive anyone insane) I tried to have at least one meal a day at my mom's. We stocked up on healthy groceries from her local supermarket, which has surprisingly good produce and organic sections, and, of course, we hit Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Even if you're staying in a hotel, you can fill the mini-fridge with yogurts and make an easy breakfast of granola, yogurt and fresh fruit. HappyCow has a guide to health food stores across the country, but luckily, most supermarkets have at least a small organic section these days.

Seek out "green" restaurants. Now that becoming environmentally responsible is becoming so important these days, I'm finding restaurants just about everywhere I visit that are doing their part to reduce waste and energy consumption, use sustainable ingredients and otherwise make a difference. You can search for them online at the Green Restaurant Association or HappyCow, or simply ask around when you get to your destination -- try asking for restaurant recommendations at a health-food store.

Indulge yourself, at least a little. You are on vacation, after all... go ahead and have dessert sometimes, or try out a local specialty, even if it is deep-fried. Thinking too militantly about what you can and cannot eat will only make your vacation a little less pleasurable. If you eat healthily throughout the year, and make it a general practice to buy organic or patronize fair-trade companies throughout the year, then a week or so of relaxing your mindset is perfectly acceptable.

Have you encountered any great healthy or eco-friendly restaurant or food stores during your summer travels?

Image courtesy bradleyolin.