This is a topic that has come up at several Meet&Greets. It would seem as though meeting our family on the road makes people curious about what we’re eating along the way! I don’t blame you for asking. Hopefully you haven’t been terribly shocked or disappointed when I’ve shared that we enjoy treating ourselves to some Chick-fil-A here and there on our trips. :)
As much as possible, I do try to pack healthy food for the road. The difficulty comes when we’re traveling for several days in a row. Homemade food can only last so long, and a person can only eat so many sandwiches.
We don’t feel worry over eating out occasionally. Although I will say that we certainly don’t love spending money on it and our guts don’t always feel great afterward. But since our family eats very, very well MOST of the time, eating at a restaurant is a special treat that my family enjoys without guilt. We usually try to make it count, as in, we don’t settle for icky tasting (in our opinion) restaurants and usually opt for one we all really like. I mean, if we’re going to eat french fries, we want to enjoy them, right?
So, now that I’ve explained that part, I’d also like to share some ideas for foods I try to pack for the first leg of our trips to at least get us off to a good start. In addition, I’ve made note of ideas others have shared with me.
Breakfast on the Road
- Giant Breakfast Cookies
- Scrambled Egg Sandwiches
- Breakfast Burritos
- Homemade Muffins
- Warm Vanilla or Chocolate Soother
Lunch/Dinner on the Road
- Sandwiches
- Calzones
- Meat and Cheese Burritos
- Leftover Homemade Pizza
- Tuna or Chicken Salad with Pitas or Crackers
- Tossed Salads with Chicken (either from home or purchased on the road at a grocery store)
- Chicken Patty Sandwiches
- Quesadillas
- Pigs in a Blanket
- Sloppy Cornbread Muffins
- Taco Corn Fritters
Snacks
- Fresh Fruit – lots and lots of fruit! If we eat nothing else good during the day, at least we have fruit. It’s the best convenience food ever! (Grapes, Berries, Apples, Oranges, Clementines, Bananas, and Pears all travel well.)
- Applesauce – I splurge on individul applesauce cups for a fun treat on a trip
- Baby Carrots
- Grape Tomatoes
- Homemade Granola Bars
- Mudballs
- Crispy Cheese Crackers
As much as possible (while doing laundry, packing, and finishing up four hundred last minute details) before leaving for a trip – I try to prep the food so that all we have to do is warm it up, grab it, and go. Phew! It’s a lot of work. But it’s worth it for the money it saves and the gut issues it helps us avoid. :)
Please share your ideas for healthy foods you pack to take on the road while you’re traveling. Also, have you found some good foods to make in a hotel room? Please share!