Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Eating Healthy and Cheap While Traveling

Since my longest road trips of late have been 3 days, the 36 day x-country trip I am planning has me a little concerned about my traveling companions, a somewhat finicky digestive system and a thin wallet. So, first I googled "Eating Healthy While Traveling" and got 404,000 hits.

After an hour of random research I got impatient and gave up, since I was already familiar with most of the food suggestions which I use regularly while traveling: A cooler filled with cheese and/or peanut butter, fruit, whole wheat crackers, my own trail mix, hummus and raw veggies, and milk for my breakfast cereal. And, of course, lots of water which I freeze ahead to help keep my food cold.

I also love my wrap, a slice of Swiss cheese and a slice of deli turkey breast rolled up together with a filling of Cole slaw for a tasty crunch. Actually, this is the Surprise Roll Sandwich recipe in Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket without the roll.

So, I'm okay for breakfast, lunch and snacks, well at least for 3 days. But, the other 33? I find that eating the same things over and over is not only boring, but usually turns me off from those foods in a very short time. So, I will have to persevere in finding new additions to my old standbys. I am hoping some of my readers have suggestions which they will share, either by posting a reply (click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post) or email me at jan@cruisingconnecticut.com.

Next, I googled "Eating Cheap While Traveling." Here, I got 1,440,000 hits and after checking just a few realized this was a better fit for me. http://www.cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/ gave me some new ideas, like carrying an empty water bottle to the airport and filling with tap water after check-in, plus some reminders, like packing an immersion heater for boiling water in your hotel room, great for instant soup.

I love the portable picnic pack idea I found on http://www.blogs.fabulousfoods.com/ which I will assemble and take with me for all those picnic lunches I plan to have. This handy pack should work well whether I find a picnic table or use my lap. Check it out.

Ah, now dinner is an entirely different matter. Back to my research!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

When I can no longer think creatively about a cheap meal, I look for the "Golden Arches". A small hamburger and a side salad off of the dollar menu gives me the nutrition I need. I always throw away the bun as I don't eat white flour. My salad cover is the plate for the burger and the fork is enclosed. That and a cup for water provides a cheap satisfying meal.

Jan said...

Not only healthy and cheap, but quick. I like it! Thanks.

Chris R said...

A while back I bought a food dehydrator so I could prepare my own backpacking/camping meals (but you can also do it with your regular oven and a small table fan). It works great for making a variety of fruit snacks, jerky, and other items. Add in an inexpensive vacuum sealer and you can pack a weeks worth of food in a very small lightweight space, enough to add variety and "emergency" meals to your regular travel diet. Since you control the ingredients, so you know it's good and that you'll like it!

CrusingCT said...

Chris,
Thanks for sharing your suggestions for preparing and packaging food for traveling. Take-out gets real boring after a while. Thankfully, for this trip, I have a few friends along the way who are feeding me real meals!