I found an article in the Daily Herald about healthy eating while traveling and found it very helpful. Here are a few of the hints they shared - with a few of my own thrown in for good measure.
When taking a cooler:
- use block ice - it'll melt more slowly. Look for it at campgrounds and truck stops.
- double-bag your ice in a watertight bag so you don't find your food swimming in melt water.
- reusable ice packs can keep items cool for day trips, and can be refrozen in some hotel mini-fridges
- secure your cooler with a seat belt or snuggly on the floor so it doesn't become a hazard during a sudden stop or a collision
- cut-up veggies like baby carrots, grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, pepper strips
- string cheese
- fruits easy to eat like blueberries (prewashed), apples, plums, pears
- granola bars or other snack bars. I particularly like these snack bars - they're a great, inexpensive, light lunch too.
- crackers, chips, and/or pretzels
- if you're sleepy and need to stay awake - make some "Rocket Fuel" - a mixture of an energizing tea and rehydration powder - in either hot or cold water. It's tastes great and will keep you awake without a sugar or caffeine crash from soda pop.
Inexpensive, healthy hotel meals:
- pouches of chicken or tuna salad with crackers
- bowls of dried soup or noodle cups to which you can add hot water (made in the hotel's in-room coffee maker)
- instant oatmeal in a disposable bowl
- meal replacement shakes made in a shaker & milk - these shakes taste great.
- check out www.kidseatfree.com for restaurants where you're going in which kids eat free.
- choose an appetizer for dinner, or split an entree between two people
- eat dinner at breakfast restaurants as a special treat
