It is that time of year again to start thinking about summer road trips & summer vacations. I think traveling in the car is a challenging time for everyone to stay on their plan and eat clean. I have found that taking the time to pack snacks/foods that travel well is the key to maintaining your clean eating lifestyle. There are 2 ways to look at a vacation. Some people take it as a vacation from everything (no clean eating or exercise) and some people, like myself, may have some off-plan meals but try to stay somewhat on my routine the remainder of the time.
If you will be traveling somewhere to stay in a hotel, you may have plenty of healthy options upon arrival, but I highly recommend you take the time to do your research and make sure. Most hotel rooms are now equipped with a refrigerator and coffee pot. Some even have microwaves. If your room has all 3 you have hit the trifecta for sure! This will improve your chances of staying on plan tremendously.
These are some foods I normally take with me (I carry a 6 pack bag) that seems to travel well (car or in a plane):
- Fruits (grapes, apples, oranges, blueberries)
- Nuts (almonds & walnuts)
- Protein powder (I portion mine out in snack size zip locks)
- Sliced veggies (carrots, peppers, celery)
- Snack size individual guacamole,
- Peanut butter & hummus
- Baked chicken breast (I shred mine)
- Boiled eggs
- Ezekiel tortillas
- Protein bars
- Brown rice crackers lunch mean (applegate farms)
Carrying these items always makes a huge difference for me.
When I get the munchies, I have clean options, which is important. This keeps me from running in a convenience store and grabbing something. As I said, I use a 6 pack bag which has ice packs and keeps everything chilled for the entire day. There are several brands of meal management bags out there and I highly recommend these over carrying small cooler.
Happy traveling my friends!