Meals In The Car

Hrussian

I’m usually on the road at 9am and not back home until 4pm everyday. I see clients in their homes for meetings and never in an office. This makes it very hard to try to eat anything but fast food. Any ideas of meals or snacks that you like that can’t be heated and easily eaten in the car. I’m at a loss and find myself skipping meals.

acpgee

Turkey or beef jerky and bilthong for protein
Air popped pop corn and roast chick peas for carbs. I like a sprinkle of ranch dressing mix on popcorn. Roast chickpeas are best done in a small toaster oven or air fryer with respect to energy efficiency. Here is a sample recipe:
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-crispy-roasted-chickpeas-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-219753
Fruit and veg. Fresh fruit such as apples, pears and bananas. Crudites like carrot, celery or cucumber sticks which you can pack in ziplock bags.

Alternatively you can try to make sandwiches at home to avoid fast food. Brown bread, smoked chicken, or turkey ham, or smoked salmon or braesola, lettuce or sliced cucumber moistened with a little lite laughing cow or other light spreadable cheese would be a low calorie but tasty sandwich and crunchy sandwich. Pack each sandwich in a small ziplock bag.

acpgee

Oh another idea for protein, peeled hard boiled eggs wrapped in cling film or in small ziplocks.

chiefcelery

I cut out fast food for lunch at work entirely recently. Since then, I've stuck to a couple of things.
- Kind Bars - ~200 cals, nuts, almonds, fruit - they're amazing!
- Bel Vita Biscuits - ~250 cals not as good as Kind bars but still
- Trail mix - Can be high in calories, so you have to watch your serving size
- Yogurt - I keep it small tupperware bowls in an lunchbox with ice pack! Add granola if you have calories to spare
- Banana/Apple/Oranges - pretty obvious
- I cut out bread, but if you're still okay with it, lunchmeat sandwiches are also great. Adding whatever condiments and veggies you like, of course.

Combining two of these items makes for a nice, nutritious lunch with low calories. None of them are of course "meals" in the traditional sense

strongerbytheday

When I used to commute a lot I packed a cooler everyday. I ate breakfast before I left and packed things that I could eat while driving like: grilled chicken breast (cut into strips) I would eat them cold with a side of raw green beans or baby cucumbers. Light cheese sticks and an apple or clementines that were already peeled. Deli turkey rolled around a cheese stick is also a great snack with crackers, banana, protein bars, protein shakes, a muffin a wrap. If I could be parked then yogurt was on my menu and often salad. I always packed a couple of my double insulated, stainless steel, water bottles filled with water and ice. Hot tea in a contigo, always in the winter. I packed everything that I would need for the whole day and never ever drove though.

DoubleUbea

They make small lunch cooler bags, you have to prep your meals but it will stay cool in the car.

Lounmoun

Get a cooler and ice packs. A thermos might keep food hot/warm until lunch.
Sandwich or wrap
Burrito
Dinner leftovers
Hard boiled eggs
Yogurt
Cheese
Salads- greens, pasta, bean, lentils, rice, quinoa, other vegetables
Vegetables- fresh, canned, marinated
Fruit- fresh or canned
Hummus
Granola bars
Trail mix
Celery with peanut butter or cheese
Muffins
Bagels
Overnight oats

Options other than fast food places while you are out:
Hop on into a grocery store or even a gas station. You can buy ready to eat foods of all sorts if you don't want to bring food with you all day.

Hrussian

Thank you everyone!!! Such great ideas and I plan to use all of them!

Barrera1010

Prepare your meals the night before. You don't necessarily have to prep meals, just make a pot of rice, cook some veggies and some kind of protein. I feel I stay pretty consistent when all I have to do is put meals together from food that is already cooked. You can always stop at a gas station to use a microwave.
Clients for what? What industry are you in?