Frequent traveler, new to paleo... Need Tips!

dmauder

Hi All:

I just posted this same question in a different group, so hopefully that doesn't violate any rules!

Anyway, I just recently started using MFP in the the hopes that tracking will actually help me finally lose the weight I need to lose. I travel frequently, and I'm also very interested in doing the paleo/primal thing. In fact, right now I'm doing Whole30 as a jump start (assuming you all know what Whole30 is).

Needless to say, I'm looking for tips on how to stay paleo while traveling. I'm on the road a lot for my job. I also work odd hours, sometimes working through lunch, or late into the evening. Once I finally leave my customer site, I just want to get on the road and get home instead of stopping for a nice sit-down meal. In those hungry moments of weakness, I tend to just pull through a fast-food drive-through and get garbage food that's easy to eat while driving.

Any suggestions on how to stay paleo while still having this general convenience of grab-n-go meals?

Thanks! I look forward to reading the group posts, and hopefully contributing some useful info too.

-Dave

tabbychiro

Are you willing to do some prep ahead of time? Pack your own meals in a cooler?

jessylanne

I have this kind of day (on the road, working through lunch hour, late nights etc...) at least once or twice a week. And every time I don't plan my meals ahead, it's an epic fail.
For protein I usually boil eggs and peel them before leaving home. Or chicken meat, cooked and cubed. Slices of proscuito. A can of tuna, with lemon juice. If you find a "paleo" beef jerky that can be a great option too.
For veggies if you don't stop at all to eat you need something easy to eat while driving. Carrots, cherry tomatoes, slices of cucumber, radishes... Usually I make a salad and I take time to stop and eat it.
Apple, grapes, and in season cherries or berries make great snacks.

So what I do is the night before (or I get up earlier in the morning) I get all the food ready in small containers and put them in a cooler.

I can't have almonds or other nuts my body doesn't tolerate them, but that's I think your best "primal" option when you can only rely on gas station food!

And I don't know where you live, but here we have very cold winters. Sometimes I don't feel like eating a salad and I want a hot meal. Leftovers from last night dinner are great! As long as you can find a microwave (gas stations have one usually) you're all set for a homemade meal on the go!

Good luck!

dmauder

Yes, I am willing to prep stuff ahead of time. In fact, I think that's going to be my best option... Yesterday, while driving home 3+ hours, I actually stopped at a grocery store and grabbed some jerky, a small pre-cut veggie tray, and a raw trail mix. That was lunch! Unfortunately, the grocery didn't have any "paleo" jerky -- every brand had added sugar. But I figured it was still A LOT better than grabbing a couple McDoubles and a diet-coke!

dmauder

Thanks for the detailed response jessylanne! All wonderful suggestions that I will definitely try out. I'm going to look for some paleo jerky (any suggestions?), and keep some pre-packaged bags of raw nuts/trail mix in my backpack for those emergency weak moments.

I live in Toledo, OH, so the winters can be pretty cold & nasty here too.

NicoWoodruff

Not sure if you saw my response on the other thread but.. I run into this too while traveling.

If you have no other choice than go in a fast food place, like McDonalds, often a good thing to do is get the salad with non breaded chicken on it (which most fast food has) and don't add dressing. I often ask them for some of the lemon wedges they have for tea, and just spritz a little fresh lemon juice on the salad with chicken, as a dressing.

Otherwise having your own mix of raw nuts I agree is a great thing to carry.

tabbychiro

Glad to hear you are willing to prepare and bring your own food. I don't travel but I would just bring a cooler of leftovers. I often eat leftovers at home. To me leftover meats (like from a roast or chicken) taste better NOT re-heated. And I don't mind eating cold leftover roasted veggies.

A company called Steve's Original makes grassfed beef jerky and something called Paleo Kits, which are jerky and nuts and dried fruit. I've had the paleokits and while they are tasty they are also a bit messy because they are fairly wet. Not sure how just the jerky is. http://stevesoriginal.com/store

It's fairly easy to make your own jerky and I've seen recipes for the oven if you don't have a dehydrator. You'd just need some time for this. First to season the jerky and then for drying/cooking it the next day. A lot of jerky recipes call for soy or added sugars but I found this one that only uses dry seasonings (use the alternate seasonings, the printable recipe gives a little more instruction for the alternate seasonings). I made this in a dehydrator and liked it.

I thought this recipe looked good too but haven't tried it yet. It does use butter, not sure if you eat that or not. http://paleoonmain.blogspot.com/2012/02/chicken-wing-jerky.html

You could make stuff like hard boiled eggs, scotch eggs, egg muffins.

If you wanted something hot, you could always use a food thermos. Maybe make a big pot of beanless chili, which you could also freeze portions of for later.

I think if you take the time to plan ahead, you will do well.

eta: Do you eat bacon? I cook up a whole package of bacon at once in the oven and store in fridge. Pull out a strip as a snack.

GalaxyDuck

I know this doesn't help when you're already on the road, but I have yet to find a paleo jerky that you didn't have to spend a fortune on and order online to boot. Of course around here, there's no beef jerky you can buy that doesn't have both sugar AND wheat gluten added to it. I was surprised when I read the label and saw that in there.

I invested in a dehydrator and make my own beef jerky now. It only cost me about $50 for the dehydrator and I either buy beef stir fry strips or a cheap beef roast and cut it myself (after freezing it a few hours) to make the jerky. It takes 12-24 hours to marinate the meat and anywheres from 6-10 hours to for it to turn into jerky in the dehydrator (depends on the thickness of the meat). You can season it however you want with spices. Definitely worth the investment, if you ask me!

tabbychiro

It's fairly easy to make your own jerky and I've seen recipes for the oven if you don't have a dehydrator. You'd just need some time for this. First to season the jerky and then for drying/cooking it the next day. A lot of jerky recipes call for soy or added sugars but I found this one that only uses dry seasonings (use the alternate seasonings, the printable recipe gives a little more instruction for the alternate seasonings). I made this in a dehydrator and liked it.

Sorry, forgot to post recipe. http://www.primal-palate.com/2011/01/beef-jerky.html

weathergirl320

just found out i have celiac disease so it made it that much easier to go paleo. but i travel a lot and learned that fast food places are more than happy to acomodate my special dietary needs. every major fast food chain has served me a double cheeseburger on a platter with a piece of lettuce and no bun. also, i drink water and every major fast food place serves bottled water. and i most definelty do not order fries. usually a small side salad with no crutons. these things are often a little more difficult to eat on the run because typically you need two hands, but pulling over to eat and taking that extra 5 minutes to stay on track with my diet and also not get sick from gluten makes it worth it.