Roadtrip Food Help

minnesota

So my boyfriend and I are taking an 8 hour road trip to San Francisco and I need to make sure I don't gain any weight on this vacation. I need good food ideas that I can have packed in a cooler. We want to save money so we won't really be eating out at all. All we will have is a cooler so things just need to be ready to eat.
I will be brining yogurt, but are there any other good sandwhich meats that isn't turkey? I hate turkey. I like PB&J, but the peanut butter always has so many calories. Also since the drive will be long I need some munchie food ideas.

Thanks for the help!

kat1000000

How about some fresh fruit, laughing cow cheese and triskets. I also like the sugar free pudding cups, apple sauce cups, boiled eggs, pickels, those 70 cal cups of soup. You could also prepare some salads in gladware, i do this for lunchs at work.

kat
:drinker:

PoeRaven

This is one that everyone thinks I'm weird for but I swear it helps. I cut up celery and carots into small bite-size pieces. Just crunching on them is reminiscent of eating popcorn. Pack a nice size bagful! Also, whenever I go on a roadtrip I always pack fresh fruit and some nuts.
I love peanut butter too and have had to cut way back on it because of the calories. Just remember, peanut butter is actually very good for you so you shouldn't eliminate it entirely. Just use sparingly. One of my favorite snacks is to cut up half a banana and just drizzle melted peanut butter (about a teaspoon) over it and top with half of a Special K (90 calorie) snack bar. The snack is full of protein, fiber and under 200 calories. it really get's me through those "sweet tooth" issues.
Good luck!

Jan AKA Poeraven

jaeh

I like that idea about the bite sized carrots and celery....I do plan on using the next time I have a road trip

skinnyjess00

Sunflower seeds!

drlauri

This is a great idea. We are going to disney and i will certainly use this.

Nicmc8

Love the idea of bite size carrots and celery! I don't have much for sandwich ideas, as I am a turkey fan:)... but maybe you could cook some chicken and make wraps? This is good that you are planning ahead, have a great time... and enjoy the company and the scenery... they are more important than the food:)

weaklink109

Reading all the prior ideas is making me want to go nibble, so instead, I will give my own suggestion(s):

Roasted soy nuts. The ones I get from Costco (Nature's Select) have 130 cals and 12 gr of protein. That brand seems to have a little less sodium that some of the others. You can often get roasted soy nuts from the bulk foods section of your grocery store.

If you are looking for a good source of veggie protein and don't want to have to deal with balancing the sodium, edemame (soy beans, not roasted) can be purchased frozen and SHELLED (this is important--taking those little beans out of the pod makes me crazy!!) I have found them in this form at Walmart and at Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's does sell containers of "fresh" unfrozen ones, but they ruin them by adding salt, and one serving of those has about 400 mg of sodium:frown:

I don't do many road trips now, but when I did, I always carried a very handy utensil that you can usually find in the kitchen gadget dept. I call it an "apple corer" but it may have a different name. It is a device that has a ring with metal "blades mounted in it. You place an apple stem side up on a flat surface, grab the handles of the device, line it up so the center of the circle I mentioned is lined up with the center (core) of the apple, then press downward. Instantly you have a perfectly cored apple and eight slices.

You can perform this exercise while still at home, as long as you don't mind eating brown apple slices, but I like to do it at at the time I am ready to eat. Peanut butter has already been mentioned, but I prefer almond butter. The creamy no stir version by Maranatha travels well.

Another thing I use regularly for snacks are the "sandwich thins" Orowheat makes a version of them, and Earth Grains is a brand available at Safeway. The Orowheat brand has a little more sodium, but both have whole grain, fiber, and protein. Each thin is separated into two halves, so while an entire thin is 100 calories, you can eat 1/2 of one. These are very handy with peanut or almond butter also.

Well, now I have REALLY made myself hungry. :laugh: :laugh: I will have to go sit on my hands for a while!!!

kelli_panzera

I am totally sympathizing with you. I'm moving next weekend, and it's a 12 hour drive, at least. I can't keep food for long in my car, and i'm pretty worried myself! Why can't there be better options out there : (

PoeRaven

A good trick for those "browned appls" is to sprinkle the slices with lemon juice and it will keep them from turning brown plus a a delicious flavor to the apples!