Recipe/grocery list for over the road truck driver

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MzGrate87
MzGrate87 Posts: 8 Member
Can anyone suggest healthy recipes or a grocery list for me. I travel with my husband who is an over the road truck driver and it is hard to maintain a healthy diet since most of the times we stop at truck stops with fast food restaurants in them. We do however get to stop at Walmart but I never really know what to buy that would keep us away from the truck stops. So please, any advise would be greatly appreciated also, keep in mind that I have one of those deep skillets with a lid, a George Foreman Grill, and a microwave as well as a small refrigerator which doesn't hold much.

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  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
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    breakfasts -
    quick oats in a canister. you can add lots of different things to them like pb; applesauce (get the individual servings that dont need refrigeration) with cinnamon; chocolate protein powder; different spices (cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice); dried fruit; maple syrup stevia; bananas etc.
    eggs can be microwaved, from there you can have it on a whole grain english muffin or whole wheat bagel with cheese
    pb and banana on wheat bread/bagel
    protein shakes (buy individual milk cartons that don't need refrigerator or small milk to put in the fridge)

    lunches-
    grilled sandwiches on the george forman
    wraps/salads
    quesadilla on the george forman or in the skillet
    veggie/turkey burgers
    chicken sausages

    dinners-
    saute up some veggies on the skillet with a protein/beans
    sweet potatoes in the microwave spinkle cinnamon on them
    fajitas
    quesadillas
    soups
    grilled cheese on the george forman
    sandwiches/wraps
    pasta with veggies and olive oil/garlic

    eta: unsalted nuts, cheese sticks, unsalted sunflower seeds, fruits, granola bars (check the ingredients), rice cakes, pb are good snacks for the road
  • xstarxdustx
    xstarxdustx Posts: 591 Member
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    This is an interesting one...Hmn....

    Dry
    Instant Plain Oatmeal (add your own toppings to this-nuts and dried fruit but sparingly since they are high in calories)
    Whole Grain Dry Cereals/Dry cereals that aren't too sugary/loaded w/cals, maybe high fiber cereal
    Whole Wheat Pasta
    Whole Wheat/Multigrain Bread

    Dairy
    Sharp cheeses for sandwiches so you don't have to use as much
    Fat free/1% yogurt
    Fat free/1%milk

    Fruit
    Apples
    Pears
    Bananas

    Veg (you can microwave these w/ a little water to 'steam' them for a side dish)
    Carrots
    Broccoli
    Corn (canned-watch the sodium content though)
    Green beans (canned)


    Snacks
    Peanut butter (natural/non-hydrogenated if possible)
    Low fat/Low calorie popcorn for snacking
    Multigrain Crackers
    Protein Bars
    Other Cereal Bars (not the ones loaded w/sugar though-ones w/nutritional value)
    Dried Fruit (sparingly)
    Nuts and seeds (cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts -> all sparingly, flax seeds, chia seeds for your oatmeal/yogurt)
    Meat Jerky (higher in sodium but it's probably better than a bag of crisps or something b/c you'll get protein in-as long as it's a 'good quality' jerky and not just something like...a Slim Jim-no offense to anyone reading this)

    Hope some of this helps....if you want more ideas, please feel free to ask.
  • artickb22
    artickb22 Posts: 411 Member
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    My first husband was an OTR trucker during part of our marriage. We had a mini fridge in our truck, a two burner propane stove to cook on and kept water and soap to wash everything with. We would go to Walmart once a week and load up on some meats, veggies (mostly canned to open and cook in a pot on the stove) and healthy snacks like almonds, jerky, ect. we would also take advantage of the microwaves in truck stops and make our instand oatmeals, popcorn ect. Once you get the hang of it, it's kind like camping. I should add that with the propane stove we would always pull over and prop it up on the axel to cook -cooked once in the camper and thought we'd never get the smoke out! lol good luck and have fun out there!
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    Breakfast: hardboiled eggs, your favorite cold cereal and milk, instant oatmeal that can be cooked by adding hot water, (or real oatmeal if you have cooking facilities), bananas, oranges, and/or apples. Quaker Chewy granola bars for a grab and go- 90 calories.

    Lunch: bread, peanut butter and jelly, fresh or packaged chicken. Be careful to read labels, this can be very high in sodium. Lettuce and mayo if desired. In all "lunchmeats" you'll need to watch the salt content.

    Dinner: Same as lunch but go for variety.

    Snacks: fruits and veggies, cheese and crackers.

    LOTS of bottled water.:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
  • MzGrate87
    MzGrate87 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks everyone you definitely have got the wheels turning in my head :happy:
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    Jerky
    Instant Oats
    Canned fruits
    dried fruits
    Veggies that can can cook in a bag
    sandwich stuff


    Common sense. Think what are foods that are non perishable? Then think what are foods that aren't pure garbage.
  • semiorganized
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    My husband & I team drive. We have a freezer that is made for trucks in the truck on the top bunk. We also have a mini fridge & a microwave. We keep bottled water in the truck at all times. We use the Adkins shakes for part of our meals. Walmart has milks that don't need refrigerated on the drink aisle. I recommend almond milk when you can find it. Soy is not good for you, even though they try to say it is. We keep paper bowls and some dry cereal, too. It is easier to eat when we are not moving. We have oatmeal available too. We keep yogurt in the fridge. I try to use fresh fruit up within a few days of purchase, depending on the fruit. We keep bananas available as much as possible. I like to look for the individual packages of snack items whenever possible, since they are portioned already and stay fresh longer that way. I like the Bolthouse Farms juices in the refrigerated section. We used to use a lunchbox oven and use the foil bread pan liners for inside to keep it cleaner. I have a spray bottle with a small amount of dish liquid and water in it for cleaning dishes. We have a pencil box for plastic ware that we keep in the microwave. Some of the diet bars are pretty good, some are not. I am careful about those with chocolate on them, as it melts when it gets hot in the truck.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Instead of the instant oatmeal, get the old fashioned. If you can, the prep these at home: mix equal parts old fashioned oats, quick oats and oat bran. Add a little salt, cinnamon and raisins if you like. I also add some almond meal for extra protein. Now portion it out to 3 tablespoons and bag them. Freeze until you need. For each portion, put into as cup and add boiling water, or milk or juice or mix into yogurt. Cover and let it sit for five minutes. Voila! Breakfast that should hold you until lunchtiu. Plus it ...ahem... Keeps things moving if you know what I mean
  • tryinhardtoloseweight
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    Hello! I am an ex-truck driver (8 years) and I know what you are faced with! I would suggest you don't eat out much and if you do eat the salad bars or even the healthy menu at Subway. I would also suggest you buy snack bags and anything that you are tempted to eat a lot of, open the package and dump all the contents until they are all in baggies (right after grocery shopping) . Ration the baggies to one serving and don't pull out more than one unless both of you are eating. I also suggest you frequent Love's truck stops because they are now selling fresh fruits in a container. My husband is still trucking and he has lost lots of weight and he has been out there driving for 15 years! What he does now is buy the Campbell's chunky soup versions and heats them up while he is driving for dinner. Then when he is done driving he eats his soup. The next step would be to exercise when you are shut down. Take a walk or hike even if you are just in the truck stop parking lot doing circles! For exercise, I suggest you buy a mini stepper (I used to do it when he drove down the road but its highly unstable). I would suggest you use the mini stepper when you are parked at night and buy either dumbbells or those bands and use the truck to your advantage. Good luck!
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    Ritz and luntouchables and diet mountain dews
  • MzGrate87
    MzGrate87 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks!