Healthy Travel Recipes Anyone?

A favourite microwave meal is smoked fish, such as smoked mackerel. Microwave to warm up the fish, and serve with lemon and pepper. Add some frozen veg and a jacket potato which can also be microwaved.

I travelled heaps for about a decade with my old job. When at home, I'd batch cook up my favourite foods, and brown rice or pasta, then let cool and parcel them out into ziptop bag single servings. Label, and pop them into the freezer. Then, before travelling, I'd grab an assortments of bags, put them into a tupperware (to prevent leaks or the condensation from making things in my bag wet), and put that into an insulated lunchbag or insulated 6-pack can holder.

I always ask for a fridge in my hotel room if there isn't already one to store the food (or if it is just an overnight trip, it'll be fine in the insulated bag since it started frozen) then just pop the meals of choice into the microwave for healthy, home-cooked meals on the road.

I also pack some individual serving packets of oatmeal, a little container of my protein powder, SLICED almonds (from the baking aisle), some of those Babybel lite cheeses (they are great because the red wax circular coating keeps them from smushing or making a mess) and protein and fiber bars as well, in case I get caught out without a microwave. You can always use the coffee maker or jug to warm up water and eat an oatmeal with nuts to keep hunger at bay. Often, hotels have a bowl of fruit, so you can add fruit to your oatmeal as well.

It's also nice to keep some bags of your favourite teas (I like Sleepytime at night, or Lipton's Blackberry Vanilla any time of day) or Lite Hot Cocoa Packets and packets of sweeter to make that sterile hotel room feel more like home.

I generally pick up fresh veggies/salad at my destination ( a quick stop at a supermarket is great if you have a rental car ). I keep a little screwtop bottle with some balsamic vinegar to dress it with (put a bit of cling wrap over the opening before screwing it shut, and put the whole little bottle into a ziptop bag, in case it opens!).

BTW, I have a special "Travel Bowl" which is thick plastic (light weight but sturdy; bought at the dollar store) with a wide base so it works kind of like a soup plate...kept in the carry-on. I keep plastic cutlery (knife, spoon, fork) in my carry on, and real cutlery (a sharp knife with a sleeve around it, a metal fork and spoon, plus chopsticks which are great for stirring as well as eating) in my checked bag (in case the checked bag gets lost, I can still prepare and eat my meals). I also carry plenty of paper towels or napkins and a few extra ziptop bags in my carry on and in my checked bag.

A little travel bottle with a bit of dishwashing liquid, and a sponge (in a ziptop bag) makes clean-up a breeze.

Enjoy your travel!

This is the kind of knife I keep in my checked bag: http://www.amazon.com/Zyliss-31380-Utility-Knife-5-5-Inch/dp/B00421ATJK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1393094840&sr=1-1&keywords=travel+knife . It's great because it is super sharp and has a sheath to keep it from puncturing or putting a tear into anything else in the bag. I also travel with a pair of scissors with a slightly rounded tip (ditto the not tearing things in the bag) in the checked bag. Both have been life savers when I've arrived at a hotel room with a new packet of something that I can't get open!

If going to a destination for more than one night, those vacuum-packed pre-cooked rices (I like the plain brown rice) are convenient, and are great for bulking up soups or sliding under your home-cooked goodies. They can be popped straight into the microwave for warming as a bonus, with the leftovers left in the bag. A few small alligator clips were always in my bag for reclosing packages once open. I prefer taking my own rice, cooked in chicken broth instead of water, because it has more flavour.

I've become a master at saving tiny sealable containers (with screw tops, or Tupperware style)... if I see them anywhere, I grab them! Those small Chinese restaurant containers that they put the sauces into (when you order in) are fantastic. They are perfect for taking one or two servings of peanut butter, margarine/butter (there is nothing worse than having to pay a ridiculous sum for a single serve of butter, grrr!), honey, lite mayo, or whatever. Those tiny bottles of wine (think-what they serve on airplanes) or liquor, when emptied, make wonderful portable lite salad dressing holders. Again, even though your food is in a sealed container, put the containers in separate ziptop bags. I once had a very bad incident with a bottle of fingernail polish remover opening in my bag and it lifted the colour out of a red shirt, staining all my business clothes red! Now I don't leave anything to chance, and good thing as tops do loosen (air pressure changes on planes and jostling around in the bag is all it takes). Better safe than sorry.

Speaking of tiny things, I always had a drawer at home with those little packets of sugar, salt and pepper, mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, and other condiments from fast-food restaurants. I just kind of collect them, as did all of my friends (they save them for me). These are great for travel and spicing up your hotel-prepared meals; just toss the ones that go with the meals you've packed before each trip.

I can't tell you how many times I've been caught out without a microwave to cook, so always keep some mixed nuts, a couple of tins of tuna (if you like it)/sardines, or potted salmon/chicken and crackers (in a hard tupperware-like container so they don't get crushed) and some powdered soup mixes in your bag (just watch the salt content!). You might travel for a year without opening them (they take forever to go off), but it only takes one time being stuck between an expensive restaurant meal or your stash, and you'll be happy you have it! (Even if you eat that, then go and eat LESS at the pricey restaurant.)

In fact, "Do you have microwaves in the rooms?" has become my standard question when travelling, right after "is there a refrigerator in the room?" and just before asking "Do you have gym facilities?". If there is a minibar but no other fridge, you can usually tuck your own things around the minibar items so you aren't charged.

People probably think I'm nuts, but I carry a couple of slices of wholemeal bread in one of those kids' sandwich holders (looks like Tupperware but only fits one sandwich in it) with me, especially on international flights. When everyone else has their white bread, I can make sure I have something whole grained. If you don't want to cart around bread, wholegrain tortillas work well, too... put the bag of tortillas into a larger ziptop bag so you can reclose it and keep it fresh. Beef Jerky is also great for carry-on protein. For international flights, be sure to throw away your leftovers on the plane so you aren't taking fresh food into the other country.

I'm a breakfast eater, so if going somewhere for only one night and breakfast is going to be expensive (as hotel breakfasts can be), I either have my oats, but have been known to make mini-frittatas at home (eggs or egg whites scrambled and poured into oil-sprayed muffin tins, sprinkled with sauteed onion and veggies/ham/a bit of grated cheese and baked in the oven at home, tossed into the freezer in two 'muffin' portions) and carry along a couple with me. They heat up well in the microwave and can be crumbled into your tortillas, or just eaten straight. Alternatively, egg whites freeze well, so you can pour some into a small container and freeze (leave room for expansion) then toss them into a ziptop and into your insulated bag. When you get to your destination, let thaw in the fridge, and you can scramble them fresh in your microwave.

I love to eat, and love to travel still, so am happy to help in any way I can!

Happy travels!

Frozen dinners-- unfortunately they usually contain a lot of sodium, buttttttt still healthier than fast food (some of them anyways).