Staying CLEAN on a Roadtrip

You can always stop at grocery stores every few days to buy fruit, veggies, bags of salad, granola bars, etc. On my routine drives from Canada to Mexico we bring a cooler that plugs into the cigarette lighter and fill it up with things like that.

Key to staying clean on the road:

I'm with the cooler idea. When I was little my mother used to drag us all around the country with nothing more than a econo-line and a cooler. We never stopped at restaurants and I honestly believe she kept all three kids and my dad all fed by mother-magic alone but I do remember sandwiches... lots of sandwiches... Its a running joke between my husband and I that sandwiches are a road trip staple .

I always pack a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and some jam. If you are worried about it staying cool in the cooler, pack honey instead. Fresh fruit makes a great morning snack (and is good at room temperature for several days), veggies with your sandwich for lunch. Since you will probably be off the road by dinner time, insist that you go to a sit-down restaurant. I always ask for a to-go box as soon as I order my dinner, half the portions and stick them in there as soon as you get the plate. If its on the plate, you're going to eat it whether you're hungry or not. Swap out french fries for a healthy side like steamed veggies. Plus, stick that to-go box in the cooler and you have lunch for tomorrow!

I've been eating clean since January. The end of next week I am leaving on a 3 week long road trip. Due to my passengers health, we won't be driving more than 6 hours on any given day, so finding time to walk or hit the hotel gym shouldn't be too hard. They are both diabetic, but aren't the least discriminate about what they put in their mouth so staying "clean" on this trip will take lots of forethought and determination on my part.

I can think of lots of things I could pack that would be okay for a few days, but not the entire 3 weeks. How do you stay clean eating at restaurants and hotel breakfast bars? I need specific tips and tricks beyond water, apples and nuts please!

Small / Medium cooler with Fage greek yogurt, fresh vegetables and fruit. Home made jerky or pemmican (made from bison, turkey or beef), raw nuts.

You could make these granola bars, they are clean (fit for both Paleo and Vegan lifestyles, which are both very clean eaters)


Ingredients:
1 ½ cups slivered almonds
2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup raw pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
½ cup blanched almond flour
1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
¼ cup unsweetened, natural almond butter
¼ cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
¾ tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1½ Tbsp water
¾ cup mini chocolate chips or your favorite chopped dried fruit (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 9”x13” baking pan with coconut oil.
2. Mix ground flax seed with water and let sit for 3-4 minutes.
3. Pulse pepitas in a food processor a couple of times to break up to the size of sunflower seeds.
4. Add coconut oil, almond butter, honey and vanilla to flax goop and mix well.
5. Add almond flour and baking soda and stir to combine.
6. Add slivered almonds, shredded coconut, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and chocolate chips or dried fruit. Stir to combine.
7. Spoon batter into prepared baking pan. Spread out and flatten well with your hand or the back of a spatula.
8. Bake for 22-23 minutes, until golden brown. They will puff up slightly while baking, so immediately after removing from the oven, flatten the bars with the back of a spatula (or something else heat resistant and flat).
9. Let cool completely in pan before cutting into bars (I actually like to refrigerate before cutting). Cut into bars (I usually get 18-20) and wrap individual bars in plastic wrap for easy travel (optional). I prefer to store these in the refrigerator.

NatureMade, How long do those bars keep in the refrigerator??? Recipe sounds easy!

I have been doing this research myself. Finding portable food challenging as well as anything that has a shelf life. Wish I had 2 refrigerators instead of a pantry.

Could you bring one frozen cooler to transfer at night to hotel cooler. I'm thinking flash freeze beans in layers with parchment paper in between. As you need pull off new layer and keep frozen?