Favorite road trip food?

[swithy]

The last third of my Whole 30 will be spent on the road. I did this deliberately, as I tend to destroy any progress I ever make in my food health whenever I travel. This time, I want travel to be about the journey and not the food, and I don't want to come home feeling like I have to start over. 

 

That said, I love food, even gross trashy road food. And I love discovering local places to try when I'm traveling. So this will be hard. Has anyone taken such a long trip away from home on W30? Am I totally crazy?

 

I'll be traveling through the West, stopping at national parks, for about 10 days (with a weekend in a big foodie city where I'm sure I can get compliant restaurant meals). 

 

What should I stock the car with? What non-perishable foods have you found to be most delicious and easiest to consume while on the road? I don't want to live off of just nuts all week. Any tips for finding nutritious food at rest stops?

 

Also if you have knowledge of Portland, OR, or anywhere in the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, that I should stop for some delicious local, compliant meals, please let me know!

[ladyshanny]

Check out this article.

 

If I recall correctly, Dallas & Melissa did a Whole30 while exclusively on the road!

 

http://whole9life.com/2011/07/whats-in-your-cooler/

[swithy]

Thanks! Yes, I've seen that article. I'm intrigued about the baby food. 

 

I don't know that I'll have daily access to a refrigerator, so perishables might be tough (like sliced lunch meats or even hard-boiled eggs). I will bring a cooler, but from past experience car camping, everything gets wet and icky pretty fast, no matter how many times you change out the ice. 

 

Planning to get a case of tuna, and some other canned proteins. Lots of pre-washed veggies. Coconut and cashews for fat when I can't mix my proteins with anything. Probably no mayo on this trip. 

 

Just wondering what other innovative road food W30ers have come up with....

[MeadowLily]

Swithy, I've noticed folks are enjoying the baby food pouches.  I went to the store and noted that the first ingredient is usually applesauce or a fruit puree.  The sugar grams range from 10-30.  Protein and fat will keep you awake on the road.  I would go for the Whole 30 compliant jerkys over a fruit pouch.  Whole fruit will give you more fiber than a pouch but protein and fat will sustain you.  I would throw some bacon in the oven and take bacon strips in a ziplock, lots of jerky, tuna and salmon,  buy compliant roasted chicken when you can.

 

I would eat avocados for fat over cashews and take a bottle of EV Olive Oil to throw over your bagged greens. Are you sleeping in your car?  Stay safe on the road and happy tooling along with your cooler full of food. If you're sleeping in campgrounds, make sure your food is locked up airtight in your car through Wyoming and Montana.  The bears are out roaming around and they're hungry.  It's not really even Spring yet.  Be prepared for snow on the passes. I can't think of any Whole 30 restaurants in Wyoming or Montana. Most of your compliant food will be found at the grocery store in the produce section.    

[MeadowLily]

This is what it looks like today.   Bring your winter coat, gloves, boots, hats, etc.

 

(One webcam will suffice...I usually delete after post is read)   Yes, it's snowing today.

[MTNan]

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This is what it looks like today.   Bring your winter coat, gloves, boots, hats, etc.

Hey MeadowLily- my husband and daughter just did a day trip over the Beartooth pass and through northeastern yellowstone. They saw a mama bear with three cubs chase off a wolf that got too close! Hubby said the pass doesn't have nearly as much snow as last year.

[MeadowLily]

Snowpack is light compared to last year all over Montana/Wyoming.  I can see snow falling now. 

[swithy]

Oh my goodness, I'm going to have to bundle up. I was hoping to stop at Glacier National Park on the way back, but the road through won't be open until June 19th. So probably going to make our way through Yellowstone/Teton area instead. Was planning on campgrounds, but with that much snow/cold, might have to go for lodges. 

 

Thanks for the food ideas. Bacon...great! I ordered some Primal Pacs, too, so I'll have some jerky and whatnot. 

 

I can't stomach avocados anymore. I think I had too many and now they make me gag. For fat, would you recommend other nuts instead of cashews, or should all nuts be limited? 

[ladyshanny]

For fat, would you recommend other nuts instead of cashews, or should all nuts be limited? 

Nuts are not your best fat choice, unfortunately.  If you are in a camping/road trip situation then they are probably going to be pretty handy but in regular life we don't recommend them as a sole fat source. They are "approved" but not encouraged.

 

If you are going to have any sort of cooking ability, you can do hard boiled eggs as your fat source.  Will you have a cooler? Can bring mayo?

[MeadowLily]

You can bring your nuts and feed them to the chipmunks and squirrels.   They're pretty hungry with all of the rain/snow mix we've had for over a month.  It's wet and rather chilly out, 40's and a few 50's....may be in the 60's next week.  Bring your coat, sweaters and boots, gloves, hats and earmuffs.

 

Go ahead and plan for a campground but almost always, you need reservations.  Reservations for lodges are made up to a year in advance so think about calling ahead for campgrounds and definitely a lodge - in the national parks.  You may find something outside the parks but not towards evening time when all of the tourists are blowing in for the night. 

[LadyM]

I just finished a long road trip over the holiday weekend and was delighted to discover that I easily went six hours between meals. I guess I'd suggest breaking the habit and perception that you need to snack in the car. 

 

My favorite portable self contained meal is Well Fed's salmon cakes with crudités and maybe some awesome sauce (from WF2). When I've had road trips and needed a meal on the road, that's what I brought in a makeshift cooler. Nothing perishable is going to last you for 10 days, but something like that could get you through a couple days. 

 

I second the idea of bringing non perishable protein sources such as tuna and sardines as well as the goods for compliant salad dressing. You can pick up a naked compliant salad nearly anywhere and eat your tuna with oil and vinegar in a pinch. If I were you I'd leave the nuts alone. Epic bars are another option for non perishable protein.

 

Good luck, have fun, and make stops to eat real meals rather than snacking in the car!

[thunderkitten]

When I stayed in Yellowstone, there was a lot of buffalo meat available to make buffalo burgers at the Fishing Bridge General Store.  Also, Buffalo jerky but not sure if it had sugar or not.  I stayed near Yellowstone Lake so the Lake Yellowstone Hotel had an amazing fresh, hot breakfast in the morning.  The dining hall near the Lake Lodge was not as good. 

 

There are always lots of BBQ places and steak houses out in the West so I'm sure you could find something good there. 

 

If you find places with fresh, local fish anywhere, get it!  It's hard to find.  I thought there would be a lot of Trout to eat but didn't find it much.

 

Cans or jars of olives would come in handy too.

[Payg05]

just a tip with the cooler ice- some coolers have trays that fit in the top and i've never had an issue with food getting wet and soggy! I just put all the food that can't get wet in the tray and it stays nice and dry. Learned this from camping and picnics with my dad. 

[swithy]

Thanks for all these great tips! 

 

Why are nuts not considered the best fat source? 

 

I will look into getting a different cooler with a tray. Or just bring a lot of plastic baggies. 

 

MeadowLily -- On past trips to those parks, I've always winged it. I like going without a plan, and fortunately, there are usually cancellations that open up a spot last-minute at lodges. That's how I got to stay at the Old Faithful Inn. And then for campgrounds, there are always some first-come first-served on the day of, so by getting in a lodge one night, I can go super early to the campground in the morning and stake my claim. At least, that's worked for me in the past, but you never know! 

[ladyshanny]

Nuts are not the best fat source because they are imbalanced in their fatty acids, they can cause digestive distress for a large percentage of people and they can be a hand-to-mouth, food without brakes.  Plus they can keep a sugar dragon alive, especially if you combine them with fruits but sometimes there is enough sweetness in them that they can keep the bugger alive all on their own. 

[MeadowLily]

Swithy,  winging it is something we seldom do but then again we're prepared for blizzards, tornadoes, snow,  rain, sleet and hail.   Oooo and large predators.   We always carry a smaller version of home in our vehicles.  Have a grand vacation.  I'll say a prayer.   

[MeadowLily]

 

 

 

[ultrarunnergirl]

You can buy little packets of coconut oil on Amazon. Just bring a little tupperware to stick it in your cooler afterward. You do want to keep it cool or it is more likely to leak.

[swithy]

The road trip was successful! I packed a cooler full of bags of salad, hard-boiled eggs, cooked bacon (great idea, thank you), packets of prosciutto and smoked salmon, bags of carrots and green beans, which all made great car food. I'd have cans of tuna in oil, or hot dogs when I stayed at hotels with microwaves. I also microwaved sweet potatoes and would just eat them plain at breakfast. So simple, and so good. 

 

It was a bit of a struggle to make sure I was staying at a place with a refrigerator and freezer every night, so I could keep things fresh and the packs frozen. But by the end of the trip in national parks, I had no choice but to let a lot of spoiled food go. Still, no problem eating out at that point even at the small-town diners, there are always eggs and potatoes. 

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. 

 

MeadowLily, just wanted to let you know we wound up at Glacier National Park where it was 90 degrees! 

I did also swing through the Yellowstone area and all was well, no need for my winter coat. Guess we got lucky! 

[MeadowLily]

The road trip was successful! I packed a cooler full of bags of salad, hard-boiled eggs, cooked bacon (great idea, thank you), packets of prosciutto and smoked salmon, bags of carrots and green beans, which all made great car food. I'd have cans of tuna in oil, or hot dogs when I stayed at hotels with microwaves. I also microwaved sweet potatoes and would just eat them plain at breakfast. So simple, and so good. 

 

It was a bit of a struggle to make sure I was staying at a place with a refrigerator and freezer every night, so I could keep things fresh and the packs frozen. But by the end of the trip in national parks, I had no choice but to let a lot of spoiled food go. Still, no problem eating out at that point even at the small-town diners, there are always eggs and potatoes. 

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. 

 

MeadowLily, just wanted to let you know we wound up at Glacier National Park where it was 90 degrees! 

I did also swing through the Yellowstone area and all was well, no need for my winter coat. Guess we got lucky! 

You did strike it gold because it's on the cool/average side.   Better to be prepared than not. 

 

 You had a fridge and freezer every night.  That's amazing, too.   

 

  Glad the bacon worked out.