Weekend Getaway: How to Pack Your Own Food

WHEW!!! Where has the time gone? I know I've neglected you all but we've been traveling lots and trying to focus on finishing up house projects. Now it's time to get down to business. #1: Eating well while on a road trip.

My biggest struggle with traveling is the food. Fast food is tempting. Here's what you need to do:

Pack a cooler.
Load it with tons of heathy food.
Get ready for your friends to laugh at you.
Eat well!

The 'how to pack is easy'...it's the 'what to pack' that gets hard.  Don't worry, I've made a list for you!

Honestly, it was a pain having to lug the cooler around but once the weekend ended I was SO proud of myself for eating well. I will admit to you all though...I had one slip up: NY Pizza with girlfriends from college. I had one veggie slice with some wine. But for a 4 day weekend of traveling from VA to Philly, Philly to NYC, then back to Philly for a night, and then back to VA, over 18 hours of driving...I did pretty darn well.

Here's what I packed.


1. Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal  (enough for 4 breakfast meals)

2. Baked Kale Chips

3. Lots of snick snacks: raisins, pumpkin seeds, dried pineapple rings, all natural fruit snacks.

4. Sushi Bowl (Rice in one container, veggies in the other- carrot, cucumber, avocado, ginger)

5. Individual salads topped with a moist paper towel for ultimate freshness.

6. All of my condiments for meals. Gluten/Dairy Free dressing, soy sauce and horseradish for sushi bowls, BBQ sauce, peanut butter for my apples.

7. 2 apples and a pear

8. Quinoa Tabbouleh

9. Black Bean Burger & Sweet Potato Strips

10. Italian Spiced Roasted Garbanzo Beans (my "croutons" for my salad)

11. Fruit salad (pineapple, blueberries, and banana)

12. Very Berry Granola Bars

13. A few containers of Naked Coconut Water.

Rita was a little jealous that I didn't pack her with the food.

Pack me with you!

All packed up!

Cooler with cold stuff and the bag for my snick snacks (nuts, raisins, seeds, granola bars).

What will you pack for your weekend getaway?

-Lacey

How To Eat Well...for a hurricane.

How to purchase healthy food in preparation for power outages, flooding, and no refrigeration:

YOU DON'T.

Canned stuff sucks. It's gross. But my fresh veggies will go bad. So we bought canned fruit, beans, vegan soups, wheat thins, and other snick snacks I wouldn't normally eat.  Seriously....IT SUCKS.  Most of it is processed.  I was so looking forward to getting back into a routine.

Our town had a mandatory evacuation tonight. So, at 9:45pm we left Virginia & drove 5 hours to Mike's parents' house in MD. With two dogs. And two cats. And a grouchy husband. In a 2 door 2001 Honda Civic.  Also, cats don't know how to pee outside. So, out of desperation (and complete confusion as to what a hell a car is) they used the blanket that was in the back seat . Oh, and Mike's shorts. Yes, the ones that were on his body.  Seriously, Scully sat on him, got all snuggly, and then he felt that warm stream of golden glory. Poor man. Let's just say we're happy to be out of the car.  I mean, for all the chaos in the car and last minute packing, and all I get are two pee spots on two very washable items....I'll take it.

Please do us a favor & pray, think good thoughts, or shout to the weather gods above that our house isn't completely destroyed. We're almost certain it's going to flood and get damaged pretty badly from the Category 3 hurricane that will directly hit our town. Yes, directly. Like, head on, in it's path, raging, powerful, hurricane, and not to mention the countless of other areas that will be damaged (Outer Banks & other parts of NC, Virginia Beach, & some other parts of the northeastern coast).

See Virginia Beach?  See that line going across it? That's the path of Irene.  That's also my home.

Rainbows, unicorns, snuggles, vanilla candles, and tea. (Those are my happy thoughts.)
And yes, I may be overreacting, but this is my first hurricane... ever. Let me have my moment to freak out a little bit.

See you in our canoe on Monday floating down the make-shift river? I hope not.

-Lacey

Eating on a Road Trip (For the Gluten Intolerant)

It is difficult to eat healthy (if you even try to) when you are traveling. I definitely eat the most gluten/sugar when I am away on a trip. I don't think that's a big issue - you only live once and you can't eat super healthy all of the time. So if you want to stop and eat at Burger King - go for it! But if you're looking for some other options, read on my friend.

I Love Road Trips!

This post is targeted for the gluten intolerant... we're on a different page than everyone else (for better or for worse!). Cheating means symptoms for days/weeks and potential long term damage to our bodies. Eating gluten can mean a missed day on vacation because you are too sick to enjoy yourself.

I was diagnosed gluten and dairy intolerant in September 2010 and immediately went on a gluten and dairy free diet. Of course, just 1 month later I was headed to Tennessee with my boyfriend to visit his family. I couldn't starve for 14 hours in a car, and with McDonald's no longer an option, I had a lot of planning on my hands!

I totally over planned for this road trip, but learned some great lessons to pass on to my fellow gluten intolerant friends.

SUPPLIES FOR THE ROAD TRIP CAR:
1. Cooler & Ice Packs
2. Tupperware