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

Sushi Creativity

This week, after leaving the Farmer's Market, having picked up all I need for this weeks meals, including my traditional vegetable sushi, I had to run to the grocery store to pick up some nori. To my shock, they were out, and I was distressed. So, I had to improvise.

This is what I came up with.

Sushi Lettuce Wraps & Sushi Quick Bowls

This is everything you need for both recipes:
Wasabi
Avocado
Carrot
Cucumber
Soy Sauce
Brown Rice (cooked)
Fresh Ginger
Whole Romance Lettuce Leaves (for the wraps)

Directions for the Wraps:
Take a lettuce leave and spread on a very thin layer of wasabi. Toss in your sliced ginger, sliced carrot, avocado wedges, and cucumber sticks. Top off with some rice and add a little soy sauce. Fold up your wrap and enjoy!

If you're not a fan of using lettuce as a wrap, try the quick bowl.  This is perfect for packing as a lunch so you don't have the hassle & mess of a wrap (I'll admit it was a little messy). Plus, no need to heat! Great for those on-the-go days or jobs.

Directions for the Quick Bowl: 

Place your rice in the bottom of the bowl. Chop your vegetables into cubes and throw on top. Take a few small dabs of wasabi and mix into your bowl. Top off with soy sauce.

Hopefully this gives you some new and fun ways to get that sushi taste (especially since I know some of you hate nori).  Honestly, the bowls are my favorite, this way I can take it to work with me and not have to worry about heating it up. I think I'll try to come up with more creative "quick bowls" for non-heat lunches so I know some of you don't always have the luxury of refrigeration and/or heating appliances.

-Lacey