Cheap Travel Foods? Any Thoughts?

[hapi2bgf]

My family and I take long car rides to Florida on a regular basis. I have gotten to the point that I make sandwhiches for me, the only gluten-free, just to get to Florida. My problem is eating breakfast while traveling. I do fine for lunch and dinner, but breakfast is a problem. Fast food breakfast seems out of the question. I have never been able to enjoy the power bar craze and the gluten-free cereal does not fill me up for very long. So we end up eating at family reastaurants so I can eat something to fill me up - usually eggs and my bread.

I'm on a limited budget and cannot afford to keep eating three meals at restaurants everyday on a trip. It gets too expensive too fast. What does anyone else eat for breakfast or snacks that is not junk food and is not expensive to feed the family. Peanuts and nuts are not an option. Sometimes we have access to a fridge and sometimes it is just a cooler.

[Guest jhmom]

Envirokids makes a gluten-free snack bar (reminds me of a rice krispy bar), in my store they have 3 flavors: peanut butter, chocolate and ????? (can't remember the last one). OR you could make some sort of trail mix with dry gluten-free ceral, marshmellows, etc.... good luck to you and enjoy your next trip!

[Guest Libbyk]

I travel a TON, and couldn't live without my little cooler in the front seet, and big cooler in the back! I eat a ton of fruit, apples in particular, and combine them with cheese, cottage cheese or peanut butter. (you said that was no option though...) gettinga fruit/ protien combo seems to hold me longer. Other than that, all I can say is that I stuggel with breakfast too. I am not too pciky about what meal goes when, so I tend to eat a lot of my dinner leftovers for breakfast.

Libby

[tarnalberry]

you say peanuts are not an option... does that rule out soy? 'cause you can get soy butter - even a soy butter produced in a clean factory that doesn't have contamination issues. (trader joe's has one that specifically mentions that it's produced in a facility that does NOT process peanuts or tree nets.) but since peanuts and soy are both legumes, I thought I'd ask about it.

[dianne]

Have you tried En-Er-G granola bars? I find them quite filling. Also, There is a company that makes dome meals in a pouch, needing only boiling water to be added. I believe the brand name was Alpine Aire. They have an egg dish. You can see reviews on the Gluten Solutions website.

Dianne

[hapi2bgf]

Thanks for the replies. It's a peanut allergy, which also includes all other "tree nuts". I have been avoiding all soy as well. Some people tend to develop a soy allergy or other related allergies. I'm really not sure how, but the doctor recommended staying away from it all until a couple of years have gone by to see if by chance the allergy will go away. I hope so. Until then I have the Epi-pen and I am doing my best to never have to use it.

I too pack a cooler full of meals for me when we travel. I have not packed sandwiches for every meal on the trip yet, but I think I will be doing that for the next trip. I eat the cereal trail mix with M&M's and marshmellows, the Envio-kids rice crispy bars, and tons of chips, candy, and cookies or brownies (homemade). I was just hoping to travel a little healthier and easier. Since it is summer, maybe next time I can have a ton of good fruit too.

Thanks everyone!

[tarnalberry]

dried fruit! don't even need a cooler for it!

[khyricat]

dried fruit (I make a lot of my own), maybe some cheese in a cooler? and carrots or other veggie sticks...

[gf4life]

Hapi2bgf,

You can't have tree nuts, but can you have sunflower seeds? I found a really good alternative to peanut butter, it is sunflowerseed butter. It is a bit runnier than peanut butter, but very tasty. I got mine at Trader Joe's, but you might find it at other health food stores.

If you have a cooler that stays consistantly cold (or you keep adding ice) you could take along some hard boiled eggs. They last quite a few days if you keep them cold, and they are a good protein source, and easy to eat in the car.

How about Jerky? I have only found a few brands that are gluten-free, but you could always try making your own. You might want to make a lot though, since it seems to go really fast, at least at my house! Pemmican brand (long lasting original and peppered only) is the only mainstream jerky I have found, but I also found one made locally (in California) by Harris Ranch, and a peppered style made by the Corralitos Sausage Factory. You might be able to find a butcher shop that makes jerky and have them make you some that is gluten-free. You need to keep it losely wrapped in butcher paper and not stored in a plastic baggie, or the condensation from the rise and fall of the temp. in the car can cause it to mildew really fast. I found this out the hard way and lost a whole pound of really tasty jerky from the Corralitos Sausage Factory! Next time I'm in Santa Cruz County I have to get some more!

I hope you have a wonderful trip to Florida!

God bless,

Mariann

[tarnalberry]

oh definitely... making your own gluten-free jerky is pretty easy - though it'll take 3-4 days to do it.

[gfmelissa]

I have done a good bit of traveling as wlel. I make my own gluten-free muffins, freeze them, and then I have them made for car trips which i stick in the cooler with earth balance buttery spread. This is the most filling option. Or a homemade jam (or apple butter) on a rice cake or crackers. I don't find gluten-free cereals to be fulfilling either. good luck.

[celiac3270]

I have done a good bit of traveling as wlel. I make my own gluten-free muffins, freeze them, and then I have them made for car trips which i stick in the cooler with earth balance buttery spread. This is the most filling option. Or a homemade jam (or apple butter) on a rice cake or crackers. I don't find gluten-free cereals to be fulfilling either. good luck.

Good points...I prefer warmed muffins, (Foods By George is AMAZING...I've only tried their corn muffins, but when I tasted it, I honestly checked the box again to make sure it was gluten-free! Foods By George also make Brownies, which are also amazing. They have a high standard for gluten-free foods...it all tastes like the regular stuff, if not better!)but you can have those warm for hours in an insulated container. Also for a warmer lunch, spaghetti (DeBoles is what I have) is really good. Of course, you could only have that for the first day. Rice cakes are also a good idea...I don't know if jam might get messy in a car, though...a good idea, all the same.

Envirokids makes a gluten-free snack bar (reminds me of a rice krispy bar), in my store they have 3 flavors: peanut butter, chocolate and ????? (can't remember the last one). OR you could make some sort of trail mix with dry gluten-free ceral, marshmellows, etc.... good luck to you and enjoy your next trip!

Personally, I dislike the Envirokids bars...they are similar to rice krispy treats, but I guess, I never really liked those, either. You probably already know about them, but Genisoy makes two gluten-free bars. There's a Southern Style Chocolate (which tastes almost like candy, but has...I think 17 grams of soy protein)...oops, check the nuts! It might not work if you have an nut allergy.

-C

[khyricat]

a neat trick if you want jam/butter on muffins in a car:

make the muffin as normal, but take a piping bag (icing bag/parchment triangle folded, etc) with a large round tip on it. Push it down into the muffin and squeeze a fair amount of the jam into the muffin. YUMMY and less mess.. also works with butter/margarine.. and with fudge/fluff into cupcakes!

Amie

[hapi2bgf]

Thanks for all the ideas. Does anyone have a good tried and true recipe for making muffins? I just tried a HAgman recipe last night and the muffins are ok, but they never browned. So they don't look to good. Yes the oven was set at the right temp and I have an oven thermometer and it was at the right temp too.

Thanks!