For Those Who Need Food Ideas For Long Road Trips

[Carriefaith]

I just traveled a very long distance by car (PEI to Alberta) and I just wanted to give everyone food ideas for long distance traveling since a lot of us cannot eat out at restaurants. The best approach is to buy canned food such as Green Giant vegetables, Heinz beans, ect and bring a microwavable dish with a cover and a can opener. Almost all the big truck stops have a microwave and a sink to clean your dishes. In Canada, go to Petro Canada Truck stations. Thai kitchen rice noodles are also good to microwave Open Original Shared Link

Other ideas are fruit to go bars, trail mix (dried fruit and nuts), gluten free bread and peanut butter, and candy!

[2Boys4Me]

Thanks Carrie. I may be trapping myself in a van for two days with two kids and was trying to figure out how to do it. I think I'll have to pack a suitcase of food anyway, I'm not sure what's available where we're going...if we go.

[kabowman]

When you pack the suitcase full of food - you have empty space for souviniers on the way home!!!!!

I always take my own cooler and bag of food for any trip...works better and is safer.

[AndreaB]

We are heading to a family camp meeting next week. The people are primarily vegan as far as I know and we just left that diet. They have a kitchen you can plug in stuff and probably cook stuff (not sure, never been) but I have to worry about cross contamination. I'm trying to figure out what I can pack for the whole family (4) for five days that we can eat cold. My husband is used to eating all his food cold, the rest of us are not.

[Mango04]

We are heading to a family camp meeting next week. The people are primarily vegan as far as I know and we just left that diet. They have a kitchen you can plug in stuff and probably cook stuff (not sure, never been) but I have to worry about cross contamination. I'm trying to figure out what I can pack for the whole family (4) for five days that we can eat cold. My husband is used to eating all his food cold, the rest of us are not.

I see you're allergic to some beans, but can you do cans of garbanzo or kindey beans? You can put beans on salads for added protein. You'll have a fridge right? Can you do gluten-free lunch meat on corn thins or corn tortillas? Or does it have to be vegan? Rice crackers with hummus? All sorts of veggies and fruits with peanut and almond butter. Nuts and seeds. Trail mix. I like Go Raw stuff. Open Original Shared Link (the granola is gluten-free) It's expensive but healthy and fills you up when you are hungry and without a kitchen. Organic Food Bars come in handy as well.

[Guest Viola]

My favourite thing to do is ...rice crackers, small cheese pieces already cut and a bowl full of strawberries. Then I eat while I'm driving and just stop long enough to gas up and pee. That of course if I am traveling alone.

When both myself and hubby are traveling I fix things for picnic style for myself and hubby picks up a sandwich at a gas station deli and we stop at the nearest picnic place so our dog Sheba can get some excercise and lunch too. Things like gluten free cup puddings, yogurt etc. are good to travel with as well.

[AndreaB]

Mango04,

We've left the vegan diet due to my allergies. I'm not too concerned about some people getting offended with us having meat. Can't do kidney beans, I'm allergic. I've never had any symptoms that I can remember so all of this is interesting. My husband doesn't do well with beans in general so we will probably be eliminating them with the exception of trying lentils again. I'll check out goraw. We don't mind the expense of good food. Our problem now is that the raise that came with driving doubles and gave us the increase we needed for the extra expense disappeared when the driver whose truck he was driving came back to work. They didn't know he was coming back. So he's back to single and that pay rate and we're hoping for doubles again soon. The camp has a walk in refridgerator. It's about an 8 hour drive from us which should be interesting with the kids. Somehow I think the baby will take to it better than the other two. We'll be stopping for a break every 2 hours or so. We leave bright and early on the 31st. and won't be back til late the 4th. I'll be really behind on the forum by then. Just learned a friend of mine has a friend whose allergic to gluten. Don't know about her but I left my friend know about this site just in case her friend hadn't heard about/found it.

[corinne]

Thanks! I didn't realise that anyone could use the facilities at truck stops. I can only eat well-cooked fruits+veggies, meat+eggs right now. I'm moving to California this summer and will be spending 3 weeks on the road (Montana to Glacier Park to Calgary to Edmonton to Vancouver to Seattle to Portland to southern California) hiking and visiting family/friends. I was planning to bring a camp stove, but having access to a microwave will make for some quick easy meals.

[Guest moorkitty]

We bought a small cooker at Canadian Tire that plugs into the car lighter. It is shaped like a lunchbox. We can make up small meals in foil trays, keep in a cooler and pop in to heat when hungry. It takes about 40 minutes. You can even hit the grocery store and buy canned food to heat in it. I have bought small packets of frozen cabbage rolls, etc and it works real well. I wash out the foil trays each night in the motel and reuse them. I always travel with my hemp seed, dried fruit and almonds in case of hunger pangs and not being able to find food. Hard boiled eggs travel well, as do pre-popped bags of micro popcorn. I find Wendy's chili, baked potato, and salad good (and cheap) in a pinch. I have been glutenized so many times in restaurants I am extremely careful of what I order.

[penguin]

We bought a small cooker at Canadian Tire that plugs into the car lighter. It is shaped like a lunchbox. We can make up small meals in foil trays, keep in a cooler and pop in to heat when hungry. It takes about 40 minutes. You can even hit the grocery store and buy canned food to heat in it. I have bought small packets of frozen cabbage rolls, etc and it works real well. I wash out the foil trays each night in the motel and reuse them. I always travel with my hemp seed, dried fruit and almonds in case of hunger pangs and not being able to find food. Hard boiled eggs travel well, as do pre-popped bags of micro popcorn. I find Wendy's chili, baked potato, and salad good (and cheap) in a pinch. I have been glutenized so many times in restaurants I am extremely careful of what I order.

Do you happen to know the name of the brand that makes the in-car cooker?

[Guest moorkitty]

Koolatron. Unfortunately, I don't have the original box so that's all the info I can offer. It snaps shut like a lunchbox and has a carrying handle on top. The inner lining is metal and is easy to clean but I still use the foil trays which I purchase at the dollar store. Best forty bucks I ever spent. Good luck.

[kristi]

We got a seal-a-meal to package up my adult diapers. This really helped on the added bulk in my suitcase and makes them easy to transport. Foods I packed and was glad to have them from home: Jay Robb's Egg White Protien powder mix vanilla flavor (Wild Oats Market), individual packets of mashed potatoes (Costco)...This was a huge help on the the many plane rides!, Gerber Graduates Mini Fruits freezed dried banana and strawberry, Aunt Candice P&B Choc chip bars(New Seasons Market), Ener G WF Pretzels, Almond butter, Nana's Banana gluten-free bar cookies, Pamela's Biscotti, Cliff Nectar dark choc & walnut bar, Tillamook Country Smoker Old fashion Steak Nuggets, Trader Joe's dried bananas, plain rice crackers and lots of preserved ginger for my tummy. I did OK most of the trip but near the end when the imodium couldn't keep up I was glad to have also packed Oral rehydration salts and some Cera Lyte 70 Rice Based Oral Elecrtolyte powder.

[frenchiemama]

If you have access to hot water (and most places do, even if it's a gas station) Alpine Aire dehydrated backpacking meals are not too shabby. The have a bunch that are gluten-free, I have seen them at REI but you can also order them online.