Staying Healthy on the Road!

 Hey everyone, it's time to buckle up and get on the road! This week we are going to explore ways to stay healthy on the road. I've included recipes, ways to pack your lunch and snacks so they don't spoil, some amazing cooler bags and ways to relieve tension on the road!

Let's get started with how this post is going to be set up. We have a LOT of information to cover so just hang in there with me! First, we will talk about food because, honestly, that's my favorite. I do have pictures of some recipes but the easiest way to convey all this information is to lay it out in a table. I will have three categories (no restrictions, Paleo/Keto, and vegetarian). Keep in mind, I am not a nutritionist nor am I developing or recommending a diet plan for any of you. I have received a few requests to do this post, so I am just sharing what I do on a weekly basis. Also, I know that I do have some friends who are vegan, I am not leaving you out on purpose! I am not good at being a vegan, I have tried, so I am not going to be making recommendations for that arena simply because I would fail miserably. Second, we will discuss how to pack your lunch and I'll give a few recommendations about coolers/icepacks. After the packing we will talk about some vitamins, essential oils and stretching on the road!

Let's get going!

FOOD!!!!!!
Nutrition on the road does not have to be hard! With a little planning, you can pack a great lunch and yummy snacks and still not blow your eating plan for the day! Remember to pack wisely and bring a lot of water. When looking at foods to pack while traveling, there are some foods that simply just don't travel without requiring special equipment. Soup, can travel, but you will need a trustworthy packaging system with a good lid, and you will also need a microwave! Mayonnaise based salads and things of that nature do not do well with heat, so try to skip those as well. I will go over how to pack your cooler at the end of the next section, but typically I pack things that are light and that will provide me energy throughout the day!
I normally do my grocery shopping on Sundays and then clean and prep all my veggies for the week. Sometimes I put them into baggies or containers, some I do not, it just depends. I am not one of those people who makes all her meals for the week on Sunday because I change my mind too much on what I want to eat! So, I just plan the night ahead and get up a few minutes early in the morning and pack up what I am craving that day! Here are some examples of the containers that I use for packing my lunches! It is just a simple plastic tray with a clear lid. I also buy the reusable two-ounce packages for I can wash them instead of causing more waste. They help me with portion control too!

(PD: Black rectangular tray with clear lid that has food items inside. Some items are in small two-ounce salad dressing containers.)

Here are a few snack and lunch ideas that I have put together for you, with variations for different dietary needs. Protein is a must throughout the day and will help to keep you going! I like recipes that are pretty straight forward and don't require a microwave or additional steps after taking it out of your lunchbox.

Snack Boxes

No Restrictions	Vegetarian	Keto/Paleo
Almost Pizza Box: Pepperoni, cubed cheese, olives, tomatoes, crackers	Remove the pepperoni and add tomatoes	Remove the crackers
Parfait Box: Small yogurt, assorted berries, almonds, granola	Good to go!	Remove granola, limit number of berries and increase almonds or add chia seeds
Cheese Plate Box: Pretzels, grapes, mixed nuts, cheddar cheese, brie, blue chip, apple slices	Good to go!	Remove pretzels, grapes, limit apple slices. Add celery
Protein Box: Hummus, almonds and cashews, cubed cheese, deli meat or pepperoni, boiled egg	Remove meats (and eggs if you don’t eat them), add celery or bell peppers	Limit amount of nuts and remove hummus
Fruit Snacks: Raspberries, grapes, black berries, cherries	Good to go!	Either this is all your carbs for the day or find a different box 😊
Sweet and Simple Box: Boiled egg, celery, peanut butter, raisins	Remove egg if desired	Remove raisins
Old School Box: Banana, pretzel, peanut butter	Good to go!	Remove pretzel, add celery
Ham and Cheese Box: Sliced ham, cubed cheese, crackers, raspberries	Remove ham, add in vegetarian soy-based meat product or boiled egg	Remove crackers
Lox Box: Lox, Wasa or melba toasts, cream cheese, boiled egg	Remove lox and egg if desired	Remove crackers, add celery or carrot chips
Hipster Box: Kale chips, orange, roasted chick peas, almonds	Good to go!	Limit or remove chick peas
Mexi Box: Salsa, corn chips, mango slices, pepper jack cheese cubes	Good to go!	Remove corn chips
Mediterranean Box: Hummus, mini pita or pita chips, grapes, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes	Good to go!	Remove pita and grapes

Lunch Ideas

No Restrictions	Vegetarian	Keto/Paleo	Variation!
Chicken Salad Salad: Chicken salad, apple, pretzels, almonds, cucumber slices	Remove chicken salad and replace with marinated tofu cubes	Remove pretzels, add in celery or bell pepper or carrot chips	Try using a pita to make a sandwich with the almonds, apple slices and chicken salad
Light and Fresh Salad: Spinach, strawberries, avocado, grilled chicken, feta or blue cheese, red onion, lemon vinaigrette	Replace chicken with grilled tofu (so yummy!)	Take off the strawberries! No sugar in the vinaigrette	Add quinoa to make it a yummy and filling bowl instead
Light Caesar Salad: Romaine lettuce, parmesan shavings, grilled chicken, avocado, bacon, croutons, Caesar dressing	Leave off the chicken and the bacon. Try using the meatless bacon	No Croutons!	This is amazing as a sandwich or wrap!
Buffalo Chicken Ranch Salad: Romaine Lettuce, grilled chicken, blue cheese, corn, bell pepper, spring onion, carrots, buffalo ranch dressing	Use Buffalo marinated tofu or chicken replacement! Trust me, it is so good!	Go light on the dressing and the corn!
Fajita Pasta Salad: Rotini Pasta, grilled steak with peppers and onions, guacamole, sour cream, fresh salsa	Sub out the steak for beans or tofu	Sub out the pasta for lettuce and make it a salad instead!	I love to put a little bit of cheese on this and bake it in the oven for a wonderful (and filling) dinner too! Add the salsa and sour cream after baking
Spaghetti Salad: Spaghetti, parmesan cheese, Italian dressing, zucchini, tomatoes, red onion, black olives, dill	Good to go!	Sub out the spaghetti for lettuce of your choice, I really like wilted spinach with this one!	Add chicken or steak or tofu or black beans to this for a yummy protein filled dinner!
Chicken Gyro: Pita, grilled chicken, red onion, bell pepper, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese	Sub out the chicken for chick peas!	Skip the pita and make it a salad	Add quinoa to this and make it a bowl with pita crisps on the side!
Fruit Salad: Honey-Orange Dressing, Blackberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Almonds, Chia Seeds	Good to go!	Limit, limit, limit! Or skip this one altogether!	Add chia pudding or Greek yogurt for a yummy dessert!
Cali Roll Salad: Rice, Cucumber, nori, avocado, crab, ginger dressing	Sub out the crab if you don’t eat seafood!	Skip the rice! Add spinach instead!	Add grilled shrimp to this in sub of crab! Also, really yummy to leave the dressing off and make a spring roll out of the other ingredients!
Mexican Salad: Avocado dressing, corn, tomato, black beans, chicken, romaine	Sub out the chicken and add more beans or quinoa or rice	Limit the corn!	Try this one as a wrap or pita!
Citrus Pasta Salad: Citrus dressing, onion, chicken, spinach, orzo	Skip the chicken and add feta cheese and white beans	Skip the orzo and try some chia seeds	Instead of orzo, use rotini pasta and add tomatoes and spinach
Greek Lemon Salad: Lemon dressing, chick peas, white beans, black beans, couscous, cucumber, feta cheese	Good to go!	Remove Couscous and beans. Add some chicken or steak!	This one is super yummy with wilted spinach or kale!

Here is an idea for packing those ever so popular Mason Jar Salads! I do not personally use them, but this method can work for almost any Tupperware or baggie even! I do have some taller Tupperware containers that I like to stand my veggies up in and I put cream cheese, peanut butter or salad dressing in the bottom of it to make dipping easier.

(PD: Picture of a Mason Jar with the title 'How to Make Mason Jar Salads. From bottom to top the order is; dressing, hard veggies, cheese/meats, grains, toppings, then greens.)

Coolers and How to Pack
 Ok guys, lets chat about how you are going to transport all your yummy snacks and lunch! I have a few ideas that may help. It is important to invest in a good, sturdy lunch cooler than can fit everything in it! It might seem big to you but think about how much you will need to put inside; breakfast (for some), snacks, lunch and a cooler pack. Making sure there is enough room is key, so things don't get smashed down.
First things first, packing your cooler the right way is HUGE! I have included this handy diagram that applies to coolers for tailgating or beach trips, but also for your everyday use! Drinks on the bottom as they stay colder longer and it won't matter it water collect in the bottom of your bag (more on how to prevent that at the bottom of this section). Perishable items go on top of the ice pack since they are the highest risk of spoiling, then bag veggies/snacks on top of that!

(PD: Picture of a chest style cooler with various items placed within. See paragraph for packing instructions.)

 

Below you will see you some different options for coolers that really work, they of course are ranging in prices, but in my experience the invest of the more expensive cooler is often worth it in the long run! I have also included a homemade icepack 'recipe' in case you would like to make your own!

https://icemulecoolers.com/products/the-icemule-tote

https://www.yeti.com/soft-coolers

https://www.igloocoolers.com/pages/soft-coolers

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HOT-COLD-LUNCH-COOLER-BAG-ORANGE

 (PD: Home Made Gel Ice Packs recipe: Freeze in Ziploc bag; 5 cups water, 1 cup Rubbing Alcohol and optional food coloring.)

This is really great if you are looking to make many ice packs. I have even seen them being made in PVC pipes that are glued together. This also prevents water or condensation from leaking out and making a puddle in the bottom of your lunch cooler! You can even double bag it to be safe!

 

Healthy on the Road

Obviously, if we are talking about health on the road, we need to discuss keeping germs at bay. It is a good idea to take a multivitamin once a day, but whatever blend, brand or method is up to you! To help combat stress on the road, I really enjoy having an oil diffuser in my car! I have included a picture, but basically it has a small water reservoir and you add your own essential oils! It creates a lovely smelling car but also aides in de-stressing or staying healthy depending on the blend of oils that you use.  

(PD: Small diffuser plugged into car outlet.)

 

Stretch Breaks are a huge thing that help during our drives. We all know that being itinerant can mean tons of time in the car. To help protect your health and joints, it is important to get out of the car and stretch! Below are a few stretches that I like to do throughout the day or during my lunch break. I carry a yoga mat and change of gym clothes in my car in case I don't have the time to run home before the gym, but you could use your yoga mat in a parking lot as well! It might also be fun to incorporate this into a lesson with your students!

(PD: Various Hip Stretches and Low Back Stretches)

 

Ok! We have covered a lot of stuff in this post, so just remember to develop a plan and stick to it! And drink your water! Here are some of my favorite 'treat' water recipes!

(PD: Different types of water infused with fruits: orange/kiwi, raspberry/mint, blueberry/lime, lemon/cucumber, strawberry/basil, and all of the fruits packed in together!)

 

Stay Healthy,

Alex