We've all been there: You're stranded in an airport or on an endless freeway in the middle of nowhere. Your stomach starts to growl. You look to the left and right and you see Hamburgers, Pizza, or sugar-loaded ‘Smoothie' stands. So you head to a line and scrutinize the menu; formulating in your head the countless modifications you'll have to apply in order to transform what they sell edible to you. Your food is ready and you open up the bag only to find they smothered your salad in the cream based dressing instead of putting it on the side, or your stir fry bowl not only has soy sauce in it but also has the rice you asked them to leave off. Because rice is grain-free right? And why must they put wheat in soy sauce anyways?
We took a road trip a few weeks ago. With our two year old. We only drove for 6 hours and let me tell you, that is the longest drive I plan to make for quite a while. He actually did relatively well on the first leg to our destination. It was the way back that wasn't a cakewalk.
Speaking of cake: I found that food is the best way to distract a toddler from realizing they're confined to their carseat for hours on end. Well, food and a portable dvd player. I'm not kidding, I was reaching back behind my seat to dispense a new snack every 15 minutes.
To avoid getting stuck with an empty stomach and only fast food restaurants at your disposal, plan ahead and always carry food. I spent the last two days before we left stocking up on all of our favorite snacks so I would have grain-free items accessible to us at all times. We were fortunate enough to stay in a home where there was kitchen so I knew I'd be able to cook meals that were healthy, but it's the things that you need on the go that are always troublesome.
Here is what I brought with us. All of these things will travel well in the car or in your carry-on bag if you're traveling by air. We also packed a cooler full of almond milk and fresh fruit, but you obviously won't be able to get liquids past TSA without some sort of a warrant from a higher-power that trumps the”power” bestowed upon them.
Also be sure to see the end of the post where I prep some school lunch snacks for the week that would also be great for summertime snacking for kids!
Traveling this Summer? Use these recipes to make eating on your trip less stressful:
Carne Asada Beef Jerky Recipe (recipe in Against all Grain cookbook)
Not individually pictured but helpful to have on hand:
Artisana Snackpacks:
Nut Butters, Coconut Oil, and Coconut Butter
Joy
I cannot thank you enough for posting this. I’ve been mentally packing for our camping trip in the fall and am stuck on the food for our children (and me) while traveling and, well, while camping! This post is a HUGE help!
THANK YOU!
Beth
I couldn’t get past where you said “And why must they put wheat in soy sauce anyways?” I did not know that! I’m new to Paleo so I’m still learning, but having recently come to terms with giving up peanut butter, I immediately googled to see what I could find for friendlier soy sauce! I did find this: https://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_details.php?products_id=106970&eID=7tlu3isnvqur7todlrupu6noe5#description (Soy is a legume and therefore is not Paleo, right?) So, I think I will start purchasing this and make it part of my 10% 😀 I think this is a good compromise!
I have some travels coming up so I’m excited to incorporate these recipes! Thanks!
Against All Grain
Oh yes, conventional soy sauce has wheat it in it. Weird because tamari is just as tasty and is gluten-free. I use Coconut Aminos. They taste like soy but are just fermented coconut sap. Much better than the GMO soy that is out there. Check in my “shop” section under ingredients to find them on Amazon. You can buy them at WF too
Lauren @ Empowered Sustenance
Thanks for your helpful tips, Danielle! I bring homemade jerky and trail mix for traveling, too. For a long trip, I make a batch of grain-free muffins, freeze them, and pack the frozen muffins. That way, they thaw out during the first day of the trip and stay fresh longer–and I don’t have to make them the hectic few days before the trip.
Michelle
Hi,
I am new to the site and I was wondering about Zing bars??? I am always trying to find healthy snack bars that are gluten/wheat free. I would love your opinion… thank you!!!
Against All Grain
I’ve never heard of them!
Casey
These are great, thank you! We just started SCD this week and are going away in another week so I was worried about travel snacks. The timing is perfect…
Brie
For Michelle – Zing bars are completely gluten-free. They are NOT grain-free, as they have brown rice syrup and some rice crunchies in them. Since they’re one of the only bars I can tolerate (I need gluten and corn free food and most bars taste awful, IMHO!), I keep Zing around. But they’re an emergency food, not a regular edible.
I don’t know about anybody else, but when I’m caught empty-handed, either for poor planning, something happening, or an outright emergency, I do appreciate that McDonalds (which is everywhere, so far as I can tell) cooks their french-fries in a dedicated fryer. It’s not winning any nutrition prizes, but darn it, if I’m really hungry, I’ll eat fast-food french fries. I’m pretty sensitive, and they don’t make me sick.
But good planning is much better tasting and better for you!
Bonnie
Brie – I love the fact that you admitted you eat french fries. I too am caught empty-handed when traveling, or when I just don’t want to cook at home, we will go to our favorite, Five-Guys and get a bunless burger and fries. I know – its not “paleo” but I don’t claim to be paleo, Most of my food choices would fit a paleo definition, but I am mostly about eating healthy, which means for me avoiding the grains and refined sugars. Since I visit the Paleo websites for food inspiration, I often feel guilty about eating french-fries….its good to know others out there eat them too!
Lori Cormier
Since I use a lot of almond milk, I would probably try making that first. However, I would also like to try a pumpkin & coconut milk soup, or a marinara sauce.
Cassie Anderson
Thanks
Heidi
I always try to have snacks nearby for that moment when I’m craving anything, hunger strikes or need an in between meal. These are great ideas and I LOVE zucchini bread!