Those are the stats for our annual trip to visit family in Texas (we did 486 of those today!). Even in good weather, with no flat tires and everyone old enough to (mostly) not have accidents in the car, that’s still enough to push anyone over the edge and right into a lot of fast food. When we started this annual migration 17 years ago that’s pretty much what happened. Thankfully, we’ve learned a few tricks so we don’t feel like we need to eat nothing but salads for a month after we get back just to let our bodies heal from all the junk we ate!
Before I jump into some of the routines that work for our family I want to point out that we ABSOLUTELY enjoy treats on our trip. We’re in Texas for my mom’s birthday and I eat her cake. Frozen custard from Andy’s in Branson, MO is a tradition. And there will be meals at restaurants that aren’t 100% whole foods. Over the years we’ve decided we want those treats to really be special because they’re rare so we strive to keep most of our meals closer to normal. That’s where these routines come in handy:
- Overnight Oatmeal ‘Muffins’: we frequently start our trip pretty early in the morning and feed the kids in the car to save time. We’ve made these overnight oatmeal ‘muffins’ for years because they’re simple, filling and they fit perfectly into kid’s snack cups. The original recipe came from here: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/09/cinnamon-roll-baked-oatmeal/ I mix this up the night (x6 for my gang) before and put it in a mega muffin tin to refrigerate. In the morning, pop it in the oven and 15 minutes later you’re done! We skip the icing and use a drizzle of maple syrup. Mix in whatever you like…chocolate chips and raspberries area favorite here.
- Simple Lunches: I tend to use the same lunch every time because it cuts down on choices I have to make and other family members can help me prep them. The kids get whole wheat tortilla wraps, cut apples, carrots and a cheese stick. Philip and I usually opt for a salad with whatever still happens to be in the fridge. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes to prep. We’ve found this actually fills the kids up…they love fast food, but it leaves them hungry…and it’s dramatically cheaper.
- Snacks: We stick with some of our normal snacks, which means the kids can pack this bag. This time they brought dried fruit, nuts, Cuties and apples.
- Salad Base: Over the past 5 years I’ve started traveling with a container of basic salad…greens, green onions, shredded carrot, whatever can be cut and tossed in that’s not too wet. I don’t use this so much while we’re traveling, but once we arrive it means I always have a way to turn a meal into a salad, or at least make a side salad. I do this at home all the time and it’s a habit that keeps me feeling well even when our schedule and regular food are disrupted.
- Breakfast for the hotel: In an attempt to not eat every meal out we typically bring eggs, bacon and fruit for breakfast. It’s simple to pack in the cooler, fills us up and, again, saves money.
Over the next 17 years I’m sure our routines will continue to shift as our family changes, but for now these work well for us. What routines or tricks do you have for making healthy choices on trips?
