Just Eat Well on the Road

“All travel has its hardships”…Madame Olenska, The Age of Innocence

There is pretty much nothing that challenges you as much to be your best self as a road trip. Scott, my boyfriend, is enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin and just started classes this week. He will be working towards earning his masters in Exercise Kinesiology. It’s sad that we are not together right now, but the program is one of the best if not the best in the country….so you do what you have to do. We are trying to see if we can make the long distance thing work which I know will be tough for both of us. But awesome girlfriend that I am I had agreed to take the drive down to the Longhorn state to help get him settled.

Here are some tips to hopefully help you the next time you embark on a road trip:

Pack Your Own Food - This is a principal in our day to day lives so a road trip situation was not any different. Be mindful of what will last and not spoil too easily. Get a cooler or two and fill it will ice packs and bags of ice. The car gets hot! When you check into your hotel/motel call the front desk and request a mini-fridge if there isn't one in your room. Here are some different ideas:

Sandwiches – We took turkey breast slices and provolone cheese on Ezekiel bread and added some arugula with low fat mayo and mustard. You could try other veggies but ditch the tomato – too wet.

Salads – We packed various veggies with greens, sundried tomato, grilled chicken and a little goat cheese for flavor. If you wait to add salad dressing later the salads lasts much longer. We took along MCT oil, mustard and apple cider vinegar to make our own.

Snacks – I am a big fan of Blue Diamond Crackers so I brought a box of those. We stocked up on healthy granola and protein bars as well as nuts. Some of our favorite bars are Cliff, Luna and Kind bars. I also threw in Greek yogurts, low fat string cheese, fruit and pre-cut veggies.

Drinks – Stay hydrated with water, iced decaf coffee, Zevia which is a naturally sweetened soda and Honest Tea Kids. This is a recent discovery of mine that makes me feel like a kid again! They’re juice boxes!

It’s also important to try exercise and stretch as much possible. Here is where you need to get creative since you can’t depend on a gym. It's time to get back to the basics with some easy moves. Come back tomorrow for the routine we used on the road!