I’m pretty sure packing my school lunches was the bane of my mother’s existence. I was extremely opinionated on what I would eat and if she packed something that didn’t sound good, I just wouldn’t eat it. I went through a long phase where I hated sandwiches and I didn’t go to one of those hip schools where you could warm up things in a communal cafeteria microwave. When I was in high school my mother would actually warm up soup for me and bring it to me during our lunch just so I wouldn’t go hungry. My mother really is a saint. We aren’t to the school lunch packing phase of our life yet, but we do often have to put together meals for road trips or hikes and a lot of the same rules apply. I realize a lot of people just eat out when they’re away from home, but my body can really only handle restaurant food once a day (sign #15 that I’m almost 30) so packing some of our own stuff is a happy tummy necessity. We do our best to hit up all the food groups and eat things that won’t take too much time away from our adventure. I also try to choose items that can fit in my small cooler or can go a short time without being refrigerated. Here are some of our most frequently eaten items on the go.
- Crackers, cheese, and Salami.
- Fresh fruit (apples, berries, cut pineapple, grapes, cherries, etc)
- Fresh veggies (carrot sticks, celery sticks, grape tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, etc)
- PB&Js, cold cuts, tuna sandwiches, or wraps – Grab condiments like mayo, mustard, and relish at a deli or gas station.
- Chips and dip – Blue Cheese Garlic Dip anyone?
- Chips and Salsa
- Salad – Quality store bought salads are perfect for this, but you can also make your own. This one probably isn’t a good option for hiking trips.
- Yogurt – You can always use more healthy bacteria while traveling. If taking backpacking/hiking freeze prior to heading out.
- Shelf stable milk
- Egg and bacon sandwiches – We pre-cook the bacon at home and fry the eggs using our backpacking stove and backpacking skillet.
- Backpacking Spinach Artichoke Dip and pita chips
- Canned or dried soup and crackers – Warm up on the backpacking stove.
- Cookies – For those with sweet tooths.
- Trail Mix – For snacking. Check out my friend Valerie’s Basic Trail Mix recipe. (Her blog is also a great resource for ideas of places you might go that might require you to use some of these recipes.)
What do you eat when you’re on the go?
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