EATING WELL ON THE ROAD, PART ONE: AIRPLANES

May 30, 2012

1. ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS, JARLSBERG CHEESE, CUCUMBER, BLACK PEPPER, SEA SALT. (Hard cheeses can go a long time without refrigeration.)

Hello, friends! With the start of summer travels, I thought that I’d launch a series of posts about eating good, simple foods that travel well. It’s one of the greatest challenges of travel, isn’t it? Access to healthy food. Especially if our only options are airports or roadside gas stations.

I do a lot of traveling in the summer and one of my favorite things is to buck the system by bringing my own food with me everywhere I go. I love sampling local and regional food when traveling, but gas stations and airports aren’t really the best places to do that. In fact, gas station food pretty much encourages you to eat junk. No thanks!

These foods have been fielOd-tested for their ability to withstand smooshing and lack of refrigeration.

2. ALMOND BUTTER THREE WAYS: APPLES, STRAWBERRIES, BANANA. (Top with sea salt.)

3. SNACKS! MINI CARROTS, RAW UNSALTED CASHEWS, DRIED MANGO SLICES.

4. PACKAGED FOOD: OATMEAL (just ask for a little hot water in a cup – tah dah!), LUNA BARS (best pretend candy bar ever!), JUSTIN’S NUT BUTTERS (this stuff is crazy good! And the little packets are perfect for traveling.)

What do you like to take with you when you fly?

This is the first in a new summer series: Eating Well on the Road

eating well, healthy food, travel food

by Kimberley

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Kasey - May 30, 2012 - 10:39 am

I pretty much always travel with a bag lunch (in fact, I’ve got one packed for my trip to NYC today!). I’m always worried that cheese won’t travel well, but maybe I’m just misinformed! Love the strawberry + almond butter sando!

Melissa // thefauxmartha - May 30, 2012 - 10:45 am

Love this series. We have been in and out of town the last couple months and our eating habits have gone way down the tube. We move in 4 weeks. I’m taking notes!

Monique - May 30, 2012 - 10:56 am

Great suggestions! These are also great for camping :-)

Sarah - May 30, 2012 - 10:57 am

LOVE this idea. Wonderful. I always try to bring food but it’s never enough, somehow. Camping is easier for me because there’s a fire/stove at the end of the day or in the morning. But on the road in the car? Difficult. Can’t wait to see more.

R. E. Maley - May 30, 2012 - 11:09 am

Great series & first suggestions – and right as I’m preparing for an 8-week trip away from my kitchen & favorite food stores! Thanks a bunch.

Melanie - May 30, 2012 - 11:16 am

What a great idea! I hear more and more people talking about bringing their own food on planes, rather than eating airplane food–if they even offer it!

Healthier, you can eat what YOU like and better for jetlag. Win-win!

Thanks for posting.

Eileen - May 30, 2012 - 11:35 am

Oh, plane food is always crucial! We usually do nuts & dried fruit, baby carrots, and some sort of sandwiches–usually whatever’s in the fridge that will be sad and dead by the time we get back.

Once I didn’t have time to make sandwiches, so I took half a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a plastic knife instead. This worked fine on the outbound trip–but ont they way home, security confiscated my peanut butter for being a liquid! Peanut butter is not a liquid! In conclusion, make your sandwiches Before you go.

kickpleat - May 30, 2012 - 11:35 am

I love the hummus/cuke sandwich for travels (never thought to add cheese – why not?!). And I love a grated or julienned carrot salad or cabbage slaw since those can last a while without refrigeration. Happy travels!

sarah - May 30, 2012 - 11:59 am

I love this!! We always eat too much crap on the road. I have a terrible weakness for combos in gas stations [you can shake your head. I know]. We take several long car rides throughout the summer to visit family, and I am loving all your suggestions.

noelle - May 30, 2012 - 12:14 pm

Homemade granola bars are my new favorite! They also make a good plane breakfast, in case cold greasy tofu + zucchini with lemon first thing in the morning isn’t your thing (a true story)

lynda - May 30, 2012 - 12:15 pm

As a child, my family traveled (four kids and my parents) to the midwest every summer by car. My mom packed cucumber spears, oranges, watermelon and fried chicken for the ride. I think there peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were included on occasion. I look forward to trying your selections when I’m on the road again. Your blog is one of my favorites! thank you!

Laura - May 30, 2012 - 12:29 pm

Loved peaking at this as I’m packing my bags for a flight to NY tomorrow. Good reminder to be prepared, always! Also, Justin’s nut butter packets are THE BOMB. They struck the creative genius gold mine with that one. Thanks! :)

Tasha @ Stale Bread into French Toast - May 30, 2012 - 12:30 pm

What a good idea! I am starting to make my own granola bars as well. I’d love some more ideas for foods that travel well, especially those that can make it on a long road trip.

ileana - May 30, 2012 - 1:01 pm

Great post! I’ve also taken to adding some sea salt to my peanut butter and fruit sandwiches. So good.

Sharyn Dimmick - May 30, 2012 - 1:42 pm

Good idea to address this. I usually take almonds, dried fruit. For big trips I’ll get a deli sandwich from a good deli the day I go (or the night before). Sometimes I take carrots or an orange.

cally - May 30, 2012 - 2:47 pm

Love your suggestions. I’m gluten/daity free so here’s what I take ( plus the usuals nuts and seeds)

For snacking I love to have Scottish Oatcakes and a tub of hummus to dip them in, and if I have space in my bag, a tub full of cherry tomatoes to eat with each one.

If I need a proper meal I do a tub of wheat free pasta with lots courgette/zucchini, green beans etc. in it which I make the night before (cause it tastes great a day later as a salad)) A thin coating of olive oil or pesto keeps it moist and tasty.

As a sweet snack dark chocolate nibbled with fresh raw ginger (settles the tummy and helps avoid travel sickness). Because the flavours are strong it’s fairly easy not to over indulge.Plus if you have a bit of raw ginger it’s very fibrous, so chewing it helps with sore ears from air pressure. A bit of cinnamon bark is also good for having a chew on.

Lisa - May 30, 2012 - 5:12 pm

My current favorite airplane food is bagels. I buy bagels the night before we travel (I live in NYC so great bagels are easy to come by). Then in the morning I make one everything bagel with cream cheese for my airport “breakfast” and one plain bagel with cheese for my “lunch” on the plane. (I bring a plain bagel on the plane so as no to subject my seat mates to the delicious but strong smell of an everything bagel). Bagels are great for traveling because they’re filling and don’t get squished.

elle - May 30, 2012 - 5:59 pm

The wood plank makes such a simple and lovely backdrop against the white table!

dafna - May 30, 2012 - 7:18 pm

this is exactly what we eat in the jam kitchen! xo! can’t wait to see more travel pics

Tine - May 31, 2012 - 6:56 am

Love these tips!
Thanks for the great ideas!

Carrie | acookgrowsinbrooklyn - May 31, 2012 - 8:08 am

Never have I been so captivated by sandwiches – they are beautiful! Always on my list after traveling – to be more prepared – this has inspired me and I see a summer full of better travel snacks in my future.

melissa | west coast nest - May 31, 2012 - 9:55 am

Loved this post! Thank you for the great {healthy!] ideas for battling overpriced and unhealthy airline and airport food!! :)

dramatic pancake - May 31, 2012 - 1:24 pm

GREAT ideas! I always kick myself when I end up paying $10 for a piece of turkey and cheese stuck between stale bread (aka airport sandwiches). I’m going to have to remember this for next time!

Kate @ eatrecyclerepeat - June 1, 2012 - 3:46 am

baby carrots are my favorite snack, but I bring entire meals on flights with me. Last time it was a roasted vegetable salad with zucchini, butternut squash, cauliflower, and red onions. I also really like dried sweet potatoes or sweet potato chips, chestnuts, or an apple.

gray - June 1, 2012 - 4:47 am

holy crap these photos are unbelievable.

this is my first visit, love it!

xoxo
@graylinsample
yepindeed.com

Vida - June 1, 2012 - 6:12 am

Thanks so much for this post. I travel on and off for work and leaving NYC gets sad when it comes to food. This helps to have more than nuts dried fruit and water. Have a trip overseas and this tip will come in handy.

nicole - June 1, 2012 - 9:43 am

I brought nature’s path oatmeal w. me this winter on my trip to Costa Rica, and it totally saved me. I am definitely an oatmeal-in-the-morning kinda girl! I am now craving almond butter + strawberry sandwiches … no travel required :)

Carly - June 1, 2012 - 10:00 am

Great post! I always take fruit with me on international flights (and make sure to eat everything before I officially cross the border). Something about eating fresh and healthy food also seems to help with jet lag.

Lynda - June 1, 2012 - 11:36 am

Great idea. I always forget to bring my own food. Perhaps I should pack a snack that boosts memory.

Jacqui - June 2, 2012 - 10:50 am

Love this post! I travel/road trip a lot in the Summer too. One thing I like to do is make a big batch of granola, then pick up plain yogurt at grocery stores and enjoy with fresh fruit. Burritos and a container full of homemade pancake mix seems to always make it in too!

Allison - June 4, 2012 - 6:16 am

Great post! Just in time for summer travels. I will definitely try some of your travel food ideas next time I venture out on a long trip. It all looks very appealing and nutritious. A great alternative to the airport food and gas station snacks. Thanks!

Juicer - June 5, 2012 - 12:36 pm

I would never have thought of this one. It looks great and I don’t have to fly to eat it.

Kathryne - June 5, 2012 - 9:39 pm

For some reason, I usually forget that bringing my own food to the airport is even an option. I did make it home with some leftover Momofuku Milk Bar cookies this time, though! Your options look much healthier and more satisfying. I think I’ll eat almond butter on toast with fruit tomorrow morning for breakfast. :)

Anyway, I had the greatest time meeting you in New York! So glad we could get to know each other over the course of two fun evenings. Thank you for making sure I got home on Friday night, I owe you one. Hope our paths cross again soon!

Amanda - June 14, 2012 - 9:25 am

This was something I needed to read today. There are some days I spend a lot of time on the road doing errands and I end up eating total garbage from gas stations or fast food places. I actually feel ashamed going through the drive through with all my bumper stickers proclaiming the wonders of raw milk, lard, and kale.

Lindsey Royal Anderson - June 26, 2012 - 3:49 pm

Oh my yum! Thank you for the inspiration!

Jenny - July 1, 2012 - 6:11 am

We bring our own food too – lots, for the kids. And I try to bring relatively low-odor snacks after one flight when I was newly expectant and a fellow passenger unpacked his pungent (and no doubt delicious) meal. That was torture to my oversensitive nose and already nauseous tummy. Your options look great, and why have I not heard of Justin’s? I will be searching for it now!

Denise Kelley - July 15, 2012 - 8:25 pm

How do you get food of any kind past airport security? I live in Seattle and airport security will take anything that is not for babies or toddlers.

Restaurants in Velachery Chennai - November 6, 2012 - 2:58 am

Its so simple and sweet, less work and more taste…

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EATING WELL ON THE ROAD, PART ONE: AIRPLANES

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