I'm usually one of those that sighs when merely thinking about dragging along food on a road trip, let alone actually do it. In fact, it has been a bit of a tension spot in our marriage at times. My husband thought we should pack some meals and I was not convinced it was such a wonderful idea. Don't hear me wrong, I was more than willing to pack a few snack items. You know, the usual fruit, chips, pretzels, cookies, etc. And if I was feeling really ambitious, I might even be fine making a few sandwiches to munch on. But that was the extent of it.
I'm not sure what struck, but this last trip that we took, I decided on my own, without my dear husband so much as even hinting at it, to pack all the food we would need. Period. My goal was not to have to buy anything unless we decided to splurge a bit and buy something (which we did!).
Perhaps there are some more of you that are like me and hate packing food for trips. If so, hopefully this will encourage you that it really can be pretty easy and *maybe* even kind of fun and yummy!
Here is what I took along:
Meal One:
* Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
- simply made these up ahead of time and ate them cold, dipped in ranch dressing
* Lettuce Salad
- made individual salads in empty Cool Whip containers. I put the cheese and dressing in separate containers and waited to put them on until we were ready to eat.
* Frozen Peaches
- this doubled up as an ice pack!
* Cookies
Meal Two:
* PB&J Sandwiches
- took each item individually and made them up when we were ready to eat
* Grapes
* Applesauce
- again this doubled up as an ice pack
* Pumpkin muffins
Meal Three:
* Hard Boiled Eggs with Salt
* Cheese and Pretzels
* Apples
* Yogurt
* Cookies
Snack Food:
* Chips
* Cookies/Muffins
* Candy Bars
- from my FREE stash of course!
* Cheese/Crackers/Pretzels
* Grapes/Apples/Bananas
Other Items I took:
* Cheese Slicer
* Knives (2) for the PB&J
* Napkins
* Paper Plates
* Spoons (for yogurt, peaches and applesauce)
* Bag for Trash
* Wet Ones
-free from Rite Aid :)
I was amazed at how easy this all was. With a little bit of planning, I saved us quite a bit of money, not to mention road time, plus we ate pretty healthful. And on top of that, my husband was so impressed that he actually bought me a latte not once but twice! Hmmm...maybe I'll be doing this again?!
**Not sure what is up with Blogger...but it keeps making some of the font small. Not a big deal, just looks rather silly!
Wow! You deserve a gold star! I'll pack food for a trip but usually only for the first meal. I always think that one of the perks of going on a road trip is eating out. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle! :) And I have to agree with the perks idea.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the little bit of planning to pack food is so worth it! We were just away for a little three day family getaway. We took all our own food - except for the last meal. I couldn't believe the price! I'm sure that one meal (and it wasn't anything fancy) cost more then all the other meals combined! As our children get older, and eat more, eating out becomes less appealing! Not that it isn't fun sometimes! Besides,when we are traveling, we find that stopping at a picnic ground for a little bite to eat and time to let the children run is far better then sitting in a restaurant waiting for our food!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think I just figured out that your sis-in-law is a friend of mine from way back! Romania should have helped me figure it out sooner! It's a small world!
Gina
Gina, I'd love to hear some of your travel food ideas...I bet you have some good ones! And yes, I think you do know my sister-in-law. :) Did you know she just had a little girl? We are so excited!
ReplyDelete