We’re off to a wedding, a birthday party, my in-laws, and then to visit my grammy (Adriana gets to meet her Great-Grammy!) over the long weekend. This means we’re going to clock a ton of hours on the road, so I am coming prepared! Even though a lot of our meals will be made for us (such as dinner Saturday and Sunday night), I like to fill in the blanks by packing some light meals and healthy snack options to have on hand.
After I made the recipes Eric said, “Whoa, that didn’t take you long at all!” – and he was right, it took me just over 1 hour to prepare 4 recipes. Granted, I was going turbo mode, but still. I purposely selected quick and easy recipes (many are from the 2-day meal plan) which I also tend to have most of the ingredients for in my fridge and pantry. And if I don’t have all the ingredients I just improvise! So when Eric commented on how quickly the packed foods came together it struck me that this would be fun to share on the blog. I hope you’ll enjoy this glimpse into what I’m packing for a weekend away. (Keep in mind this isn’t intended to cover all of your meals – just to supplement when necessary. Feel free to tweak it as you see fit.)
What I made (click the links to the brought to the recipe!):
- Chickpea Salad with butter lettuce “wraps”
- Gazpacho (amazing for summer – no cook and super refreshing)
- Energy bites – I’m still perfecting the recipe in the photo above so rather than sharing it before it’s ready, I recommend you try these amazing Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites! <—a fav!
- Vegan Overnight Oats (note: I doubled this recipe, plus added 2 extra tbsp chia seeds, and 2 small chopped bananas for more volume. If the mixture gets too thick, you can thin it with a bit of almond or coconut milk)
Not shown: I’m also packing a few of my Coconut-Cardamom Overnight Oat Parfaits for the car! If I had more time I would’ve also made a batch of my Lightened Up Summer Granola.
What else I packed:
Hummus, portable fruit, homemade maple cinnamon almond butter (or store-bought), my favourite crackers, food for Adriana. Eric says he’s bringing the Vitamix to make green monsters at his parent’s house. Who is this guy? I don’t know how we’re going to fit everything in the car…especially with a stroller, baby stuff, and my shoes for every terrain (rustic, outdoor wedding!). Should be interesting…
Tips:
– These are my go-to glass storage containers. Mason jars also work lovely!
– Pack several ice packs to ensure the food stays cool and fresh. You don’t want to arrive at your destination with room temperature food.
– Pack the energy bites on top so they don’t get squished.
– You can improvise with these recipes a lot. I make all kinds of versions of Gazpacho, the energy bites, and the chickpea salad. For this chickpea salad I didn’t have any celery so I just used a whole red bell pepper (diced) instead. It’s pretty forgiving so don’t worry!
– Pack the gazpacho in a thermos if you want to save room in the cooler. Otherwise a large 2-quart mason jar will hold the batch.
Ok, now I’m turning it over to you. Which foods do you like to pack for trips? Share your favs below!
Well guys…I seriously cannot believe it’s August 1st. *still in a 2015 time warp* I hope you are enjoying the dog days of summer. Soak it up and have a fun + safe weekend!!
Overnight oats, homemade bars and in-bulk family recipes are great ideas! I would pack a giant tofu scramble, portable fruits, baked sweet potatoes, rye crackers and hummus and guacamole too! :D yummy!
I love the idea of a tofu scramble! Next time :)
Gosh, thanks for posting these. That’s the only time I really have problems… when travelling. These will be great. Can’t wait to try them.
Baked sweet potatoes are one of my favorites too just because the kids think sweet potatoes are like candy. I love this post! We love going away for the weekends to our parents’ cottage on Lake Ontario. We love it there, it’s so peaceful. But food is always an issue. There is no place within an hour to buy food, except local roadside stands for things like zucchini and peaches. You are in BIG trouble if you don’t bring food. I find this post very helpful, it’s always tough to keep the cold food cold, especially since the AC broke in our van and is to $$ to fix. hehe.
I am a huge fan of your blog and cookbook so imagine my surprise when i saw you were the cover article on a magazine from my local health food shop! http://www.yourhealthyliving.co.uk/magazinecurrent This may not seem like a big deal but i live in rural Wales!! Great to see you are making an impact on this side of the pond! Enjoy your weekend away!
Love it! I make the chickpea salad a lot and whenever I don’t have celery, I use cucumber. It’s the perfect summertime lunch. Have a great weekend!
All those foods look delicious:)~
Great ideas! What are your favourite crackers?
Have fun!!
Bulgur salad like they make it in turkey is great because its filling and fresh and I always like to take something to drink that is not water, like homemade lemon-ginger lemonade or iced tea with a very small amount of sugar because water gets so boring ;)
sliced carrots with a dip are great as well.
Great tips! Everything looks really delicious.
http://xoxobella.com/
This is great, everything looks super yummy!
Your chickpea salad is so appealing…I am sure I am going to try and make it very soon. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m drooling. This is such a HUGE help since so often I feel like eating healthy on the road is a hit and miss. Not anymore! Totally impressed Eric is packing the Vita-Mix. :)
I’m always curious about what others take when they’ll be on the road for a while. Great ideas! I second bringing baked sweet potatoes. They’re mess-free and completely filling! Though something runny, sloppy, and messy has never stopped me from eating in the car haha.
You are seriously the best!!! Thank you for sharing this type of info with us!
Homemade protein baked goods, bars (like larabars and thunderbird bars), raw nuts, dry roasted edamame, dehydrated fruits and veg, raw chocolate, nut butter, and roasted sweet potatoes are my go to travel snacks!
Amazing post! Very helpful! Thank you!
I love everything you put on your blog. It is so much fun to find exciting things to fix.
These are great ideas! I like to make my oat/date/chocolate chip cookies. They are packed with healthy whole foods. No flour or sugar. And they are yummy. Perfect travel food because they don’t need refrigeration and they last for a long time. Often I just keep them in my bag when I know I have a long day outside in NYC. Thx for these awesome tips!!
My go to trip food is sandwiches. A salted avacado, tomato, sprout and tofu sammy with a few drops of hot sauce always hits the spot.
I also use up my veggies with a rice pulao or quinoa salad with edamame and cashews and some mustard and cumin seeds and tumeric as a base.
I will be trying the overnight oats for my next trip!
What an awesome idea Angela! The key to staying on track is DEFINITELY pre-planning. I run a plant-based diet reset group to help people eat clean, lose weight and get healthy, and this will be a wonderful resource for them!!! They always struggle with a few things 1) the prep work, 2) the perceived cost and 3) traveling and pre-planning. Thank you for this! xoxox!
Dawn
That all looks so yummy. Quick question about the energy bites. Think they can be made in Vitamix? My food processor died and a new one is not in budget right now :(
Happy Simcoe Day!
Looks like some delicious long weekend road tripping meals, Ange! That’s so cool that Adriana gets to meet her Great Grammy. I’m sure she’s developing quite the personality these days! My favourite travel snacks are pre-cut veggies with hummus, Vega Savi Seeds, fruit, roasted chickpeas, and salads or smoothies that I make ahead of time. On that note, I LOVE that Eric is bringing the Vitamix. I think you’ve taught him well! :)
This is such a great idea, Angela! I usually bring energy bites, crackers, and fruit! But next time I’ll pack hummus and vegan overnight oats too! :) Enjoy your time with friends and family!