Traveling With Treats
Have you ever checked into a hotel room and found out not only is there no room service but no restaurants nearby? Or been on a cross country road trip with miles of highway ahead of you and two hungry children in the back seat?
Prepare for just these situations with a traveling treat kit.
First on the list is an insulated zippered vinyl lunch container. Vinyl because it takes up less space when it’s empty. You might need two if you’re traveling as a family. Stock it with disposable hand wipes, a few paper towels kept dry in a sealed bag, plastic spoons, knives, and forks and extra sealable plastic food storage bags.
Before you leave home fill one of the bags with ice cubes. You might think that filling the bag with water and freezing solid would be a better idea. The problem is that the water in the corners of the bag take on a sharp point when the water turns to ice and can puncture the bag. If you’re staying at a hotel, fill the bag from the ice machine before you leave or stop at a gas station that offers drinks and fill the bag with ice from the soda machine.
Now comes the fun part. Pack the bag with enough food for one meal and two snacks. Try chicken or tuna salad in foil containers. Add crackers and fruit and you have your meal. Another alternative is string cheese, baby carrots and a roll.
Stop at a grocery store along the way for sandwich ingredients from the deli counter. Most offer packages of mustard and mayonnaise. It’s much cheaper to make your own sandwich and the sandwiches are fresher than premade. A quarter pound of sliced meat and a quarter pound of sliced cheese is enough for two sandwiches. Rolls are better than sliced bread because you don’t have to store the rest of the loaf. Tuck the sandwiches in the sealable plastic bags.
Most stores also offer single size servings of macaroni, coleslaw and potato salad. Buy fresh whole fruits such as apples, bananas and grapes. Wash the fruit before eating. You can also find sliced apples with caramel sauce for dipping. Some grocery stores offer cleaned and ready to eat fresh vegetables.
Single serving pudding and fruit cups make good snacks, as does yogurt. Round out the offerings with chips, crackers, and pretzels in single serving sizes. Why single serving sizes? You don’t have to worry about what to do with the rest of the bag or making sure you have a way to close the bag. Single serving is less messy as well.
Add cold bottled beverages. If you add a room temperature bottle of water for example, it increases the temperature in the insulated container and the ice melts faster.
Be prepared and you’ll be able to stave off hunger pangs no matter where you travel.
Follow Dee at her blog Adventures Of Brian And Dee
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