Traveling with food allergies can be a challenge. And parents who travel with a child or children suffering from severe food allergies have to plan ahead in order to be sure they are stocked with healthy foods to feed the family while away from home.
Here is a list of some of our favorite foods to eat while traveling on long road trips, as well as camping. We make some of the foods in advance and freeze them to be heated in our 12v car cook stove on the road. Since we cannot take the chance of eating out at restaurants, or hope that we stumble upon a health food store out on th back roads during our long road trips, this system has assisted us in getting out of the house, and miles down the road. Other great food options are now available in cans and packages at local health food stores which is very convenient. I make all our bread from scratch, including waffles, donuts, crackers, scones, pie crusts, etc, but many of these items are available dairy free and preservative free at your local health food stores too. Here are some of our favorites:
Steaks
Breakfast Breakfast that needs to be heated that is vacuum sealed can be put in aluminum pan and heated in lunchbox stove. If your child can have goat milk, then use goat milk/cheese products otherwise omit.
- Eggs and Toast served with fresh fruit, bacon, potatoes, and juice
- Breakfast bars (homemade of course)
- Pancakes and waffles with syrup or Agava nectar served with fresh fruit, bacon, potatoes, and juice
- French toast with syrup and powdered sugar served with scrambled eggs, bacon, and juice
- Bagel (homemade) served with mayo, no nitrate ham, tomato slice, and goat cheese
- granola on yogurt with fresh fruit slices
- gluten free cereal with rice milk
- Country Skillet with diced potatoes, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, goat cheese, topped with egg, salt and pepper
Snacks Healthy snacks can be served cold, with minimal effort include:
- No Nitrate Buffalo Jerky, homemade popcorn, chemical free chips, pretzels, homemade cookies
- Fresh fruit, apple slices, bananas, oranges, strawberries, grapes, fresh veggies, carrot sticks, celery sticks, etc.
- Dried fruit and nuts, dates, apricots, figs, plums, raisins, etc.
- Canned fruit, baby oranges, fruit cocktail, apple sauce, peaches, etc.
Lunch Each meal includes side salad, side fruit, side veggie, and a homemade roll:
- Sandwiches, egg salad, tuna salad, BLT, Turkey bacon and avocado, ham and goat cheese, etc.
- Pasta, pasta salad, macaroni salad, rice noodle soup, healthy cup of soup, pasta with sauce, pasta with meatballs, pasta casserole
- Chicken pot pie, meat pie
- Fun food, no nitrate corn dogs, home made gluten free chicken fingers, fish and chips
- Hamburger with homemade dairy free preservative free bun with katsup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, goat cheese, and chips, corn chips, or fresh fruit
- Fish and rice, salmon, tilapia or other white fish
- Dairy free pizza - can be made in advance and heated in 12v car cook stove on the road
Sides Included with each dish are any combination of the following side dishes below:
- Baked beans - can make in advance or buy in a can and heat in the 12V car cook stove
- Fresh veggies - corn on the cob, broccolli, mashed potatoes, green beans, peas, etc.
- Bread - dinner rolls, toast with honey or jam, bread sticks, homemade crackers, etc.
- Rice - white rice, brown rice, wild rice, Spanish rice, pilaf, couscous, etc.
- Pita chips, corn chips, potato chips, pretzels or other preservative free, dairy free chips
Dinner Main dish items are served with two sides, made in advanced, vacuum sealed and heated in boiling water or 12V car cook stove:
- Fish and rice - salmon, tilapia, trout, tuna, etc.
- Chicken and rice
- Steaks - ribeye, strip, sirloin, etc. Served with baked potato, green beens, broccolli, and a roll.
- Mexican food - enchilada, tacos, bean burritos, tortilla soup, green chili, spanish rice, etc. Served with salad, black beans, refried beans, rice, chips and salsa.
- Chili with corn bread
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Stew, Pot Roast, Chili, Sloppy Joes, etc. Served with salad, veggies, and a bun
On the Road Meals These meals are pre-cooked, vacuum sealed, frozen, and ready to heat in a 12V cook stove on the road. Cook time ranges from 30 minutes, to 1 1/2 hours. Simply heat in a 12V car cook stove, camping stove, or boil in hot water, and eat with a side dish.
- Mexican food - burritos, enchiladas, tacos, beans and rice
- Italian food - pasta, pizza, and soups
- Irish food - stews, pot pies, mash
- Fish - shrimp, salmon, crab
- Beef - stews, steaks, chili's, burgers
- Chicken - rotisserie, fingers
- Sandwiches - Tuna, egg, PB & J, ham, Turkey, BLT's
- Snacks - Chips, crackers, fruit, fresh veggies, breakfast bars, granola, cookies
- Deserts - Pies, cobblers, apple sauce, fruit, cake
Linda Walsh is a mother of 3 young children - one with special needs, and a family travel expert who has developed a unique system for traveling with kids, budgeting money, cooking from scratch on the road, and living an organized lifestyle to get the most miles out of raising her family. If you would like to find more ways to simplify and organize your travels through life with your children, visit her website at [http://www.familytravelgear.com] or her blog at [http://www.blog.familytravelgear.com].