Meal planning 101

Costco ready made meals are excellent for truck prep. I get the giant chicken pot pie (costs like $25 bucks), cook it and split it up into food containers. Get four meals out of it.

Stuffed peppers, lasagna, chicken alfredo and enchilada bake are some other good Costco ready made options.

 

I’d keep it really simple for the training period. A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and a gallon of drinking water, maybe some protein shakes. I’d expect food storage to be at a premium even if there is a fridge, so maybe some canned food.

In my truck, I have an inexpensive but surprisingly reliable Walmart fridge, a toaster oven (I much prefer it to a microwave), a hot water kettle, and a stainless steel French press for coffee. I’m home almost every weekend, and I cook a weeks worth of omelets for my breakfasts. I’ll precook dinners too, I have a bunch of different things I like to eat that I make on a rotating basis.

I try to avoid fast food, but if I’m at a truck stop where I can pay for a Subway sandwich with points, I’ll get one.

 

Go buy a quality rice cooker. Dry rice is nonperishable and the cooker will keep it warm literally all day once you make it. Pour your favorite flavor of Campbell's chunky over it. Guarantee you'll be satisfied.

 

The OP is only going to be with a trainer for 1 week. Eat a made to order subway sandwich or buy food from the healthy section at Pilots and Loves until you get your own truck. I don't know many trainers that will be willing to put up with the gym bro/hyper-nutrition BS IN THEIR TRUCK WITH A NEWBIE.

 

We cook boneless skinless chicken breast for about 4 days when we go.

Take apples and oranges and pears, they'll keep with no refrigeration or cooler.

Lunch meat and cheese and a loaf of bread.

Learn the way of the potato. 5 pound bag. Nuke em in the truck stop. Same as a baked potato. We use salsa for toppings and some of the single serving cans of baked beans on top. Chili no single servings, so you need to keep a half can.

Single serving cans of veggies. Cans of soup. Some Cup O Soups too, but those don't really have any nutrients.

 

I prepare 100 percent of my meals when driving OTR. I never, repeat never eat the truck stop junk or fast food crap. Ever. It's a commitment. I went thru serious health problems involving digestion and it's mostly related to unhealthy oils (so-called seed oils mostly). And by serious I mean that my bodyweight dropped all the way to 100 pounds at one point and I didn't have any appetite for almost two years.

 

Pressure cooker is a good utensil to have. You can make boiled eggs, Mashed potatoes, stew, soup etc. I use food containers or zip locks to save space. I also have a small propane stove. Made pasta with beef and some veggies. Should last me 4 days, much cheaper than fast food. After eating fast food for a while it messes with your mood and stomach.

 

I noticed that. I'm also at the point where I can walk around the entire store twice looking for some type of junk food snack I actually want and I just end up making a sandwich.