On The Road Food Ideas

You need bread, peanut, bananas, milk. Get everything you can or you will be dead in buying a slice pizza for 3$ plus change at flying-j, thank's God i don't have to worry about food because im not an otr driver when i use to go otr for werner 0.26 cpm i would be average 700$ a week before taxes end up with 550 and spent 100 for food and here im with 450 it was just ridiculous

 

Definiatley yes on the Beef and Turkey Jerky and trail mix.

I use my phone GPS to locate Whole Foods Markets or an organic food store. A Fridge is a must have. Even foods without preservatives will keep for four days or so.
People joke and call Whole Foods Stores "Whole Pay Check", and yes, they are expensive. But, compared to eating at truck stops and fast food locations it is actually cheaper, not to mention, the obvious health benefits.
Bananas and vegetables.

Also, you want to have a case of water on hand.

And don't forget Vitamins and minerals. Fish oil or flax seed oil, Vit B complex ,Vit C Etc....

The most important thing may very well be exercise. If you stay in a hotel from time to time take advantage of their gym especially the elliptical for a good cardio work out.

 

Really depends on the person, i'm a health type person and older male, i learn long ago in a truck , what work's and what does not work, i kinda go by the load too for in time too pickup, if i'm pickup in morn, then i know i need a high energy breakfast granola, throw some wheat germ ect to run all day, maybe a dash of ginseng too, but if the other way around and i pickup in the evening , i do the same thing with a high energy supper, so for me it all depend's on when i'm running and i only eat one good meal a day , rest day is snacking on apple slice or bananas or other fruit.

 

Where your list started I began to disagree lol

Being a practical chick... I like to shop at Walmart for about 50% of my food that require refrigeration, because I like deli meat and chicken. And instead loafs of bread I buy English (egg) muffins to put those deli meats on.

Then there is the big Sunday dinner. At the same meat counter I buy Hormel Roast Beef in Au Jus. And I buy instant mash 'taters. The roast beef is absolutely perfectly tender, can be used with a little barbque sauce if you want to change it up... but I prefer with mash 'taters, because it's very easy to get a cup of hot water at the 'stops.

I also love cucumbers with a little ranch, watermelon chunks. And I like cottage cheese. And I only drink water but I get a cup of black coffee to go when I fuel just in case Mr. Safety needs to see a receipt that I actually got away from the truck, no doubts.

All of those things are incredibly filling in small amounts and I can have more if I want more. That cooler never gets further than my finger tips while I drive.

I'm not especially into salty snacks like jerky and chips because they dehydrate me over time.

Anyway, I am practical... and I do like the same food over and over, look forward to it. Rarely do I spend money on at a restaurant unless I just need to get out of the truck with no Walmart nearby.

 

I carried 5+ weeks of food and water on my truck. Never drank sodas. All food and water from home. Many meals were frozen and the frig I had I kept below freezing. I use powdered drink mix, instant coffee. Chips, cookies, candy, cereal I'd snack on for breakfast while driving. Canned chicken and tuna. Pre cooked burgers and chickin pattys. And so much more. Never ate out. It was great because I could park anywhere for however long I needed. I wouldnt do it any other way. I also had a small micro and a toaster for bread and muffins. I could sit at a receivers for hours and had plenty to eat. And watch all those others buying junk from vending machines. In the morning I only had to get out of my truck to do a walk around, no running in the truck stop a 1/2 mile away to get junk food and coffee. Yes I had a pee bottle too.

 

I eat mainly Paleo (look it up, it is AMAZING!), so that means no breads, grains, or pastas. One of my staples is called BADs. You can a whole lot of them when you are home and take them on the road in Tupperware or something similar. It is a Date stuffed with an Almond and wrapped in Bacon. You cook in the oven at 400 for about 20-30s or as the bacon starts to crisp. Let them cool and put them in a container.

I also eat paleo bread PB&B with Honey. That is a Peanut (or Almond Butter in my case), Bananas, and Bacon with honey drizzled on the bananas. On the road you could use precooked bacon. Also if you can score some Avocados, Tomatoes and Bacon you could make BLTs add light meats like turkey or chicken breast and you are set. I eat really health so dried fruit and veggies (think celery and carrot sticks) would be easy for me to snack on.

My favorite foods are steak and grilled chicken but I would not want to eat it cold all the time, do most trucks have room for a microwave or small convention oven? I am getting more excited to go OTR but I have CDL training and maybe a 17 week Army Reserve commitment. Good Luck to all of you and be safe.

 

"then there is big Sunday dinner"...I want to eat at your truck tonight!

 

me too sounds yummy, except for the instant potatoes part only real for me

 

I've been making an effort to eat healthier and save money on food for the last year or so. You have to have an electric cooler or fridge, it's crazy not too. Assuming you have that here are some of the things that work for me.

1. always have bottled water handy, it took me a long time to realize I was actually dehydrated all the time. With the windows open or A/C or heat blasting you just dry out going down the road.

2. It's better to eat several small meals and snacks. I used to only eat one meal a day and pig out big time, very unhealthy. trail mix and jerky as mentioned as well as almonds, cashews, popcorn is also healthy if you don't throw on a bunch of butter and salt. dried fruit, fresh fruit, etc... I keep a handful of something healthy nearby most all the time now and I find I don't feel the urge to gorge myself once a day like I used too. All these snack items are expensive if you buy them at the gas station, but if you buy them in bulk at supermarkets you can keep a variety in the truck.

3. Oatmeal - I started doing oatmeal in the crockpot to help my blood pressure. put it on low when I go to bed and wake up to a nice bowl of oatmeal, toss in a little cinnamon or fruit if you want, makes the truck smell nice too ! use the bag liners for easy clean up. very cheap, very good for you.

4. peanut butter - I used to work with a guy who carried a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread and he probably ate peanut butter sandwiches twice a day nearly every day. I'm not that big of a fan of it, but when you get stuck waiting to load or unload you'll be glad you have it.

5. pickles, olives, etc... I always keep a few jars of something of this nature around, doesn't need refrigeration so long as you finish it off in a week or two.

6. sardines - again something you can stick in the truck and not worry about, it'll be there when you are looking for a quick meal sometime.