Eating well on the road...

So, we just made our annual trip cross country. Our route took us from LA, through Houston, up to Tennessee, North Carolina and finally back to Brooklyn...
I am often asked what on earth we eat on the road. How do we eat wholesome, healthy food without being able to properly cook anything, and how do we resist the temptation to crunch on chips and drink unhealthy drinks the whole way?
Let's go through a daily menu...
For breakfast we had oats made with hot water from the hotel and mixed with fresh fruit that we bought almost daily. I had a little bottle of honey to add some sweetness.
Lunch was either tuna, sardines, canned salmon or peanut butter sandwiches, always with applesauce, or a fruit or veggie on the side. I also found these great little guacamole packets that we had with our lunches. For bread, I packed a good amount of Ezekiel bread which lasted most of the way home. I did have to restock a bit in Houston though.
For dinner, I packed up chicken and turkey breasts, etc. and kept them frozen the whole way. We used our George Forman grill or our small camping burner to cook up the meat, along with canned beans or fresh cut up veggies (there is a company that has canned beans with no added sodium or sugar called Eden Organic. I love their products for on the go.) We also had those precooked brown rice bowls that we just added boiling water and a little seasoning to.
For snacks, I got the usual fruit leathers, apple chips, fresh fruit, carrots and chumus,  nuts and  raisins, home made pop corn...So the kids were fine with that. I understand the need and desire to have something crunchy when you're kind of just sitting around. I get like that all the time. I usually turn to carrots or crunchy grapes. But on the road, that's not always the easiest thing to do. If you are the type that needs those chips, try and get Kettle  or Cape Cod. While still not healthy, they are made with better ingredients than the regular name brand and are less oily. And try to avoid the diet or regular sodas. Think of all the sugar/artificial sugar that would be going through your body as you just sit for hours on the road...If you need something more exciting than water, try an Odwalla or Naked smoothie drink. They're good and filling. I wouldn't recommend them on a regular basis, but for a long road trip, I'd say they're ok!
We stocked  packs of water bottles in the back seat of our truck and all our food went in the back in a nice neat little plastic container (thanks to Chaya Sarah in Houston!) You can organize your food supply however is best for you. As long as you know where everything is when you need it!
So...that was pretty much our road trip in a nut shell. If you're planning a trip and you need some good menu planning ideas feel free to email me, and don't forget to write your first and last name and how to contact you!
All the best,
Mishi

What's really important?

When we think of living healthy lifestyles, what mostly comes to mind is healthy eating. No white flour or sugar, lots of fruits and veggies, etc.
And what most of us are forgetting is that healthy eating is only one small aspect of living a healthy life. The other side of it all lies in our lifestyle. Are our relationships thriving? How do we enjoy our career? How is the spiritual part of our lives? Stress can also be a big factor! If all of our these important, basic aspects of our lives are in balance, then we can live a healthy lifestyle!
Think of it this way. I have seen people (including myself at times) eat the healthiest of meals. Balanced, organic, healthy fats and grains. And at the same time they aren't letting that food take proper effect in their bodies. They inhale their food while searching online for shoes, talking on the phone and texting all at the same time. There is barely any chewing going on, which skips a major part of the digestion process, which can contribute to weight issues, and there is no enjoyment of the food, which can easily lead to wanting and craving more and more!
In addition, stress creates a hormone which gets stored as fat around the cells. So even if your eating a very healthy diet, make sure you as stress free as possible to avoid the extra fat cells and other horrible effects of stress on the body.
So...the next time you are about to sit down to a meal, get rid of all the electronics, take a few deep breaths and prepare yourself and your body for tasting, chewing (take time to actually chew your food) and digesting a really great, healthy and beneficial meal!