Road trips are the best.
The sun is out, windows are rolled down, your hand is out the window catching the wind while your favorite tunes play. The anticipation of your destination couldn’t be any more exciting and free!
Now, road trips are super fun because you get to set off to a new place, see new sights, check-out fun coffee shops, camping sites, lakes, local restaurants and all the other fun and spontaneous tangents you’re free to take on such a trip.
…and it’s time to let loose and indulge a bit on vacation, but ultimately, you still want to feel amazing coming back from your get-away, ready to crush it in the gym and not feel sluggish, foggy and bloated. Or, better yet, plan an active vacation full of hiking, and other outdoor activities that help keep your momentum to stay healthy and strong.
However, when you get to a special place on your summer vacation, the local gems that you might find are definitely worth the temporary indulgences. It might be that special pastry shop in that cute little town, or the “one of a kind” on the menu that you can only find in that city which has been featured by Andrew Zimmerman on the Food Network.
Places like this are worth the experience and the memories….but overdoing it can add up over a week of road tripping with all the sitting in a car, having a different sleep schedule, eating new and different foods and, generally, taking a break.
So how to still enjoy all the magic and mystery of a road trip while still feeling great? You just need a little pre-planning and strategy to mitigate the effects of being a little “off” of your normal routine.
Let’s dive into some possible scenarios!
The car ride itself:
This is where coolers and tupperware are your best friends. There’s really no sense in wasting money on cheap fast food, last minute snacks at the Grocery-n-Go and pit stop vending machines. You gotta think ahead, and you’ll be glad you did.
Those options just aren’t worth feeling crappy for. Packing your cooler should have all the goodness of real food and snacks that won’t derail you.
Here are some examples of easy ideas that are healthy for the car ride (plus you get to hang out on a picnic table at the wayside stop):
- Chicken salad recipes made with avocado mayo
- Grilled or baked chicken drumsticks
- Sliced quality deli meat rolled with avocado slices or guacamole spread
- Hard boiled eggs
- Sliced bell peppers / carrots / cucumbers / etc. with hummus or dipped in Primal Kitchen brand dressings
- Costco jar of mixed nuts or pistachios
- Full fat plain Greek yogurt & berries
- Dried mango slices (no added sugar), apples, grapes, etc.
- Peanut butter or almond butter single packs
- LaCroix or Waterloo sparkling water, or bottled Kombucha
Coffee shops:
This goes without saying, but no matter if you’re at Starbucks or some cute and charming small town cafe, the sugary syrup still has the same effects! If you’re not already in the habit of enjoying a nice Americano or black coffee with some full fat cream (yum!), well we might not make any headway here. However, our suggestion is to stick to Americanos or black coffee and cream, especially if you’re going to indulge or split a pastry treat with your significant other. This is just a simple way to ease the effects of too much sugar in one sitting.
Local breakfast and brunch cafes:
Breakfast and brunch is the easiest meal of the day to eat healthy and still feel like you’re at a royal buffet. Omelettes are full of excellent protein to keep you satisfied, fill them with veggies and you’re all set. If you don’t want to go without toast, sourdough is your best option. Skip the OJ and stick to black coffee or water. Bowl of berries or melon with your omelette? Sure thing. Add a turkey sausage or some bacon on the side and your appetite will be satisfied all morning long while you sight-see or drive to your next location.
The campsite:
Grilling at its best. You can’t go wrong. Just Google for marinades, or use Primal Kitchen dressings as marinades – you can go to town on a million things to try. Pick your favorite meats to bring in the cooler. Have them ready to go (already marinated in tupperware), so you can avoid as much prep work as possible at the campsite.
The grill or open fire is also a PERFECT way to foil-wrap veggies with whatever vinaigrette or no-sugar marinade that suits you. Easy veggies to put into heavy duty foil over a fire pit are: thick zucchini chunks, bell peppers, sweet onions, garlic cloves, mushrooms, etc.
Diced red potatoes with butter, sea salt and cracked pepper wrapped into heavy duty foil are a GREAT way to round out your camping dinners.
When camping, if you don’t have healthy habits established, it’s easy to fall back on bags of chips, processed hot dogs and brats, packaged cookies and other snacky junk food just because it might feel more convenient to pack. An excess of beer and wine might sneak its way into your nightly fire pit kumbaya gatherings too….yes, enjoy the time and memories but just be mindful of how this all adds up to a foggy and sluggish existence the following day!
That charming local restaurant:
We can’t forget that hidden gem of a place that feels so special to experience on your road trip. The basic guidelines for eating at restaurants can still apply to keep you relatively on track. Order a protein (some sort of meat or fish) and steer clear of fried stuff, order extra grilled or roasted veggies on the side (or enjoy an amazing farm-to-table salad), split a lovely dessert.
If you want to enjoy some alcohol, red wine is your best option.
Road trips and other types of vacations are never going to be completely free of indulgences that you want to enjoy. We’re all for that! But hopefully, the scenarios we mentioned (where you can take more control over your choices) will help to balance things out.
Then, by the time your vacation is winding down, you feel ready to hit your routine again, head to the gym and get things back in order…..with a lot of good memories from your road trip to reflect on!