Never worry again about staying healthy on vacation. Just read all of the comments left yesterday re: “Healthy-eating on Vacation.” Thank you all for taking the time to leave such a plethora of good advice.
Yesterday, I mentioned some portable snack ideas for healthy eating when you’re not at home. But sometimes—especially on vacations—circumstances call for portable meals as well as snacks.
That’s where tupperware comes in!
And coolers. Coolers are your best friends. Basically anything can be turned into a portable meal if put into a tupperware container (and then, optionally, a cooler). Okay, maybe not anything. Leave the Vita-Mix ice cream at home! Another good idea is to bring part of a meal and supplement the rest with something you buy while out. And even more options are open to you if you’re strange lucky like me in that you actually prefer most foods at room temperature or cold.
Some of my favorite portable lunches include: Soups, salads, sandwiches, blended grain puddings, and stir fries. Sometimes, it’s easier to “picture” meals when there are actual pictures (go figure). So I put together a photo essay with some ideas:
Starting with the Banana Butter
And then there’s also: Strawberry Shortcake Sandwich
Either savory or sweet Love Muffins
Soups, such as “No Cream” Cream Of Broccoli Soup
Pasta salads (w/veggies and dressing, like Newman’s sesame) or any cold pasta dish
“Somewhere over the Rainbow” Sandwich
And finally, salads, such as “Colonel Mustard” Salad
I could go on and on with my portable meal photos, especially with soups, salads, and leftovers. But everyone knows what a stir fry looks like, so I’ll spare you.
Photos in order of appearance:
- Banana Butter
- Carrot Cake sandwich
- Strawberry Shortcake sandwich
- Love Muffins
- All the Way Arame Salad
- “No-Cream” Cream of Broccoli soup
- Pasta stir fry
- Somewhere over the Rainbow sandwich
- Colonel Mustard salad
.
I just got back from vacation and it was more exciting to eat mostly healthy and enjoy the tastes of other cultures. In the States it is different, but my main goal in Europe and Morocco was to try traditional foods and experience meals that a local would eat. I did discover that you can get good traditional foods from the local markets and grocery stores, and I do encourage doing this in Europe to not only save money, but enjoy a an outdoor picnic with local treats. Another thins we did was stop while we were out walking for hours and buy fresh fruit at a market or street vendor and munch on fruit for snacks all day long, and then have other foods for meals at restaurants. One of my favorite parts of Spain was enjoying Sangria and tapas while eating outside with the sun still out at almost 10 pm. As for Morocco, I had an insane vegetarian meal, and if you want to see pictures, it is on my current post that is up right now.
I love your portable lunch ideas!! I’m definitely in need of some a few days so thanks! 🙂
Hmm I don’t think I’ve ever seen a carrot cake sandwich before. Interesting 🙂
I’ve hugged a fruit! What a productive morning. Not even 9am and the fruit is not only hugged, but gobbled. 🙂
http://greenbeansandjam.com/?p=78
^up tharr.
Ah, thank you for this post. It seems like I’m always on the go, which means I always have to bring food with me. I’ve gotten it down pretty well, but I’m still grateful for any new portable lunch options. Sandwiches with hummus are great for me, and I like keeping Larabars, Raw Revolution bars or Gnu bars on hand to eat with roasted edamame (protein!). I have also found that coolers are your best friend. They make things so much easier, especially when you bring re-freezable ice packs. 🙂