In the past three weeks, we’ve been gone more than we’ve been home. While we enjoy traveling; traveling with food allergies can be challenging. Because two of our last three outings were spent driving to see out-of-town friends, I’ll touch on a few tips/hacks for road trips.
Can you eat breakfast before you hit the road?
Breakfast, by far, is the most difficult meal for me to eat at a restaurant. Whenever possible, we eat breakfast before we leave for a road trip. If we can’t eat before we leave, I bring Kevin’s Greek yogurt and my coconut milk yogurt and muffins or a coffee cake that I’ve made. We bring our own coffee so I can use my coconut milk coffee creamer.
Pack food for the road, so you don’t have to stop for snacks or meals while driving to your destination.
I pack a small basket with bananas, Lara Bars, Kind Bars, Glutino pretzels, Van’s crackers, maybe a few Starbursts or Skittles. I also pack a small cooler with carrots and hummus, celery and peanut butter, apples, grapes and water. Not only are these foods handy for the drive, they also make for convenient snacks to enjoy throughout your trip. If we will be driving through lunch, I pack sandwiches to eat as we drive. (Side note: When we do our annual fall color tour with our friends, the Kleins, we pack foods that we can grill at a roadside park.)
Additional items I like to pack.
In my little cooler I also pack my Natural Bliss Coconut Milk creamer, a small container of Earth’s Balance Buttery Spread, almond milk and “Just” Ranch Dressing. I put each of these items in containers that are small enough to carry in my purse so I can take them to a restaurant or down to the hotel breakfast. I also pack a couple So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurts. I can never be sure what my breakfast options will be, so I always have my yogurt if needed. Even if we’re staying with friends, not at a hotel, it’s still nice to have these items with me so I don’t have to make a grocery stop immediately.
Check out the local grocery or health food store(s).
I do this for a number of reasons. First off, while I’ve brought some food with me, I still need to pick up a few more items for the trip because it’s just a pain to bring it all from home. What do I buy? It depends where we’re staying. If we’re staying at a hotel, that means we will be eating most of our meals out. Because I don’t know what I will be able to order at the restaurant my grocery purchases usually consist of fruit, sandwich meat, lettuce and maybe a bag of chips. I buy these items in case my food options were limited at the restaurant, and at least I’ll have something I can eat when we return to the hotel. When staying with friends in their home, we eat in most of the time. In that situation, we pick up the fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and whatever else we will use to prepare our meals. If we do go out to dinner at some point, I still have food at the house if I couldn’t get much at the restaurant.
Second, I’m curious. I like to see what allergy-friendly foods they may carry. It’s interesting to see how different the selection and variety are from one store to the next, depending on the location you are visiting. You may find something new you’d like to try. Maybe they carry an item you’ve been unable to find for a long time or they have something you’ve run out of. (Last summer we were camping up by Coldwater Lake for a week and I ran out of beer. The little party store across the street actually carried my “Red Bridge” Gluten Free Sorghum beer. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! You have no idea how very few places sell that particular beer. I bought a 6-pack.)
Grocery store visit:
One of our recent road trips took us to the East Tawas/Tawas area to stay with friends. My friend, Julie, and I stopped at Neiman’s Family Market to pick up food for the two days we were staying. I was pleasantly surprised by their large selection of “allergy-friendly” foods. Some of the items were placed throughout the store and they also had a section devoted to gluten-free foods. The large variety of brand names was impressive. We picked up a box of “1-2-3 gluten free Sugar and Spice Pan Bars” for dessert that night, a bag of “Full Circle Gluten Free Waffle & Pancake Mix” and some fresh blueberries for Saturday’s breakfast. We all enjoyed the pan bars for dessert and the blueberry pancakes were delicious. Saturday afternoon, Julie and I went back to Neiman’s so I could take pictures of their gluten-free section. – Yes, I’m that person. – (The pics are below, be sure to check them out.) Also we stopped because I wanted to pick up two more boxes of the “1-2-3 gluten free pan bars” for home (Julie bought one also), and a number of items I’d never tried before. I bought a “Simple Truth Organic Gluten Free Cornbread Mix”, a “Simple Truth Organic Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix”, “Ken’s Steak House Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing” and two different brands of yogurt. One was almond milk and the other coconut milk and both were yucky, and I put their names out of my mind. (Doesn’t really help you much, or me for that matter, because now I can’t remember what I should never buy again.) I think I will stick with my “So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt” – which they also sold; as well as the “So Delicious” ice creams. Hopefully you can zoom in on my pics enabling you to see everything they had.
Neiman’s Family Market (image 1)
I’ve preached enough. Hoping maybe you can come away with a nugget or two of knowledge to use when planning your next road trip vacation.
Thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels!)