Going on Vacation: Healthy Travel Tips

I should really be packing right now. Kelley went to take our Golden (Abby) to her parents house since they will be watching her while we are away.  Thank you, Steve and Kathy....and Stephanie (Kelley's sister) too!

We are going to a small town in PA called Myerstown.  I wish I could count the number of towns in PA that end with "town", "ville", or "burg".....I bet it's a lot! All of my Mom's side of the family lives in PA (she's coming with us) and it seems like forever since we've seen everyone.  We're all excited to go, but why is it that packing and preparing for a nice, relaxing vacation feels so stressful?  It should be a happy time, but what if you forget something; what about your lucky pair of socks you always bring with you when travelling?

If you obsess over making sure your food is healthy, going somewhere away from home where your safe food is neatly stored in the fridge and pantry, this can be another added stress to deal with.

But there's no need to worry, last time I checked, most other areas in the US have stores too, and you can buy similar foods there!  So, I will bring a few things from home, and just grab anything else I "must" have at a grocery store when we get there.

Do you ever worry about how to avoid choosing unhealthy options while travelling?  Here are a few of my tips for a healthy trip for your next venture.

Make your own portable foods you can pack:  I made a couple batches of my Overnight Oatmeal Crisps that make a great portable snack, and they're healthy too! Or just bring oats to make Overnight Oats.


Pack portable produce:  Apples, bananas, carrots, and basically any citrus fruits travel well.  These make a great choice for a snack while driving or in between changing flights.


Nuts keep you from going "nuts":  Protein, fiber, healthy fats, and delicious; nuts can go anywhere and will help keep the hunger pangs away.  Choose your favorite type and look for dry roasted or raw so you don't have added oils.


Herbs and Spices:  You need spice in your life; pack what you use a lot of at home as these require little space anyway.  I like to a make a mixture of the savory spices I use on salads and veggies.  My favorite combo is cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, cilantro, and paprika.  Then I just bring cinnamon by itself.


Healthy cereal without the milk: What do you get?  A super easy, super portable snack that is usually lower in fat and sugar than even "healthy" baked goods in the chip/cracker aisle.  Kashi has tasty shredded wheat biscuits with cinnamon or vanilla flavors that, although still kind of high in sugar, are a better choice than most other options.  I also like to pack a cereal like Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 to have once at the destination.


Protein powder:  Whether you use soy, whey, hemp, or another source of powder, it travels well and keeps you satisfied.  Search for natural powders without a lot of extra ingredients you can't pronounce, and preferably sweetened with stevia.

If you have the choice, plan to pick up a few quick prep foods at the store once you get to your destination. I plan on buying plenty of frozen fruit and veggies, plain, non-fat, Greek yogurt, canned pumpkin, and rolled oats.

One of my favorite travelling treats is to mix canned pumpkin, Greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder, a few nuts, frozen blueberries, and a bit of oats together really well and let sit in the fridge (if you have that option). Within a few hours, you'll have a thick combo of very healthy ingredients that taste like dessert.  You might need to add a sweetener if you desire, I'll use liquid stevia or stevia packets that I brought.

I don't plan on posting anything while away, but hopefully I'll come back with some exciting stories.  Kelley and I plan on going to some fun trails to hike and to go kayaking while there; I can't wait.

Do you have any healthy travel tips?  Did any of these help you plan for your next trip?

Good Food and Fun on Road Trips

Kelley and I are in Breckenridge, CO; it's just a bit cooler than Texas. Her parents have a cozy condo in an excellent location and they have happily allowed us to come with Abby (our Golden Retriever) for the week. We made the drive from Fort Worth to Breck in almost 14 hours flat; a new record for us!  This is easily going to be a lot more enjoyable than last year's trip to Breckenridge.  MRSA on your nose and face can really put a damper on things...

This is how happy Annie's Bunnies made us while driving.

The drive was pretty uneventful (a good thing!) and we switched-off to make sure the driver was alert. In our past treks, the roads were iced over for most of the way and conditions were unfavorable; but besides rain, it was a great drive.  We packed our own food to take along the way so we didn't have to stop at those crappy places lined along major roads...ok, my view is a little biased, but I am entitled to an opinion.

I had to take a pic of this....yeah, I had little sleep.  That's a dehydrated carrot, by the way.

I told Kelley I would make sure to bring all of the food we wanted.  Since we rarely go out to eat, even on vacation, I needed to make sure we had our staple foods.  I was so focused on getting our favorite baked whole wheat rye bread and goat cheese from a local store near home, that I completely forgot several other items that Kelley always uses.  Kelley, I'm sorry....but at least you have goat cheese!

She didn't get any bunnies....it shows.

I brought the Zevia Baked Donuts I made earlier this week for the drive.  Cut in half with peanut butter and a banana in the middle made for a quick and tasty belly pleaser!  The few packaged foods we brought included original Corn Thins, Annie's Homegrown Chocolate Bunny Grahams, and Uncle Jerry's Whole Wheat Pretzels.  I recommend trying all of these if/when you get a chance.

Kelley's power road trip fuel. Annie's Chocolate Bunnies in Oikos Plain Greek yogurt.

Other foods for the road include dry roasted pumpkin seeds and pistachios, organic Gala apples, bananas, baby carrots, and Oikos Greek yogurt cups.  Oh, and yes, I brought my own bottle of cayenne powder...it's a must!  I had dehydrated canned beets and carrots during the week to bring on the trip; besides being very very crunchy, I enjoyed them mixed with other crunchy items.  With this assortment, Kelley and I definitely had some fun with our food...as you see in the pics.

My power road trip food.  Baby carrots make great yogurt "spoons"...sometimes. I confess, I had some bunnies too.

Today, all four of us went tubing in Frisco, CO (right next to Breck) and had a blast going down alone and with our tubes connected.  The more weight we had, the faster we went...fun!

Kelley and I riding the conveyor belt up the tubing hill.

After tubing, we felt a little hungry went to Downstairs At Eric's afterward.  Since I'm not a fan of eating at most restaurants, I opted for a nice Guinness Stout to "hold me over" until we got back to the condo.  I brought frozen veggies and some sardines I quickly made when we got back.

Lunch is served poured!!

We plan on doing a lot of walking while here and I really look forward to having a great time with Kelley and her parents, Steve and Kathy.  Ok, I'll add the dogs too....

We have been really excited to try some coffee shops around the quaint town.  I think we'll visit a few of these tomorrow.

When going on a road trip, do you plan ahead and bring your own food or depend on whatever's around along the way?

Overnight Oatmeal Baked Donuts.....My New Favorite Treat

Do you spell it "Donut" or "Doughnut"?  Meh, no matter, they taste great either way!

I really like my new donut baking pan; it makes a fun shape (Donuts!) and having the hole in the center helps to cook the batter evenly. After successfully baking a few good batches for Kelley and myself (see yesterday’s post on Baked Zevia Pumpkin Protein Donuts), I decided to try using my overnight oats mixture as the batter.

As you can see, they turned out pretty good. They are just a tad soft in the center, which I like, and plan to make more soon!

Are you interested in making these for yourself? It’s easy peasy….as my mom likes to say.

First you prepare overnight oats, then pour into donut-shaped baking pan at 365 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Depending on if you like things really crunchy (more time in the oven) or a little soft in the middle (less time), these are a fun and easy way to make a healthy snack for everyone.

Let the delectable oat spheres cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cooling in the pan is necessary for the baked goods to cool down and contract a little; pulling away from the sides. If you’re impatient like me, you know what happens when you don’t wait.

For those with kids, let them help by preparing their own overnight oats mixture; I bet they’ll be more inclined to eat healthy treats they made. This is way better than any kid’s treat in a box!

These Baked Oatmeal Donuts make a great snack for home or on the go. Kelley and I are leaving to Breckenridge in 2 days and the baked donuts I posted on yesterday along with these oatmeal donuts will make great companions for us both. I love road trips, and road trips with Kelley have always been fun.

Except for last year at this time when we went to Breck….I had MRSA and it was miserable! My unfortunate infection while in Breck was not very fun, but I did learn a tasty new recipe with sweet potatoes and black beans!!

Well, not this time, I will be illness-free and ready for a good trip with my wife! Her parents will already be where we are staying and we will have a great time enjoying the fresh air and good coffee from local shops. We also plan on making a couple trips to go snowshoeing as well. Coffee, snowshoeing, no work, minimal plans, good company……I think I’m ready!

For the trip, we will bring our own food since we are against most options (besides coffee) along the main roads. As I mentioned already, I’ll bring the baked donuts I made and the overnight oatmeal crisps I always talk about. Kelley’s must-haves are creamy goat cheese and good whole wheat rye bread. We will also have fresh sliced deli meat, plain Greek yogurt, baby carrots, organic apples, and mixed nuts for the trip.

I dehydrated carrots, zucchini squash, beets, and bananas in a dehydrator I just purchased and will bring along as well. Dehydrating foods will be in a future post…stay tuned! The few packaged foods we will bring include Annie’s Homegrown Bunny Grahams, Corn Thins, and Food For Life Ezekiel Cereal.

Do you have any go to road trip foods? Do you put convenience or health as top priority while traveling?