Eating On the Road…
 Pack a cooler for inside the car; fill it with whole washed fruits, containers of nuts, cut up vegetables, crackers & dips; balance with juices & bottles of water. I always complete the cooler with frozen drinks. This keeps the other foods cold, we always have cold drinks and the kids (young & old) think of the frozen bits as frozen treats!
If the trip is longer, you can include serving size salads, deli meats, condiments, whole grain breads for sandwiches.
Not only does this save you money, but everyone can snack as their stomachs dictate.
Eating at the cottage…
No matter how long or short the trip, plan to arrive hungry.
Plan your meals & snacks before you head out. Partially prepare the first meal for the cottage: defrost and or marinate the protein for the first meal (on the barbeque or not); partially chop the veggies so they can go straight on the grill or into a salad; after all the cook is also tired after a long ride...or try some of our no-cook recipes.
Most meals should be simple, so include lots of sauces & condiments so you can have a variety of tastes with a limited variety of ingredients. Here are some summer favourites that can be tasty, quick & easy (and still good for YOU)
Hamburgers
Chicken
Fish
Steaks
Kabobs
Sides
Salads-Potato, Coleslaw, Pasta
Drinks
Treats
Eating Outside…
See this month’s Food Bits for more ideas!
Eating Out…
We’re on vacation, so who wants to cook? So how do we still eat well and let someone else do the cooking? Best choices are local diners & eateries where food is prepared when ordered. You can order what you want prepared fresh for you. But sometimes we don’t have the choice, so…
Breakfast:
Fresh fruit, yogurt & English muffin or toast instead of a croissant or biscuits. Whole-wheat or oat-bran bagels with 2 tablespoons cream cheese is also a good choice for breakfast.
Lunch / Dinner
Pizza Choose thin crust, whole grain when possible, half the cheese, either chicken breast or ham, lots of vegetables for extra fibre and order a salad to go along with it. Since pizza is fatty, stick to one slice, and avoid the personal or six-inch pizzas, which are often higher in fat and calories than two regular slices.
Burgers Plain, small burger or cheeseburger, top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sprouts, cucumbers & any other vegetables you like! Pickles & other condiments add flavour, sodium & calories
Chicken sandwiches are all over the map calorie-wise; the grilled ones are usually a good bet, but only if you skip the mayo & sauces; top with lettuce or sprouts. Where possible, order grilled chicken, plain with a healthy side dish or as part of a salad.
Fish Fast-food Fish sandwiches are drenched in fat. Deep fried fish & chips are just as bad. Order the fish broiled without the breading with a side of vegetables (mushy peas are an old English favourite) or salad.
Sides of vegetables, anything raw, steamed or boiled is good-watch the sauces though... Baked beans are a good choice. Anything creamed is just that creamed! Mashed potatoes or mashed butternut squash can be prepared low fat-ask! Corn on the cob is a summer favourite; just don’t drench it in butter!
Salad bars are full of choices, good & bad. Choose raw ingredients. Prepared salads are full of mayonnaise, oil and other high fat bindings, so watch the portions of pasta salad, potato salad & coleslaws. Dressing on the side lets you control the amounts and still get that flavour boost.
Ice cream
Plain vanilla has the least fat and calories or sorbets and fruit ices that have no fat.
Go ahead; after all you are on vacation!
Judy Chong, Head Foodie
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