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Travel Eating

AIRPORTS

From: www.theyearinfood.com

1. ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS, CUCUMBER, BLACK PEPPER, SEA SALT.
2. JARLSBERG CHEESE (Hard cheeses can go a long time without refrigeration.)
3. ALMOND BUTTER 3 WAYS: APPLES, STRAWBERRIES, BANANA (top with sea salt)
4. SNACKS of MINI CARROTS, RAW UNSALTED CASHEWS, DRIED MANGO SLICES.
5. PACKAGED FOOD: OATMEAL (just ask for a little hot water in a cup), LUNA BARS, JUSTIN’S NUT BUTTERS (this stuff is crazy good! And the little packets are perfect for traveling.)

ONE-POT MEALS AND THE MAGIC OF THE RICE COOKER

With a rice cooker, all of your cooking in one pot, and it’s super lightweight and cleans easily. You throw a couple bowls in there while not in use, a spoon for cooking and a small knife and a dish towel, and you’re almost all set. These recipes work equally well for camping, too, using a small stove. From: www.theyearinfood.com

1. Choose a grain (rice, pasta, quinoa - this is where those lovely boxes of pilaf or pasta that are already seasoned come in really handy!)

2. Match it with a vegetable that travels well (list below)

3. Always travel with a small container of olive oil, salt and pepper, and maybe your favorite spice blend

You add the vegetables at the same time as the rice/pasta/quinoa to a pot of boiling water. When it’s ready, carefully drain it – that steam vent on the lid of the rice cooker doubles nicely as a drain. Use a towel. Add some sauce or some salt and pepper or some hard cheese. You’ve got the best meal in your motel complex.
Produce that travels well:

1. Broccoli
2. Kale
3. Cucumbers
4. Firm avocados (they’ll ripen while traveling)
5. Cherry tomatoes (big tomatoes don’t travel so well!)
6. Melons of all types
7. Carrots
8. Apples
9. Celery
10. Corn on the cob

Packed Lunches

From: independent.co.uk

Dried fruits are great for lunchboxes, an easy store-cupboard ingredient that can quite happily knock about in a school bag with no problems. Favourites in our house include dried banana chips, apple, mango, apricots. You could bulk up their lunchbox with a good-quality unsweetened yoghurt and mix in some dried pineapple chunks.

Fussy eaters are always a challenge. Stealth tactics are required. Banana bread, chocolate raisins, yoghurt-dipped nuts and chocolate soya milk have great health benefits while also being very tasty.

Perfect for a lunchbox: sausage rolls, chocolate madeleines, chard and broccoli salad, and a bit of fruit.

We try not to give them sandwiches too often, but I've got a couple that give them a real protein and carbohydrate blast: one combines good-quality peanut butter with banana and the other is humus and cucumber. You want to include fruit, but nothing too perishable. Raisins are good, too – my sons are addicted to them. And there are some healthy treats out there. I buy those Nakd bars – the boys love the chocolate and orange. They love liquorice, too. They've always drunk water, which is great.

Rather than just sandwiches, we prefer wraps and filled mini pitta breads. We also like to give them cold salads such as pasta and roasted peppers – and my children adore couscous. Smoothies encourage them to eat fruit – especially this time of the year with so much around.

chop up raw veggies such as carrots or peppers, and give them humus or cottage cheese to dip the veg in. Breadsticks and wholemeal crackers are great finger foods and they can be spread with low-fat soft cheese or eaten with reduced-fat cheddar and pickles. Replace chocolate bars and cakes with fresh fruit, dried fruit or unsalted nuts. Instead of sandwiches, try bagels, pitta bread, wraps and baguettes made from brown, wholemeal or seeded bread.

Savoury muffins are perfect for this in both regards – they are fun and easy to prepare together and you can add in pretty much whatever vegetables you have to hand. As for fruit, try serving it with a fun dip they will enjoy. Or how about a banana cake?

tuna Niçoise salad made with rice, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, black olives, French beans and tuna, and we make tabouleh at home. If we have a roast chicken at the weekend, then my son will always want a chicken and basil sandwich for his lunch – it's the same story if we have roast lamb or beef. And they love sausage so they will eat it cold with potato or pasta salad – or even in a sandwich.

inari – little tofu pouches filled with sushi rice – and onigiri with salmon or a vegetarian filling. They are little rice triangles with a nori wrap. Sweet and savoury dips are always good. Try a berry-based dip for fruit, and serve vegetable sticks with a mild miso dip. Both are low in fat and very healthy.

Offer some choice: give them various things but individually arranged, such as a few pieces of cucumber maki, onigiri, tomatoes and vegetable sticks with dips, poached salmon slices with sesame. They're all healthy choices with simple flavours.

Smoked salmon is a good sandwich filling as kids don't often see it as real fish and it's full of goodness. I give it to my daughter on rye bread, which is also very wholesome. Otherwise a yoghurt and barley dip with carrots and cucumber goes down quite well.