How Can I Eat PLANTSTRONG When Traveling and Going to Restaurants?
Rip’s Tips for Eating PLANTSTRONG While Traveling - it's totally possible!
For most people, eating a whole foods, plant-based meal plan is easy at home, but it can be tricky on the road. If you reframe the way you look at meal options "on the go," you'll actually find it's quite easy to enjoy PLANTSTRONG meals when away from home. Here are our founder's best tips to try on your next trip!
On the Road
For day trips with the kids, we always pack a cooler loaded with fruit, cut up vegetables, and whole wheat pitas with lots of hummus. Toss in a bottle of mustard, pickles, and some broccoli sprouts, and you have the makings of a great sandwich.
We often plan ahead and make a few pizzas the night before. Once cooked and cooled, we wrap in foil and enjoy them the next day. We always pack PB&J sandwiches on whole grain bread as emergency meals, along with Sumo oranges and apples so we're never caught without meal to hold us over.
Muffins are a great way to stay satisfied on the road. Try making our Banana Bread Muffins or our Savory Cornbread Muffins. Both freeze well and can be tossed in your bag before you leave the house.
The new PLANTSTRONG ready-to-eat chilis and stews are also a lifesaver for day trips. Don’t forget to pack a microwavable bowl with a lid, then you can rip open a box at any truck stop, and use the in-store microwave to heat your meal. Or heat them up before you hit the road the morning, and store in a thermos until you're ready to dig in.
These are also great for hotel nights or when staying with friends, and can be expanded into multiple meals when served with baked potatoes or brown rice. Here is a great, oil free, travel-friendly option.
Air Travel
When I pack for a trip, I never leave home without a couple bags of Rip’s Big Bowl Cereal and a bag of our PLANTSTRONG Granola. I know I can stop at any Starbucks and purchase a cup of plant-based milk and a banana or two.
For an early morning flight, I will also bring a frozen unsweetened applesauce pouch along with a lidded bowl of frozen berries and a spoon. Then on the plane or during a layover, the bowl of berries and the applesauce have thawed and can be mixed with the granola and/or cereal for a super fast and filling meal that requires no liquid or refrigeration. Try it!
But what about eating out?
Here are some ideas of what to order in different types of restaurants:
Asian restaurants: Ask for brown rice, steamed vegetables, steamed edamame, or tofu, hold the extra sauces, and use low sodium soy sauce sparingly. Another good option for both restaurants and most grocery stores: brown rice vegetable sushi.
Italian: Go for whole grain pasta, tomato sauce (with no cheese added), and ask them to throw in as many grilled/steamed vegetables as they can find! You can also order a house salad with no dressing and put your hot pasta right over top. Trust us - it's delicious!
Steak House/American: Believe it or not, you can get a great meal at a steak house. You can almost always find options like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and lots of steamed vegetables, or you ask your server for a salad with every fresh vegetable they have on hand (and even fruit!), with a side of balsamic vinegar.
Breakfast spots: Request oatmeal made with non-dairy milk or water, fruit, and some nuts. You can also ask if they have whole grain bread, a little nut butter or avocado (hold the oil!), and fruit.
Coffee shops: Hot herbal tea is always a great option. If you use coffee creamer, oat milk is quickly becoming a mainstay at coffee shops. Skip the syrups! If you’re having a snack, go for oatmeal or look for bars with ingredients you can pronounce. Look for whole grain bread or bagels. Scan the lunch menu for hummus or avocado and any greens – then swap cream cheese or butter for your bagel and add some spinach and tomato if you’re lucky! Dried fruit and nuts are great grab-and-go snack options to hold you over.
Gas stations: If you’re on the road, you can find fruit at most convenience stores, and sometimes whole-grain pretzels or unsalted nuts as well.
Grocery stores: Don’t forget local grocery stores, where you can find items like oil-free hummus, whole-grain crackers or bread, cut up and washed vegetables/fruit, cans of low sodium beans (just be sure to pick up a cheap can-opener). You can even buy single potatoes, frozen grains and frozen vegetables to microwave later in your hotel room. Or, you can make a great trail mix with whole-grain cereal, raisins, and a few nuts. Many grocery stores also have salad bars where you can make a great PLANTSTRONG meal. Save some money by purchasing a full container of washed spinach or mixed greens in the produce section, then buy your salad bar toppings to assemble a monster meal inside the greens container. If the store doesn’t offer prepared brown rice on the salad bar, be sure to pick up some frozen (and check the cafe area for a microwave!). For dressings, think outside the bottle. Look for prepared hot soups: vegan chili or minestrone soup make a great salad topper. Or grab salsa or hummus or a bottle of balsamic glaze before you checkout.
The bottom line—if you rethink your meal options and make it an adventure to find what you need, it’s entirely possible to stay PLANTSTRONG wherever you go!
We’re here for you!
Remember, if you need convenient, healthy, on-the-go snacks and meals, look no further than our line of PLANTSTRONG Foods – including cereals, granolas, pizza kits, popcorn, chilis, stews, and broths. Our exclusive PLANTSTRONG line of foods is here to simplify the journey to a plant-based lifestyle by providing convenient meal solutions built on a foundation of taste, nutritional integrity, and proven science.
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