Food Prep on Drive Days
As the person who has to think about feeding our family while on the road, it can be a little stressful to find time to shop, prepare, and cook for everyone when we move so often. We aren’t a family who goes out to eat that often, so I try to find ways to get everyone fed without always eating the same things and having to get fully set up to prepare dinner when we arrive in a new destination.
- Tip 1: Before leaving home for your long trip, or while stopped for an extended period at one place, prepare food you can freeze to make it easier while on the road. Sometimes I double a recipe and freeze off half to use for a later meal. Packing the freezer with food also helps keep it cold once everything is frozen. Ideas: cut up and marinate meat and chicken, make sauces, jams, and jarred fruit/veggies, cook ground beef/chicken/turkey to be used in different dishes, form patties and wrap individually for freezer, make chilis, stews, or soups and freeze in small containers and/or ziplock bags. Anything you can cook in advance will save you time later.
- Tip 2: If you have long drive days, figure out whether you’re stopping to eat or eating in the car. We usually eat in the car while driving, but we get sick of PB&J every day. Pack your lunch (sandwiches, salads, etc.) the night before so you’re not rushing to do it while packing up everything else. If you plan to stop and eat, make it easy and have things cut up or separated so you don’t have to stop as long (especially with hungry passengers). Anything you can prepare the night before and have available in the fridge or front of the cabinet will make your stop faster and more efficient. In addition, you may consider looking for rest stops along your drive, as they often have nice grassy areas with picnic tables.
- Tip 3: While eating in the car, you can purchase pre-packaged individual servings (which I hate doing but definitely do more of this when we are driving a lot and I’m tired of packing up food every night), you can pre-sort snacks/ crackers/ cereals and put in sandwich baggies, or you can pour snacks into plastic or paper cups. We just started doing this and it helps prevent spills and drops since the cups fit right in the cup holders. It’s also easy to refill as needed and works easier for the driver to snack. We usually keep a cooler or a bag of snacks in the back seat so we can snack as we drive. You may also consider keeping a case of water (or diet soda, iced tea) in the backseat, so you stay hydrated and don’t have to stop just for a drink or snack.
- Tip 4: Don’t forget to keep a special snack for the driver in arms reach. When you need a little sugar boost, our favorites are peanut m&ms, skittles, and peanut butter pretzels.
