We're baaaack!
My first cruise was super rad! I drank all the delicious cocktails, ate tons of great food, and just had an all around bitchin' time. I can't wait to recap all of our #wassysinthewild adventures, but patience friends, let's start at the beginning.
First things first, we had to get to the port in order to set sail for the Bahamas! Let's be real, every good road trip must include lots of snacks. Ain't nobody trying to get through a long drive on an empty stomach. However, you put in all this pre-vacation work to earn that beach-ready bod, so what can you do to avoid the inflammation from extremely processed junk foods and sugary sodas that we typically consider road trip must-haves? With a little bit of planning and preparation, you can take off on your trip with the assurance that you'll be hitting the beach inflammation-free and feeling great. Plus, save your splurges for the actual vacation! There will be way better ones once you are there and settled! Take this frozen Coco-Loco cocktail in this pineapple for example:
Holy freaking yum. Now THAT was a treat worth waiting for. Anyways, I present to you, my healthy road trip snack plan:
7:30am: Half a blueberry cashew Perfect Foods Bar. I ate a full breakfast upon waking around 5:45 that morning, so 30 minutes into our drive, I was already craving a snack. Perfect Bars are great, because they are packed with super foods and healthy fats, not to mention, they taste AMAZING. Sub one of these for your go-to candy bar, and you'll feel much better, while still satisfying that sweet tooth. For all my fellow chocolate lovers out there, these bars also come in flavors that include cacao and/or chocolate chips!
9:30am: Stopped for coffee. Every good road trip deserves a nice strong dose of caffeine. How else are you going to stay focused on driving, or in my case, keep the driver entertained? Check out this post for some healthier drink options from Starbucks.
11:30am: One serving of cheddar Rice Cakes + Bag of OH SNAP! pickle chips. Um, this is my first time having the OH SNAP! brand, and I'm a fan. I love pickles in general, but these have a great flavor!
12:30pm: Lunch time! On road trips where this is an option, I like to plan ahead by prepping a healthy lunch. Sometimes I will make a sandwich or pre-heat a meal that I plan to eat early on. Since we took off early in the morning, I packed a cold salad to eat on the go. Add in some dressing (that I also packed on the side) and voila! Healthy, satisfying lunch is served.
2pm: Stopped for gas, and picked up this pack of chicken jerky to share with Shawn for some extra protein. When in doubt, pick a snack high in protein! This can be a protein bar, jerky, boiled egg, protein shake, lunch meat, etc!
3pm: We arrived! We started out the vacation by the pool at our hotel, then headed out towards the beaches for a seafood dinner.
For comparison, I did not have the opportunity to prepare for my return trip after the cruise. I still managed to keep it mostly together anyways! We ate breakfast on the ship before we disembarked. I had a veggie and egg white omelet, a side of ham, and some watermelon. I also took a sugar free vanilla latte from the ship's cafe to go! At a gas station, I bought a Coke zero, a large bottle of water, and another bag of OH SNAP! pickle chips.
For lunch, we stopped at Chick-fil-A. Although I don't typically eat at Chick-fil-A back home, it was one of the better options we had in south Georgia. I ordered a grilled market salad, with extra grilled chicken and fat-free honey mustard dressing. I always skip the additional toppings on my salad (although they aren't terrible if you love nuts and seeds). Ordering the salad gives me some extra food volume through the greens, satiety from the protein, and keeps the calorie count pretty low since I'm skipping the high-fat toppings and dressings. I always try to steer clear of the fried chicken and french fries. Aside from the calorie content being super high on a relatively low volume of these foods, I tend to feel super junky after eating them. It just makes the most sense for me to avoid these types of foods altogether. Pay attention to the way certain foods make you feel. Is that 12 count of nuggets and large fry worth feeling like crap over the next 24 hours?
A couple hours later, we stopped at another gas station where I bought a flavored sparkling water and this bag of Boom Chicka Pop! The sweet and salty flavor is delicious, and felt like a dessert after my salad from lunch. It also kept me sane as we sat through Friday traffic in Atlanta. Welcome back to reality!
There you have it, guys. That is how I snack on a 7-8 hour road trip without feeling like total ass by the end! Some key take aways:
1. Plan ahead if you can! Pack a cooler or snack bag that you can pull from as you go. Pre-portion things out in ziplock baggies so you aren't tempted to overeat! You can also save money by packing drinks from home, rather than having to buy them from gas stations or restaurants as you go. We pack tons of bottled waters for our trips!
2. If you can, try to pick snacks high in protein, or grab some veggies! We stopped at one gas station that had veggie cups with hummus or ranch. I also know that Starbucks has protein packs that have boiled eggs, cheeses, fruits, and veggies in them. These would also make great healthy snack options!
3. Try to avoid high-fat, greasy fried foods and ultra-processed junk foods and candies in the gas station. Also, stay away sugary sodas and juices and stick to water, flavored water, and the occasional diet soda.
4. Get your caffeine fix with a coffee. Pack your own sweetener, or attempt to choose a lower sugar option at the coffee shop or gas station.
5. Many of these same rules apply to flights too! You can pack food for your flight as well! Just avoid packing any liquids- they'll snatch those up in security. That means fresh veggies and fruits (slice them up in advance), lunch meats (sandwiches), protein bars, popcorn, boiled eggs, etc. are all fair game! All you need to do is grab your coffee once you get there ;).
I hope this helps you guys out! Anyone planning a trip this summer? Are you driving or flying? Shout out your favorite road trip snacks in the comments below!