Nutrition for the Road: A Week of Quick and Easy Meals

Last month I shared with you what I think is an awesome healthy meal plan. However, if you’re just starting out with meal planning, or if your week involves travel, I’ve come up with a new, simpler plan. The recipes are still delicious, but you won’t have to shop for as many items, so you can cut down your meal prep time significantly.

This meal plan could be used if you are on the road staying in a hotel with a fridge and microwave in your room. If there’s not a microwave in the room, check and see if the hotel has one in the lobby or breakfast area.

I’ve created this meal plan for myself, so the portion sizes might be small for someone who weighs more than 115lb. Adjust accordingly.

Invest in a set of reusable containers to prep and store food like a champ.

Click Here to Download a PDF of the Meal Plan

Packing Tips

Always bring a couple of Tupperware containers with you when you travel. When eating out you will often get large portions that are too big for a single meal. Bring Tupperware to the restaurant so when you take half of your meal to go, you can store it nicely in your hotel fridge and reheat it without worrying about melting a disposable to-go container. Tupperware is also designed to keep produce fresh for extended amounts of time.

I’ve found that the handiest Tupperware products for this meal plan are the Breakfast Maker, the Stack Cooker, the Crystal Wave Containers, and snack cups. If you don’t have Tupperware, you can use whatever reusable containers you have in the cupboard.

You can also modify the recipes if needed. For example, for the garden omelet, if you don’t have a Tupperware Breakfast Maker or you don’t want to fry your omelet, just scramble a couple of eggs and have the vegetables and avocado as a side salad. Or for the shrimp, if you don’t have a Stack Cooker to steam it in the microwave, you can sauté it in a pan. If you are on the road, you can buy frozen cooked shrimp and thaw it out.

Remember, if you’re traveling, pick up one of those small, flexible cutting boards, and don’t forget a knife to cut up your vegetables. I usually keep a small folding knife in my purse and a travel cutlery set in my lunch bag. If you forget your cutlery, they usually have some at the hotel.

Click Here to Download a PDF of the Grocery List

Preparation Tips and Substitutions

Preparation Tips:

If you’re traveling, cook the quinoa the night before you get on the road and take it with you so you don’t have to buy a random processed substitute.
Instead of buying and cooking individual pieces of chicken, buy a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Pick all of the meat from the bones and store it in a container so you can quickly incorporate it into your recipes.
Buying Quest Bars at a supplement store is usually cheaper than purchasing them individually, and sometimes you can get a deal on a second box.
Bring a couple of Ziploc bags to store the other half of your Quest bar in, if you only eat half like I do.
Check the bulk bins for things like nuts and sunflower seeds. They are usually raw and cheaper than buying them in other sections.
I usually buy a bag of Hershey’s Kisses with Almonds and have a couple after my lunch for dessert.
Smoothies are easy to throw together, especially if you have a Magic Bullet or the Tupperware Power Chef. They are portable and there’s always an ice machine at the hotel. Pack your protein powder and buy a green drink and a bag of frozen fruit at the supermarket and you’re all set. Precision Nutrition and Eating Well has a variety of great smoothie recipes.
The Chia Seed Pudding is an overnight recipe, so make sure you prepare it the night before. I like mine with whole almonds soaked overnight and in the morning, I top the pudding with a dollop of plain yogurt and half of a banana, sliced.

Chia seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and protein. They also contain all nine essential amino acids.

Substitutions:

In the Quinoa Chickpea Salad, you can substitute the spinach for kale so you only have to buy one type of green.
In the Quinoa, Chickpea, Cucumber, & Feta Salad, I generally don’t use as much feta. I also halve the recipe if I’m just cooking for myself.
In the Garden Omelet, use whatever onion or vegetables you have. Most vegetables work well in all of the salads and wraps.

Simple and Satisfying

This meal plan is easy to stick to and comes together in a snap. You won’t even want a cheat meal because all of these recipes are filling and much more delicious than a greasy burger from the diner. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Bon appetit!

More Ways to Rock Your Meal Plan:

Teaser photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of Sally Arsenault.