My 3-Day Travel Food Journal

After not traveling for two years, multiple trips canceled due to COVID-19, missed family trips for various reasons; Willis and I decided we needed an adventure. Driving the East Coast to Florida with a 6 year-old and our dog sounds pretty adventurous. We booked the car, the hotels, and the house. Giving ourselves three days to drive down and three days back. Our final destination: the sunny, warm, and surfable Sebastian, Florida. 

First, I want to tell you about our nutrition choices on the road and then a few takeaways.

Day 1: Destination Washington D.C. 

We hit the road at 5:15 am and stopped at two really cool playgrounds(The can do playground was definitely worth the stop) along 95 in Connecticut and Delaware to move around, play, and explore. After multiple pee breaks and a little traffic we got to D.C. around 5:30 pm.

4:30 am: Coffee, Laird superfood creamer, Glass of water with lemon.

6 am: Breakfast; pre prepped omelet (2 eggs, 2 egg whites, mixed greens), handful of almonds, Shake (Garden of life Green superfood,½ scoop Sunwarrior protein powder, and my customized probiotic and prebiotic powder).

12:30 pm: A pre-packed salad (grilled chicken, mixed greens, snap peas, cucumbers, olives, sunflower seeds, Primal Kitchen Dressing), and a banana. (Which I ate while on the road because I was starving!).

2:30 pm: I was still feeling hungry when we stopped at our second playground, so I had my second banana (can you tell I love bananas? haha).6 pm: Fresh veggies and hummus awaited us when we arrived. Dinner; A big salad (mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and carrots), two slices of Trader Joes Frozen Veggie pizza, LOTS of water.

Day 2: D.C. to Hilton Head, SC (Hotel for the night)

We stopped at another really cool playground in Dunn, NC The Clarence Lee Tart Memorial Park. FYI these stops were healthy for the WHOLE family haha.

5:30 am: Scrambled eggs and bacon, Green shake (from above), Coffee (black).

6:30 am: Starbucks Venti coffee with almond milk.

11:30 am: Small salad left-over from dinner (greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, Primal Kitchen Dressing), Larabar, handful of almonds, and banana.

3 pm: Half a bag of Abound omega trail mix (my Mother-law bought us)5:45 pm: Marly’s Shrimp and burger shack, Shack salad with grilled chicken and my own Primal Kitchen Dressing.

Day 3: Hilton Head to Sebastian Florida (House rental, final destination)

5:30 am: Coffee with Laird superfood creamer, green shake (from above)

7 am: Hotel breakfast. 2 Egg omelets, one plain, one with cheese and a mix of peppers, banana, and coffee with almond milk.

11:30 am: Bought a prepackaged salad at Kroger’s grocery store, Primal Kitchen dressing, banana (always)

3 pm: Apple pie Larabar, ¾’s bag of Abound Omega Trail mix

7 pm: Dough boyz pizza.Greek Salad with grilled chicken, Primal kitchen dressing, two slices of pizza.

As you can see I did pretty good! There are very limited options while traveling. Even at a couple of the grocery stores on Hilton Head they didn’t have a salad bar or prepackaged healthy food. We had to take a little extra time to find a healthy option.You might be saying this is damn healthy Megan! It is. But while I ate clean, the trail mix has sugar, and bad oils in it that my body does not react well to. No big deal! But by day three we were all tired, cranky, and ready to be at our final destination.

We stopped at the store and picked up chicken to grill, some broccoli, and sweet potatoes for dinner. Come to find out the rental house kitchen was completely empty of spices and oils. No one wants to eat plain ass chicken and broccoli (not even me), so we ordered out. By the time dinner arrived we were literally starving (never a good thing). Starving and my willpower depleted, I overate. This set me back a day and I ended up in the bathroom for most of the morning on our first day of vacation (TMI, I know). Lesson learned for next time!!! Otherwise I think I did really well, and I do not beat myself up about eating foods that aren’t normally in my diet. I consistently eat nutrient dense food, so eating bad food here and there is no big deal. There is always the next meal to do better, and most importantly listen to my body (gluten and sugar do not make me feel good). 

I am so grateful for this road trip experience with my family (even the cranky moments). Cheers to making healthy choices on the go! There are always options, sometimes you have to look a little harder.

My Key Takeaways:

  • Pack your own travel containers and utensils. This really helped to be able to pack leftover salad and have something healthy to eat available when I was hungry.
  • Pack your own dressing and as many easy healthy snacks you can fit. 
  • Order food ahead of time at your arrival to avoid getting to the point of starvation. Next time I will definitely just keep it simple and plan ahead better knowing we are tired, and don’t know what the rental kitchen will look like.

Comment below with questions, and if you want to hear more about our trip.

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