5,200 miles of road, three weeks of camping and staying with friends. That’s the journey I took before moving to Seattle in August. After the first few days, I realized that beef jerky and trail mix just wouldn’t cut it.
However, I quickly learned that it’s surprisingly easy to eat well on the road, with a little preparation and the very basics in cooking equipment: A small stove, fueled by rubbing alcohol, was my only means of cooking.
Stopping at local grocery stores to pick up breakfast was easy: yogurt, oatmeal, raisins, walnuts and peanuts. The following is a list of other staples that sustained me along the way:
- Peanut butter
- Apples
- Carrot and celery sticks
- Dried fruits
- Pasta
- Beans
- Bread (which keeps surprisingly well if it’s wrapped tightly and kept out of the sun)
- Packets of tuna and salmon
- Hard cheeses
But those foods were just what I always had on hand. Interspersing these occasionally with farmers market tomatoes, greens, peaches and whatever other produce I could get my hands on, left me not wanting for variety or flavor.
For those of you who want even more of a challenge, try roasting pumpkin seeds or baking kale chips before venturing off. Traveling doesn’t have to mean solely eating out of a can; fresh food can easily fit into your plans. More great travel recipes and tips can be found at BackpackingChef.com.
— Matt Keen, dietetic intern, and Debra A. Boutin, MS, RD, chair and dietetic internship director, Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science at Bastyr University.
