Meals: No Refrigeration / No Heating

[twoplustwo]

Any more ideas for traveling with food that does not need refrigeration or heating. But maybe something a little hardier than snack foods.

I have on my current list:

bars (Clif, kind and other)
jerky (beef or salmon)
tuna or chicken packets (canned with crackers)
fruit leathers
nuts

I also ordered these Vegan meal kids from amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Love-...ps%2C83&sr=8-9) - they are pricey so only got the 6.

The problem is. . . TEEN BOY! He will eat bars but gets cranky after too many days / meals of them and starts to complain and that's annoying because he is the most relentless person I have ever met. Jerky - but he can eat a lot and its expensive so that's usually gone quick. He wont eat those cracker packets or more than a few nuts. Fruit leather isn't really a meal. I am not sure if he'll eat those vegan kits I got above.

So any ADDITIONAL ideas of easy travel foods for some VARIETY.

When we travel we do a lot of suitcase meals for cost and convenience so wondering if anyone had any more go to ideas for non-cooler / non microwave meals.

TIA!

[Aerynne]

The pouches of cooked rice. Add canned beans and you can buy cups of ranch dressing, canned salsa, and crushed chips.

chicken salad pouches with crackers or bread.

Celery or apples with the individual cups of peanut butter

Eat spaghettios at room temperature.

[RealLifeMama]

My boys and husband go backpacking a lot, and they take cheese and do not refrigerate it. To me, it sounds odd, but they take cheesesticks and sometimes blocks of cheese. They are fine if you don't open them until time to eat. Otherwise, they get sweaty.
If you are eating vegan cheese, I imagine it really doesn't need refrigeration.

If you are not gluten free, then just a pb&J with an apple and carrots does not need refrigerated. Pepperoni does not need refrigeration. So, crackers, pepperoni, some veggie strips and olives.

Do y'all have a thermos? I grew up taking my lunch to school in a thermos. Nowadays, when I go camping, I might bring a smoothie with me to add to whatever bars or nuts I am eating, and I put it in a thermos. As long as it does not have banana in it, the taste/texture is fine.

[twoplustwo]

Originally Posted by Aerynne

The pouches of cooked rice. Add canned beans and you can buy cups of ranch dressing, canned salsa, and crushed chips.

chicken salad pouches with crackers or bread.

Celery or apples with the individual cups of peanut butter

Eat spaghettios at room temperature.

He probably wont do the first one (he eats rice with meals but its not his fave, not sure I put it in that situation he will go for it), he definitely wont do the 2nd one. He won't eat PB. We will have plenty of fruit n veggies esp at the beginning. Lots and lots and he eats all fruits and almost all veggies (just no bell peppers).

No one is eating spaghettios at room temp. I mean I guess I could ask him but Im a little about it.

Originally Posted by RealLifeMama

My boys and husband go backpacking a lot, and they take cheese and do not refrigerate it. To me, it sounds odd, but they take cheesesticks and sometimes blocks of cheese. They are fine if you don't open them until time to eat. Otherwise, they get sweaty.
If you are eating vegan cheese, I imagine it really doesn't need refrigeration.

If you are not gluten free, then just a pb&J with an apple and carrots does not need refrigerated. Pepperoni does not need refrigeration. So, crackers, pepperoni, some veggie strips and olives.

Do y'all have a thermos? I grew up taking my lunch to school in a thermos. Nowadays, when I go camping, I might bring a smoothie with me to add to whatever bars or nuts I am eating, and I put it in a thermos. As long as it does not have banana in it, the taste/texture is fine.

He doesn't eat cheese (except on pizza). He is not as picky as he is coming across. . . he just doesnt eat a lot of certain types of common foods. We are not vegan, just dd is vegetarian.

I just got those vegan things but they seemed convenient, healthy and yummy (for most of us anyway).

I do plan on getting him jerky and meat stick and could do pepperoni too (he will eat that plain) BUT I dont want him making meals of meat. He also doesnt eat most crackers or olives. He does lots of fruits n veggies. But I need things that will be good at the end of the week and after the week. Plus he eats A LOT in terms of quantity and he likely wont fill up on just fruits n veggies. Though I once saw him eat 5 apples in a sitting.

To be more specific and less vague on what Im looking for. . . FOR *this* trip . . . I plan to pack a cooler full of all kinds of food and bring bread and other meal staples for the beginning days lunches/dinners but hoping to finish off the week and beyond with food thats good after being in the car for a week without being in a cooler or having to go to the grocery again. Its 8 full days.

Also, hoping to breathe new life into my airplane suitcase food stash of ideas- so things beyond a thermos shelf life. I should have been more clear on, sorry bout that.

Thanks all so far and keep ideas a coming!

[Quiteria]

They make small heating appliances for truckers that work off the car's cigarette lighter if that's an option.

And if you're staying in a hotel, you might want to check whether they include a mini-fridge/microwave. Some do, and while the freezer is unreliable in those, you could still potentially do some cold or frozen foods that you buy the first day or midweek.

You could do an online curbside grocery pickup order to save time, possibly even before you left.

If it's sealed well, you might want to bring suitcase food inside the room instead of the car to avoid some temperature fluctuations.

[RealLifeMama]

The dried meals are good, but they tend to be pricey unless you get them on sale. But, my boys love them! Mountain House is the brand they get.
If hot water is an option, then there are a lot of noodle options.

[Aerynne]

Originally Posted by twoplustwo

He probably wont do the first one (he eats rice with meals but its not his fave, not sure I put it in that situation he will go for it), he definitely wont do the 2nd one. He won't eat PB. We will have plenty of fruit n veggies esp at the beginning. Lots and lots and he eats all fruits and almost all veggies (just no bell peppers).

No one is eating spaghettios at room temp. I mean I guess I could ask him but Im a little about it.

Guess I can’t help you then.

[Mother of Sons]

Summer sausage and crackers
Beef sticks
Vegetables and fruit
Peanut butter
pre toasted bagels and cream cheese
Pepperoni
Trail mix
Cheese dip with dippers like pretzels, veggies, etc
Instant noodles (hot water at gas station)
Veggies and avocado rolled in a tortilla or pita
Graham crackers with peanut butter or frosting with fruit.
Cinnamon rolls
Muffins


You can get a heated lunch box for your car to heat up canned chili and make frito pie or similar. Most gas stations have a microwave too.

I think to make things more meal like it’s nice to combine things. So a few crackers and sausage plus and apple and a handful of trail mix or a tuna sandwich, grapes and chips or a graham cracker with peanut butter, cut veggies and some nuts.

Or since he’s the one with the need, ask him to figure it out? I did that with my dd. She doesn’t eat cold or room temp food and because most common American food irritates her she eats pretty much only home cooked Chinese food. She plans and cooks her own meals.

On a trip once I refused to eat hot dogs that were planned so I was given an apple for the day. A pigeon stole it out of my hand.

[twoplustwo]

Originally Posted by Mother of Sons

Summer sausage and crackers
Beef sticks
Vegetables and fruit
Peanut butter
pre toasted bagels and cream cheese
Pepperoni
Trail mix
Cheese dip with dippers like pretzels, veggies, etc
Instant noodles (hot water at gas station)
Veggies and avocado rolled in a tortilla or pita
Graham crackers with peanut butter or frosting with fruit.
Cinnamon rolls
Muffins

You can get a heated lunch box for your car to heat up canned chili and make frito pie or similar. Most gas stations have a microwave too.

I think to make things more meal like it’s nice to combine things. So a few crackers and sausage plus and apple and a handful of trail mix or a tuna sandwich, grapes and chips or a graham cracker with peanut butter, cut veggies and some nuts.

He does do summer sausage (seeing a theme here for him? lol!) but trying to avoid all meat meals for him and he can go through a lot of meat in 1 sitting. Beef sticks are included in the jerky purchase.

Doesnt do PB.

Trail Mix used to be more popular than it is now. With both my kids. IDK. Theyll eat some and ds will definitely eat nuts more likley in trail mix than plain. Especially if the trail mix has some type of chocolate in it.

No cheese.

I thought about instant foods with hot water but wasn't sure how that works on the fly. I do have a pot that heats water. And have to look intot hat hot box thing.

Thats usually how we do it - a bar with other items BUT he tends to get cranky after a few days of that. He wants a "real meal." Trying to think of something more substantial to cover that.

Alternatively, I could just plan on stopping at a grocery store and getting more sandwich stuff and fruit and veggies towards the end of the week. I often do that but this one is just a tight schedule and plus if I just had one more thing for him I feel like it will benefit me later too.

---------- Post added at 02:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:33 PM ----------

YOU ADDED MORE . . .I almost missed it!

Originally Posted by Mother of Sons

Or since he’s the one with the need, ask him to figure it out? I did that with my dd. She doesn’t eat cold or room temp food and because most common American food irritates her she eats pretty much only home cooked Chinese food. She plans and cooks her own meals.

On a trip once I refused to eat hot dogs that were planned so I was given an apple for the day. A pigeon stole it out of my hand.

But you know what? You are right! He is 14 years old - 15 this summer. I am going to ask him what he wants to do. Buying food out isnt an option. It just isnt. We blew most of our vacation budget on our super awesome Cali trip and this trip is a very slim budget and an easy place to cut the budget is meals.

Ill suggest the cold spaghettios and the looking into a hot thing or hot water and pour. See what he thinks.

@ your pigeon!

[ECingMama]

does he having savings? can he buy a restaurant meal for the family?

[amommy23]

I like the ease of pita pockets for a picnic. Fill with tuna or chicken salad. You can use those packs of tuna/chicken that have no juice to drain out and get the little mayo packs that are shelf stable. There are even little single serve cups of baby dill pickles. You could mix it up with a small jar of pesto instead of the mayo. Or a “rustic” hummus with canned chickpeas you mash with a fork and mix with tahini and lemon juice.

Or cereal with shelf stable milk (or even powdered milk mixed in a bottled water). Slice a banana in it for a little something extra.

[RiverRock]

What about stopping at a grocery store for a rotisserie chicken? Add a loaf of French bread or buns, and maybe a pre-made salad. This could end up costing much less than a pizza dinner.

[KarenBoo]

Costco usually has some pre-made foods in shelf-stable pouches. I really like the Madras Lentils. Sometimes they have other foods in shelf stable pouches. You'd want to microwave those, but the pouches themselves are not microwavable.

Costco also has that crunchy cauliflower, and sometimes broccoli. That's really good!

And I also agree on looking at freeze dried meals that you can buy for back packing, but those might be as expensive as eating out.

Also, Trader Joe's has some interesting shelf-stable foods, including freeze-dried fruits.

[twoplustwo]

Lots more info. He was pleased with the Dominos pizza idea and there seem to be several right off the highway along the way including the cities we are stopping in - so thats 1 meal that will make him happy. I

Originally Posted by Maedchen

Would you not have access to a grocery store along the way on your trip?

Probably but I was hoping to avoid. It will be a lot of early starts and late endings so hoping to not have to hit a grocery but we could make it happen. ts a total of 12 hours TO and FROM with 4 major stops/cities plus some little ones along the way. Its really a packed itinerary.

He might do ONE hard boiled egg but is not a big fan in general. I was thinking HB eggs for the beginning of the trip. First breakfast in the car so we can hit the road early.

Originally Posted by RiverRock

Is there a meal that your ds would eat that you can just repeat over and over and over?

Can you buy shelf stable milk in tetra boxes in the US or could you use an alternative milk? If you can what about a big bowl of cereal?

No to all the questions until repeat and then . . PIZZA. But for the most part he doesnt like to eat the same things over and over. Not even things he really likes. Thats part of the problem both at home and travel.

Idk about the milk thing. . . but . . . he does like a few different cereals.

Originally Posted by amommy23

I like the ease of pita pockets for a picnic.

Or cereal with shelf stable milk (or even powdered milk mixed in a bottled water). Slice a banana in it for a little something extra.

He does like pita pockets and pesta. What if we didnt grocery shop but halfway got a thingy of milk and . . .

Originally Posted by RiverRock

What about stopping at a grocery store for a rotisserie chicken? Add a loaf of French bread or buns, and maybe a pre-made salad. This could end up costing much less than a pizza dinner.

HE LOVES those Rotisserie chickens. AND would eat if after its hot with BBQ sauce which is super shelf stable. So not a fully grocery stop but maybe 1 person (me) runs in for a chicken, bread, milk, apples and bananas. Like a super quick stop.

Last trip we flew and grocery shopped so it took forever but it was all 4 of us doing the entire week of food. If we had all the shelf stable stuff already and then just 1 person went in and got an update. WE already would have the cooler and it would be empty by the time we hit the grocery store . . .t hat might work.

Originally Posted by KarenBoo

And I also agree on looking at freeze dried meals that you can buy for back packing, but those might be as expensive as eating out.

Also, Trader Joe's has some interesting shelf-stable foods, including freeze-dried fruits.

We dont costco, dont have a trader joes close and yes those freeze dried meals were expensive.

Im going to keep the milk / chicken / fruit grocery run in my back pocket. First I want ds to get back to my with HIS solution before I solve it for him.

Thanks all! Keep it coming. We love to travel and bc we love to travel always doing it on a budget so we can keep doing it. So even if I dont use the suggestions now they may be good later.

[ViolaMum]

We get Tasty Bite Madras Lentils from Costco, too. It's part of the snowstorm survival plan. We've gotten a couple of other varieties, Channa Dal is the only one I can think of offhand. I've seen Tasty Bite at regular grocery stores, so you should be able to find it locally. It's microwaveable or can be put in hot water. This article should have some options for you!

Cereal with (Parmalat) milk is the only other thing I can think to add. My kids are picky. They'll live on snack food, though.