This list has delicious and creative healthy road trip food ideas for every meal of the day!
I’ve driven across the country three times in the last two years on a tight budget. I moved to California from Indiana, then I helped Ryan move to California from Indiana, then Ryan and I moved to Ohio from California! (Side note: I’ve lived 15 different places in the last 6 years!)
I genuinely love road trips. We talk a lot, read books out loud to each other, enjoy riding in silence, stop for scenery, listen to podcasts and music, and eat.
The one thing I don’t like about road trips though is when we eat junk food or fast food and then sit all day – it is such a gross feeling! And if you need to eat gluten-free or paleo, coming up with healthy road trip food you can eat becomes even more challenging.
Thankfully, with a lot of creativity I’ve come up with a list of healthy foods for road trips that will work for every meal! I can tell you from experience that it is possible to eat healthily and even gluten-free and paleo, even on a long road trip, eating every meal out of the car. We did it. Plus, eating mostly what you bring yourself rather than at restaurants saves you a lot of money. It takes a little more planning, but it is very worth it.
This list shows you how you can pack healthy food for your next road trip for every meal of the day, and save a lot of money.
Breakfast
- Bananas or apples and nut butter
- Larabars or other low sugar, high protein bars. You can check out my post on how to make your own homemade Larabars.
Lunch
- Lunch meat
- Sliced cheese or cheese sticks
- Sandwich bread and condiments if you have room
- Raw veggies: cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, celery, snap peas, and/or broccoli
- Hummus, salsa, and guacamole for dipping
- Yogurt
Dinner
- Canned salmon or tuna – make sure you get the kind with a pull tab or have a can opener with you!
- Hard boiled eggs
- Avocados – great with some salt and a spoon or with some chips or crackers!
Snacks
- Nuts
- Trail mix – I make my own with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds, raisins, and dark chocolate chips
- Dark chocolate
- Dried fruit (watch for added sugar)
- Banana or plantain chips
- Kale chips
- Popcorn
- Jerky
- Extra fruit: berries, grapes, oranges, clementines, cherries, etc.
- Whole grain dry cereal
Drinks
- Reusable water bottles to refill at gas stations or lodging
- La Croix or other sparkling water
- Instant coffee or tea bags and thermos – stop at a gas station for the hot water!
- Kombucha tea – you can read my other posts, an introduction to kombucha to learn what it is and how to choose the best kombucha for your health
Extras
- Cooler
- Ice blocks or bags for ice – you can fill bags up with ice from the soda machine at gas stations if you don’t have a freezer to use overnight!
- Lots of napkins, paper towels, and/or wet wipes
- Disposable or reusable spoons, knives, and forks
- Paper plates
- Salt (if you love it as much as me)
- Clips to keep bags closed
- Hand sanitizer
- Bags for trash
Two of the times I drove across the country were with Ryan, and let me tell you, he is hungry ALL the time! Thankfully, since a lot of these foods are high in protein, I managed to keep him full and happy. We really did eat all our meals in the car, and it worked out really well!
