My husband is a truck driver and we are on a budget, so he doesn't get to eat at restaurants on the road a lot. Actually, most of the time where he drives there aren't any around. He's been having me buy him canned ChefBoyRD (sp?) and Pop Tarts and applesause, etc. None of which are very good for him. He has a small frig in his truck. I was wondering if any of you have some ideas on exciting, yet HEALTHY ideas for lunch. I have to warn you, he is picky. He and I are both over 30 and it is so important that we both lose some weight and get our health on track, not only for ourselves but for our daughter.
Is he OTR or local? And what WON'T he eat? I used to run dispatch for OTR truckers and their wives were always calling me, yelling because they were buying unhealthy lunches, LOL, so I actually came up with a 'menu' for them all, HAHA!! Let me know, I think that menu is still on my computer! :)
My mom packs my dad chicken breasts or chicken breast sandwiches (or turkey), grapes, veggies in a bag, and homemade bran muffins. My dad is also a truck driver. My dad had a heart attack at 40 -- he is now 53. Tell your hubby despite his tastes, he needs to eat better so he can be around a LONG LONG time for you and your kiddo!
My cousin drives a truck and he keeps bread and pB and Jelly in his truck at all times. He also found a thing, it's almost like a mini crock pot, that he can plug into his lighter and will cook crock pot type things. He buys rice and beans, small hams (then he uses the leftovers for sandwiches), almost anything can be cooked in it. I think he got it at Wal Nart and he has said it basically paid for itself in a very short period of time. He also does cans of Vienna sausages, tortillas with chicken in the fridge for wraps, all sorts of stuff.
We eat while traveling a lot, and once a week I pack banana wraps. Just put peanut butter on a whole wheat wrap (soft shell), and slice up a banana on it. It doesn't need refridgerated or heated. Just make it thick enough to keep him full. Dried fruit is a great side/snack. Oatmeal is easy and healthy. Add some blueberries, cut up banana and a little brown sugar.
Please do eat healthy -- it's worth it! :)
Just pack easy to grab leftovers for him. Chop up fresh fruits and veggies for him to munch while on the road. Hard boiled eggs travel well. A can of almonds should be a staple in his truck or some kind of a nut.... they give you energy in-between meals.
My husband is a trucker, gone for 2 weeks at a time so he has had to learn to eat in his truck. Since he's type 2 diabetic and on pills now, he has to be very careful also. He has a little microwave in his truck, along with a hotplate and small fridge. Between those 3 he can make most anything he can find in the store in the frozen section. Not the healthiest, but better than eating out (killed our budget too easily) or canned spaghetti-o's. We're working now on getting a small cooler sized freezer in there so that he can stock up a little on frozen dinners.
My hubby drives OTR out 3-4 weeks at a time. We bought a dorm fridge and dorm sized freezer, (walmart.com $180) He has them strapped lengthwise across the top bunk. He also has a small 600watt microwave strapped under the top bunk over his feet. He is out 3-4 weeks at a time and while he is gone I cook 2-3 meals per week with extra portions and freeze them in aluminum take out boxes with the cardboard lids, 3 pk at the DollarTree. I make things like homemade mac n cheese with ham or lil smokies and a veggie. Put the veggie in the middle of the box with the entree on the ends. This makes it easy to break in half and heat one portion. If I make meat, starch and veggie, I cut the meat into bitesize and put on top of the potatoes and veggies in the middle.
I also can roast, potatoes and carrots, pintos and ham, soups and bbq meats. Those he stores under his bed. He has sandwich maker for grilled cheese and has a small propane grill. I buy family packs of meat, season then vacuum seal them. When he comes home he "shops" the freezer. So far it's working pretty well.
