Travel Tips for Special Diets!

Howdy y’all!

Guess where I ammm…. I’m in TEXAS!!

I’ve never been! And I love it! 95 degrees and humid as all get-out --- bring it on!! :D

I’m here for my friend’s wedding. It was over the weekend, and gosh, was it ever beautiful! My friend, M, was such a beautiful bride! I’m so happy for them!

I’m writing this from the Houston airport, where I’m about to get on a flight to Wisconsin for my family’s annual 4^th of July reunion at our lake home.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you’ll remember that the other year, there was a FIRE at the lake home, and so we’ve had to completely revamp the place.

It’s all better now, and I can’t wait to spend the week with my fam...and of course, Roxy. J

Party on the Water! :D 

So as I’m sitting here snacking on some grape tomatoes and raw cashews, I decided that I’d do a quick post about traveling while on a special diet.

#RealTalk ... it can be pretty tough if you don’t plan ahead. SO, my #1 advice is BE PREPARED.

When you’re gluten free or vegan, or SCD – or All three like me – then you can’t just swing into the news stand at the airport and pick up a pack of m&m’s if you get hungry, or expect to waltz into a airport eatery and grab a quick bite. No ma’am. Last I checked, there aren’t organic fruit and vegetable stands in the terminals. You’re lucky if you can find a salad with more than one tomato and one limp cucumber slice if we’re being honest. Bleak, friends. Bleak.

BUT – I’ve found a way to enjoy traveling --- food and all! It just takes a little creativity and a little planning!

Here are my tips:

1^st and foremost: EAT A BIG (read: HUGE) BREAKFAST BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

“But I’m not a breakfast person.” Well suck it up sweetheart – today you are…in a big way. I always eat what I would typically have quantity-wise for dinner, for breakfast when I’m traveling. This is called an insurance policy. J

“But my flight’s super early.” Tough nuggets, love. This will be the best chance for you to nourish your body all day, so take advantage. I ALWAYS make my breakfast the night before when I have a flight in the morning. This is a great meal to eat on the mornings of flights because it’s filling, nutritious, and will keep you going for a long time – plus it tastes like pumpkin pie, so it’s like having dessert for breakfast. J 

Funny story: once I brought this in a tupperware to eat on my flight. I was stopped in the security line and had to throw it away because they said I could be hiding something in it! What?!! CRAZY! I was *NOT* a happy camper. --TSA, if you're reading this, that really ticked me off!! :P #GirlsGottaEat

2. BRING LOTS OF SNACKS

#RealTalk ... Aside from my computer and wallet, my huge Vera Bradley carry on is full of food! No joke. Tupperwares with chopped veggies, whole fruit, nuts, homemade trail mix, dried no-sugar-added fruit like dried mangoes or raisins, LaraBars (they’re GF, V, SCD – but not BED). Their ingredients are simply dates, dried fruit and nuts.

I also bring several packets of individual peanut/almond butter packets. Justin’s nut butter sells individual “squeeze packs” that you can put on apples, carrot sticks, bananas, etc. – Just be sure to declare them in your “liquids and gels” at security.

I also always whip up a batch of these energy bites before I go.

They're GREAT to have on hand, and easy to travel with.

Try my apple pie bites or blueberry muffin bites!

3. BE CREATIVE WITH PIT STOPS

When you’re on a car trip, one thing that everyone looks forward to is where to take a pit stop and stretch and get some food. The best trick I’ve found is to stop at the grocery store. They always have fresh food options for you to take advantage of.  Not only that, but many grocery stores have a salad bar in the deli – jackpot!

On that note, if you can find a Whole Foods….you have found Heaven on Earth for a road tripper. Every store has an amazing Salad, Hot and Cold food bar. They label every ingredient on the bars, and will let you know if it’s gluten free, vegan, etc. – and if it includes any of the top allergens like soy, shellfish, etc. I like to check out if there are any WF’s en route, and plan our pit stops accordingly.

Additionally, Golden Corral’s have wonderful salad bars for you to take advantage of, complete with lots of fruit and veggies, chickpeas, etc.

4. GOOGLE IT

When you’ve gotten to your destination, Google the city/town to find any gluten free/vegan eats. You can also look up health food stores. You’d be surprised how many people post about this online…It’s really helpful – that goes for airports too!

5. GROCERY IT UP

Additionally, when you’re at your destination, hit the grocery store. Most hotel rooms have a refrigerator and microwave. You can use these for makeshift dinners if you’re in a pinch!

When I was in Texas, there was a great deli across the street from my hotel called Jason's Deli that had a beautiful salad bar. I went there for both lunch and dinner!

 #bestsaladever!

It was amazing. It had dried fruit and nuts, an organic olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing, hard boiled eggs, beets, olives, and tons of fresh veggies.

This place, Jason Deli, was known for their salad bar. I really lucked out being right across the street. Apparently it's a chain, so there are other locations. 

I enjoyed it while soaking up some rays at the hotel pool. #thisisthelife

So there you have it sports fans! Those are my tips for traveling! I just got to Wisconsin, so I’m off to the grocery store! Haha #practicewhatyoupreach :)

The main thing is, you’re on vacation! Enjoy the company you’re with and create some special memories. Odds are, unless you have access to a full kitchen, you’re not going to be eating the most exciting things while you’re traveling – to be honest, it will be more like survival mode. But remember the important thing: you’re there to be with the ones you love. So if your food is less than optimal, so be it. It’s only temporary :)

I’ll be up in Wisconsin, where my culinary creative juices flow! So be sure to check back this week for more exciting recipes!

Who’s watching the World Cup today?!