269: Travel Toolkit | How To Consume Healthy Plant-Based Meals While Traveling

This year I will celebrate seven years of being on a vegan plant-based lifestyle. The first year was the most difficult because I did not know how to make healthy choices. I focused on not eating animal-based foods, so I began to eat lots of vegan processed foods. That first year, I also gained weight!

Today's Thursday Health Tip discusses ways to continue eating healthy meals while traveling.

You will learn the following:

• How to prep meals for a flight
• How to prep meals at your travel destination
• How to enjoy meals when eating out at your destination

To visit other health topics, simply go to my website: 

healthylifestylesolutions.org

If you'd like a copy of my Practical Tips To Going Plant-Based, visit: https://bit.ly/mayaspracticaltips

1. In the air: I often do not enjoy eating at airport restaurants. This is mainly because we tend to fly very early in the morning. Many restaurants are closed at that time, or the selections are limited. Therefore, when we travel by plane, I often prepare a carry-on bag with food and snacks to get me to our final destination. I enjoy having a breakfast burrito with beans and potatoes in a whole wheat tortilla. I carry a small container with salsa. I also like traveling with hummus. Very easy to dip veggies in hummus for a snack. I enjoy grapes and other fruit during the actual flight. If you are traveling by car, consider traveling with a small ice chest to carry water, fruit, and whatever else you enjoy.
2. At your hotel: Once we became vegan and plant-based, we decided it would be easier to stay at hotels with kitchenettes, at our timeshare, or air b&bs. If we plan on staying at a location 7-14 days, we usually do groceries immediately upon landing. Walmart is our go-to grocery store because you can find them in places like Maui and Cancun, which are places we enjoy visiting. In the past, we have traveled with our 3-quart instant pot and small blender. All you have to do is add your small appliance in a carry-on bag, and security will not have a problem. Our blender allows us to make smoothies and make sauces. The instant pot can boil, saute, simmer, and steam. I carry a bag with my spices that I check in my travel bag. Sometimes I even travel with small plastic containers to take diced fruit to the hotel pool. Yes, I do cook even when I am on vacation. Feel free to download my Grocery & Meal Planning Guide to plan your trip. https://bit.ly/mayasmealplanner
3. At restaurants: I provided tips in my last solo episode on how to dine at restaurants. So the same applies when you are vacationing. The only difference is that if you are in a touristy destination, you are more likely to find vegan options. Many places that offer shows and entertainment now include vegan meals as well. So plan ahead of time. Speak with your hotel concierge and ask for recommendations. Or use the Happy Cow app to find restaurants in your location that offer vegan options.

Planning and preparing your meals while helping you stay healthy while traveling and minimizing some of the stress. 

Travel can include weekend camping trips and van life trips. You must consider what pots and pans you will use and how you will heat your food.

Other items that I travel with in case they are hard to find at grocery stores include:

• Nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor
• Chia seeds for chia pudding and my smoothies
• Ground flax seeds for salads and smoothies
• Small travel-size veggie broth
• Raw cashews for an alfredo sauce
• Quinoa since it is easy to cook

Other foods you can prepare for travel: 

• Potato salad
• Pasta salad
• Baked potato

Meals:

Breakfast: 

• You can still have oatmeal for breakfast. You may need to travel with your own instant oat packages. Many hotel rooms have small microwaves. You can see if you can request a small fridge ahead of time.
• Fruit is also an option for breakfast.
• Chia breakfast parfait  

Lunch & Dinner:  

• Quesadillas  
• Colorful quinoa salad 
• Vegan caesar salad
• Fruity spinach salad
• Mexican corn and black bean salad
• Polenta
• Loaded baked sweet potato

There you have it! You are set up for success. You can start planning on incorporating more whole plant-based meals into your life.

Please leave me a message if you have any questions or if I missed something.