Aside from cooking and nutrition, one of my greatest passions is travel. There are few things that thrill me more than purchasing airfare and researching a trip; I’m one of those people who likes to book vacations a solid year in advance, just so I can have something exciting to look forward to. Like most everyone, I’ve had to cancel and postpone multiple vacations since the spring of 2020, but I’m finally gearing up to take my first airplane trip in over two long years in the very near future. Of course, being the food focused person that I am, I spend some time thinking about what my family and I are going to eat while we are en route to our destination. There are some strategies and foods that I rely on, time and time again, to A) make sure I’m never left starving and B) don’t have to rely on less than optimal convenience foods for sustenance.
Now, I happen to primarily fly in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport, which has better than average food options. Still, I prefer to plan ahead as much as possible, that way I am guaranteed a good meal (sometimes time is tight, or places are randomly closed - I don’t love leaving things up to chance).
If you’re relying on restaurants or quick-service kiosks, here are some suggestions (these are not “perfect meals”, but will do the trick in a pinch):
-Many places will have plain bagels; order one, toasted, and ask if they have peanut butter (or bring travel packets of nut butter). Grab a piece of fruit - many establishments have bananas and apples - for a more complete meal.
-Starbucks carries hot oatmeal with blueberries, and a falafel-style chickpea bites and avocado “Protein Box”.
-Kiosks often carry energy bars, nuts, trail mix, apples and bananas.
-Many restaurants nowadays have vegan burgers - they’re processed, yes, but I make exceptions when there is nothing else to eat. I always ask for lots of veggie toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, jalapeños, pickles). You can also order a salad, sans any cheese/eggs/meat, and ask if they can add chickpeas, nuts/seeds, edamame or avocado to make it a bit more substantial (pro tip: check out the ingredients in all the other salads to get an idea of what they have on hand to throw into a salad).
If you are packing your own food (my preferred option), here are filling choices that are also good for you:
-Chickpea salad sandwiches. These are my #1 travel food; if you haven’t tried chickpea salad yet, you are missing out! It’s weirdly similar in texture and flavor to chicken salad, and is wonderful stuffed into a pita or on a sandwich, with some kale or romaine leaves for crunch and a pile of broccoli sprouts.
Here’s my recipe - most chickpea salad recipes use store-bought vegan mayonnaise, but I wanted a bit of a cleaner option, so I came up with one myself!
Chickpea Salad
Recipe by Lauren Kretzer
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup finely chopped carrot
¼ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped dill pickles
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or the back of a fork until flaked in texture.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the cashew butter, water and lemon juice until smooth. Add to bowl with mashed chickpeas, along with Dijon mustard, carrot, celery, dill pickles, garlic powder, salt, turmeric and black pepper. Stir until combined.
Serve cold or at room temperature in whole wheat pita pockets, on toasted sourdough or rye bread, or with whole grain crackers.
(Cont.)
-Tempeh bacon (homemade or store-bought) and avocado sandwiches. Another favorite of mine - sometimes I’ll tuck in some sliced tomato, or thinly sliced cucumber, or red onion. Or broccoli sprouts, because I can’t help myself. So good and satisfying.
-Tofu and hummus wraps. Wrapping up a tortilla with your favorite hummus and some cubed cooked tofu, fresh spinach, and maybe some roasted red peppers makes for a fantastic lunch.
-Peanut butter and jam. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Just make sure your peanut butter doesn’t contain any unnecessary additives, like refined oils and sugars (I personally love and use Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter from Costco). If you’re looking for an even healthier option, nix the jam and instead add sliced banana with a sprinkle of hemp seeds and a dash of cinnamon.
-Grain and veggie salads. Sometimes, I’ll fill a tightly lidded container with either brown rice or quinoa, veggies (finely chopped cabbage and kale are favorites, I love the Cruciferous Crunch mix from Trader Joe’s for this), chickpeas or black beans, avocado or olives, nuts or seeds (pepitas and walnuts are favorites), nutritional yeast, and a squeeze of lemon or vinegar, salt and pepper to season. These are so satisfying and healthy, but take up a bit more room and prep time than the aforementioned sandwiches.
-For snacking, I love Lara bars, roasted chickpeas, dried fruit, popcorn, whole grain crackers and spreadable Treeline nut cheese, trail mix, a sturdy container with raw vegetable crudite (carrots, celery, cauliflower and broccoli florets, sugar snap peas), and fruit (bananas, apples, tangerines/clementines, grapes).
Of course, we always tote our reusable water bottles with us wherever we go, and I always have a set of bamboo utensils on hand to reduce my use of plastic utensils. Sometimes I’ll also bring some of my own tea bags to enjoy mid-flight; just ask for a cup of hot water and you can brew your favorite tea on the spot!
great suggestions to minimize being hostage to unhealthy food options