4 Fun Tips to Make Healthy Eating on the Road Easy as Pie

A family packing a car with coolers.

Easy and Healthy Moving Snacks

It may be cliché, but when it comes to long-distance moving, the journey is the destination.

When you’re driving a long distance to relocate or attend college, you’ll experience long hours of winding scenery, terrible music stations coming in and out of reception (or amazing tunes if you are driving with someone who creates the perfect road trip soundtrack), eerie moments of no cell reception (always bring a map), sketchy motels, and the Russian roulette–like exhilaration of wondering where you will find your next meal…which brings us to our story.

Food Ideas for Moving Day

We all care about eating well, preferably organic and fresh, but options for moving snacks when you’re on the road leave a lot to be desired. Moving Day food ideas usually include fast food, boring restaurant chains, truck stops, and sketchy diners—establishments located closest to the freeway, while grocery stores are not. Because Camelot’s drivers and their families have logged thousands of miles crossing the United States, we want to share some of our tried and true methods for the best moving snacks and other Moving Day food ideas. Full disclosure: the younger members of our team are perfectly comfortable risking it on the road and subsisting on truck stops, diners, and convenience stores.

Kitchen moving box

Adjust Your Expectations

Do NOT expect to find healthy options readily available. If you stumble upon an Applebee’s close to a freeway exit, it will feel like a farmers market compared to some of what you will encounter.

What to Do with Food When Moving

Plan for the road. Chances are when Moving Day arrives, you’ll have some food left in your pantry and refrigerator. If you’re wondering what to do with this food when moving, plan ahead and repurpose it into moving snacks you can eat on the road. When packing for your move and loading your car, be sure to include food coolers. Use a cooler that seals tightly, has a drain, and will close securely every time. Two coolers will allow you to separate food from drinks, which you will access more frequently.

Be sure to store your edible items in the order in which you will eat them. Keep items you will frequently use (like hummus or string cheese) on the top. A full cooler will keep your moving snacks cold longer, so fill ice to the top, but make sure you can still close the lid.

A highway through the mountains

Moving Day Food Ideas

If you’re looking at your kitchen and trying to figure out what to do with your food when moving, here is a suggestion list for moving snacks that are satisfying, delicious, and nutritious.

  • Snack-sized, prepackaged items like carrots with dip, crackers with hummus, or string cheese

  • Protein shakes

  • Pre-made salads and sandwiches/wraps (though there may be some sogginess)

  • On a budget? Make your sandwiches, keep them interesting with fun spreads, like aioli or chipotle mayonnaise and a side of flavorful chips, but keep the sodium down, or that seat belt will get tighter and tighter.

  • Skip the soda and go for water. Coffee can be a problem, but you’ve got to treat yourself with something.

  • A variety of breakfast and protein bars, which are especially helpful for travelers with dietary restrictions

  • Dried fruits

  • Treats: dark chocolate and iced coffee

  • Bagels and schmear/peanut butter

  • Hard-boiled eggs (but get consent from everyone that will be in the cabin with you)

  • Guacamole, salsa, and chips

  • *If traveling with kids or the elderly (or anyone), your moving snacks should include prunes or some kid-friendly, fiber, and squeezy fruit pack. All that sitting…yada yada yada… trust us!

Final Thoughts for Moving Snacks

  1. Buy your food as fresh as possible. Don’t shop for more than a day before your move. You’ll need as much help as possible to keep food from going bad.

  2. Buy only a few water bottles and refill with gallon water jugs to save space and money. You can replenish at gas stations and truck stops.

  3. When it comes to restaurants, try grilled or baked rather than fried items, unless you stumble upon some great diner that makes fried foods better than anyone else. Instead, opt for a side of veggies and use vinaigrette dressing for salads.

We hope you have a happy and healthy Moving Day and road trip to your new home! Wave if you see us on the road!

Camelot Moving & Storage, Your Moving Solution

Camelot Moving & Storage in Santa Clarita, California, provides high-quality moving, packing, and storage solutions to clientele looking for local and long-distance moves. Our professional team has 32 years of business experience in moving families of all sizes. Visit our website and learn about us!

To learn more, complete our contact form or call us at (661) 255-3112

Billy Kornfeld