Trucker Nutrition

What about some ideas for some good trucker meals? Not only nutritionally, but cost effective? My wife is a big proponent of canning. Water based and pressure canning. Meats and the like can be preserved via pressure canning - although you gotta know what you're doing, can be dangerous with pressure canning. Rather than spending money at the buffets and truck stops, any driving vets have suggestions on good eats for healthy livin'?

What about some ideas for some good trucker meals? Not only nutritionally, but cost effective? My wife is a big proponent of canning. Water based and pressure canning. Meats and the like can be preserved via pressure canning - although you gotta know what you're doing, can be dangerous with pressure canning. Rather than spending money at the buffets and truck stops, any driving vets have suggestions on good eats for healthy livin'?

Great question. I have have to be careful with my blood pressure so truck stop food is pretty my out for me.

These ideas I'd assume are coming from the ability to have some form of preservation, i.e. cooler and/or refrigerator. Although items like canned tuna would not need to be preserved, so to speak. Remember Ben Franklin "Eat to live, don't live to eat."

Here is one that is very filling and tastes good.

1 can pork and beans (undrained) 1 can Kidney Beans (undrained) 1 can Lima Beans (drained) 1 can Pinto Beans (drained) 1 can Green Beans (drained) 1 lb meat (browned) I use burger or what ever I have except ham or bacon. 1 cup Ketchup

Place all these in a crock pot and cook until you are done. Does not really take that long.

Now that was the original recipe and I have added a few things.

1 can of corn drained because the corn adds water I drain the can of kidney beans 1 large sweet potato

Now for me personally, I add chile powder and a bunch of other spices but if you do not like heat the original is pretty good. Also there are not any added bad stuff.

This is a really filling stick to your ribs kind of meal.

Word of warning *** NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TEAM DRIVERS***

Great question, Bill, I had the same interest with a bit of a twist. As mentioned by Pat (and I think Old School when he was traveling with his daughter?) there seems to be the ability to cook while driving (crock pot). I was wondering if some veterans wouldn't mind describing HOW they prepare food or even clean up the mess afterwards. Is a Coleman stove an option (obviously AFTER you have arrived at some stopping point - not while driving)? Any tricks of the trade that us newbies (and potential newbies) can copy? Also, what kind of refrigerators are available or microwaves while traveling down the road? Recipes as well as methodologies are really appreciated . . .

Stephen E. Birch

Bill, I keep a running tabulation of all my expenses while on the road. I was self employed for thirty years before getting into trucking and I'm accustomed to making sure I know what the difference is between my income and expenses. You will find that meals are your biggest expense while on the road, and it's easy for it to get out of hand with the prices at the truck stop restaurants.

I use a crock-pot quite a bit because it's easy to just throw a meal together and let it cook while you're moving on down the road. I've gone through three of the 12 volt ones in a six month period, so I finally got a regular household unit and use an inverter to provide the power for it. My experience is that the 12 volt models are really best for just warming something up like a can of soup or vegetables. I like to actually use mine to cook with for several hours at a time and the heating element in the 12 volt models doesn't seem to hold up to that level of use. I fix all kinds of meals with it. Last week I had smothered pork chops, jambalaya, and a nice vegetable soup. Here's a tip for not wasting a meal that was too large for you at a restaurant. When I do eat out I will plan getting something that I can use my left-overs from in my crock-pot for the next day. That vegetable soup I mentioned was made from some leftovers from my breakfast at a cafe. Here's how that worked: I ordered a breakfast that was called a skillet breakfast at the Tomahawk truck stop in Colorado. It consisted of chopped up potatoes, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and bacon sauteed in a skillet with two eggs on top and hash-browns on the side. it was their special of the day and was $6.99. It was way too much food for me for one meal so I just ate my eggs and the hash-browns and nibbled on a little of the other stuff. I then took my leftover sauteed vegetables and put them in my refrigerator. Later that day while taking my thirty minute break, I poured a can of beef broth in the crock-pot, added the left-over vegetables, and some chopped up some link sausage that I had in my refrigerator. I set that on low as I was cruising up through Nebraska, and had a nice hot bowl of soup to eat on that chilly night, and even had enough left over for the next days meal.

You can reduce your living expenses on the road considerably by doing things like that, and also eat healthier too. I throw a jambalaya together by putting a can of stewed tomatoes in a 2 cup measuring cup, filling the remainder of that measure with chicken broth, then put that in the crock-pot along with 1/2 cup converted rice, a small tin of canned shrimp, some chopped up link sausage, and seasonings to your liking, and after you've driven for about three or four hours you've got some really good food waiting on you - and the smell while your going down the road is priceless. (tip: use converted rice in your crock-pot, it cooks up better in that temperature range)

I'm not a picky eater. When I was OTR I hit Walmart before I left for my 2 weeks out. I bought the huge bottled water pack, snacks like nuts, died fruit, etc.

While on the road I pretty much ate at Subway for a late lunch. I told them to pile on all the vegetables, my sandwiches were huge lol. My breakfast was usually cereal, no milk usually. I didn't eat dinner unless I saved half my Subway sandwich from earlier.

Once or twice a month I ate at Burger King or McDonald's or whatever because Subway wasn't available. Once or twice a month I would eat at a Denny's or whatever diner was on the truck stop.

I know Subway isn't the healthiest thing but I figured it's not as bad as other stuff. Plus, unless you grow your own food. . . What you buy in the grocery store is probably almost as bad as Subway. Lol.

I kept a record of my food expenses and it came to about $200-$250 per month.

Subway is about the healthiest fast food you'll find out there. They have tons of options for healthy eating. Nothing wrong with that at all. And man those are good sandwiches! But they have awesome soups and salads also. You'll never hear me complain about eating at Subway. It was always one of my favorites on the road.

I'm pretty big into health and fitness and the core of my diet consists of eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, cottage cheese, yogurt, almonds, fiber bars, and piles of steamed vegetables. For a long time I've been a big fan of the frozen meals like Weight Watchers Smart Ones because they're quick and easy, they are low in calories, and they have a nice mix of meats and veggies. But I raise a few animals and grow a big garden so naturally I prefer my own meats and veggies. I keep freezers full of em in the basement.

But with your standard refrigerator/cooler in the truck you'll be able to stock the majority of the foods I mentioned. The canned meats are an absolutely awesome idea for the truck. The more foods you can find that don't need refrigeration, the better. Space is limited.

You can also get a small microwave and/or crock pot for the truck and those will open up your options immensely.

I think preparing meals at home can be a big winner, especially the things that don't need refrigeration.

Pat - Beans are an awesome idea. Canned, no need to refrigerate, and very good for you. Protein and fiber!

Old School - Love how you 'recycle' your meals. Crock pots are indeed a must.

ThinksTooMuch - If I could get away with it, I'd eat fast food everyday! I love burgers and fries. Guilty confession.

Brett - You've pretty much described our diet. We try to eat nothing processed. We don't shy away from fat (good fat), eat salads and fruit all the time, and stay away from high carbohydrate foods like white bread and pasta. Actually, we even take it easy w/ wheat bread (which isn't really all that better).

My wife is looking forward to preparing meals for me ahead of time. She enjoys taking care of her family ;) Depending on how long I'll be out, I only foresee myself having to stop for fresh veggies, fruit, and ice for the cooler - unless I can have a fridge. Depending on Crete / Shaffer policy, I'm not sure if I'll be able to have an inverter for a crock pot or fridge. We'll see. I'm not one that needs to have variety for the sake of not eating the same thing - variety for me only matters in regard to nutrition.

Brett - You've pretty much described our diet. We try to eat nothing processed. We don't shy away from fat (good fat), eat salads and fruit all the time, and stay away from high carbohydrate foods like white bread and pasta. Actually, we even take it easy w/ wheat bread (which isn't really all that better).

Hey Brett, looks like you'll have to open a roadside stand so we can stop by and stock up on fresh eggs, veggies, etc. Personally, I have had to cut out most carbohydrates (bread & pasta had to go, Noooo!) due to maintenance of blood sugar levels. For me, Subway is out unless I just eat the center and throw away the outside. Also, once I list all the no-no foods for blood sugar purposes and then add in the no-no- foods for gout (getting old is a real b****) there isn't much left. I mean, even most beans turn up on the no-no list. And things like lentils are great for low blood sugar but are a HUGE no-no for gout. Damn, eggs and veggies are about it.

Just curious, could someone kinda give a "typical" meal involving cooking, eating and then cleaning up? I can't see dragging all of the dirty dishes into a shower at a truck stop, right? I mean, they would probably charge extra if you did, wouldn't they? Thanks. Just another feature of this unique website . . . how to survive AND clean up after yourself!

Stephen E. Birch