Trucker Nutrition

Im a regional driver that is out for a 2 day and a 3 day route every week, I bring sandwiches and granola bars for when I'm in the truck, my breakfast is covered by hotel breakfast and I usually will get some flying J gut rot food for the drive back, I use points for the gut rot. Not very healthy I know but I spend very little this way, plus with my job I burn it all off unloading.

I am planing on going OTR soon and was thinking about MRE's I bought a case from amazon to try it out, at least as a emergency food supply while out on the road. It'll be a big change going OTR but I'm anxious to get out there.

Bill W, I can....everything.....if I can catch it and it will fit in a jar, I'll can it. I can meat..its easy, 1 hour at 10 pounds, and its done in its own juices. open a jar, make sandwich spread, make a stew/soup, GRAVY, or just eat it straight out of the jar. Its super tender and moist. I can sweet breads like carrot cake, chocolate cake, banana bread, zucchini bread.....I can soups, stews, corned beef and cabbage, I even canned spaghetti !! Theres little danger in canning. The pressure cooks it, and seals the jar. If the seal breaks, you'll smell it,trust me. I've canned for 40 years...and I have NEVER had anything come out bad. I do use a pressure cooker, and never water bath. My jams and jellies are cooked hot, put in the jars, lidded, and turned upside down to seal..Appreciate your wife...women who can....hell...women who COOK even, are a vanishing breed. So go give her a big smooch, and show her you know how hard she works

There's one thing that wasn't mentioned.

Make smoothies a part of your daily life. I make eggs for me in the morning using a Roadpro Electronic Frying Pan sold for 24.99$ at most truck stops. I bought a 30$ blender at Walmart that works wonders.

I also have a P25 Voyager Koolatron Cooler with me. Lots of room for everything! Right now I have a 12 pack of eggs, 1/2 G milk, fruit juice, cheese, sandwich cheese, ham for egg sandwich, tub of natural greek yogurt, water, and a giant tub of fresh spinach in my cooler. That's a lot of stuff!!

So my best advice is to make smoothies. They're extremely filling and the most healthy thing you can make on the road.

Bill W, I can....everything.....if I can catch it and it will fit in a jar, I'll can it. I can meat..its easy, 1 hour at 10 pounds, and its done in its own juices. open a jar, make sandwich spread, make a stew/soup, GRAVY, or just eat it straight out of the jar. Its super tender and moist. I can sweet breads like carrot cake, chocolate cake, banana bread, zucchini bread.....I can soups, stews, corned beef and cabbage, I even canned spaghetti !! Theres little danger in canning. The pressure cooks it, and seals the jar. If the seal breaks, you'll smell it,trust me. I've canned for 40 years...and I have NEVER had anything come out bad. I do use a pressure cooker, and never water bath. My jams and jellies are cooked hot, put in the jars, lidded, and turned upside down to seal..Appreciate your wife...women who can....hell...women who COOK even, are a vanishing breed. So go give her a big smooch, and show her you know how hard she works

Starcar - I am indeed a blessed man! My little lady is Lancaster County old-fashioned (no, she's not Amish). She's never pressure canned before, but is looking to start, in order to begin canning meats etc... I'll have to make sure I have her read your post. She might even start hopping on this forum more to look for support under the 'Ladies' section.

Daniel - shakes and blends seem like another great idea!

OK, Im gonna be a bug here (I have resisted for a few days so far) but how do you clean up the mess? I can't get this image out of my head of me traipsing though the truck stop, dirty dishes & pots or whatever in tow, heading for the shower area, when I hear out of the corner, "Uh, sir? what are you doing?" "My dishes, sonny, got a problem with that?" Maybe a five gallon paint bucket with a lid and a bit of dish soap dissolved in it? I guess I just chuck it in the bushes when it gets too dirty? (I mean the water, not the cooking & eating stuff). Help me rest my imagination 'cause it can get real weird in here (my head). Thanks,

Stephen E. Birch

Jopa, you're gonna find some really interesting things going on in the restrooms at truck stops. I used to tell folks you can always tell which people in the truck stops are truck drivers by looking in the restroom. The drivers are the ones washing dishes, or taking a bath right there at the sinks for washing your hands. I even saw a guy in there washing what appeared to be a fuel filter off of his truck - seriously!

Drivers are either creative or desperate, but they manage to get things done out there where other folks wouldn't know how to survive.

Here's what I do, and someone told me I was crazy, but they didn't have a better plan so I've stuck with my program. I cook in the crock-pot, but anything I eat is eaten on heavy duty paper plates or plastic disposable bowls, and my utensils are also plastic disposables. Therefore, I just throw everything away after the meal and the only thing I need to clean is the Crock-pot. I pour just a small amount of water in the bottom of it and wipe it out as best I can with a few paper towels. Then I will take a few baby wipes and scrub it clean with them, and then dry it real well with some more paper towels. Some people are opposed to using paper products thinking it is wasteful, but I find that since I'm the only one in this truck, and it's not my whole family, that the packages of paper products I purchase last me a good long while. My method is simple and efficient, but some people just can't get over the fact that I'm washing my pot with the same thing that most intelligent people use on their baby's back-side!

I also keep a good knife and a cutting board in a cabinet for cutting up vegetables or meat, and I clean them the same way as I do the cooking pot.

It's really not difficult to wash your dishes. I take mine to the shower everytime. The trick is to put all your shower stuff in a large bag, not one of those small walmart shopping bags. I put my cleaning supplies on the bottom. Then put the dishes in a plastic bag in the middle. Then put my fresh clothes in a bag on the top. So no one ever sees that I have dishes with me.

It's really not difficult to wash your dishes. I take mine to the shower everytime.

That is awesome!!! OMG that's hysterical.

I never cooked in the truck but I always had a ton of food...sandwich meats & bread, granola bars, cereal & milk, yogurt, etc. I always used paper plates & bowls and plastic silverware.

Actually a lot of drivers carry interesting things in their shower bags. You wouldn't believe how often there's a small dog in there. I've come across numerous drivers that would bring their dog inside and keep it in the shower bag while they're eating in the restaurant. The dog would learn to lay there real still and the drivers would open the zipper a tiny bit to slip them some food. Nobody ever knew.

Daniel,

I take mine to the shower everytime.

AHA! So I'm not that weird thinking the shower is the place to clean 'em up. I like the "stealth approach" . . .

"What's in the bag, sir?" "What bag?"

Old School,

My method is simple and efficient, but some people just can't get over the fact that I'm washing my pot with the same thing that most intelligent people use on their baby's back-side!

I guess as long as you haven't already taken care of a baby's bottom, those "wipes" are good to go.

Thanks both of you. I know it isn't rocket science but I just wanted to see what others have done so I don't try to reinvent the wheel, so-to-speak . . . Hey, do you know what rocket scientists say about that situation? "Well, it isn't like dating a girl or anything!"

Jopa

Pilot's and Love's also have that "kitchen sink" type thing near the coffee/drink machines. I've seen drivers washing a dish or two in those. Maybe if you wash often enough then you can do it there, or if you save up a load you take it to the shower.

I once saw a gentleman washing his FEET in the restroom sink... He was very good at keeping his balance lol.