On the go: healthy and simple trucker food recipes. Anytime, anywhere.

I just trucked 18 hours home from GATS in Dallas, Texas back home to Hartford, Wisconsin. We team drove our RV and made it back safely.

Many of you came to see me (hey all, Hope here) at the Landstar Health Stage to learn more about how to live a healthy life over the road. And one of Saturday’s presentations was: Fueling Your Rig, Fueling You: Eating Healthy Over The Road Made Easy. Sponsored by RoadPro Family of Brands

The presentation was a hit! We had just enough food, and no one left hungry!

Everyone at the event loved what we not only talked about but ate.

• I believe that you can eat healthier on your truck.
• I believe it’s about small simple changes, not big huge leaps that will help you change your life’s current route to health.
• I believe you can do this!

It’s not about getting up and doing a complete 180 (although no one is saying you can’t). But what I am suggesting is to start small.

If BIG HUGE DRASTIC changes worked so well, more than 8% of New Years resolutions wouldn’t fail!!!

Eating healthy on the truck and over the road starts with you saying to yourself, “I can do this”.

At GATS we discussed the notion of GOOD, BETTER, BEST. And with this idea we recognize the opportunities to improve in little ways, and when you do that consistently, it add up.

Instead of a soda with every meal, how about you eliminate one soda a day. Or better yet, just one soda, one day a week. I want you to make changes you can stick to. Not changes you give up on because you did too much too soon.

Why I’m so passionate about this approach is because I struggled with an eating disorder for YEARS. Almost half my life.

Every day I would wake up and say:

• “Today I’m not going to over eat.”
• “Today I’m not going to binge and purge”. 
• “Today, I’m going to magically be changed”. 

And not even one hour into the day and I was back in the cycle of no return…

Sound familiar?

It wasn’t until out-patient treatment and their encouragement of one minute at a time. One hour at a time. And one day at a time, that inspired me to break down my changes into micro-changes.

And that (along with healthy movement and yoga) got me out of that deep dark hole of self-destruction.

During our Fueling Your Rig, Fueling You presentation, I wanted to show every driver out there that eating healthy on the road CAN and IS easy. And wanted to turn everyone on to healthy options and simple recipes that actually taste good, and are easy to make!

Men and women were nodding their heads in the audience as they munched away. Loving the food that was going into their mouths.

And everything we made for them we made there! That day! In less the time it takes to take a 30 minute break.

I want to share two of the recipes we made at GATS that were top on the request list. Which also happen to be cheap, easy to make, and healthy on-the-go food for truck drivers.

Recipe #1: Spring Rolls for on the Go!

• Spring Roll Rice Paper
• Lettuce or Cabbage leafs (cut into small pieces)
• Shredded carrots (you can buy them pre-shredded too)
• Cilantro or Mint
• Shrimp (or any other meat or tofu)
• Lime Juice (optional)
• Sticky rice or rice noodles
• Plate size dish & cutting board or flat surface to roll spring rolls up
• 8 oz of water

Directions for Spring Rolls:

1. Put water in plate size dish.
2. Take out one rice paper sheet and place in water for 30 seconds or so.
3. Until the entire sheet is soft.
4. Take the rice paper and lay it on a dry flat area.
5. Take lettuce leaves and lay in a line at the end closest to you.
6. Lay shredded carrots inside lettuce
7. Now put rice noodles or rice on top.
8. Squeeze lime over shrimp before adding.
9. Add shrimp and cilantro or mint.
10. Using the end closest to you, begin to roll the contents one time.
11. Now take the two sides and fold them in and over the contents sticking the rice sheet sides to the folded end.
12. Keep rolling, making sure the sides stay tucked in.
13. Roll all the way to the end and the rice paper will stick to itself, keeping the contents inside.
14. For dipping sauce use Thai Peanut Sauce, Sweet & Sour Plum Sauce, or Chilli Sauce and enjoy!

Option:

I bought the lime cilantro shrimp in the deli at Costco pre-seasoned and ready to be served. I cut up the shrimp and then added it to my spring rolls. You could also squeeze the lime and mix the cilantro or mint with the shrimp and marinade before use as well.

Keep chilled. Will last for a few days.

Spring Rolls are a great alternative to sandwiches, and a whole lot healthier. Be creative and play with other ingredients. These two are simple recipes you can make anytime, anywhere while on the go. Let us know what you come up with!

Recipe #2: Asian Slaw Salad

• 1-Packet Beef Ramen Noodles
• 1-Bag Shredded Cabbage
• Grapeseed Oil
• Natural Sugar
• 4 Green Onions-chopped
• Sun flower seeds (unsalted), pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, crasins

Directions for Asian Slaw Salad

1. Mix grapeseed oil, sugar, onions, and beef seasoning packet (see below for homemade seasoning) together.
2. Break up noodles into small pieces.
3. Mix noodles and seeds together. You can store them together for easy travel.
4. When ready to eat take noodle mixture, cabbage slaw and liquid and mix together in a bowl (or container with a lid for easy storage afterwards.
5. Once mixed, enjoy with a fork!
6. The longer you let the ingredients sit together the noodles soften and you get a whole new crunch.
7. Stores perfectly in a 12 cup container.
8. Keep cool in cooler or frig.

Homemade Beef Seasoning (I like Wilhelms Kitchen version):

• 1-TBSP Poultry Seasoning
• 1-Tsp Cumin
• 1/8-Tsp Chili Powder
• 2-TBSP Onion Powder
• 2-TBSP Garlic Powder
• 2-TBSP Nutritional Yeast (NOT FORTIFIED)
• 2-TBSP Beef Powder
• 1-TBSP Vegetable Stock Powder
• 1/4-1/2-Tsp Sea Salt (Optional)

Mix together and store in air tight jar. Use 1-2 TBSP per packet of beef seasoning.

Beginning to eat healthy starts with one small simple change. Simple recipes you can make right on your truck. It doesn’t have to be extreme, fancy, or expensive. What if you simply make your own food once a week? Then one day a week? Then two days a week, and so on. This does not have to happen over night. But my hope is you begin to see that YOU CAN DO THIS!

I believe in you. And I believe you can stay healthier over the road one move at a time. One meal at a time.

Please try out these simple recipes and comment below telling us what you think!

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