Meals On The Road

Are you embarking on a road trip and need simple quick meal ideas. You’re in the right place! I’ll show you easy cheap ways to save money while eating meals on the road. I’ll break everything up by meals to make planning easier.

Breakfast Ideas:

This is one of the easiest meals to eat on the road!

Food that you can prep ahead of time for breakfast:

Muffins
Hard Boiled Eggs- kept in a cooler
Cinnamon Rolls
Banana Nut Bread

Easy items to purchase before or during your trip:

Bagels- cream cheese kept in cooler
Packaged Muffins
Cereal & Milk- kept in cooler
Yogurt- kept in cooler
Granola

If you own a portable hot water heater for the car:

Oatmeal- individual instant packets
Coffee
Hot Chocolate

I only allow cereal with milk when we’re stopped for gas, bathroom break, etc. No spilled milk in my car! I also buy the tiniest amount of milk possible, like in a 20oz plastic bottle.

If you own an immersion stick, you can even make your own smoothies!! A freezer in the hotel is a must unless you make it immediately after purchasing from the grocery store.

Lunch Ideas:

The easiest meal for lunches are sandwiches. They are easy to make and transport for picnics.

Chicken Salad- prep ahead of time or buy at the grocery store
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Turkey or Ham

Depending on how many meals we’re eating will determine how I pack. If I know we’re going to be eating a bunch of sandwiches, I’ll buy a small jar of peanut butter and jelly. I’ll get different types of bread to mix it up a little. Like Hawaiian rolls or subway type style rolls. Regular sandwich bread can get squished easily! If you like tomatoes and lettuce, I pack those in separate baggies already cut up.

If it’s only a couple times, I’ll get those individual servings of peanut butter and jelly that they have at hotel breakfast buffets or Chick Fil A. I always have a condiment bag of individual mustard, ketchup & mayo packets.

Other Ideas:

DIY Lunchables- cheese, crackers, turkey
Pasta salad- already made, stored in a cooler

If you have a small thermos:

Hot Dogs
Chili
Soup
Beans
Leftovers

You would need to prep ahead of time and make whatever you are wanting for lunch, then just throw it in the thermos to keep it hot. Hot dogs are even easier! Put hot water in the thermos, then add the hot dogs. They will cook while you’re driving and be ready at lunch time.

Sides:

Chips
Fruit -berries, apples, oranges
Veggies- carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes
Cookies
Brownies

Dinner Ideas:

I’m going to assume that you are actually still on the road and needing to eat. I’ll have a different post for dinner ideas at a hotel room.

Meals you need to prep ahead of time:

Taco Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad
Any Salad

These can be made before at home and stored in a cooler.

An easy dinner option is to stop at a grocery store and buy a rotisserie chicken. You can pair that with potato salad or baked beans that are prepped ahead of time.

Everything I already mentioned for lunch is a dinner possibility as well.

As you can see, meal prepping is a must unless you want to eat sandwiches or eat out for every meal. If you’re on a strict budget, there’s nothing wrong with having sandwiches at every meal. I would much rather go on a vacation eating only sandwiches, than no vacay at all! And kids don’t usually care if you plan a fun trip!

I’ve got a whole post on snack ideas, click here to read it.

On a lot of my road trips, I prefer to eat my meals while on the road. It’s much faster and convenient. You can picnic at a beautiful scenic view that you most likely would not have in a restaurant. Plus, it saves money and is usually healthier. Although I let me kids splurge and eat all kinds of junk while traveling, lol.

What are your favorite ideas for meals on the road?