Not only this, there are practical ways for truck drivers that can be used to save time and work with less, allowing you to meal prep.
Healthy Meal Prep For Truck Drivers
1. Batching
Batching is a principle that will save you time in more than just meal prep. It is the idea of grouping time-consuming tasks together to minimize setup time and unnecessary repetition.
It is much easier to throw a few already prepped ingredients into a Crock-Pot and keep driving until they are finished cooking instead of having to prepare your ingredients and cook them all at once. Batching will also greatly simplify your food storage and cut down on wasted space, something that is a premium in your truck.
2. CrockPot Recipes
When you are on the road for long hours and have to make up time, the Crock-Pot is your friend, a friend that you should rely on often. A Crock-Pot or slow cooker is an excellent tool for producing high-quality meals with very minimal time and effort. You can simultaneously cook meat for breakfast, lunch, and supper, as well as potatoes, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, leeks, mushrooms, bell peppers, and garlic, to be used for different meals throughout the day.
Being on the road shouldn’t restrict your ability to prepare meals. Sure it’s not as easy as having a full-service kitchen, yet it’s possible to eat delicious and healthy meals out of your truck. You can make chili, chicken with roasted red potatoes and carrots, or even a pork tenderloin roast. Is your mouth watering yet?
3. Reuse and Modify Ingredients
Reusing and modifying ingredients can instantly make your life easier! The basic idea is to cook one kind of meat, like chicken or lean beef that will work well with a variety of other sides to make different meals. In one day you might have a roast beef sandwich, a fresh spinach salad with onions, mushrooms, cheese, and chopped roast beef for protein, and a proper roast beef dinner. You can manipulate flavors with different sauces to further distinguish meals from each other. Using the Crock-Pot will allow you to cook the beef and vegetables with a savory sauce in just a few hours while you are driving.
4. Raw Foods
Eat foods that require no prep! It’s the simplest way to eat while on the road. As a trucker, you won’t always have time to meal prep while delivering loads on a strict dock schedule. Stay full longer with raw foods like:
- Nuts
- Bananas
- Apples
- Carrots
- Grapes
- Yogurt
- Granola Bars
High-protein snacks like nuts, low-sodium beef jerky, and yogurt can keep you full longer and taste great. They will help you even out low blood sugar levels between meals and keep you from either overeating at mealtimes or impulsively stopping for a Big Mac.
5. Drink Less Pop and Juice
Pop or soda, whatever you prefer to call it, sugary drinks like Coke and Sprite are equally refreshing as they are hazardous to you. These drinks are full of sugar and sugar substitutes that aren’t doing you any favors except spiking your sugar levels and leading to obesity. Having one every now and then isn’t horrible but it shouldn’t be a regular occurrence. By regular we mean more than once a week.
Life as a trucker can be an amazing adventure and a rewarding career. But for too many truck drivers it can be a life-ending career, with many dying fifteen to twenty years before the national expectancy. Not only this, many of the health problems that take the life of truckers before their time can be reduced dramatically by taking control of food intake and making healthier choices.
To place an Order
Contact Us at CDL Meals which provides deliciously pre-prepared healthy meals for Truck drivers made from fresh produce and lean meats.