Guest Author - Jill Browne

In Europe, it's very common to see local people enjoying meals outside. In North America, we may be in danger of losing the picnic habit. Time to revive it! A picnic can be elaborate or simple, but if you eat healthy food that you like, it's guaranteed to be better than fast food from a chain restaurant.

Tip: For perishable items, only buy as much as you will eat in one day.

Breakfasts

Cereal with raisins added, topped with milk; juice to drink.
Vary the type of cereal and the toppings depending on what you like and what's available. Suggestions: applesauce, fresh fruit, dried fruits.

For coffee, go to a coffee place to get the real thing.

Grapefruit, pastry, butter and jam; juice to drink.
Fruits that you peel are easier to manage on the road if you do not have a safe water supply for washing your fruits and vegetables. Alternate fruit suggestions: oranges, bananas.
With luck, you'll find a great small-town bakery.
Butter is messy to carry unless you have a cooler, but a jar of jam is manageable, and so is peanut butter.

Yogurt topped with muesli or granola; juice to drink.

Lunches

Sandwiches
This is the obvious and easy road meal. Here are some filling suggestions.

Meat and Cheese
Visit a deli for thinly sliced meats and cheeses. Spice the sandwich up with a fancy mustard, pickles and olives on the side.

Peanut Butter and Jam (Jelly)
Everyone loves this recipe! Add a sliced banana to the filling for a special treat.

Tuna or Salmon Salad Sandwich
Use one of the bowls you brought to mix this up in. Drain a tin of fish into a garbage bag (not down a sink) and throw the liquid into the trash. Mix the drained fix with your preferred seasoning. Suggestions: mayonnaise; vinegar; lemon juice (buy whole lemons or limes and squeeze them into the fish). Add some chopped celery for a crunchy salad.

For drinks, mix up some powdered fruit drink, lemonade or iced tea.

Dinners

Without cooking, the way to get a hot meal is to buy one! Some choices - avoiding the fast food restaurants - are hot meat pies, sausage rolls, Jamaican patties, and spanakopita. Many grocery stores sell hot rotisserie chickens.

Here are some more ideas for meals that don't require cooking.

Cold Soup
There are some delicious packaged soups in the Tetra-Pak boxes just like juice comes in. Add some chopped crisp vegetables to cold tomato soup for a crunchy, crude version of gazpacho.

A dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream can dress up a squash soup.

To round out this meal, enjoy a bun or bagel, some fruit, and some deli meat.

Wraps
Use pita or whatever kind of flat, soft bread you can find. Fill with a tuna or salmon salad, or with a filling you concoct from what's on hand. Fresh tomatoes and a little mayonnaise will add some zip to an ordinary cheese wrap.

Fruit and Vegetable Salad
This salad is a mix of the ingredients you find most delicious and available. Look for contrasting flavours and textures. Some suggestions: water chestnuts, mandarin oranges, cooked kidney beans or black beans, crunchy Chinese noodles, almonds, green onions, and leafy greens (lettuce or spinach) to taste. Again, be sure to wash the fresh vegetables, even if they claim to be pre-washed.

Have some rice cakes on the side.

Pick up some wine, especially in vineyard country. For non-drinkers, milk and water are good choices.

If you want a permanent set of "road dishes", products made from Lexan tend to be durable. This link is to a one-place setting with cutlery.