NUTRITION - How to eat healthy on a budget whilst travelling

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Summary - 

When it comes to holidays, there’s no denying that eating out 3x times a day with or without kids adds up very quickly both budget & weight wise. In this episode, I’m sharing a few sneaky hacks that I do every time I travel to ensure I can enjoy eating out whilst keeping my waistline and finances in check.   

Things I Mention - 

  • How to holiday with or without kids and not blow your entire travel budget on food. 

  • My list of versatile grocery staples that I aim to purchase as soon as I check-in. 

  • How to stay on track with your health & body composition goals whilst still eating out. 

PLUS, the one thing I do every few days to stay in control of my weight & finances whilst still enjoying a wine or three! 

Links & Helpful Resources - 

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my practical tips & tricks and if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks! 

Eating - it’s one of my favourite things to do especially whilst travelling. There is nothing I love more than exploring different places and sitting around a table for hours with a wine in hand and a plate of whatever happens to be their traditional cuisine. 

If you've spent longer than a day or two away though, then you'll know that eating out 3x times a day with or without kids adds up very quickly. What's worse, it tends to add a few unwanted kilos too. In this episode, I’m going to share some of my tips for eating healthy without blowing your entire travel budget on food.

Eat Out Once Per Day 

I aim for 2 meals per day eating in and just the one meal eating out. I usually eat breakfast and dinner in my hotel/ apartment because I find that when you're travelling you spend most of the day out and about. This of course, can change depending on what you have on. If I knew I was going to be out at night though, I'd change this and have my breakfast & lunch at home instead and most of the time, lunch would just be my leftovers from dinner the night before.

If I knew that I would be out for both lunch and dinner though, I'd just purchase some snack-type foods to eat as a smaller lunch (fruit, crackers & cheese, nuts) so I'm not eating 2 costly meals out - both budget and calorie wise.

Shop For Groceries Every Few Days

If there is a supermarket or small grocery store nearby, do a food shop every few days (3-4 days). By doing this, you'll keep food waste to a minimum and ensure that you actually eat everything that you buy. I try to stick with ingredients that are versatile and that can be used in either a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Some of these ingredients might include -

  • Pre-packaged salad greens (spinach/ lettuce etc.)

  • Protein Source (grassfed mince, lentils etc.)

  • Eggs

  • Chickpea Pasta

  • Avocado

  • Almond Milk

  • Chia Seeds/ Hemp Seeds (optional but great to add to meals to boost your protein intake)

  • Almonds (great for snacking too!)

  • Bread

  • Passata

  • Lemons (drink with water in the morning, massage salad greens, make gaucamole and use as a salad dressing)

  • Fruit (berries, apples, bananas)

  • Vegetables (cauliflower, pumpkin, capsicum, corn cobs (great as a snack too!), sweet potato, carrots)

  • Rolled Oats

  • Olive Oil (for cooking or to massage salad greens)

Be A Little Bit Organised

I know that being a little loose with your usual routine is all part of the fun when on holidays however if you spend a few minutes every couple of days getting just a little bit organised, your wallet and your waist will thank you for it. Before I go grocery shopping, I'll take a few minutes to write down what meals I plan to eat over the next few days and what I need to buy. You don't need to be overly organised with this, having a rough idea is better than no idea. 

I like to rotate 2 different breakfasts to keep things interesting. You could make Overnight Oats for example two days in a row so your milk doesn't go to waste and then switch to some sort of cooked breakfast (poached eggs on toast with avo).

For dinner, you could choose meals that include a lot of the same ingredients just in different ways - roast veg macro bowls, bolognese, omelettes etc.

Skip A Meal … Strategically! 

If I'm away without the kids, I usually aim for a big brunch with an earlier dinner and skip lunch altogether. I might have a small snack to tie me over until dinner but strategically skipping a meal also ensures you leave plenty of room for a sneaky wine or some cheese & crackers come happy hour too. 

Elisha CasagrandeBrisbane Personal Trainer, Brisbane Health Coach, FEEL BE LOOK, Womens Confidence, Confidence, IIN Health Coach, Healthy Eating, Womens Health, Travel Eating, Travel Budget, Holiday Eating