Thursday: The Value of Dinner Insurance on a Travel Day
Today was a little different because I spent most of it in the car.
My oldest daughter started her two-week summer program through Hillsdale College, and today was drop-off day. She’s going to be traveling all over Europe, which is such an incredible opportunity, so we had about a four-hour drive there and another four hours back home.
That meant I wasn’t home much at all today, and honestly, it was one of those days that reminded me exactly why I prioritize food prep.
Breakfast
We kept breakfast simple before getting on the road.
The kids had our usual breakfast, and of course Daphne requested her smoothie. Making smoothies together has become one of our little morning traditions, and she still takes her Vitamix “mixing job” very seriously.
I made myself a quick peach oat nut breakfast to go with some reheated chicken sausage
Packing Food for the Road
Rather than relying on fast food all day, I packed food before we left.
For my daughter, I made sandwiches and packed a snack box with plenty of things to munch on during the drive.
For myself, I packed one of my favorite travel lunches: a hot thermos meal.
I preheated my thermos the way I always do:
- Fill it with boiling hot water while I heat the food.
- Let it sit for several minutes.
- Dump the water out.
- Immediately fill it completely with piping hot food.
Today’s thermos was leftover roasted chicken and vegetables from last night’s dinner.
I did a late lunch and ate after I dropped Fiona off so I could pull over to sit and eat for a few moments. I drizzled some homemade vinaigrette on top and it was perfect!
Dinner
By the time I got home tonight, I wasn’t interested in cooking.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to.
I finished off the very last of the grilled chicken from earlier this week and made myself a big salad.
That officially used up the remaining grilled chicken, and it was exactly the kind of quick, satisfying dinner I needed after eight hours in the car.