In Case of Emergency or Travel - the GF Edition

September in the Carolinas often means we are seeing much of the rest of the country transition to cooler weather while we know that we usually have until late October before we have to get out the fall weather clothes. It also means an awareness on the coast of any hurricanes that could pop up. Hurricane Florence happens to have generated some concern even for those of us inland with the potential for major flooding. We're currently waiting to hear if we're looking at five or twenty inches in the piedmont region and this means even those of us inland are preparing for possible power failures, etc. The water is in short supply in many places and of course the gas lines are crazy long at certain times of the day. For those of us that eat gluten free, we are fairly confident that while the regular bread is likely cleared from the shelves, much like the non dairy milk, there is usually no major shortage of gluten free bread, but what about everything else. What else should we prepare in case we need a few days worth of food?

What to throw in the cooler...

Between my years on the road in pharmaceutical sales, packing a cooler for both days of work and trips away, along with packing for weekend dance competitions for my daughter, I have a few go to items that are part of what I keep on hand. Below are a few of the items that I usually keep on hand in the pictures and I will also include links to make it easier. This is also a great compilation of items that I recommend for road trips.

A few of the items that don't mandate refrigeration

Protein bars are an easy go to with lots of options and flavor choices. I prefer to go with cleaner ingredients lists and my top two choices are IsaLean Bars and Larabars. Although the grocery stores usually carry a variety or breads, it's often cheaper to buy it in bulk online and freeze the extra. My daughter's favorite happens to be Schar bread. She would make grilled cheese sandwiches all day long with this stuff, but in case of power failure, we will be bringing along sunbutter and local honey. Although in a pinch, I can buy the sunbutter at Target, my daughter loves this stuff, so this is just easier and less expensive in the long run. We also love the packets of Justin's peanut butter as they are super portable. Fresh cut fruit and vegetables are a great idea, but sometimes you're in a pinch and also with needing to consider a possible lack of refrigeration, we love the freeze dried fruit option or adding powdered fruits and greens to our water or clean electrolyte drink. The other reason I mention adding these options is that for those of us who need to eat gluten free, in times of stress or lots of sitting, it is vital that we support our body's ability to digest food and not just load up on junk. Some might scoff at this idea since my daughter is ten years old, but she seriously loves the squeezable fruits and veggies and I am happy any time she is asking for more veggies. I also happen to really like the Go Raw brand of snacks from time to time. One of my basics that I already have every day is a good quality protein shake. While I am usually a snob about wanting to use a blender, it's super handy to just throw it in a shaker cup with some bottled water and bam, complete meal.

On some other message boards, I have also seen a basic list of snack type gluten free foods that can also be helpful, such as bags of nuts, rice cakes, canned tuna or chicken, canned fruit, beef jerkey, granola bars, crackers, trail mix, coconut clusters, pretzels, and pudding cups.

Two recipes I often make that are super easy and great for snacking are cheese crackers and fruit roll ups. I use 3/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup of cheese and I change out the cheese options almost every time I make these. I highly recommend buying almond flour in bulk online versus the higher prices in most grocery stores. I recently made some fruit roll ups with mixed berries and was quickly reminded that the strawberries tend to dry out more evenly, so something to keep in mind. If your oven goes down to 140, you are in luck. If not, you can consider using a dehydrator, as I do.

These items can go in the cooler.

In addition to the bottles of water flying off the shelves, I am also filling some pre-chilled bottles with filtered water from my refrigerator. Here are a few we use: Go Active and Hydro Flask. Drinking water is crucial whether you are at home or on the go and definitely for those with digestive challenges, like celiac. This is also why no matter how clean my nutrition is, I still take probiotics daily. (This link also saves you a little money.) Hard boiled eggs are a super easy choice for on the go. You can make your own or do as I do and buy the organic pre-made packs at Costco. Lately, my daughter and I have also been loving the Perfect Bar. These are a bit of a treat for us, but we like them. My daughter loves having flavored yogurt, but I am not a fan of the loads of sugar that come with them. I buy her plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt and let her mix up her own flavors, adding a few drops of Stevia and a couple drops of natural flavors, sometimes with fresh fruit or the above mentioned freeze dried fruit.

One easy recipe I love to use for a great healthy snack on the go that can be eaten either cold or warmed up is pizza bites. For one of my friends, he commented that these were a great healthy substitute for sausage balls. Of course, you can also throw some lunch meat and cheese in your cooler to go along this same theme.

Finally, if you happen to be dealing with some stress with either an emergency situation or an upcoming trip, I am a huge advocate of adaptogens! Two of my favorite options for that are ionix supreme and e+ shots. Ionix is helpful for any time of day, but e+ shots are great for when you also need a little boost of natural caffeine.

By no means is this a complete list of options to take on the road or hold you over in case of emergency, but it is a few of our favorites that we have found super helpful, mostly healthy, and minimal prep work to get you nourished. If you found this helpful, feel free to share with a friend. May you all stay safe or travel safely.

*There are affiliate links in this blog post. If you are interested in any of the Isagenix products at wholesale versus retail pricing, I am happy to help you set up your wholesale account.