Driver's take
How I Eat on the Road (Without Living on Truck-Stop Food)
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Truck-stop food is easy, and that's the trap. Two or three meals a day add up fast, in money and in what they do to you. Here's how I actually eat during a week out, including the parts I'm not proud of.
The home-cooked week
Before I head out, my wife, Nicole, cooks enough food to last about a week. The rotation includes fried rice or pelau, baked or stewed chicken, baked or stewed pork, macaroni pie, lasagna, chunky vegetables, and sometimes beef and spinach patties.
It's packed in bulk containers, not single portions labeled by day. At mealtime I take out what I want and heat my plate. The goal is a week, but some dishes run out sooner than others.
My truck kitchen
Two appliances do the work: the fridge and a microwave.
- Fridge. My 2022 Kenworth T680 came with a built-in refrigerator. If your truck doesn't have one, start with our 12V fridge buying checklist.
- Microwave. Not factory-installed. I bought it years ago and it has moved with me from truck to truck. It runs off the truck's inverter. A microwave pulls a lot of power, so check your inverter's rating before you plug one in. No microwave? A 12V heated lunch box is the usual alternative.
No kettle or coffee maker here. I'm not a hot-drinks person, which is probably to my detriment.
Keeping it safe
Different foods keep for different lengths of time, so know what you're putting in the fridge. In my experience the home-cooked food doesn't make it past a week, and anything that sits longer gets a hard look before I eat it.
For the official numbers, USDA guidance is that cooked leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in a refrigerator at 40°F or below, or 3 to 4 months frozen, and should be reheated to 165°F. That's shorter than a full week out, so if your fridge has a freezer section, freezing the meals you'll eat later in the week is the safer way to make home food last.
I also keep a bag of frozen Birds Eye potatoes as a backup for when the home-cooked meals run out.
When the home food runs out
I'm not much of a cook, and at my age I have no plans to change that. So my backup is prepared food that's easy to get:
- Walmart rotisserie chicken and potato salad. Many Walmart locations make room for trucks, so I can park and shop.
- Subway when I want something different.
Snacks: the honest version
To stay full between meals I keep protein within reach: Nutrilite Organics Plant Protein Powder in chocolate, and XS Sports Protein Bars in Chocolate Peanut Butter and Chocolate Berry. And I'll admit it: I also eat Doritos. I'm trying to make better choices, but I'm not going to pretend I eat perfectly.
Disclosure: Nutrilite and XS are Amway brands. I'm an independent Amway business owner, so I can earn money from Amway sales. I mention these because they're what I actually eat.
The protein matters because you sit for hours. Food that keeps you full longer makes it easier to skip the impulse buys at every fuel stop.
My advice: don't make truck-stop food your staple
I'm not saying never buy food at a truck stop. I do it myself when I need to. Just don't live on it. It usually costs more and is often less healthy than food you prepared yourself, and buying two or three meals a day adds up over a year.
- Plan ahead and bring meals from home when you can.
- Have a backup for when the home food runs out.
- Keep filling snacks in reach so hunger doesn't make the decision for you.
You don't need to give up convenience. You just need to stop depending on it for every meal.