Last Update: 20 June 2023
Heading out for a day trip or day one of your motorcycle holiday tour often means you’d like to stop less and ride more. Though, much of the fun in your motorcycle ride day adventure includes stopping at local restaurants and diners to eat. Taking along your own lunch can offer up a lot of convenience as well, as allow for an instant picnic at any point along your journey. These Portable Healthy Lunches for Your Motorcycle Ride can save on your budget.
Packing your lunch also helps to ensure you’re eating a healthier, portion-controlled meal. Bringing your own helps you eat a balanced meal at lunch and keep it “light (small portions) and tight” (a calorie count under 280) for breakfast and lunch. This will make you feel healthier for the day’s ride and allow for more flexibility with your last meal stop – dinner.
When you make your own lunch, you’re in total control. You can use fresh ingredients, watch your sodium intake and control portion size—three things that aren’t so easy to do when grabbing lunch on the road.
With a little prep before you ride, here are a few healthy, easy lunches to try!
Egg White Salad Sandwich
Take three chopped hard-boiled egg whites, mix with 2 tablespoons of plain humus (instead of mayo), and top with 1/4 avocado, tomato and onion slices on 100 percent whole wheat bread. You’ll get protein, antioxidants, vitamin C and fibre, which can help lower cholesterol and prevent that post-lunch blood sugar roller-coaster.
Use a Ziploc bag to store and transport.
Chicken Caesar Salad
Top pre-washed romaine lettuce with sliced grilled chicken (homemade or pre-poached from a grocery like Trader Joe’s), a handful of Parmesan flakes, and about 2 tablespoons of Bolthouse Farms Caesar Parmigiano (it’s yoghurt-based and only 45 calories per 2 tablespoons). Serve with two FiberRich Plus bran crackers, crumbled and sprinkled on top.
Store in a small Ziploc container you can easily dispose of along the way.
Turkey Wrap
Take one Tortilla (try La Tortilla)100-calorie whole wheat wrap (they come in a “low carb” version, too), add sliced turkey, avocado, mustard, lettuce and tomato. By swapping the mayo for avocado, you’ll be adding filling healthy fats (vitamin E, for example) to your meal. Plus, the combo of turkey and whole wheat gives you lean protein and fibre that will make you feel full for hours – meaning more riding, less stopping!
Modern Peanut Butter & Jam
Use one Justins Classic Maple Almond or Honey Peanut Butter Packet (only 80 calories each), and spread on a slice of Ezekiel bread for the perfect combo of protein and fibre. Add a sliced banana for extra flavour and potassium (great on hot weather riders!), which is good for bone health and helps keeps blood pressure stable. Another option is to pair up the nut butter with fresh fruit, such as strawberries or raspberries, instead of traditional jelly. Nut butters offer monounsaturated fats (good for your heart) and vitamin E (protects skin from free radicals).
Salmon Salad
Forget tuna! Open a can of smoked salmon single serving pack, add some light mayo, chopped celery and a bit of spicy mustard for a kick. Or the night before, marinate salmon in the following: fresh-squeezed lemon, lime, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, dill and parsley, and then broil for about 15 minutes. At lunch the next day, put cooked salmon on a bed of mixed greens with 1/2 cup chickpeas, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, fresh squeezed lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You’ll get heart-healthy omega-3 from the salmon, iron, thiamine and vitamin B6 from the leafy greens, and a serving of fibre and protein from the chickpeas.
Cottage Cheese and Berries
Need to eat something mid morning ride but want to keep it light? Try ½ cup organic cottage cheese or whipped cottage cheese (2 percent or under) with 1/2 cantaloupe or a handful of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or sliced peaches. You’ll get an antioxidant-packed snack (or meal), as well as a healthy serving of calcium and protein. Eat with two Fibre Rich Plus crackers or a granola bar if the former doesn’t leave you feeling full.
Pack in a portable ZipLoc small plastic container.
Black Bean Quinoa Salad
You’ll need two days advance prep for this one, but it’s worth it! Cook a cup of quinoa (or another whole wheat grain, like barley or whole wheat couscous) the night before. The next day, combine 1/2 cup cooked quinoa with 1/2 cup black beans (if canned, look for less than 100 milligrams of sodium), 1/4 cup cooked corn (canned is fine), 1 ounce of feta cheese, chopped tomato and a dash of pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mix together, pack and enjoy!
