Eating meals exclusively delivered by gas stations and fast food restaurants on tour will make you sick after just a couple of days. But with profit margins on the road being so thin, buying three healthy meals from restaurants each day while touring just isn’t possible for most bands who tour consistently. We’ve got five tasty tour meal ideas that’ll do your body good. For some of these meals, you’ll need a cooler with ice, so prepare accordingly.
Hummus, red bell peppers, and pita bread
Folks, hummus is mighty tasty and filled with the protein your tour-weary body needs. The hardest part of this meal is slicing the bell peppers, but you can always buy those bags of bite-sized peppers from the grocery store. Also, rather than going the cheap route and buying the least expensive hummus you can find, I recommend spending an extra buck on the good stuff. You won’t regret it.
Yogurt, granola and blueberries
It’s easy to skip breakfast on tour, but the cool thing about being on the road is that the first meal of the day can happen any time you want it to. Yogurt, granola, and blueberries is an easy breakfast that will make you feel like a champ. If you’re looking for an easy way to get more protein in your diet, make sure you get greek yogurt.
Tuna salad with baby carrots
This meal isn’t fancy, but come on, this is tour we’re talking about. You can fork over the cash for caviar once you’ve hit it big. This is a cheap and quick snack that’ll help keep you filled up and energized without making you feel slow and bloated like fast food would. If you’re looking to spice your tuna salad up, throw some sweet relish into the mix.
Cottage cheese and fruit cups
Some people are very anti-cottage cheese because of its texture, but for everyone else, it’s a delicious protein-packed snack that goes great with fruit. Now, unless you insist on cutting fruit in the van between shows, mixed fruit cups are cheap and easy. Readers who haven’t had fruit cups since they were in elementary school might be a bit hesitant here, but they’re great if you’re looking for an easy way to eat fruit on the road.
Instant brown rice with edamame and soy sauce packets
You’ll need a microwave for this last one, but as long as you buy gas or a cheap item, most gas stations won’t mind you using theirs. Brown rice and frozen edamame now come in convenient microwavable packs and the two foods taste great together. Add in some free soy sauce packets and you’ve got an awesome meal that’s much better than fast food and gas station sandwiches.
Patrick McGuire is a musician, writer, and educator currently residing in the great city of Philadelphia. He creates music under the name Straight White Teeth, and has a great affinity for dogs and putting his hands in his pockets.
