Dashboard Dining Dilemma

Dashboard dining – eating in your car while racing from place to place. It usually involves going to the drive thru of your favorite fast food place, getting a bag of greasy and fat laden foods and driving with one hand on the wheel and another in the bag. Perhaps you have your kids in the car with you and they are getting their meal on the fly as well.

My first thought is, at least park the car and walk into the fast food place. After that, well, it’s dangerous; you should have both hands on the wheel and paying attention to the road.

According to Kelley Blue Book, you know those folks who rate the value of your vehicle when you want to sell it, eating in your vehicle can reduce the worth of your car if food has been slopped on the floors and seats. Burgers and fries are rated the messiest car foods. Taco Bell created a car friendly meal to accommodate people who must eat and drive.
Read the entire article http://mediaroom.kbb.com/index.php?s=43&item=214

This article is not about selling your car, if it were I would have to look at my own car, the dogmobile.

You are busy and your schedule is demanding. Let’s look at ways to avoid eating in the car through some time management or if you must eat in the car, then some healthy options.

· If you have any control at all over your daily appointments, factor in 15-30 minutes in between them so you can sit and eat a meal in peace.
· Don’t forget, gulping a meal down without tasting it is a recipe for weight gain, you won’t feel like you have eaten and will start craving more food.
· It is also stressful.
· You could get heartburn.
· Are you able to say, “yes, I will be there, but after dinner, lunch, breakfast, what time do you want to meet?
· Are your hours at work a little flexible to accommodate appointments or activities? Take a 30 minute lunch to leave 30 minutes earlier; are you able to come into work earlier than the regular time?
· Your day may already be stretched thin, but if you need to set the alarm and get up a little earlier to get out of the house to get to your appointments that might be the trick.

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” H. Jackson Brown

Healthy Foods on the Fly

If you have children, you will set a good example by giving them nutritious foods rather than drive through meals. Once in a while fast food is OK. Doing it on a regular basis is setting them up for future health woes and bad habits.

Breakfast:
· Prepare hard boiled eggs the night before. Peel what you need for a meal in the morning, pop them in a baggy, some apple slices or a banana and a box of juice and you have a meal.
· Toast an English muffin and put peanut butter on it, some grapes and you can roll out the door.
· Make a yogurt smoothie to drink in the car.

Lunch: This one is easy
· A sandwich on whole grain bread travels well.
· Instead of lunch meats try hummus with lettuce, tomato and some cucumber slices, some baby carrots and you are good to go.
· Try fat free refried black beans and some avocado slices rolled up in a tortilla.
· Whole grain crackers, string cheese and fruit.
· If you like to have an orange with your meal, peel it and section it at home and pop it in a container.

Keep bottled water in the car, watch out for freezing temps, I blew out an expensive brand new metal water bottle when it was sub-zero recently (this was written back when it was sub-zero).

Dinner:
· Heat a veggie burger in the microwave and put it on a whole-grain bun with lettuce or sprouts and add baby carrot sticks, dried fruit and club soda or seltzer water .
· I love a meatloaf sandwich, if you have leftover meatloaf, put a slice on whole grain bread with lettuce and tomato. Cut up some celery sticks.
· Bake or grill some extra boneless chicken breast. You can shred the chicken into a tortilla wrap,

Use your imagination and have fun putting some easy to eat, light meals together. Think of all the money you will save too. Take the money and treat yourself to a much deserved massage!

Editorial comment: I do encourage you to not eat while driving, above all, it is a safety issue and in my mind, the equivalent of driving while talking on your cell phone. Next time you pick up a car food, think about your ability to do a quick hand over hand turn to avoid a pedestrian, another car, an animal. If you are on your way to a business meeting, those fast food egg sandwiches are mighty greasy and trust me, they always land smack in the center of your blouse or tie.

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