Our Grocery List

You may wonder what goes into our bodies while we're out on the road. There are plenty of stereotypical truckers who are unhealthy, overweight, and eat only the fast-food and/or buffet food readily available at truck stops. While we indulge in that from time to time, our goal is to not "look the part" of being truckers and to get proper nutrition as best as possible.

Each time we return to Bend for our home-time, we make lenghty visits to Costco, Safeway, and Grocery Outlet. Our grocery list for a months-worth of supplies is generally along the lines of:

1 case V8
1 case chocolate Slimfast (good supply of vitamins/minerals)
1 case Diet Coke
3 12 packs Diet Mountain Dew
4 double boxes of cereal
6 quarts unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 canister instant oatmeal
2 boxes Zone protein bars
1 box Trio nut bars
1 box Fiber1 bars
Various other bars (usually found at Grocery Outlet for super-cheap)
1 bag raw almonds
1 bag peanut M&Ms
2 containers Sunrise Energy bars
1 container cub claws
1 container chicken salad
1 quart chai tea latte concentrate
1 bag dried apricots
8 small tins of various loose flavored black teas
1 box triscuits
1 block co-jack cheese
1 bag of apples and pears
1 jar salad dressing
1 container baby greens salad
2 bags sugar-snap peas
1 bag baby carrots
1 jar sunflower seeds
1 jar salsa
1 bag tortilla chips

The list may go on...at this hour I'm having a hard time recollecting anything else. What is nice, is that it usually works out that every week or every other week we're able to make it to a grocery store and re-stock the fresh food items. We really do try to stay away from the unhealthy stuff, but sometimes if we're in a rush or running really hard, that's the easiest thing to grab. If we have time on a load or in between loads, we enjoy getting a bite of hot breakfast food with eggs (deb) and steak (Ben). Having something warm to eat, and a "full meal", is a nice alternative to always snacking on a bar here or a bowl of cereal there.

And every now and again, we're able to meet up with friends or family who are willing to drive us out to a great place to eat. Just a few weeks ago we hooked up with some of deb's friends from college in Chicago and had a great meal at a Mexican restaurant. Thanks for the treat out and a fun visit, Ryan and Carla!

As the months have gone by, we've really been able to adjust our list and really find what works the best. We've run in to other drivers from our company who started the same time we did, and they complain about having gained 40+ pounds in the past 6 months. We certainly haven't stayed as trim (as is to be expected with a sedentary lifestyle as we now know it), but between the two of us, 10-15 pounds is the max we've gained. The difference between us and them? Largely, the credit goes to having a fridge. Keeping the fresh food on hand really adds up (and sure makes for less of a dent in the pocket book!).

Right now we're in western Nebraska on our way back to Portland, OR, with a load full of parts for Daimler-Benz. Once we drop, we're on our way back to Bend to watch the Colts win another Super Bowl! We'll spend the rest of our time visiting friends, studying, grocery shopping, and enjoying a hike or two in the great outdoors.

Then, back out on the road! We are blessed...

God bless you too!

Peace,
deb & Ben