Healthy, Tasty and Easy Peruvian Snack for Traveling

There are three kinds of travelers, and I have been all three at different points in my life. There are those who eat whatever they find on their way: they devour plane food down to the little bun with butter and the triangular cheese wrapped in foil, and enthusiastically stock up on fast food meals or unhealthy snack at airports or gas stations if they’re on the road. I used to be like this as a kid and a teenager, and always felt pleasantly full (or sometimes excessively full) by the time I got to my destination.

Then there are those who are health conscious or have high culinary standards, for whom all the bad quality food options for travelers won’t do. These people may prefer to go for a few hours without food than to eat just for the sake of it…and who can blame them? I became like this a few years ago, and stopped requesting vegetarian meals when I flew because I decided that avoiding bad quality plane food altogether was best. Bottles of water became my sole companions on every trip, and I got surprised looks by fellow travelers and flight attendants when I turned down each and every food offer. Despite what most hungry people may think, I didn’t feel deprived and instead enjoyed these food-less periods and took them as little fasts, which are actually wonderful for one’s health. I recommend you try this at least once. You will give your body a rest from food and time to detox and replenish.

Even though I still choose to avoid food in many of my trips, I also often fall into the third type of traveler: those who won’t compromise their lifestyle no matter where they are going and will find ways to eat healthy no matter what. I’m talking about the super organized and/or health and budget conscious, who plan ahead and either buy or prepare easy and nutritious snacks to carry with them. This category is still mostly comprised of moms traveling with children, but with low cost traveling including less and less food options with higher and higher prices, more people are looking for easy and satisfying snacks that they can carry with them when they travel so they don’t starve but don’t break the diet or the bank either.

My favorite healthy and budget-friendly snacks to carry with me when I travel include any of the following: fresh fruit (especially the ones that don’t involve cutting and arranging beforehand, such as apples, tangerines, blueberries, and bananas; fresh fruit that does include a little peeling, cutting, and placing in containers, like cubed pineapple, melon, watermelon, or orange slices; dried fruits and nuts; organic, dark, raw chocolate; naturally sweetened treats like these coconut macaroons; hearty quinoa salads with all kinds of chopped veggies and sprouted beans mixed into them; and of course, wraps or sandwiches, the ultimate on-the-go meal.  And of all sandwiches in the world, the Peruvian triple is by far my favorite. When you try it you will understand why. The egg, tomato, and avocado combination works synergistically and creates magic. The original version is made with mayo, but I use hummus simply because I love it and always have some in my fridge. You can also skip the bread if you prefer to go gluten-free, and wrap all the ingredients in a brown rice tortilla or a few large lettuce leaves.

Happy, healthy, and safe travels!

My favorite healthy Peruvian sandwich snack recipe.