Traveling abroad with kids is a wonderful adventure, but let’s face it—mealtime can become a battleground, especially with picky eaters or sensitive stomachs. Eating out constantly isn’t always ideal as well with the use of inflammatory oils and additives in commercial foods. That’s where preparing your own easy and quick non-toxic or cleaner meals becomes a lifesaver.
Here’s a list of essential items I have packed and they really helped me to whip up simple yet nutritious and clean meals for my little one for my most recent trip to Melbourne.
Water filter flask
We all know that we can boil away bad bacteria and viruses, but we cannot boil away chlorine and heavy metals present in water. These contaminants are almost surely present even in developed countries. Plastic bottled water are known to harbour millions of microplastics and should not be consumed on a daily basis. I use Epic Water Filter pitcher (Pure). The filtered water isn't just for drinking, but also for cooking my meals.
Portable blender
Bringing a blender allows me to effortlessly prepare nutrient dense smoothies and even blend up certain vegetables that my kid does not eat them on its own. I use Ninja Blast portable blender to blend some leafy greens into avocado based smoothies and even make blended spinach porridge. If time allows, you can also prepare a batch of pasta sauce with lots of vegetables using this portable blender.
Baking soda
Soaking your fresh fruits and vegetables in baking soda for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing them off helps to remove the pesticides and bacteria. I brought my own pack of Bob Red Mill's baking soda along for cleaning my fresh produce.
Thermal flask and thermal bag (ice packs)
As I am travelling from one part of the city to another, long drives are inevitable and I was not sure of the timing of my arrival and if that place has foods suitable for my kid. A thermal flask comes in really useful where I prepare simple porridge and/or soups in the morning before I set off, keeping the food warm for hours. Thermal bags with ice packs are useful to keep the fresh produce I bought chilled for hours as well.
Non-toxic cookware
And one of the most important items I bring along would be my non-toxic cookware like stainless steel mini cooker and full ceramic pan from Xtrema.
Some meals I have prepared in this trip include ABC soup (a really good way to up the intake of plants), bone broth soup base with pasta/rice and vegetables, miso soup base with pasta/rice and vegetables, vegetable porridge, free range egg omelette cooked in tallow with herbs, organic grass fed steak, avocado and fresh fruits with yoghurt as breakfast. And last but not least which is my most favourite find - RAW MILK!
I hope this blog would help you as you plan your travels with your little ones!
Have fun cooking ;)
