Three Of The Easiest Potato Recipes To Keep In Your Cab

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Ditch the chips! We’ve got some of the yummiest potato recipes that are sure to keep drivers full and focused.

Image via Pixabay

Deciding what food to take on your route can be a hard choice. Perhaps you’re trying to stick with your diet or cut down on carbs. Or, maybe you struggle just to remember to pack anything at all. Regardless of where your appetite is, celebrate National Potato Day (Aug. 19) by giving you some easy-peasy potato recipes that are sure to please.

Taters: A History

Potatoes have been a popular food for centuries. The fourth most largely farmed crop today, they were originally cultivated by the Inca Indians of Peru. When the Spanish conquered Peru, it was only a matter of time before they brought potatoes back to Europe. Because they’re so easy to grow, they soon caught on as a staple across the continent. After the famous potato blight in the 1840’s, famine forced many families, notably the Irish, to immigrate elsewhere, such as Canada and America. Their migration effectively brought this wonderful starch into our lives. And so, the potato can now be found on the shelves of virtually every home in the U.S.

One of the most versatile foods, any potato — mashed, smashed, chipped, or covered in cheese — can be eaten as a snack or meal. Additionally, the vitamins in potatoes, like iron, potassium, and vitamin C, make spuds the ideal ingredient to bring on the road. Read on to find the perfect recipe for your route.

The Easiest

Image via Getty Images

Baked potatoes are about as basic as you can get in terms of food-prep. It’s a sure fire way of guaranteeing yourself a delicious, edible meal every single time. If you’re planning on cooking them ahead of time, simply pick out your favorite tater (we recommend Russets for this method), and rub it down with some oil, salt, and pepper. Throw the potato on a baking sheet and let it roast in the oven for about an hour on 425°F. The result? A crispy on the outside, soft and steamy on the inside baked potato.

Can’t make it ahead of time? Many grocery stores supply potatoes pre-wrapped. Throw that sucker in the microwave, per package instructions, of course, and you’ll have the same delicious outcome.

Looking to amp up your tater-game? Add toppings! Some simple, nutritious combinations include adding broccoli and cheddar cheese, or even just the usual sour cream, bacon, and chives. If you’re feeling adventurous, why not try using sweet potatoes, and topping them off with some BBQ chicken? Plain or decked out, you’re looking at an easy, satisfying meal.

The Snackiest

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Ever wish you had an equally crunchy, perfectly salted substitute for your favorite potato chips? Well, now you do. Enter baked potato chips. By making your own, you can control exactly how much oil and salt you add, cutting down on some serious calories. You can find a recipe for your own chips anywhere, but we recommend this one by Kimberly Eggleston. She’s a registered dietitian who has been cooking up her own recipes for decades. The trick to her recipe is to slice the potatoes as thinly as possible for that extra crunch.

No time to make your own? Not a problem. Many brands are now offering their chips in a baked form, including the ever-popular Lays. Even buying a bag of baked chips over fried cuts down on cholesterol and trans fat, and you’ll feel less weighed down, too!

The Healthiest

Image via Garlic & Zest

Time to hop on the cauliflower bandwagon. Though this recipe isn’t actually made of potatoes, it’s perfect for the more health-conscious trucker. Cauliflower mashed potatoes has become something of a fad in recent months. Doctors everywhere are recommending low-carb diets, and beaming about the health benefits that come with them. One of the main substitutes that they recommend is using cauliflower as a replacement for more carb-heavy recipes, such as pizza crust, buffalo wings, and, now, even mashed potatoes.

Simply prepare a head of cauliflower by trimming any excess leaves, and chop the whole head into bigger chunks. Add to a boiling pot of water until soft, and drain. In batches, add the cauliflower to a food processor with a tablespoon of butter, a couple cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste, and pulse until smooth.

No time to make your own? Birds Eye offers an exceptional frozen version of their cauliflower mash. Simply throw their dish in the microwave per box instructions, and you’ve got a perfect, creamy mash to indulge in.

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Reed’s Way: The Trucker’s Fast Lane to Better Health

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ketogenic diet for truck driversThe health benefits of a ketogenic diet for truck drivers are not just solely physical. They’re also mental. What truck drivers eat affects a lot more than just their weight. It affects their mood, their overall well being, and even their relationships.

A lot of health problems could be solved simply by reducing sugar and grain in your daily diet and eating more ketogenic foods, which are low in carbs and high in healthy fats. The ketogenic diet works especially well on certain ailments. Here are three common health problems and how a ketogenic diet can alleviate them, as explained by truck driver and nutritionist, John Reed.

1. Type 2 Diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, the body fails to create enough insulin to lower blood sugar after a meal. That’s why, for type 2 diabetics, blood sugar levels continue to rise. A ketogenic diet can help you avoid the most dangerous impacts of type 2 diabetes. By consuming foods high in healthy fats (such as avocado and olive oil) and reducing your intake of carbohydrates, you can change the body’s energy source, so it uses stored fats for energy.

The result: Blood sugar and insulin decline. Having a ketogenic diet is a great way to manage, and even reverse, type 2 diabetes.

2. High Blood Pressure

ReedHaving high blood pressure is a significant risk factor for several diseases, such as heart disease, kidney failure and stroke. While high blood pressure has many causes, salty foods, clogged arteries and stress are common causes of it.

A ketogenic diet low in carbohydrates can be an important tool in reducing blood pressure. It also ups your intake of healthy fats and the “good” cholesterol your body needs.

The bottom line: A ketogenic diet can cause a significant reduction in blood pressure.

3. Inflammation

ReedIf you are getting ready for bed in the evening and notice swelling around your ankles and calves, it’s actually a sign of inflammation. A certain amount of inflammation is good to a point, because it helps heal problematic areas of your body.

However, too much inflammation is not good. It causes pain, fatigue and stiff joints and makes it hard for people to move freely. Limiting carbohydrates and sugar allows the body to keep inflammation low, therefore reducing joint pain and muscle soreness, write Jimmy Moore and Eric C. Westman, M.D. in their book Keto Clarity. So if you want to reduce inflammation, try reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your daily diet and replacing them with healthy fats such as walnuts, almonds and salmon.

The three health conditions above could result from too much sugar and grain in your diet.

Begin by taking small, concrete steps to reduce your intake of sugar and grains, and when you achieve minimum sugar and carbohydrates below 40 grams a day you will see real results.

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Trucker and Dog Barely Survive Car Crash

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A CDL truck driver and his dog are alive and well after narrowly escaping from a crash.

Tractor trailer crash.

Photo via WWNY TV

As reported by WWNY, the unnamed driver was traveling down New York Route 37 outside Theresa, when a deer ran into the road. The driver swerved, overturning his cab and trailer. And then, both the driver and his dog were trapped for nearly 45 minutes before rescue teams could get to the crash.

Theresa Fire Chief Mark Savage told WWNYC he was surprised that both the driver and the dog sustained minor injuries. Also, he said the driver seemed to be in good spirits as he walked away from the truck. “Lots of cuts and bruises, a little sore,” Savage told the station, “…but other than that, [the driver] is alive and doing well.”

Both the driver and his dog were taken to a local hospital and animal clinic respectively.

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Truck Driver Gives Ultimate Gift with Kidney Donation

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Walmart truck driver Carol Nixon shares a special story of determination and generosity. Her story inspires us entering into 2018 and helps us set goals for the year.

Carol Nixon, 48, of St. James, Mo., drove since 1990. Over the past five years, she has worked as an over-the-road driver for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In February of 2015 she met Deb Pollard, a fellow truck driver for Walmart. Fate brought together again in September of that year as roommates at the first annual Accelerate Conference sponsored by the Women in Trucking Association.

In addition, Deb shared that her husband Craig suffered from kidney failure and dialysis. The couple searched tirelessly for a donor, but unfortunately failed to receive a result. Then, Carol offered her kidney without a moment’s hesitation. “I didn’t even think about it,” Carol said. “I told her, ‘please, take it!’”

While both seemed the perfect match for the transplant, their journey included challenges. Carol stopped driving for three months prior to the donation due to dizziness. Doctors initially thought heart problems caused this. However, they realized they were migraines, and she received permission to donate her kidney again. Meanwhile, doctors at the University of Alabama hospital found that Craig suffered from blockage that could have killed him.  Finally, after these hurdles, the transplant took place and completed successfully in November of 2016.

Despite the challenges they faced, Carol never wavered in her decision to donate her kidney.

Even if she failed to match for Craig, she agreed to still donate her kidney to another recipient through the Kidney Paired Donation Pilot Program. The program matches medically compatible pairs of potential living kidney donors with transplant candidates. In cases where the potential donor doesn’t match with his or her original intended recipient.

When asked what drove her to donate despite all the challenges she replied “Perseverance.  When you’re told no, just keep pushing.”

With the transplant behind them, both Carol and Craig are doing well.  Craig immediately came off dialysis after the surgery and remained diligent about following his post-surgery protocol. Carol took six weeks off of work to recover. However, drives again now and stays healthy on the road by preparing meals for the road. She also walks three miles daily, whether at home or on the road.  When she’s home she and her husband spend time restoring their vintage cars and hanging out with her grandson.

Carol now adds raising awareness for organ donation to her growing list of charities that she supports.  At the November 2017 Accelerate Conference, she met the aunt of a young girl whose tissue donation gave two people the gift of sight. She also met the mother of a young girl in her community whose organ donations helped save the lives of five people.

Both of these girls received a floragraph on the Donate Life Float in the Rose Parade on January 1, 2018.

The Donate Life float honors millions of people touched by organ, eye and tissue donation. These include living donors, donor families, transplant recipients and transplant candidates.  The stories of these young girls further inspired Carol to share her own story. Her hope is her story raises awareness for organ donation.

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Exercises Truck Drivers Can Do on the Road

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As a truck driver, you spend most of your time on the road, making it a challenge to stay fit.  Your time is limited and access to equipment is a problem.  Here are 5 quick exercises you can easily perform on the road without any equipment:

Hand Stretch

Hand stretches can help relieve some of the stiffness or pain related to steering all day.  When you stop to refuel or take a break, rotate your wrist left and right or in a circle. Stretch your wrist by placing the fingertips of one hand on top of the steering wheel. Gently press your weight into your hand and hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Repeat with the other hand.

Abdominal Crunch

Strengthen your abs while you’re on the road. Squeeze your abdominal muscles and hold it for the entire length of your favorite song, podcast or news report. If you are unable to squeeze your abdominal muscles for that long, then aim to squeeze them for at least one to two minutes. Repeat at every red light or for every favorite song that comes on the radio.

Planks

Plank exercises help strengthen your back, arm and leg muscles, as well as your core. Find a spot where there is room to stretch out, start off the exercise by getting on your hands and knees. Place your forearms and hands onto the ground with your palms facing downward. Kick back your legs so that you are placing your weight on your toes. Your entire body should maintain a straight line. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

Shoulder Shrugs

Help relieve the stress and tension from your shoulder area with shoulder shrugs. Try this exercise while stopped at a red light, waiting on a shipper or taking a break.  Lift your shoulders up to your ears as if you’re saying “I don’t know.” Hold the position for a few seconds then release. Perform 10 to 15 reps throughout the day whenever you are feeling tensed or stressed.

Push-Ups

Strengthen your arms and chest with some push-ups.  You can do regular push-ups keeping your legs extended behind you and your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.  Mix things up with a diamond push-up where your hands are placed in a diamond shape directly under your chest.  Or, increase the degree of difficulty by propping your feet up on the bumper of your truck.

Photo courtesy of Men’s Health.

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10 Helpful Hints to Beat Hunger and Summer Heat On the Road

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truck driver heat exhaustionSummer means everything from beautiful drives to unbearable heat exhaustion for truck drivers. To usher in the new season, we’ve gathered a little information on healthy eating and exercise tips for the summer.

Taking care of yourself in the heat is not just a matter of health, but a matter of safety. Consider these tips from The Healthy Trucker:

Exercise in the morning or evenings if possible, avoid the hottest part of the day.

  1. Get acclimated. If you are used to exercising indoors or in cooler weather take it easy at first, give your body time to adapt to the weather change.
  2. Know your fitness level. If you are just beginning a workout regime you may have a lower tolerance to the heat.
  3. Drink plenty of fluids! Dehydration is a key factor in heat related illnesses. Keeping well hydrated helps your body sweat & cool down.
  4. Dress appropriately. Wear light weight, light colored clothing.
  5. If possible, always consider moving your workout indoors to avoid the heat, especially in extreme temperatures.

Keep an eye out this summer for problems like heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

  • Heat cramps are painful muscle contractions.
  • Heat exhaustion occurs when your body temperature rises above 104 degrees F. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache and cold, clammy skin.
  • Heatstroke can be life threatening. Symptoms include confusion, irregular heart rhythm, dizziness, nausea, visual problems and fatigue.

When you’re done exercising or when you’re on the road, here are a few snacks that can keep your energy up even under the summer sun as Trucker News shared:

  1. Pumpkin seeds
    Lightly roast them before a trip and keep them stored in a plastic storage bag or other container, and you’ll have a high protein snack at hand for your trip.
  2. Roasted chickpeas
    Chickpeas are a great source for protein, with just one cup of chickpeas offering 39 grams of protein, according to the USDA.
  3. Greek yogurt and granola
    Add granola to Greek yogurt, which has about 10 grams of protein for every 100 grams, and you’ve got a delicious high protein snack.
  4. Hummus dippers in a jar
    In a Mason jar or similar container, add hummus to the bottom and then add cut-up carrot sticks and celery sticks. Put the lid on and store it inside your cooler or your truck’s refrigerator. Depending on the amount of space in your cooler, you could make a few of these up before a trip to have on hand.
  5. Mixed nuts
    Toss some of your favorite types of nuts in a plastic food storage bag and you’ve got your own personalized trail mix for the road.

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4 Healthy Convenience Store Choices for Truck Drivers

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You’ve been on the road for a while, and no food is to be found in your cab. The only place to grab a snack is a gas station. What do you pick? Pizza? Maybe some chips? Ice cream? Not so fast – just because it’s quick and easy doesn’t mean it has to be greasy and fatty. U.S. News’ Anna Medaris Miller offers some healthier available selections in this slide show. Here’s a quick synopsis:

  1. Nuts are a fantastic and easy option that provide a good amount of protein to fill you up. Opt for unsalted kinds and pick almonds if you can.
  2. Greek yogurt is available in many convenience stores at gas stations now, and it’s a fantastic way to get plenty of protein without all of the sugar of normal yogurt.
  3. Beef? Yes, beef. Beef jerky in moderate amounts can be a great source of lean protein. Even all-beef hot dogs aren’t that bad compared to other picks. Just be careful because processed meat often has high amounts of sodium.
  4. Consider just grabbing a protein bar. Clif Bars and similar can high a good amount of fiber, high protein and moderate amounts of sugar, giving you a quick fix in a convenient package.
  5. And last, but certainly not least, fruit. It’d be hard to find a gas station that doesn’t have at least a few pieces of fruit. Rather than grabbing fruit juice, grab a whole fruit for an easy pick-me-up with some fiber.

Here’s to healthy eating on the road!

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How to Switch Sweat for Showers for Drivers on the Road

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showerbag-onegirltruckingYou’ve been on the road all day, finally pull into a much-needed rest stop where you plan to shower and clean up before dropping off a load. But the shower is broken or looks like might actually get you dirtier.

Maintaining good hygiene on the road can be difficult. That’s why Bethany from One Girl Trucking offers a few suggestions get rid of the grime. Step one is to be prepared.

“I keep a messenger bag as my go-to shower bag loaded up with all of my essentials in my truck at all times, so that I do not have to remember to throw a bag in the truck each week I go out or repack said bag because I will always forget something.”

As you know, not all rest stops are created equal. Petro and TA Truck Stops often receive high marks for shower quality. At these stops, drivers automatically receive two free towels and a bath mat. In her article, Bethany cautions against Love’s and Pilot/Flying J stations because they have significantly fewer showers available.

What can you do when no showers are available and you’re running short of time?

Bethany recommends:

“Keep facial wipes handy along with action wipes for quick, good smelling, adult-sized body wipes. Also, the best thing about these wipes are that they will not make you smell like a baby and they are perfect for a quick shower without having to use actual water.”

Have your own suggestions? Share them with us here, we’d love to hear from you!

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Pain in the Neck? 4 Simple Exercises to Help Truck Drivers

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As a truck driver, your body experiences strain as a result of having to sit so long. Often, your neck can be the most affected by these long rides with no movement. It hurts to swivel your head to monitor traffic. It gives you painful headaches.

Matt D’Aquino, The Healthy Trucker, writes of the neck-pain challenge and offers a few exercises to bring some relief.

Some simple stretches can quickly help lessen pain, especially if you do them on a regular basis (even you’re your neck isn’t hurting). Regular stretching helps prevent tightness from happening in the first place.

These following exercises, which target all directions, can be done for a few minutes every day outside of the cab for a much looser, more mobile neck.

  1. Turn your head left and stick your hand out at a 90 degree angle. Switch directions, and complete again.
  2. Pull your head down, hold for up to 30 seconds. Push your head up, again holding up to 30 seconds. Do so gently .
  3. Move your head slowly side to side and in circles.
  4. Place your hand on one side of your head, placing pressure, while also pushing your muscles in the opposite direction.

We hope these neck stretches will help make driving a bit more pain free. Have some useful stretches to share? Connect with us here and tell us!

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In Losing 160 Pounds, This Truck Driver Gained a Lot

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Five years ago, Cynthia Ward weighed 338 pounds. Her ankles, knees and hips were always hurting. She failed her DOT physical and had 30 days to control her sugar levels. She had to make a change, fast.

“I’ve lost a whole person since then,” Ward says. 160 pounds, to be exact. Ward’s story is an inspirational tale that other drivers can learn from.

“If you would have told me that I would have to lose 160 pounds, I would have quit,” she says. “I set out to lose 25 pounds, and I lost 25 pounds. And that’s the way I’ve done it, 25 pounds at a time. Because 25 pounds in attainable.”

Every couple of weeks, Ward allowed herself a cookie or a sliver of chocolate cake as a reward to make the journey more enjoyable.

Start small

Ward took several small steps toward success. She began by buying smaller dinner plates at Walmart. She started parking in the back of parking lots so she would have to walk farther. She also researched diets on the Internet and met with a dietitian, who helped her plan her portions.

“If I ate one thing less, if I took one step farther, that day was a win,” Ward says. “And the rest of it would fall in line.”

Keep it healthy

Now Ward rarely eats at truck stops. Instead, she keeps healthy eats in her truck at all times. She begins her day with a cup of coffee and a serving of Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, with only 9 grams of carbs. Even a small serving of yogurt, with flavors such as banana cream pie, strawberry cheesecake and toasted coconut, is enough to satisfy Ward’s sweets cravings.

At noon, she indulges in raw nuts and indulges in lunch, her biggest meal of the day. Lunch is a serving of meat (the size of a deck of cards) and two cups of low-carb vegetables. Ward tops her day off with a light meal, such as chicken salad with dried fruit and walnuts.

Ward designed her regimen on her own.

The dietician she worked with initially wasn’t helping, Ward says. So Ward did her own research and came up with her own plan of consuming 1,200 calories and no more than 50 grams of carbs daily to keep her diabetes under control.

“By following the diet I’ve followed, I’ve been able to get off medication that was costing me $600 a month,” Ward says. “I ran my diet by my doctor to get the OK, but I’m the one who decided what I was going to do.”

To lose weight, Ward focused on diet, not on exercise. But she walks her dog every few hours, does squats during her pre-trip and often walks with an exaggerated march to burn more calories.

Where she goes from here

Today, Ward weighs 180 pounds. Her goal is to lose 30 more pounds eventually, but she’ll continue to take it slowly.

For others who want to lose weight, Ward has this advice: “Start small. Start with something obtainable. Take one step more than you normally would. Take a complete walk around the store before you start shopping. Leave one thing off your plate that you would normally eat. If you have to give up everything all at once, you’re not going to succeed.”

Ward focused on losing 25 pounds at a time. Do you have a great weight loss tip others can learn from, too? Connect with us here and tell us about it!

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The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

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