Food on the run

[Snorkmaiden]

I'm really new to being "fully" vegan. I've tried so many times before and rarely last long because there are always hurdles I "fail" at and then I get so annoyed and upset that I just sink back into eating animal products again.

One of my biggest hurdles is that I often need to grab lunch "on the run" ie. from a supermarket, naff petrol station, etc. There's usually virtually no choice and none of their sandwiches, etc are remotely vegan. It's usually a choice of meat or cheese is one form or another.

Do any of you more experienced people have any ideas of how to get around this? Often I don't really have warning as such that I won't be home for lunch and it can be every day for a week or not for two or three weeks so it's so hard to plan for

[harpy]

If I'm likely to be in that situation I tend to cart a bit of not-too-perishable food around with me - e.g. nuts and raisins, an apple, a cereal bar. But actually you can quite often buy nuts and apples even from service station type places.

[twinkle]

I think there's a thread about this somewhere. If it's a supermarket their indian snack things (samosas and bhaji type stuff) are often vegan. And most supermarkets sell hummous, so if there's nothing else those are my fallbacks, maybe with some bread and a bag of salad or something.

ETA - It does also help, as harpy says, to have a fallback with you - I used to have flapjacks or fruit and nut bars in my bag/pocket most of the time.

[Snorkmaiden]

Good ideas - thank you I did get stuck today and all I could find was a packet of nuts and seeds which was a bit crap but did the job

[Sluggie]

I got all excited about Ginsters new hummous and salad sandwich and was going to post about it here, but I just checked the list of ingredients, and the idiots have put butter in it.

So we're back to the peanuts and flapjacks I'm afraid.

[Crafterga]

I tend to grab a tub of humous, a tub of cherry tomatoes, and a baguette (Granary if available) from a supermarket, and make up an impromptu sandwich! Even when I have no cutlery with me I make a half decent job!
If all else fails, its peanuts or crisps to keep me going until I reach somewhere with better provisions!
I've even resorted to making a sandwich from a baguette, tomatoes, and plain crisps when needing food at a French service station! Add some fruit juice and it's not that bad for you once in a while!!!
A bag of mixed nuts, seeds and fruit in my handbag is good when I'm organised, but I don't always think to throw them in!
It gets easier with time to spot the vegan potential in the most unlikely of shops!!!

[Snorkmaiden]

I think I'm starting to realise how frustrating it is to be vegan! It just seems really wierd to look around at everything with a fresh eye and realise that virtually everything has animal products in it. It seems odd but it's making me feel a bit queasy already You'd think that people in shops would like to offer vegan alternatives wouldn't you .. ho hum.

[harpy]

Yes, but look on the bright side - the queasier you get in their shops, the more likely they are to offer vegan alternatives

I suppose after a while you tend to make a bee-line for the things that you know are likely to be vegan because they were last time, although this way you can miss a few things.

[Cumin]

I got all excited about Ginsters new hummous and salad sandwich and was going to post about it here, but I just checked the list of ingredients, and the idiots have put butter in it.

So we're back to the peanuts and flapjacks I'm afraid.

Hi Snorkmaiden,
Yes it can be tricky to find good food on the run, but it's getting easier all the time (at least here in the UK). There's a thread (which twinkle alluded to) about snack foods in the Vegan Food section.
Sluggie - you'll see that posted some better news about the ginsters sandwiches on it here.

P.S. HobNob biscuits seem to be available in most service stations and they are a good emergency fall-back.

[Sluggie]

Oh thanks Cumin, that's really good news. Butter is still listed on their website, but I'll keep checking. Lots of service stations and corner shops stock the Ginsters range so it will make it easier to grab something a bit more substantial when out and about.

[Marrers]

That's great news Cumin - I was extrememly hungry on my way back from Cornwall recently and when I found this sarnie at a service station I had a flicker of hope for a second . . . swiftly followed by cries of 'why' once I'd read the ingredients! I was so disappointed I almost burst into tears on the spot. I had to make do with crisps.

Pret A Manger do a houmous sandwich marked as vegan and Starbucks still do a falafel wrap marked vegan (though I have rarely seen it since they changed their menu a while back).

[earthylovingirl]

well when i'm running errands sometimes i bring snacks from home with me, it saves alot of stress and time trying to find things when im out.

[Cumin]

I'm afraid Starbucks have dropped the felafel wrap :-( - I checked (and complained).

[Marrers]

When? I had one the other day.

ETA I just checked their website and it is still listed:-

Falafel & Houmous Flatbread
Falafel and houmous with fresh tomato, cucumber slices and mixed leaves on a Mediterranean flat bread

Vegetarian Vegan

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION- PER PACK
ENERGY (kcal) 405
ENERGY (kJ) 1713
PROTEIN (g) 13.7
CARBOHYDRATES (g) 67.1
of which Sugars (g) 7.9
FAT (g) 9.1
of which Saturates (g) 1.1
DIETARY FIBRE (g) 5.8
SODIUM (g) 0.5
Equivalent as Salt (g) 1.2

Contains:
Seeds Nuts Gluten Wheat Yeast

I agree that I can hardly ever find it these days, so perhaps many branches aren't stocking it but I have had one very recently at Victoria Station.

[Cumin]

Oh thanks Cumin, that's really good news. Butter is still listed on their website, but I'll keep checking. Lots of service stations and corner shops stock the Ginsters range so it will make it easier to grab something a bit more substantial when out and about.

I just chased Ginsters for an update on this. Apparently, due to the large stocks of old labels they have, this will not be hitting the shelves until February. It is still coming though and will be labelled vegan.
Hey ho.... patience is virtue or so I'm told.

[Hemlock]

Regardless of what I am doing I always make lunch the night before either something cooked or a sandwich etc and put it in tupperware in the fridge. That way it doesn't matter whether I am at home or work I always have lunch ready.Being vegan means being organised, whether you can stand the hassle is really up to how much you actually want to be vegan.

[emmapresley]

succinctly (sp???) put hemlock

sometimes it works well to make an extra bit of tea then you can scoff it cold the next day or use one of those eeevil (....) microvaes to reheat if available.

otherwise, yep...fruity bits, nuts, crackers, cereal bar type stuff..

how are you getting on snorkmaiden?

[Marrers]

Space Bars (savoury snack made by Wheaty I think) is a good standby to carry with you. It is long life and doesn't need to be kept in the fridge so is ideal as even if you don't eat it is doesn't go off.

[twinkle]

Yeah, those are tasty. Shame they're on the pricey side

[emzy1985]

I work as a courier at job number two and I travel all over the country delivering stuff in my little car!
Anyway, I always make sure I have a filling breakfast so I don't get munchies whilst driving, before lunch. Filling things like a MASSIVE bowl of cereal etc do the job pretty well. Then for lunch, I normally make it and this HAS to do me until dinner which might not be until 7 or 8pm. I normally make a big pasta salad or stuffed pitta breads (at least 2) and a bannana or something. Only takes 4minutes to do that if you have the pasta pre-made which is what I leave cooking while brushing teeth etc (kitchen right next door to bathroom). If I am out the best places to go are the petrol stations with the little supermarkets attached. Yesterday I went to the M&S style one and came out with a feast. (samosa, pasta pot, chocolate and jelly) Other times I just end up with a bag of crisps and a packet of nuts which does suck.
Alot about being vegan is getting used to knowing what you can and can't eat and knowing what might be vegan and then reading the ingredients and jumping for joy when it is...same is true for things you didn't expect to be vegan. Once you get into the groove it becomes second nature!

[Cumin]

I like to keep a few of the oskri sesame bars in my car for when I'm travelling. They seem good for this job as they are basically dry with a long shelf life. They've also very tasty, easy to nibble at when stopped in traffic, and I find them surprisingly filling.
Oh - and they go nicely with coffee.

[Cumin]

Bad news from Ginsters.

Many thanks for your email. Unfortunately, since I last spoke to you in November, sales of our houmous sandwich have fallen to levels that are unsustainable & the product is in line to be de-listed from June this year (we haven’t re-printed labels). Therefore, we will not be able to alter the product to a vegan offering.

My apologies that we will not be able to offer you a vegan sandwich. We do listen to our customers & have a number of vegetarian products across our sandwich & savoury ranges, however catering for a Vegan only diet is unfortunately at this time a little niche for our mass market. Please be assured that we monitor market trends & if a sustainable consumer base develops, we will re-look at this area.

[harpy]

Pooh. Thanks for checking, Cumin.

It's odd, some places seem to do a roaring trade in hummus sandwiches don't they? Suppose tastes depend a bit on demographics but you'd think even omnivores would be glad of a change! Mind you, my other half had to explain to someone at work what hummus was so perhaps it's an education problem...

[Fuhzy]

To answer OP.

At a store you can always pick up stuff. I am gone for a day or two at a time from my home and yes it's a hassle. Here are some foods I always try to keep on me...


Nuts and peanuts
Fruits/veggies (bananas, apples, carrots last the longest)
Clif bar and Builder bars