It happened, instead of a green light, a message in big letters on the reader board.
“Park and bring in your paperwork”. Ugh!
The problem? The company made our Oregon permit (need I say more) for ONE DAY, which happened to be 2 days ago! ONE DAY, of course, new to the road, The Couple didn’t check the dates, just trusted it was correct. The couple doesn’t do that any more.
Well, everyone makes mistakes and this was one of miscommunication between two unknowns, meanwhile the couple sits and waits for the company to issue a new permit, all the while looking at the most feared place on the planet for a truck driver, “DOT TRUCK INSPECTION BAY”. No they don’t have to go into the dreaded place, but while they wait for the new permit to be emailed they sit and look at that horrible building and the tension mounts.
Yes, the TRUCK INSPECTION BAY strikes fear in the heart of the small owner operator; fear that his dwindling bank account will be totally obliterated so Uncle Sam can give him the thumbs up!
As the minutes tick away the tension rises. First they begin to bark at each other, however, knowing they knew this was not healthy so they must find another way to deal with the stress. They resort to a truckers best comfort food, CHIPS!
Stress and Food
When under stress the body uses fat for fuel, therefore you may crave fat for proper nerve and brain function.
It’s normal to begin craving chips, ice cream, Mexican food, and fried foods, however, those things are harmful to your body, especially when you are under stress. Before you dive into those chips, ask yourself, “am I under a lot of stress or have I had a stressful day?”
Instead of high calorie food full of bad fats, eat some avocado, guacamole, nuts and seeds, a little organic dark chocolate or some veggies stir fried in coconut oil. Our Umatilla Point of Entry Sandwich is full of the good fat of fresh avocado.
Eating Away the Stress
Yes the Healthy Trucking Couple keep some BBQ Kettle Chips on hand for occasions just like this. They both dive into the bag, stuffing handfuls of chips into their mouths. “You are getting chips all over the computer” he snarls. She promptly hands him the computer, thinking “go ahead and do it yourself” and quickly moves to “the other room” to get away from him…..you know, “the other room”, the sleeper bunk/kitchen/office, you know that room, about 10 inches away. Thinking about the people causing their stress – people who are nowhere near – causes the couple to lash out at each other
Good Food she thinks, we need some nourishment. What shall she make? There was a sandwich she has been mulling over for several days. She looked into the well stocked truck-refrigerator, yep it was all there – Turkey, veggies, avocado piled on a rice cake, sounds delish, however, he can’t eat those rice cake sandwiches on the road because they tend to break apart.
This is the perfect time for them to try her idea; crunchy food helps alleviate stress and this stress-filled moment provided the perfect opportunity to create a new dish with a name, THE UMATILLA PORT OF ENTRY SANDWICH
You will LOVE the sandwich, it’s savory, crunchy and nutritious and since you can’t talk turkey the way you’d like to, just go ahead and munch down on the turkey instead.
Here are the ingredients, you can find them at most grocery stores:
- Lundberg Organic Wild Rice Cakes (not a ton of nutrition but its gluten free, which she requires)
- Fresh Avocado, mashed (we try to buy California avocados)
- Minced Garlic
- Green onion, sliced
- Cucumber, thinly sliced
- Fresh Spinach (or any other leafy green except iceberg lettuce)
- Natural, no preservative Turkey (we used Hormel Natural choice sliced turkey we picked up at Smith’s in Las Vegas which is an affiliate of Kroger, Safeway and Fred Meyer nationwide).
Why is this sandwich good for stressful situations? Besides the crunch and the fact that you are munching down on the turkey, the avocado gives you some great fat which your body craves when you have stress, this explains why we reach for chips, fries and pie and ice cream when we’ve had a stressful day. Turkey is a good protein. Protein is more of a stimulant than caffeine. The fresh veggies neutralize the acid in your body due to negative thinking and the flood of adrenaline you just experienced when that sign came up, “Park and bring in your papers”.
One of these yummy nutrient dense sandwiches provides the following:
- Calories: 181
- Fat: 11 gr (remember, it’s mostly from the avocado, really good-for-you fat)
- Sodium: 284 mg
- Carb: 15 gr
- Dietary Fiber: 5 gr
- Sugar: 1 gr
- Protein: 7 gr
If you would like to reduce the calories and increase the fiber, use romaine lettuce leaves instead of a rice cake and add more veggies for fiber.
VEGAN: Replace turkey with hummus or nuts pate.
Needless to say, they both enjoyed the sandwich much more than the Point of Entry and the good fat helped to soothe their fried nerves. The company got the Oregon permit straightened out and the couple were on their way to see what the road had for them next.
The remainder of the day brought The Trucking Couple views of some of God’s most beautiful creation on the Snoqualmie Pass, I-90 in Western Washington State, elk on the mountainside and clear, beautiful streams of water.
Stress melted away as they drove across the top of Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State, I-90 and enjoyed a good night’s rest at the Beautiful North Bend TA on Snoqualmie Pass.
Good Fats are important to help you deal with stress, whether you are on the road or not. Our favorite Omega Oil is AIMMEGA. Check it out!
What about you?
What do you reach for when you experience stress? Share your thoughts with us about stress and food! We’d love to hear your healthy recipes for health on the road too!