When heading out on tour, one of the most important details to consider is also one of the least or last thought of. What the hell are we gonna eat?

For most bands, the first trip, even if just across the province, involves booking the gigs, finding “reliable” transportation, packing the gear and hoping you’ve got a place to sleep after the show. Food is often secondary. It’s also one of the biggest money mongers if you’re touring for more than a couple of days, and it seems the more you spend on food, the more likely people are to get sick. The reason? Chances are the menu consists of Egg McMuffins for breakfast, coffee and Doritos for lunch, and whatever is close by the venue for supper.

The cost to your wallet and your health should be reason enough to add it to your list of things to do before you head out on the road, but if you need one more, think of this: have you ever been trapped in a vehicle with someone who has eaten nothing but convenience store snacks for two days? That’s right. Sometimes it doesn’t even take that long, and if it’s raining or snowing, or really, really windy, opening the windows might not be an option.

So. What can you do? First off, pack some healthy, non-perishable snacks. Crackers, trail mix, apple sauce, cereal bars, beef jerky. Whatever you like that’s not going to rot in the vehicle or your insides.

Second,buy a few flats of bottled water. Not much room with all that gear? Make room. You’ll thank me later.

Next, pack a cooler with enough food like sandwiches and whatnot to last everyone in the band for two days. Add ice.  You can even freeze a few of those water bottles and use them, but make sure and take the cooler out of the vehicle at the gig if possible to reduce the speed of defrosting. Before you head out again, stop at the local Safeway, Sobeys, wherever, and restock. But restock with make-it-yourself fixings. Ever buy a ready-made sandwich at a grocery store? Tasty, but financial suicide. And only restock for a couple days. You don’t want to waste.

One cool thing that’s one the market now is those coolers you can plug into the vehicle lighter. You can get ‘em starting around $60 at Walmart and Canadian Tire, so save those pennies, pool together as a band and invest. Then you can save money on ice, too.

If you’re booking the shows yourself, and the venues you’re going to be performing at have kitchens, you can always try negotiating a meal for each band member as part of payment. If the venue agrees, that’s one less meal you have to worry about; but, try and make a healthy choice. Eating onion rings and mushroom burgers every night, regardless of what you snack on during the day, helps nobody.

And, if you’re crafty in the kitchen – or have a friend or relative that is and maybe owes you a favour – home baked goods don’t hurt anyone, can make for an awesome breakfast, and last up to a week or so in the car. Below are a couple of tried and true recipes for the brave.

Chocolate Chip Banana Loaf

What you need:

1/3 cup margarine
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 whole bananas)
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix it all together, or have your mom do it, it’s all good. Pour into three greased mini loaf pans (disposable ones available at the dollar store in packs of 3 for a buck) and bake in the oven at 350F for 40 minutes. Perfect for a three piece; double the recipe for more band members, or make ‘em in a muffin pan for easier sharing. Half a loaf = one breakfast or snack.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Okay, so not exactly a breakfast food, but a good in-between snack that’ll give you a hit of both protein and sugar:

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg

Mix until smooth and roll into 24 balls (heheh). Place four inches apart on a cookie sheet (pizza sheet works too!) and flatten with a fork. Draw in some dark art with a toothpick if it makes you feel more metal, then bake for about 20 minutes at 325F.

Got some tips or simple recipes to share from your experiences on the road? Make sure and leave ‘em below!