Usually I would post our week's meal plan today. Because we are leaving for a vacation to the Eastern shore of Virginia tomorrow, I have no mindful menu. That doesn't mean I'm not planning, though!

Eating on vacation, especially a driving vacation like ours, can be a string of fast food restaurants. The salt and fat in fast food does nothing to keep us healthy and enjoying a trip.

Besides, America has more to offer than a quick eat on the road. There are family restaurants and local specialty food stands all over the country. With mobile smart phones and time in our itinerary, we do our best to explore good eats on road trips.

I use google maps to estimate where we will want a meal. Then I use the 'search nearby' function to look for restaurants. If I find nothing of interest, I check out recommendations on happy cow (a vegan/vegetarian site), urban spoon or yelp. I often narrow the search by the term vegetarian or kid friendly.

We make lots of snacks so as to not be tempted by gas station buys in between meals. For this trip we are bringing homemade chex-like mix, apples, dried cranberries, lara bars, crackers, and carrot muffins to ease highway munchies.

Whenever possible, we select lodging that has a cook top and/or refrigerator. We can cook breakfast in the room, store cheese and fruit for snacks, and make simple dinners with ingredients from the farmer's or fish market.

When we get to our final destination of Chincoteague Island, we are staying at Eagle's View Bayfront House vacation rental. The owner saw a link to this blog in my email signature and offered a round up of healthy local restaurants and food markets. When traveling, vacation home owners and blogs are great resources for food lovers.

I hope my meal planning for this vacation pays off and perhaps you can use this advice on your next trip!