Eating Well While Working Remotely

Working in remote areas with little access to fresh food, refrigeration, cooking facilities or limited food options can make eating healthy tricky. In this post, we’ll cover easy to prepare dinners, ready-made options, quick throw together lunches, fridge free meal ideas and snacks.

No Cook, Heat and Eat Meals

1. Coles Perform Open Chicken Fajita or Lean Black Pepper Beef frozen meals

2. Strength Meals Co Soup e.g. Chicken Laksa High Protein Soup +/- 1 slice grain bread/toast

3. Fitness Outcomes Range e.g. Portuguese Chicken with Roasted Potato & Sweet Corn frozen meal

4. Sirena Brown Rice & Quinoa with Tuna cup

5. Sirena Fried Rice with Chicken cup

6. Lean Cuisine (Blue/Green box) + extra handful of frozen vegetables

7. Super Nature Super Pulses frozen meal range

8. John West Wild Caught Salmon Bowl

9. Snack style lunch: grainy crackers + cottage cheese or tuna + baby cucumbers or carrots + piece of fruit

   Low Cook Meals

   1. Frozen fish, chips, and salad

   • Birds Eye Oven Bake Fish Original Crumb OR Birdseye steam fresh + frozen chips or homemade chips from potatoes or steamed/baked/microwaved potato + packet salad mix

   2. Pesto pasta with spinach and chicken

   • Wholemeal or high fibre pasta (or microwave rice cup) + jar of pesto + frozen veg + cooked chicken

   3. Tuna Greek salad

   •Cucumber, tomato, olives, feta cheese, can of tuna in olive oil, microwave brown rice cup

   4. Bean burrito / burrito bowl

   • Chili bean can e.g. F. Whitlock & Sons Canned Killer Baked Beans Fuego Chilli or Coles Mexican Style Chilli Beans (not Mexican beans without sauce) + grain wrap for burrito or microwave Mexican flavoured rice for burrito bowl + tomato, lettuce, low fat cheese, low fat sour cream, avocado

   5. Beef stir fry

   • Beef stir fry strips, frozen stir fry vegetable mix, packet of Passage to Asia stir fry sauce + extra minced garlic jar, minced ginger jar + microwave rice

   6. Omelette

   • Omelette with tomatoes, capsicum, mushrooms, herbs, cheese + grainy bread

   7. Lentil and Tomato Soup

   • Canned lentils + canned tomatoes + vegetable stock cube + dried Italian herbs + frozen spinach.

   8. Fried Rice

   • Cooked or microwave cup rice + frozen vegetables + soy sauce + garlic powder + onion powder + scrambled egg (or tofu/chicken if available).

   9. Cottage Pie:

      Instant mashed potatoes + canned lentils, extra lean beef mince + frozen peas & carrots.
      
      

      Healthy Shelf-Stable Snack Ideas

   1. Piece of fruit

   2. Piece of fruit + nut butter e.g. dip apple in natural almond butter or peanut butter

   3. Tub of fruit in juice

   4. Nut and seed mix

   5. Dried fruit

   6. Vita-weat crackers with peanut butter or vegemite

   7. Tin of tuna + rice cakes or vita-weat crackers

   8. Happy Snack Company Roasted chickpea snack pack

   9. Table of Plenty mini chocolate rice cake snack pack

   10. Woolworths or Cool Pak or Cobs popcorn snack pack

   11. Muesli bar e.g. Carman’s

   12. Protein bar e.g. Musashi or BSC

   13. Dry cereal e.g. Carman’s Almond and Hazelnut protein granola

   14. Up and Go

   15. Protein shake with water or mini-UHT milk

   16. Tom and Luke or Tasti Smooshed wholefood balls

   Tips for Eating Well in Remote Areas

   

   •Always aim for balanced meals: whether you’re cooking yourself or have meals provided, aim to include protein, healthy high fibre carbs, vegetables or salad and healthy fats in every meal.

   •Batch cook when possible: If you have access to cooking facilities, prepare large portions and store them in sealed containers in the fridge or freezer for the week.

   •Hydrate consistently: Working in remote, hot areas, ensure you are drinking at least 45ml per kg of your body weight daily (e.g. 45ml x 85kg = 3.8L) and supplementing with electrolytes like Hydraltye or Voost.

   •Supplements: If fresh produce is scarce, a daily multivitamin can help fill nutritional gaps, try Centrum or Swisse.

   •Make a snack plan: Make sure you’re thinking about shelf-stable, healthy snack options like the ones provided rather than relying on ultra-processed snacks.

   Eating well in remote areas has its challenges, but with preparation and a plan, you can eat healthy, balanced, tasty meals and snacks. Fueling yourself well also ensures you can feel your best, have adequate energy and mental clarity.