It doesn't take that long and you can't ride every waking hour. Fixing lunch on the road is faster and allows you to pick a scenic spot. I never actually cook for lunch though. PBJ bagels or wraps with fresh avocado (when available) and foil pack tuna or salmon are frequent lunches. Usually something in the way of a crunchy veggie figures in to the wraps. Cabbage keeps well an can add some crunch. Hard cheeses and crackers or flatbreads work out well.

On short trips like a weekend I am less motivated to cook, but on a long trip like the TA I cook regular meals most of the time. Fresh produce when available is nice. When it isn't, canned or freeze dried veggies suffice. I avoid freeze dried meals though, but sometimes do boxed noodle or rice dishes. Fresh meats or fish and a lot of stuff like chili or red beans and rice with some type of veggies are a good dinner.

It isn't that hard to manage that on a camp stove, but it is a treat when we stay in a church that has a stove. Also some camp sites are well suited to cooking on a wood fire especially the ones with a grate for the fire ring.

All in all, I think we manage to eat better, and more varied meals than some folks have at home. Especially if you are on the road for months it is important to eat well. To me that means sampling the local foods both by cooking them and by dining out once in a while.

I often do eat one restaurant meal or so a day, most often second breakfast, but sometimes lunch, and once in a while dinner.