Traveling "Gatherer" Style

Wow, what a Monday. We leave tomorrow for Kona (Lavaman work and racing) and I know once we get there its going to be non stop work until this race is over. Phew. So today I was trying to wrap things up with clients, Healthy Bite Cooking, travel food, etc. James and I travel quite a bit and when we have flights that are more than 4 hours, we come prepared. This trip is 2 flights with a total of 13 hours of travel time. Now, I have to admit. I am a meat eater. We have it at every dinner (mostly chicken ,eggs, or fish though). But on long travel days I become a vegetarian. Meat does not settle well in my stomach when traveling. I consider myself more of the gatherer on these days. Lots of raw nuts, dried berries, fruit, veggies, lara bars or the vegan bars (for protein), etc. (and maybe some beano, haha). These keep my tummy happy and along with hot tea and lots of water, my travelers gut is in good shape. Occasionally I will buy the sharp cheddar cheese to go along with my veggies but most of the time I stick to my basics. It works well.
Today I stocked up on the little things I will need while I am there and that I know Kona will NOT have, unless its at bulk at the one Costco, haha.

My travel goodies:

• 3 Amazing Grass Superfood (to go in my protein shakes or almond milk)
• FRS - antioxidant drink that keeps me going through long hours on my feet!
• Vega Vibrancy bar- yummy goodness with protein
• Lara bar- mini snacks
• Life Basics Protein- Gotta have my mid morning green monster
• Whey Protein- Protein Shake goodness mid day or bed time snack.
• Mary's Gone Crackers- because I already ate all my homemade pumpkin sesame crackers, bummer. But these are definitely a good replacement and great to travel with!
• Justin's Almond Butter - travel size. Goes great with my apple!
• Cranberry Harvest trail mix (from the bulk section at WF).

When I get there, I know there will be plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables so not a problem. Papayas and mangoes galore! Oh and good seafood and sushi! I just hope we have time between our work schedule/training to go oooooohhh and ahhhhhh over them.

So I will be MIA for the next week, working like a dog. Hopefully we will get some sunshine and maybe a day to relax. Be back on March 31st! Have a wonderful week!
Cheers,
LC

P.S.
Whats travel foods work for you? Do share! I have a great article below that might help the next time you hop on a plane.

Healthiest Travel Fare

1. Bring something from home.

It is always your best bet to bring your own healthy food. It is cheaper and you know what you are getting. Try packed, seasoned tuna in the sealed pouches, fresh veggies – think celery, carrot, and pepper strips, cheese – think 2% string cheese or 50% reduced fat cheddar (Cabot makes it with omega 3s too), trail mix, nuts, granola bars, oranges and apples, beef jerkey.

2. When you can’t bring something from home here are some ideas:

look for stuff that looks like real food first – you want carbs, protein and fat so you don’t just want fruit… but you could do fruit and hard boiled eggs – an excellent protein source. I did hard boiled eggs and an 8oz yogurt today.

read the labels – there is a lot at the airport that is labeled to help you decide. If you are having a real meal and not a “tide you over snack” then make sure it has the nutrients of a real meal. It is different for everyone, but along the lines of 500-800 calories.

think about soups – broth based soups (non-cream) are nice and comforting for the winter travelers. They take a good amount of time to eat. Black bean soup will have carbs and protein, as will minestrone and chicken noodle/rice. Chili is a good option too.

be careful of salads and sammies unless you can build your own. I know potbelly let’s you build your own and if you get turkey with veggies and mustard on whole wheat it is around 400 calories with the cheese. other salads and sammies may be poorer quality and lots of fat and salt for the calories.

don’t run from traditional fast food. Look, if you are health conscious then you probably rarely eat fast food… so a trip to the golden arches doesn’t have to be a sin, just be smart… get a hamburger, apple slices, and lowfat milk for about 350 calories. If you are at Wendy’s a salad and baked potato will fill you up and won’t wreck your day.
Posted on November 13, 2008 by rebeccascritchfield