HELP! FOODS TO BRING with you if traveling for Thanksgiving

carolinagirl543

Two scenarios:
Hotel Room (most of the time) and Family's House (a day or so)

I am looking for ideas of foods to keep in a hotel room with tiny refrigerator with hardly any room and also lots of non perishables.
Any good stocking tips would be great.
I don't want to get hungry and then make bad choices. These kinds of trips have always been the start of my demise and I am determined to not let that happen this time. It's hard enough with Thanksgiving I general! But I find when traveling it makes it that much harder because it can be several days.
Any ideas would be so appreciated.

blankiefinder

Mandarins, bananas, cheese strings, mini cans of flavoured tuna...

We also pack a cooler with us as we stay in a hotel room with a mini-bar instead of a mini-fridge, and then just keep adding ice twice a day, dumping out the water. It's a good way to keep grapes, carrot sticks, etc.

Don't forget to pack a box of ziplocs

Mles10868

String Cheese, Nuts (your favorite kind), if you don't mind doing a bit of cooking, I also REALLY like to roast up some chickpeas so they are nice and crunchy in the car! Banana's too, apples- if you don't want it cold- Unsweetened applesauce (I like musselmans).

mxchana

Assuming you have transportation, you can go to the grocery store there and restock ... don't have to take everything with you.

carolinagirl543

Blankie and Mles, thanks so much for the suggestions. And the ziplock bags! Great idea! I am just wondering if I can get away with cooking an extra dish or two and trying to refrigerate it or keep it on ice. And what kind of dish I could bring? Maybe some chicken and veggies or something easy to eat cold. Even if it's only supplementing a couple of meals....?
Nuts are a good non perishable...any other ideas of non perishables?

Cortneyrenee04

Anything you'd snack on at home- for me, nuts (weighed and measured at home), grapes, granola bars, chips (portioned out). If you run out, go to the grocery store instead of a restaurant.

My plan for trips is usually to eat my own breakfast, snacks and lunch, then have dinner out.

laughinggypsy

I've seen it recommended to bring a little crock pot for extended stays but haven't stayed in hotels long enough to try it! Depending on your situation, might be a great help!

carolinagirl543

Cortney, GREAT idea to portion everything out before hand! Especially since I am not going to bring a scale. You said you would eat your own breakfast and lunch... What kind of lunch would you bring to eat if staying in a hotel? I am afraid I will my realistically be able to keep up with my cooler. The small ice chips in hotel, etc. so all I will have after a day is a tiny mini bar cooler with hardly any space.

carolinagirl543

Thanks LaughingGypsy...I need to buy one of those things! I hear they are great.

deksgrl

Cooler. Fruit, veggies, yogurt, cheese sticks. On trips I also bring lunch meat to make our own sandwiches for lunch instead of eating fast food. When we do go to restaurants I try to do family restaurants and order grilled chicken and double the veggies, no potato. Or choose ahead of time which fast food restaurants are okay and what food combinations to get to fit certain calories. For example, Wendy's large chili with cheese and some crackers fits my lunch calorie goal.

auddii

In addition to the above, jerky, protein bars, peanut butter crackers, etc. You can also just portion control the food that you have access to. Whenever you're at your family's house, eat what is served, but restrict portions of food that is going to be high calorie. And remember it's only a few days, and you can get right back to it once you get home.

carolinagirl543

Thanks so much deksgrl. Turkey! I will bring that and some lettuce to roll it with. Great idea! Plus it won't take up too much space. I also like the idea of ordering double veggies at the hotel or restaurants. I guess you can't just accept what things come with. If it only comes with one vegetable... Tell them two veggies. It seems so obvious, yet we can forget these things when we're in the moment of ordering! These are all great ideas.
I can always stock up before and bring a few things to my family's house so that shouldn't be too bad. Thanks SO much.

mzjenn2u

Lots of water!!! Almonds, fruit, baby carrots, string cheese, sliced turkey or ham

F1tnessCh1ck

I went on a road trip 2 summers ago with a gf of mine and we stopped for a coffee/tea on the way from Ontario to New Brunswick (about 14 hours) once and for pee stops. I made sandwiches, apples, carrots, hummus, cheese, crackers, salads, homemade protein cookies, homemade protein bars, celery, peppers, nuts (almonds), it was crazy! Oh and clean brownies! they were delish and freakin FILLING!

On the way back, we stopped more frequently, but I had done a quick grocery run before we left and loaded the car with more freshness and the 17 hour trip back, we stopped for dinner and a coffee/tea, that's it. We had 2 coolers on the way there and 1 on the way back.

If you would like any 'protein' or 'clean' recipes, I can direct you to some sites and send you the brownie one I used (if I can find it!).

hope this helps

deksgrl

carolinagirl543 wrote: »

Thanks so much deksgrl. Turkey! I will bring that and some lettuce to roll it with. Great idea! Plus it won't take up too much space. I also like the idea of ordering double veggies at the hotel or restaurants. I guess you can't just accept what things come with. If it only comes with one vegetable... Tell them two veggies. It seems so obvious, yet we can forget these things when we're in the moment of ordering! These are all great ideas.
I can always stock up before and bring a few things to my family's house so that shouldn't be too bad. Thanks SO much.

Or sometimes you can choose cottage cheese, or apple sauce, side salad, or something else instead of the fries.

lisaanne1369

I'd bring lots of Alcohol to deal with inlaws!!!

micheleld73

I'd pre-weigh and cook some chicken and pack it in serving sizes rather than prepackaged lunch meat (less sodium and preservatives) plus you can season it any way you like. Take a bag of small tortillas and protein bars. Apples and oranges are great because they don't need to be refrigerated. Canned tuna or the snack bags of tuna would be great too and you can use those on the tortilla as well or get some crackers.

RoseyDgirl

How long will you really be at the hotel? Wont you be walking around town, doing things outside? going places? Sure, I suspect if you keep some cheese, celery sticks, cream cheese, nut butter at the hotel in case you get home late and are hungry - but, otherwise, restaurants for 3 days aren't necessarily a bad thing if you're walking a lot and doing things. For a 4 day trip, plan outings where you're moving - a hiking trip to a nearby state-park? a hotel pool for an hour swim? an outlet mall for a few hours walk to check out shops? as long as you make every day a moving one, make healthier choices at the restaurants you go to - I don't think you should worry about stockpiling food at the hotel...

It's a vacation, after all.

and for your dish to bring? ... if you're traveling far, your family won't expect you to bring anything except possibly a bottle or two of wine, or a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Don't stress over bringing food that may not transport well, or might spoil on a long car ride.

carolinagirl543

mzjenn2u wrote: »

Lots of water!!! Almonds, fruit, baby carrots, string cheese, sliced turkey or ham

Yes! Water! Would have completely forgotten that. I know you can just pick it up at any store but don't want to spend time shopping for stuff on our trip. Thank you!

carolinagirl543

F1tnessCh1ck wrote: »

I went on a road trip 2 summers ago with a gf of mine and we stopped for a coffee/tea on the way from Ontario to New Brunswick (about 14 hours) once and for pee stops. I made sandwiches, apples, carrots, hummus, cheese, crackers, salads, homemade protein cookies, homemade protein bars, celery, peppers, nuts (almonds), it was crazy! Oh and clean brownies! they were delish and freakin FILLING!

On the way back, we stopped more frequently, but I had done a quick grocery run before we left and loaded the car with more freshness and the 17 hour trip back, we stopped for dinner and a coffee/tea, that's it. We had 2 coolers on the way there and 1 on the way back.

If you would like any 'protein' or 'clean' recipes, I can direct you to some sites and send you the brownie one I used (if I can find it!).

hope this helps

More great ideas thanks!! Peppers and bring your own treats... That's something I would not have thought of. Less tempting when you're out. I would love that link to your clean brownies. Thanks!

RoseyDgirl

... I have to admit that one of my pet peeves are people eating in my car. My best friend travels with an abundance of snacks that she munches away non stop (she's skinny and able to do this) ... but, I just find it annoying that she's always eating and leaving her mess in my car....

Anyway, I'm a big fan of restaurants.

carolinagirl543

lisaanne1369 wrote: »

I'd bring lots of Alcohol to deal with inlaws!!!

Ummmm THIS for sure!!! Already got that covered! great priorities huh? Ha!

carolinagirl543

micheleld73 wrote: »

I'd pre-weigh and cook some chicken and pack it in serving sizes rather than prepackaged lunch meat (less sodium and preservatives) plus you can season it any way you like. Take a bag of small tortillas and protein bars. Apples and oranges are great because they don't need to be refrigerated. Canned tuna or the snack bags of tuna would be great too and you can use those on the tortilla as well or get some crackers.

Michele, thanks so much for your post. Love your idea of pre-weighing some chicken and bringing some tortilla chips for that and some tuna! Such a good idea. It won't take up too much space either.

carolinagirl543

RoseyDgirl wrote: »

... I have to admit that one of my pet peeves are people eating in my car. My best friend travels with an abundance of snacks that she munches away non stop (she's skinny and able to do this) ... but, I just find it annoying that she's always eating and leaving her mess in my car....

Anyway, I'm a big fan of restaurants.

Hey Rosey, thanks for your earlier ideas. I'm not really worried about the car or restaurants although I prefer to avoid them as much as I can during this beginning phase. You just don't have the control over the all the extra oil and butter they use even if you request none or minimal amounts.
But my main concern was what to keep in the hotel or stuff to bring to family so that I have choices when I'm hungry for a snack or even a little lunch. I don't want to be in a position of weakness without some good choices in my room. I really think it will help with my success.

I love getting all these ideas!!! Thanks ya'll! The more ideas the merrier as I am sure there will be many people in the same boat as me this Thanksgiving.

VeryKatie

Apples last a long time and are very portable. How about nuts? I'll usually buy some onion buns too. Yum.

Yogurts are good too, you can also find a super market and buy things like salads, sushi, etc. for same day snacks.

carolinagirl543

VeryKatie wrote: »

Apples last a long time and are very portable. How about nuts? I'll usually buy some onion buns too. Yum.

Yogurts are good too, you can also find a super market and buy things like salads, sushi, etc. for same day snacks.

Katie thanks, like the sushi/salad idea for the same day. I don't want to be grocery shopping when I'm there...but just running in and getting a salad or sushi for that day is a great idea.

WinoGelato

How much time are you going to be spending in the hotel room? When we travel to visit family we spend the time with family, either at someone's house or out doing things. The snacks would likely go to waste - even when my kids were younger and I brought things for them to snack on we usually didn't spend enough time in the hotel to even need the food we brought. Also how much do you snack? This seems like a lot of work. Bring a big bag of air popped popcorn if you need to have something to fall back on but I wouldn't stress about packing 10 different things. Holidays and traveling are stressful enough as it is. Relax and enjoy the time with your family... and save the room in your luggage for wine.

carolinagirl543

Kruggeri wrote: »

How much time are you going to be spending in the hotel room? When we travel to visit family we spend the time with family, either at someone's house or out doing things. The snacks would likely go to waste - even when my kids were younger and I brought things for them to snack on we usually didn't spend enough time in the hotel to even need the food we brought. Also how much do you snack? This seems like a lot of work. Bring a big bag of air popped popcorn if you need to have something to fall back on but I wouldn't stress about packing 10 different things. Holidays and traveling are stressful enough as it is. Relax and enjoy the time with your family... and save the room in your luggage for wine.

Ha! Ha! Yes there will be enough room for the wine for sure! Good point though, I won't be spending all that much time in the room. But I guess I am just fearful that in the past, when I was doing really well with my workouts and eating and then I would go away, those trips always derailed me. It has been so frustrating! So I guess I am a little worried and don't want that to happen again. I do feel very motivated this time and I guess that's why I am overcompensating a plan that probably seems a little trivial... but I guess I am just trying to avoid failure by planning well. Even if I don't end up using all of the food.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I typically do a small grocery shop when I arrive on my vacation for this very reason. Between me, my husband and our four-year old, I pick out snacks that everyone will like, to minimize cost. Some of my faves:
Wrap fixings like deli meat and sliced cheese (grab some mustard packs and plastic knives from McD's)
nuts/ trail mix
Kind bars
cheese strings
fishy crackers
pretzels
fruit snacks/ bars
baby carrots
plain crackers (good for peanut butter or hummus)
hummus (for veggie dip or to spread on crackers and wraps)

Things I bring with me in my suitcase:
pre-measured protein shakes and a shaker bottle
small container of peanut butter
a few ziploc bags to take snacks with us when we're not in the hotel

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

blankiefinder

carolinagirl543 wrote: »

Blankie and Mles, thanks so much for the suggestions. And the ziplock bags! Great idea! I am just wondering if I can get away with cooking an extra dish or two and trying to refrigerate it or keep it on ice. And what kind of dish I could bring? Maybe some chicken and veggies or something easy to eat cold. Even if it's only supplementing a couple of meals....?
Nuts are a good non perishable...any other ideas of non perishables?

Well, if you really want to bring food, we have actually done this before too. What I usually do is take frozen cooked food that can slowly defrost in the cooler and then heated in the microwave. So we take spaghetti sauce and chili, frozen and flat packed in freezer ziplocs like bricks. Then I take cooked pasta and keep it on ice for up to two days.

We travel a lot for our kids to compete, and they need to eat! Because of this, we keep a 'Travel Tub' filled with necessities, and these stay in there permanently. It has microwave bowls, plastic cutlery, saran wrap, tin foil, travel cutting boards similar to these: cutting boards, paring knife, large knife for cutting watermelon etc, both with blade protectors, ziplocs, sugar, salt, paper plates, 4 plastic plates to put under the paper for support when eating on laps, a couple green garbage bags (boy are hotel garbage cans small and unprepared for real food garbage!) and a collapsable colander. Probably a few more things too but I can't find where my husband put it after our trip last weekend. If you'd like, I can post a complete list and photo after he gets home.

All of that fits into a standard file tote box similar to this one. It fits into our trunk better for efficient packing than a giant rubbermaid tub.

TL/DR??

blankiefinder

PS, I've been known to make the odd grilled cheese sandwich with the hotel iron and my tinfoil, but it is a long, tedious process

And yes, my family thinks I am slightly crazy (while they put their hand up for another )