Help! - need ideas for traveling!

owski17

Hello friends!
My bf and I travel to his parents house every other weekend, which is about 4 hours away. I need help on snacks and easy meal ideas that I can bring with me(or get at the store up there). Its close to impossible to eat right with the way his mother cooks ... lol. I also dont want it to look bad that I wont eat her food....But the only things I can think of is fruit and lean cuisines....any opinions would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you
-Shannon

PRMinx

How about smaller portions of whatever she makes and a workout that day? I'd have a hard time heating up a lean cuisine while everyone else is eating the meal she cooked.

Great snacks are nuts, granola bars, popcorn, fruit, cut up veggies and low fat dip or hummus, little sandwiches, trail mix, peanut butter on rice cakes, laughing cow and crackers....just some of my faves!

caradespeaux

You could eat her food just watch the portion size and snack between so your body will not be hungry. Eat healthy snacks, nuts are high in protein. There are bags of snack mix at my walmart by check out (I found them once in produce) for around 1.00 and they have protein and are 130-160 calories per serving. Buy snack bags and make portions so you won't eat too much. Also you could always "help" the cook in the kitchen and bring healthy side dishes that you know will work with your eating plan. Bring salad stuff and ask her if you can help her cook, I did that with my mother in law when we started dating and she loved it, I still help her now and I am always able to give healthy tips too.

caradespeaux

OH yeah I love hummus too!!

mdcoug

I would bring something healthy for breakfast and snacks and eat smaller portions for lunch/dinner. If you fill up on fruits and veggies, which are easy to pack in a cooler to bring with you, it will be easier to eat less at the bigger meals.

When I travel for work, I'll pack along little baggies (pre-measured) with quick-cooking oatmeal, protein powder, craisins and nuts. Then, I just add hot water and eat. That plus a serving of fruit usually fills me up.

Other ideas:
Volunteer to cook dinner one night.
Bring ingredients for a great salad and prep that to eat with dinner. Fill half your plate with salad and take a small serving of her dish.

owski17

Yes snacking on healthy stuff and just eating a small portion of her dish is a great idea!Looks like ill be going shopping tonight to pack snack bags!! Thank you guys for the help!

cwolfman13

Just wondering, how exactly does she cook? What does she cook? IMHO, good home cooking is going to be far better for you than a lean cuisine that is going to be high on carbs and through the roof on sodium. Really it's about portion control. I cook a lot and I remember when I first started out on my journey all my friends telling me, "guess you're going to have to change what you're doing in the kitchen huh?"...uhhhh, no...not really...I cook pretty much the same way I've always cooked, I just watch my portions and actually have just a serving of something whereas before my portion might be 2 or 3 servings of something.

My opinion, just eat what is prepared for you and watch your servings. If anything, do your own breakfast and lunch and eat whatever is prepared for you for dinner. Actually, had to have this same conversation with my Mother-In-Law on our last visit...she likes to cook big meals for all three and I had to tell her that I simply couldn't eat that big 3 times per day...had to have my oatmeal in the AM, etc...turns out she didn't usually do that...she only did it when we were there and she was relieved that she didn't have to cook three big meals per day. Perhaps having a conversation like that would help as well.

bumblebums

Bring some fruit with you as a present to their house--a big bag of clementines and maybe some bananas and apples. Then you can eat them when you're hungry. I would eat whatever they serve you to be polite, but in smaller portions.

cebreisch

Fruit
Veggies
Lean Cuisine's
Light string cheese
Yogurt
Snyders Pretzels (all natural, no high fructose corn syrup)
Protein bars (my husband likes Cliffbuilder bars)
Meijer's has Chocolite protein bars (95 cal's, 10g fiber, 10g protein) (hubby likes cashew caramel, we both like cookies/cream)
Special K cracker crisp thingies
Ritz Crackerfuls
salsa and tortilla chips

I liked Bumblebuns idea of bringing fruit as a present - even a gift basket of fruit, or even order something from Incredible Edible's, I think it is, that will make a fruit arrangement. My parents just sent me a box of oranges from Florida.

owski17

Well she usually prepares one big meal while were up...like lasagna for example. But she goes crazy on cookies, munchies, makes chip dip, pasta salads or even orders pizzas....that kinda thing. I mean there is never anything "healthy" in the house lol especially cause her sons eat like theyre 5 with all the mac n cheese, fruit snacks, chips, etc lol. But I plan on letting her know I am on a diet because she is the type to keep serving you food even though you already say you're full lol. Im just going to go get fruit and make little snack bags made up of nuts,etc. Therefore I have my own healthy snacks and won't be tempted to eat what shes putting out. And i've tried asking if I could help cook and she always says no its ok lol shes a very nice women just isnt the "healthiest" lol thanks again!