HELP! FOODS TO BRING with you if traveling for Thanksgiving

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carolinagirl543
carolinagirl543 Posts: 1,959 Member
in Motivation and Support
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.
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Replies

  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    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 :smile:
  • Mles10868
    Mles10868 Posts: 11 Member
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    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
    mxchana Posts: 666 Member
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    Assuming you have transportation, you can go to the grocery store there and restock ... don't have to take everything with you.
  • carolinagirl543
    carolinagirl543 Posts: 1,959 Member
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    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
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    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
    laughinggypsy Posts: 30 Member
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    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
    carolinagirl543 Posts: 1,959 Member
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    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
    carolinagirl543 Posts: 1,959 Member
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    Thanks LaughingGypsy...I need to buy one of those things! I hear they are great.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    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
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    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
    carolinagirl543 Posts: 1,959 Member
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    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
    mzjenn2u Posts: 78 Member
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    Lots of water!!! Almonds, fruit, baby carrots, string cheese, sliced turkey or ham
  • F1tnessCh1ck
    F1tnessCh1ck Posts: 39 Member
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    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
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    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
    lisaanne1369 Posts: 377 Member
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    I'd bring lots of Alcohol to deal with inlaws!!!
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
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    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
    RoseyDgirl Posts: 306 Member
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    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
    carolinagirl543 Posts: 1,959 Member
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    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
    carolinagirl543 Posts: 1,959 Member
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    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
    RoseyDgirl Posts: 306 Member
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    ... 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. :)

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