Likely due to airlines (over) charging for meals and the excessive prices at airport restaurants for fatty, unhealthy food, I’ve observed an increase in the number of people carrying their own snacks onto planes. I’ve done this for years and have managed to hone this down to some pretty cool ways (I think) to eat healthy and not overstuff myself on a long flights.
From the kitchen pantry:
1) If I have an early morning flight, I carry a sandwich bag of instant oatmeal that’s spiced up with cinnamon and coconut flakes. In a separate bag I carry a combo of walnuts and raisins. On the plane I ask for a cup of hot water (which isn’t always very hot, but oh well) and then mix up my oatmeal, nuts and raisins for a super healthy and low-cal breakfast. I try to remember to pack my own plastic spoon but the flight attendants are usually quite accommodating if I don’t have one. (Note that your oatmeal will NOT look like the photo above!)
I’m a bit of a stickler for quality tea so I also carry my own teabags because my teas are always better than the cheap black teas offered in-flight 🙂
2) Calimyrna figs and apples are my two favorite natural snack foods during a flight. Both are slightly sweet and also filling. I keep a sandwich bag with the figs and keep a washed apple in a separate bag. If I don’t eat these in-flight, they definitely come in handy during some part of my travels.
Protein and Snack Bars
1) PROBAR – These folks have 4 different options to choose from: Original (including Peanut Butter, Superfruit Slam and Nutty Banana Boom); Fruition (including Lemon, Cherry and Peach); HALO (including, get this, Rocky Road, S’Mores and Nutty Marshmallow); Sweet and Savory (including Kettle Corn and Cherry Pretzel).
I lean toward the more healthy sounding bars with peanut butter and the like but I would never turn down a S’More!
The Originals are a bit higher in calories than I’d prefer (380 for the Peanut Butter for example) but they are super filling and half of one is enough to hold me over for hours and also has 12 grams of protein. The HALOs are just over 100 calories and the Fruitions under 200.
PROBAR leans toward being organic (but are not 100%) and uses natural ingredients. PLUS they are 100% vegan. Big bonus for this gal who’s been experimenting with a vegan diet.
2) Clif Bar Crunch – These seem to be just the right size to hold me over when I’m dealing with a long flight day. Under 200 calories, they’re light in protein but make a good crunchy snack that satisfies my desire for a bit of sweetness but not too much.
Available in Blueberry Crisp, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Honey Oat, Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut. Blueberry and Peanut Butter flavors are my fave.
Because they are so crunchy, you have to be super careful that they don’t get knocked around too much in your day bag. They can disintegrate into crumbs pretty quickly (but then would probably be pretty good added to your oatmeal!).
3) Lara Bars – What I love about Lara Bars is that there are so few ingredients in every bar. Ginger Snap, for example, includes: raisins, almonds, walnuts, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. OMG – doesn’t that sound GOOD?
These are a little higher in calories than some of the options above (240 in Ginger Snap) and are not meant to be high in protein (5 grams in this one). But, for those looking for a healthy snack with few ingredients, this is a great option.
Other flavors include: Chocolate Coconut Chew, Carrot Cake, Lemon Bar, Coconut Cream Pie and Tropical Fruit Tart.
OK – I just made myself SO hungry…
Travel Well,
Beth
Related links:
Travel Food Stuff
Photo credit:
Oatmeal: The Culinary Geek
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