You may have been wondering about my meal planning post this week. It was not forgotten or procrastinated, I am on a working vacation. Manatee is on a business trip so I decided to extend my weekend plans up North and work remotely from my parents’ house.

This week has been filled with long walks on my favorite bike path…

bike path central wisconsin

Quality time with my side kick….

maggie2

researching the Whittlesey cranberry marsh for an article….

Whittlesey Cranberry Sign1

and setting up shop in my parents’ dining room.

make shift office

 

Clean Eating On-the-Go

Being on this little (working) vacation also means letting go of control of my diet. Amongst other things, being at my parents means there is always a candy dish within reach (usually filled with my favorite candies), the freezer is stocked with multiple flavors of frozen yogurt and ice cream, and temptation is around every corner for a girl trying to eat healthy.

With this in mind, I had some strategies for the week. First, I packed an arsenal of healthy snacks and foods to bring along. I essentially cleaned my fridge out of produce that would have gone bad and supplemented with a few items that I picked up on my way out of town. I brought:

– a trail mix of roasted nuts and dried fruit

– bunch of bananas

– a few bags of salad mix

– marinated tofu strips for high protein snacks

– homemade granola (which I will leave for my parents’ when I go home)

– precut veggies that we didn’t finish before the trip

– hummus

– carton of Almond milk

By bringing these foods, I knew that I had a good base for healthy snacks and breakfasts. It also took the pressure off my parents for trying to find foods that they knew I would like.

Whenever I travel for an overnight stay, I bring some sort of stash of healthy foods with me. Sometimes it’s just dried nuts and fruit or beef jerky. I don’t like to overwhelm my hosts with requests for healthy snacks, but at the same time, I don’t want to overwhelm them with bringing half my pantry. It’s a fair balance and one that really depends on who you are visiting and how long you stay. Especially on longer visits, Manatee and I have found that our hosts appreciate when we make our own grocery run or bring stuff with us. then they don’t have to worry about as much and often like what we have bought or brought. Not to mention, we don’t have to worry about eating them out of house and spinach.

But even more important than bringing healthy food is bringing a healthy attitude. In our world of clean eating, perfection is not required. So, what if every morsel that touches your mouth is not ‘clean’? Lighting will not strike. Your clean eating lifestyle is not marred because of one meal or one snack. And let’s be honest, it’s not ruined if there are multiple meals or snacks that don’t pass your clean eating guidelines. You just do the best you can at any given moment and that’s enough. That attitude alone can save you from driving yourself (and your hosts) crazy.

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What are some of your strategies for staying healthy on the road?

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