How many times have you rushed out of a long day's worth of business meetings and sprinted to the airport? Clocking every minute so you don't miss your flight?
Yup. I've been there. Done that.
You get to the airport and think — shoot, I haven't eaten anything in over six hours! — so you pick up something sort of crappy from the airport kiosk or you just hope that the plane has some sort of passable snacks on board.
But it's usually pretty blah right? Do you usually feel kind of sick and off after eating that stuff?
I did.
I worked in Finance for over six years and after a day of rapid-fire biz meetings, and rushing to the airport, the last thing my body needed was cheap, nutrient-poor food that made me feel like crap.
So here's what I started to do — carry my own high-quality emergency snacks — always! Throw these in your work travel bag and you'll never have to think about back-up snacks again. You'll always have something nutritious on hand to eat and prevent that cranky, hangry, headachy feeling.
Every couple months I just re-order everything in bulk on Amazon, so you always have these snacks ready to grab-and-go.
Primal Kitchen's Macadamia Sea Salt Bars are worth the price. They pack in 15 grams of protein, 18 grams of healthy fat and 5 grams of fiber in to one bar. And I love that they only have 3 grams of sugar! Use this when you need some serious fuel to get you to your next meal. 6 bars for $17.
Epic's Bison, Bacon and Cranberry Bars are perfect for getting high-quality organic animal protein on-the-go. Sure, getting used to eating a "meat stick" can feel weird at first. But I promise, you'll start craving them. So pick up that sad airport salad — and make sure it's vegetarian — and add your own clean, high quality meat to the salad with a meat stick. 12 bars for $26.
RXBar's Chocolate Sea Salt Bars are everyone's favorite! They're made with real cacao and have a quality 12 grams of protein and 9 grams a fat. I don't love that they're higher in sugar, at 15 grams, so stick to just one a day. If you find yourself addicted to them — take a break. I find these are a much more glamorous option than eating a stale cookie from the airplane beverage service. So eat your RX Bar and be proud of your healthy choice. 12 bars for $24.
Justin's Almond Butter Packets are so versatile, so make sure you always have them on hand. You can eat them straight from the packet, or spread them out over an RX Bar (my personal favorite option for breakfast while flying), or pair with a banana or piece of fruit, or celery / carrot sticks. Maybe it's the Vermont in me, but I'm partial to the Maple Flavor. 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein and only 3 grams of sugar. 10 packets for $9.
Cashews in a Zip Lock Bag I prefer to buy raw organic cashews in bulk from the bins at the Natural Foods store or Whole Foods and portion them out in to zip lock bags to grab and go. It saves me money and helps with portion control. But do what works for you! A serving size of 20 cashews (pictured in photo) is about 180 calories. Skip the roasted, salted versions. They're filled with weird oils and can be too addicting. Raw cashews have a delicate, buttery taste and make you feel wayyy better. Enjoy!
Hope these five quick snack hacks inspire your next trip. Why don't you hop on Amazon now and get planning?
I don't want you feeling sick and crappy at the end of a long day — that's the worst! So enjoy stabilizing your energy, mood and your waistline with these low sugar, high fat, high protein and high quality options.
xo,
Michelle
Links include affiliate codes, but all opinions and suggestions are my own.