Happy new year to you!
I hope you had a restful and recharging break!
What food is easy and nutritious to travel with?
I recently found myself on another plane, but this time well prepared and I wanted to share some information with you on what I do prior to plane travel, that helps me.
On Christmas Eve, I travelled from Cairns to Brisbane and then drove to Ballandean (Granite belt country). I picked up my partner from work about lunchtime & we travelled together down south. First there was a 2 hour plane trip and then a 3 hour drive to Ballandean, with my parents included. My parents drove us from the airport to Ballandean so I thought there may be a few people to feed on the 3 hour car journey. I knew that my partner would be hungry after a full morning of work (last day for the year and he’s the boss) and then straight on a plane with the need to get on the road, at the other end, ASAP to make it for Christmas Eve celebrations at his parents. So I prepared a whole lot of food.
Aside from our longish commute, I do believe it’s always good to be prepared when jumping on a plane because the food is often so processed. If you happen to opt for a ‘healthy’ sandwich the bread is often white and causes bloating or all kinds of nasty things that you don’t want while trapped in a small compartment with strangers.
So I thought I’d share a few ideas of what you could take when travelling on a plane that can either be sealed in zip lock bags or throw away containers so they don’t end up being extra luggage for your trip. The zip lock bags can also be washed out and used on the return journey if you need to save space in your luggage.
The foods that I prepared for us included:
· 2x whole roasted sweet potato…just roast the whole sweet potato (skin on) in the oven on a tray and walk away and do other things. Give it about 40-60mins. It will be deliciously soft and able to be pulled apart and sprinkled with sea salt when ready to eat.
· Home made hommus
· Raw dehydrated crackers that I had made in bulk after wanting to use my left over veggie pulp from my juicer.
· Feta cheese to have as something a little decadent on the plane with our crackers. That nice salty taste to create variety. This was left over in the fridge. I personally feel better without dairy in my diet however my partner likes it. Organic is a must if you are going to choose to eat any dairy. As I write this though, my partner is currently trialing 30 days of no dairy to see how it agrees for him.
· Festive cherries bought fresh from Rusty’s Market for our trip. There were so many we got to share them with the family when we arrived.
· Home grown pineapple…this was special for sure! Not an easy addition to every plane trip as they do take 2 years to grow…but wow! It was the sweetest, juiciest, delicious pineapple I’ve ever had!
· Raw cake…I had a small love heart shaped Chilli Maca Chocolate Pie frozen in my freezer that I thought we could share and enjoy.
· Bliss balls are another great option! I have a simple recipe on my blog as well as a new recipe/ingredients list on my Facebook page.
· Smoothies and or juices are also a fabulous choice when travelling!
· Water is so under-estimated as well. I always over hydrate before hopping on a plane. When we are dehydrated we often feel hungry which causes us to eat unnecessarily. When we are stuck in a chair on a long flight we can also choose to eat unnecessarily, which is another reason to over hydrate. I often get caught out on international flights and have to skull my 1L bottle of water at security. I actually found this beneficial the first time it happened because I got off the plane feeling absolutely fine rather than dry and bloated and all of those awful plane flight symptoms. I try to drink at least 2L before an early morning flight and 3L or more before a later flight during the day. It doesn’t bother me so much having to get up to go to the toilet because I get to stretch my legs and get the blood flowing.
As you can see I went well overboard, but had no idea how hungry we would all get, on the 5 hour journey. It’s better to have more than end up eating plane food! These photos aren’t particularly clear but give you an idea of easy foods to take on the plane. In the tupperware container (above) there is hommus and a little feta. Along with some dehydrated crackers and sweet potato. Below, in the container, is the raw cake as well as pineapple & cherries.
I would love to hear what you take on planes to fill your hungry tummy?
I hope 2014 is off to a fabulous healthy start for you! If you’re wanting health advice or coaching or perhaps a detox or cleanse from all of the Christmas festivities, please book in for a consultation to ensure you start the year off on the right foot! Also follow me on Facebook to get food ideas, recipes, tips, links and inspiration to help you out when you feel like you need that boost!
Janelle.