Today I am heading off to a conference in Washington, D.C. Since I’ve been on an “eat less, move more” kick for the past few weeks I’ve been mentally planning when – and what – I’m going to eat during my travels. Portable recipes for road trips and air travel can be a challenge, and when you write about food? Forgetaboutit.
While I am obviously planning a few cocktail party splurges over the course of the weekend, I know that one of my biggest diet pitfalls when traveling is the airport.
Flight delays mean lattes, snacks and sometimes even wine — albeit, probably not today since I have a 10:00 a.m. flight. That’s beside the point.
At the airport, snack and meal choices are typically either affordable and unhealthy, or $9 fresh fruit that looks…less than fresh. Airport security guidelines make it difficult to BYO-Snack for lengthy flights and travel days but I’ve scoured my archives to put together of airport-friendly food that is far better for you than the fast food options at your terminal.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Grilled Apple & Cheddar Cheese: Sandwiches at the Au Bon Pain at Newark International Airport will run you upward of ten dollars – and possibly, 700 calories. Before you leave the house, decorate your favorite whole wheat bread with sliced apple, sharp cheddar – and even a touch of honey mustard. To keep the cheese from getting gloppy and congealed, wrap tightly with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Eat within two hours of preparing and wrapping to avoid spoilage.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins: If you’re rushing out of the house in the morning to catch your flight (not that I would know anything about rushing) chances are you won’t have a lot of time for breakfast. Muffins and scones are a great grab-and-go breakfast — and you can use whole wheat flour to slim them down.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Parmesan Almonds: There is no shortage of nuts and trail mixes at airport gift shops, but if you want to make your seat mates jealous (especially the loud snore-er in the middle seat) bake a batch of almonds dusted with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and paprika for in-flight snacking. Maybe if you bribe the flight attendant with a handful of these, she’ll smuggle you a free cocktail.
Photo: Eat Clean, Live Well
Terry Walters’ NoNo Bars: Lest you get hit with a sweet tooth when you’re miles high, you should have a healthy sweet treat on hand. Fresh fruit is ideal, but if you can’t stand the thought of your apples and bananas getting banged and bruised in your carry-on, bring a few healthy snack bars. You can make your own that taste better than anything you could find at the Hudson News kiosk and they’re way better for you, too.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Melon Skewers: Okay, stop looking at my like I’m CRAZY. I know – why would you pack cocktail party passed bites in your carry-on? Well, if you have a long flight, you should enjoy it. Grab a glass of chardonnay, indulge in a good book and enjoy the feeling of being disconnected at 30,000 feet.
34 Comments
natalie (the sweets life)
May 24, 2011 at 8:38 pmgreat post…definitely feeling a little guilty about the greek wrap i had from au bon pain in the airport last week lol 🙂
Geni
May 24, 2011 at 12:32 pmI am flying out of LAX next week. Great post and tips! Love the apple sandwich…I definitely will make that part of my carry on. For families with older kids, I like to encourage everyone to pack their own “lunch” as they would for school. That way everyone has something they like. Then we throw in extra homemade snacks and voila we are set. Love the dried fruit cookie…I think I will surprise them with these next week.
DessertForTwo
May 23, 2011 at 9:55 pmGreat tips! I just hate traveling simply because of the lack of fresh food choices. I can’t wait to get home back to my own kitchen so I’m in charge of my food choices again.
Tessa
May 23, 2011 at 7:37 pmLove this post! Wish I would have seen it before leaving for Blogher Food. Hope you had fun at Eat, Write, Retreat.
Blond Duck
May 23, 2011 at 11:35 amThose sandwiches look delish for a lunch at home too–or a picnic!
Sawsan@chef in disguise
May 22, 2011 at 8:35 pmI usually make my ranger cookies when we’re traveling along with oregano cheese muffins.I’m not traveling any time soon but I’m more than looking forward to trying these treats.
Sharlene
May 22, 2011 at 4:45 pmCould have used this post before my long trip to China! I did NOT eat healthy in the least. I’ll keep this bookmarked for future use though. Thanks!
Roz
May 21, 2011 at 3:15 pmGreat ideas, thanks Maris. Enjoy your weekend in DC!
Simply Life
May 21, 2011 at 11:41 amwow! i want to travel with you! everything looks so good! I always bring my own food to save money and keep it healthy!
Kocinera
May 21, 2011 at 4:51 amThese are such great travel snacks! I usually run for the granola bars, but those almonds sound gawgeous. Savory goodness to the max! 😀
Nelly Rodriguez
May 21, 2011 at 3:45 amThis is a great guide. I always think ahead and also travel with some variation of a sandwich and nuts. Thanks for sharing these great ideas and have a great weekend in DC!
Kate@Diethood.com
May 21, 2011 at 3:37 amWhen we were younger my mom used to bring food on all our trips, and my sister and I were soooooooo embarrassed… I now do the same thing!!! I’ve become my mom! ;-))
Now I want a homemade soft pretzel! Only if it wasn’t almost 11 pm…sigh.
Have fun at the conference! I wish I could have been there… hopefully next time.
pigpigscorner
May 20, 2011 at 9:57 pmI usually pack my own snacks when I fly too, so much better than those in the airport or on the plane.
Nami @ Just One Cookbook
May 20, 2011 at 9:09 pmHave a fun trip Maris! I enjoyed reading your airport-friendly snack feature. 🙂
The Food Hunter
May 20, 2011 at 8:52 pmNow i need to plan a trip.
Lauren@LittleYellowKitchen
May 20, 2011 at 7:35 pmThanks for this! Perfect timing because I’m leaving on a massive road trip soon and I am kind of worried about what I’ll be eating to 1. save money 2. eat healthy. Yikes!
sweetlife
May 20, 2011 at 6:28 pmHave fun at Eat Write Retreat! I wanted to attend so much,.but schedule conflicts!
wonderful options, can’t wait to read your recap post!
sweetlife
Greg
May 20, 2011 at 6:09 pmThis is so great. Not only is airport food unhealthy, it generally tastes bad!
sippitysup
May 20, 2011 at 4:06 pmSnack from home beats plastic peanuts! Have a great conference. GREG
Dana
May 20, 2011 at 3:48 pmThanks for this! I am going away next week, so this is perfect timing for me!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
May 20, 2011 at 3:21 pmMaris, these are such awesome travel-ready recipes. I especially love the soft pretzels and parmesan almonds. I always make chocolate chip cookies for the road (or train or plane), but I’ll have to branch out and try other things. Thanks for the inspirational post! 🙂 Have a great weekend.
Nicole@HeatOvenTo350
May 20, 2011 at 2:56 pmWhat great ideas! I bring my own food why I fly, too, because the airport food is so expensive and it’s so hard to find healthy options. It’s come in handy when I have tight connections and don’t have time to stop and buy anything.
Laura @ SweetSavoryPlanet
May 20, 2011 at 2:41 pmI know what you mean about airport food: pricey, unappealing and unhealthy. I usually have frozen muffins in the freezer (if I can only remember to grab them) and pre-purchase some decent trail mix. They will always give you water or juice on the plane. That probably all sounds boring but not to me!
Three-Cookies
May 20, 2011 at 2:30 pmYou’ve planned for all possibilities:)
Claire @ Un Bello Aperitivo
May 20, 2011 at 2:29 pmI’m always super tempted by the really high priced gourmet food shops that they strategically place in the airports…sushi? Yes please!
I love the idea of the parmesan almonds and homemade soft pretzels; I bet they’re so much better than the little packages of peanuts or pretzels (although I have to say that I do enjoy SWA’s honey roasted peanuts, haha).
Daryl
May 20, 2011 at 2:11 pmAwesome post and so relevant. Have a fun trip!
Jennifer @ Raisin Questions
May 20, 2011 at 2:06 pmNice! Thanks for making me take a minute to think about this — I always get dehydrated and over hungry and yes, I have doled out way too many dollars at airport kiosks when traveling! These are amazing suggestions!
Tasha
May 20, 2011 at 1:57 pmGreat ideas! A grilled cheese and apple sandwich so good to be right now.
Marci
May 20, 2011 at 1:27 pmYum I hope you brought some to share!
Lisa @ Tarte du Jour
May 20, 2011 at 1:12 pmI love bringing my on food when flying…. thanks for the tips! Have a nice conference!
alyssa - fashion fitness foodie
May 20, 2011 at 1:04 pmand who wants to be even more dehydrated on the plane!? i swear it sucks all of the water out of me. i like to make my own protein bars, bring fruit, hummus n pretzels, choc almonds and peanut butter of course
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen
May 20, 2011 at 12:49 pmLove this! I am notorious for the amount of crazy snacks and treats I can stuff into my bag and manage to get through security. I even once had a security person pull out all of my food (including seasoned raw veggies) that she was going to take a break and have lunch with me while I waited for my plane.
Hummus, yogurt, pimiento cheese, cottage cheese…chips, protein bars, oatmeal, cereal…fruit, veggies…
There’s so much you can get away with if you just smile. 🙂
yummychunklet
May 20, 2011 at 12:49 pmThe Parmesan nuts look great! Have fun!
Erica
May 20, 2011 at 12:16 pmI agree! The phone at the airport is usually terrible! I traveled every week for my job for a year and always packed snacks. I also always went to the grocery store first thing when I landed!! Hotel rooms with micro fridges rock!! The Parmesan Almonds look so yummy! I must try them