Leave it to me to go to a food city and bring my own.
Not my first choice.
A HUGE part of the commitment to compete is a commitment to your diet. It’s not easy. It’s not always fun. HOWEVER… abs are made in the kitchen.
This trip to has been especially hard for me because it’s my first with my new job… and I have a really fun team to hang out with. So far I’ve been good, even working out twice in 12 hours due to scheduling.
Preparation is key. This trip I packed up some old staples. These are items that “save” me:
- Homemade fro-yo: I take single serving containers of plain Greek yogurt, add my on mix-ins, and re-cover them to freeze. Freezing the yogurt makes it easier to get through security (it’s a solid) and it acts as an ice pack for your other foods. And it’s tasty. This week I had peanut flour-strawberry and vanilla-mango.
- Packaged foods: these are a great to have on had. I pack up single-serving protein powders, bars, stevia, tuna, and rice cakes.
- Oatmeal: Usually I plan to get this from room service, but I wanted to try something new. I pre-measured out my oats and adding in ginger and cinnamon. All I need to do is add water/protein powder/hotel fruit to make oatmeal in my room!
- Jerky: I don’t often eat jerky, but Perky Jerky offered to send me sample of their (preservative-free) product. I really like the turkey version only has 110 mg of sodium! Score.
Of course I brought more… see below… 😉
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I’ve done detailed travel posts before, so this is WIAW travel food-edition going to be more of an overview. I did manage some new (strange?) travel eats this time around.
Read on for my San Francisco treats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.
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On the Plane:
Overnight oats in a jar make getting up early just a little easier. These were packed with fig, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla protein powder.
Yes, they made it through security.
Round 2 on the plane was the baked chicken from my food prep (recipe coming tomorrow), carrots, and airplane pretzels.
The fro-yo kept it nice and cold!
Hotel Breakfast:
This has become an art. The Westin St. Francis has been fabulous with my crazy food requests. They brought up apple cider vinegar so I could have my morning cocktail!!! I downed that along with half a muffin (brought from home) to fuel a morning workout. Check out the view I woke up to!
Then the full meal was delivered: plain oats with a side of berries, cinnamon, and coffee. I mixed in my own protein powder, and added coffee to thin it out. Perfection!
Other Mini-Meals:
You can actually find acceptable food to eat in cities like SF. I got to enjoy a kale-barley salad with chickpeas and shrimp for lunch on our first day here:
This was the peanut flour and strawberry fro-yo creation I brought from home. Can you tell how fantastically frozen it was?!
I ended up having to do my workout at midnight east coast time… this was just the treat I needed after. I spent half the workout thinking about it.
This next snack happened at the conference. People seemed a little surprised when they discovered I brought the egg from home. I can’t imagine why…
It turns out hard-boiled egg travels really well! Tomato Brownies travel well too. I took it straight from my freezer from home, and by day two it had thawed and tasted delicious! I didn’t reveal the secret ingredient to my co-workers. They’d have been too jealous. 😉
Of course, there have been other eats. When we go to restaurants I order veggies with a plain grilled protein or I bust out my “emergency” tuna. It’s really no too hard too eat out (temptation side).
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If anyone wants to send random tweets of support and keep me honest… that wouldn’t suck. 😉
Do you struggle with diet? It’s the hardest part about competing for me!
Do you like hard-boiled eggs? This was my first time making them for myself!
I’m always super impressed by your ease of travelling and bringing your proper food needs along with you. Honestly, I kind of get lazy when travelling – then forget I hate all airport food/have allergies to them and then I can’t eat and then I’m grumpy. Ha, don’t I sound like a gem to travel with? 😉
All your eats look awesome even while travelling!
LOL! Travel with me. I’ll bring enough food for both of us. 😉
I just traveled from Alaska to Arizona with my gram & packed steamed sweet potatoes, kabocha squash, greek yogurt and individual baggies of protein powder (it was over 24 hours of travel- I needed my eats!) in my carry on! I think her 93 year young self was a little impressed- she tried the “funny squash with the skin” on the flight from Seattle! I’m GF & it’s hard when you are traveling- I love your posts & get tons of ideas from you 🙂 thanks!!
I want to travel with YOU! Did your gram like the funny squash???
This is so awesome- showing that even though your in competition prep AND travelling- your meals don’t have to be boring or generic. I had a mate who went on a cricket camp for 2 weeks in comp prep mode and literally lived on shakes, tuna and a loaf of bread. How….yum. Although if only you were travelling with your company in a ghost town…San Francisco.. ALMOST as good as NYC for foodie options 😉 I don’t mind hard boiled eggs, but I prefer them scrambled!
Oh man… no veggies?! I’d die on tuna and bread alone.
San Fran was tough, but I did save my cheat meal for 2 weeks to go out one night. I was in sushi heaven. 😉
You rock girl, so dedicated!! I ALWAYS bring hard boiled eggs as a snack, I think they’re super convenient!
I don’t want to compete, but I definitely want to lean out and it’s always the diet that is my sturggle. I don’t mind my workouts at all, I am hardly ever demotivated to exercise, but the diet is the hard part. A progress, I guess!
I’m the same way – left to my own devices, I cook, eat and exercise 24/7. 😉
You are so disciplined! I used to be like that when I travelled for work, but now I’m laaaazy and just eat on the go. If I was preparing for a figure comp, I certainly wouldn’t though! Great work, girl 🙂
I think you picked the more fun comp to do prep-wise. 😉
I’m quite impressed that your hotel brought you apple cider vinegar. That’s great! Way to rock the dedication!
I don’t count of it – most don’t have it – but sometimes I get lucky!
I’m a very unseasoned traveler – and one of the things that holds me back sometimes is the thought of being out-of-control with my food intake. I like to ‘think’ I’m a good prepper, but I could never be this organised and prepared, it’s a sign of dedication and general awesomeness 🙂
Thank you! It really just happened when I didn’t have a choice. I travel a LOT for work and when you’re only a few weeks out (once I was only 3 out!), it’s do or die.
I definitely admire your dedication, lady. I have to admit that I don’t really struggle with diet, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that I have allergies that really force me to watch myself. If I had free-reign to eat whatever I wanted? That might be a different story 😉 And thank you for the travel inspiration. I’m leaving for HLS tomorrow and definitely need to put in a little bit of time today to prep some food.
It is so bad but sometimes I WISH I had dietary restrictions. I can literally eat anything… and would if left to my own devices. Doh.
Have fun this weekend!!!
I love how honest you are about how challenging it can be to be so committed.
Im in awe—and love me the eggs as well.
LOVE 🙂
freezing greek yogurt to take with you – genius!!!!! i do like hard boiled eggs but never make them because i think they’re a pain haha
i always bring eggs from home. Ha! those people are weird. i bet they ate soupy liquid eggs from their hotel. ewwwwwwww
No… they ate crappy conference pastries. Blech!
Definitely impressed that you manage to come up with tasty-looking, portable meals! And I adore hard boiled eggs, but rarely take the time to cook the,.
Your dedication to stick to your diet and achieve your goals always leaves me feeling so inspired!! Have you busted out the “protein in your bag” when you’re dining out at a restaurant with your new colleagues? I love eggs but hard boiled eggs skeeve me out- love the egg whites hard boiled though!
I’m actually lucky with my co-workers – I have a friend that also does competitions who works there and she has broken them in for me. 😉
I have always been the same way with hardboiled eggs, but I’ve learned that the good local farm eggs aren’t bad. And they travel well (my real motivation).
You are a rock star….so disciplined! I bring hard boiled eggs to work with me a few times a week. I’m sure they stink, but I love eggs.
On a SF note, the St. Francis hotel is gorgeous during Christmas! My mom & I do a shopping trip to SF every December and we always look at the decorations in the fancy hotels! 🙂
It really is gorgeous!!! I’ve stay there before in the fall and the decor is fabulous. Did you know it was built in 1904?!
It was your first time making hard boiled eggs? How cool that you were able to bring all that food on the flight with you, I was afraid they would take my yogurt on the last flight I took and scarfed it down in the security line. Dieting is so hard for me! I usually try to eat healthy food but often eat too much and I’m not one to ever turn down a homemade cookie.
Well, not really. It was my first time making them to eat plain. I have a deviled egg recipe on the blog. I made DOZENS for a wedding shower I catered.
You have to freeze it! Then it’s a solid. 😉
I really need to try your fro-yo trick. Honestly, I think diet in general is probably the hardest thing from almost everyone. As a society, we celebrate the crappiest of foods, the artery-clogging burgers piled with fries and laugh about it. And as a trainer, I see how people think they’re eating clean and healthy and they’re kind of not. But market….oh marketing….
I’m a weird-o with diet too. I’m never tempted by packaged stuff. I want to go out to the latest local spot and eat the crazy things the chefs create. Unfortunately, being made fresh doesn’t make it a health food. Doh.
I tried to take a pomegranate on a plane once and they were very suspicious of it. Guess it is oddly shaped! Glad your stuff made it through.
You are so organized and dedicated!! I love that about you! When you have a goal you just go for it and you don’t lose your focus. I don’t think many people are like that today, you know? I know I’m the type to have a goal… and then lose focus and give up haha. I need more determination like you have!
And hard boiled eggs–I like ’em.. in egg salad!!
Thank you, Allie!!! You are like that – look at all of your running accomplishments! And the billions of cookies tyou made for the wedding. Those aren’t easy things to do!
to add your own yogurt toppings then freeze is brilliant! oh, and i love that the hotel had apple cider vinegar. talk about accomodation at it’s best!
Thanks! The hotel’s room service was one of the best I’ve ever encountered!
Mmmm airplane pretzels… haha those are the best airplane comfort food. I definitely struggle with diet so I totally understand. I try to tell myself that it’s just a quick snack and it won’t make a huge difference in my week but then I do it a few days in a row. Ugh. Diet is one of the hardest things!
I have to disagree… Biscoff is the best airplane food. Sadly, there is NO way that fits in my macros. LOL!
I have never tried to bring frozen Greek yogurt through security – that’s genius! If you can’t check into your hotel until late at night (meaning 14ish hours of no refrigeration, which I’m sure is fine health-wise since it was frozen), can you re-freeze it without losing too much taste/ consistency? I HAVE gotten overnight oats taken away from me by security, which completely crushed me and made me not want to risk it again :(. Way to go for sticking to it!!
I have it frozen and in a lunch bag, so it actually stays pretty solid for hours! Refreezes like a charm too. I think the trick to the oats is to make them super thick – you can always add liquid later (hot coffee is a fun add!).
Thanks for following up. I think I’m going to try bringing froyo on Monday!!
Let me know how it goes!
I definitely need to start freezing fro yo for trips. What a great idea!
I can’t wait to travel with you one day.
Where are we going? And when? 😉
LOVE that you share this cause it helps so many that travel!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait to hear more about the job!
When I’m prepping for a comp. I’m 100% committed to my diet and training. When it’s time to get in the zone, it’s time to change my frame of mind too. The first day is always the ‘hardest’ in that the reality that everything counts sets in (no more menchie’s lol). It’s also an exciting day too because your new journey to the stage begins!
At the end of the day, competing is a choice and it’s one that I’m happy I made…9 times over lol
Menchie’s isn’t a health food?! 😉
preparation is key!! we try our best to be as prepared as we can, some trips we forget things but we try to make the most of it 🙂
great tips!!
I really like boiled eggs with hummus! I’m always amazed at your travel skills girl! I agree, SF has some GREAT places to eat. I could live there just for the food.
Ohhhh… that’s a great idea. Will try that next round. 🙂
Damn girl, you are committed!
You inspire me!
Thank you!!! <3
BAH HA HA HA HA!!! One time, when I was on the plane….. I whipped out a WHOLE HEAD OF CABBAGE and some Grey Poupon! Then I realized I did not have a knife… so… I used the next best thing, MY MOUTH! I was biting into this HUGE head of cabbage like an apple, and the squirting mustard in my mouth. Talk about being VERY popular on the plane.
You have to be kidding. Really?! You really are my hero.
Your determination is awesome my friend, I know I could never eat as controlled as you 😀
Delicious photos!
Cheers
CCU
I love the dedication! I am SO bad when it comes to travel-eating I pretty much shove every decadent thing I can in my mouth. In San Fran I have to have at least one moon pie! Also, I am SO jealous of your apple cider vinegar hotel! I tried asking for it in my hotel in Vegas and they thought I was crazy!
xx Kait
Thank you! The ACV is a rare find… sometimes if I can’t get it from room service I ask the restaurants I go out to eat at. It works!
This was your first time making hard-boiled eggs. I’m shocked! I go through phases with them every couple of months. Your dedication and determination is to be applauded.
Not really. I made a billion for a catering gig once: https://www.sprint2thetable.com/2012/04/chive-and-caper-deviled-eggs/. I just never liked hardboiled eggs until 2 weeks ago when I tried them made with local farm eggs. 😉
I’m always impressed by your travel eats, but packing along a hard-boiled egg? Nice! Though I can’t really say much, I’ve taken a raw egg to work before and used your little microwave poaching trick for dinner a couple of times! 😉 I like hard-boiled eggs, but I have to be in the mood for them…though I’m usually not. What can I say, my heart belongs to the runny yolk! I did surprise myself this week though and made some egg salad with the eggs I boiled up for meal prep last Sunday! Gold star! 😀
That shrimp dish with the kale looks great! And I can’t believe the hotel brought you apple cider vinegar!! That’s awesome!
#yolkporn will always have my heart too. 😉