Greetings from somewhere over Minnesota! Are you ready for some meal prep hacks for a long flight? Oh, I bet you are! 😉
I was up and at ’em this morning to catch an early-morning flight across the country to Seattle to visit the Brooks Running team and fellow #runhappy ambassadors. The flight is nearly 6 hours long, so I packed all sorts of food, including breakfast and lunch as well as snacks (just in case).
Even though airports have lots of healthy options nowadays, it’s still sometimes a challenge for me to find something that fits within my diet. For instance, breakfast is always a struggle because I mostly eat gluten-free, limit dairy, and don’t eat eggs. I mean, what else is there?! Long story short, I packed a half day’s worth of food to keep me satisfied for the long flight.
I’ve eaten this way for a while now and travel quite a bit, so I’ve had plenty of practice when it comes meal prep hacks for a long flight. I know how to prepare and pack my food in a way that’s easy, nutritious, delicious, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly. I hope you find these tips and tricks helpful during your travels!
Woohoo, here we go… ready for a morning of travel! Boston —> Seattle
Comfy travel outfit details
- Aleumdr Cowl Neck Zip Long Sleeve Pullover ($22)
- Athleta Venice Joggers
- Brooks Bedlam (on sale at Zappos for just $99)
Meal prep hacks for a long flight
Breakfast
Quinn loves the freshly ground honey peanut butter at Whole Foods, so I used the almost empty container to make my overnight oats. I mixed in marine collagen peptides and Teddie peanut butter for added protein, fat, and staying powder. When I finished eating it, I simply recycled the container.
FYI: I almost got busted by TSA for my overnight oats. Oops! I think it was because of the big scoop of peanut butter in them. Peanut butter is technically considered a liquid, according to the TSA website. Next time, I’ll add a packet of nut butter once I get through security.
I also bought an iced coffee at Starbucks. I didn’t bring my tumbler this time, but I had my silicon straw with holder, so I saved at least one plastic straw from a landfill.
I packed my small shaker bottle (20 ounces) with marine collagen peptides and Ashwagandha inside to mix with my iced coffee, but I didn’t have time to do it. I was literally waiting for my iced coffee as I watched my plane board! But, hey, now I have extra collagen peptides and Ashwagandha for my future iced coffees in Seattle! Ashwagandha, what? Here’s why I’m loving it lately.
Lunch
For lunch, I packed up spaghetti squash with ground turkey, grated Parmesan, and steamed spinach in a Collapsible Silicone Food Storage/Meal Prep Container. Have you seen these containers? They are AMAZING for travel and packed lunches as well as kitchens with limited space. You just collapse it down once you’re finished to save space in your bag/backpack/luggage/cabinets.
I also packed my water bottle and filled it up once I got through security, so I had plenty of water for my day of travel. Ok, this isn’t a very exciting meal prep hacks for a long flight, but it’s a good one because you save money and resources by not buying bottle water. Related: Bottled water actually kind of freaks me out. I mean, water in a plastic bottle, which is often stored in a hot warehouse or truck… basically, plastic leaching into the water. Yikes!
Snacks
I whipped up a small batch of oatmeal almond butter chocolate chip protein balls and packed them inside an empty jar of RXBAR vanilla almond nut butter (so damn good!), so they didn’t get squished in my bag. Then, I could just recycle the plastic jar when I am done.
I used this recipe to make my protein balls: The Only Protein Ball Recipe You’ll Ever Need!
I also packed additional snacks inside a Stasher bag. I love Stasher bags for snacks. I use them pretty much everyday in Quinn’s lunch. If you haven’t gotten on the Stash bag train yet, be sure to do so. The environment and your wallet will thank you!
Some of my favorite travel-friendly snacks:
- Pumpkin Spice RXBAR
- Justin’s Nut Butter Packets
- Health Warrior Chia (and Pumpkin) Bars
- Teechino bags
- More favorite travel-friendly snacks
I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post with my meal prep hacks for a long flight! If you have any of your own, I’d love to hear them. I’m always looking for ways to make my travels healthier and more efficient! 🙂
