Convenience foods

[chrispina 18]

What are your favorite frozen, canned, shelf stable, stick it in your suitcase, leave it in your car, pop it in the microwave for 1 minute between the PTA meeting and swimming lessons foods? I know convenience foods got me here in the first place, but I still have to work with the same schedule I had before. I am on soft foods now, but I will welcome suggestions for any type of food.< /p>

[*Lexie* 1,486]

I keep beef Jerky on hand. High in Protein and lean. Little high on sodium but overall it's a good choice. You could alway look for high Protein Bars too. I don't like the Premier Protein Bars but I do like South Beach. Has around 12 g of Protein and lower in sugar than most.

[CanyonBaby 1,852]

If you're already doing frozen foods, why not make your own? Make a typical recipe, then freeze it in small, portable containers to take with you. This way you can control what is in it, and how much is in it! And it's ALWAYS better than the store stuff!

[Elode 8,093]

I like the P3 Snacks. They have meat, cheese, and nuts. All in a small portion. I'm not sure how long they can stay out though? I also like boiled and pickled eggs. Maybe you could get a little cooler to carry with you so the food will stay fresh?

Edited March 18, 2015 by Elode

[Kindle 8,667]

Jerky, mixed nuts with craisins, Natures Valley Protein Bars, and Quest bars. I don't get a lunch break, so these are staples for me that I eat on the run pretty much every day.

[Sunnybaby 95]

My NUT gave us little to no cooking meal plans which have been a total lifesaver for me! The on the go cottage cheese cups are great. Also try hard boiling some eggs for the week ahead of time and that helps as a grab and go food. Deli meat is easy to grab a few slices of and so are pre-sliced cheeses or cheese sticks. Yogurt is also easy to grab and go.

[Rogofulm 2,440]

Yep, I agree with @*Lexie*. My go-to convenience food is beef or turkey Jerky – lots of Protein, low fat, and the only "bad" part is the high sodium. (Well, some are a little high in sugar too, so avoid those brands.) I discovered on a 10-day driving vacation that you can buy jerky almost everywhere, and a 3.5-oz bag is a meal. Sure beats eating fistfuls of Wheat Thins on the road! But my most important tip for success is: Always have a plan! Never be caught hungry and without something you can safely eat and drink because that's when bad choices get made. So if that means always packing a cooler of Crystal Light and a bag of jerky, then that's what we need to do. Good luck!

Edited March 19, 2015 by Rogofulm

[bikrchk 1,313]

Quest bars and almonds.

[LSF 264]

Greek yogurt, Protein bars and almonds. I also like Atkins candy for a quick candy fix like their chocolate covered almonds, they have their version of Peanut M&Ms and a chocolate candy with caramel filling. They are all packaged in single serving packs

[Luvin_Life125 558]

Some of my go to portable foods are:

- apple slices (precut & single serving bags found in produce section if you don't want to cut your own) and Peanut Butter Greek yogurt dip (mix 1/4c plain Greek yogurt, 1 TBS of PB2, & 1 tSp of sugar free Torani syrup). I make the dip in 1.5 cup quantities and portion it out into small plastic containers with kids and keep it in the fridge and ready to grab.

- hummus and cut up fresh veggies. I keep the hummus in single portion containers and ready to grab and go. I also keep fresh veggies chopped and sealed to go. You can also buy a veggie tray at the grocery store and just grab a handful of veggies on the go if you don't have time to or want to do the prep work.

-tuna salad or chicken salad individually portioned and ready to go. I sometimes eat it on cucumber slices or use it as a dip for red pepper slices.

- Syntrax nectar fruit flavors. I buy a different 5# bag every month and use the snack size ziplock bags to package single servings ready to grab. I use a sharpie to write the flavor on the bag. Buying one container a month allows me to build up a good variety of flavors without a big one time investment. The Syntrax flavors mix easily and with little clumping in a bottle of Water, no mixer bottle needed. The ziplock bags keep the powder contained and easy to carry a few in my purse all the time. When I am ready to make a bottle, I just rip or cut the corner off the bag and it pours through the small bottle neck without making a mess. I like my flavors diluted so one scoop works perfectly for me in a regular bottle of Water. You may have to adjust the amount you keep in your bags to suit your preferences.

-Greek yogurt and kashi high Protein Cereal again portioned, bagged, and ready to grab and go. I gag on the texture of yogurt so I have to mix something crunchy in it to keep from gagging on it. Plus the extra Fiber is a great thing for WLS patients.

There's a start for you. I tend to do my dividing and packaging of servings in one sitting so I don't have to mess with it when I am in a hurry. I hope this helps. Please share anything you come up with also. I always looking for new Snacks.

[liannatx 897]

@Luvin_Life125

"tuna salad or chicken salad individually portioned and ready to go. I sometimes eat it on cucumber slices or use it as a dip for red pepper slices.

Syntrax nectar fruit flavors. I buy a different 5# bag every month and use the snack size ziplock bags to package single servings ready to grab. I use a sharpie to write the flavor on the bag. Buying one container a month allows me to build up a good variety of flavors without a big one time investment. The Syntrax flavors mix easily and with little clumping in a bottle of Water, no mixer bottle needed. The ziplock bags keep the powder contained and easy to carry a few in my purse all the time. When I am ready to make a bottle, I just rip or cut the corner off the bag and it pours through the small bottle neck without making a mess. I like my flavors diluted so one scoop works perfectly for me in a regular bottle of Water. You may have to adjust the amount you keep in your bags to suit your preferences."

I love both of these ideas! I love cucumbers and that will be a great alternative to crackers. I learn something new here daily and just file it away for future reference.