carry food with you? What do you carry? I just read about someone that carries a measuring spoon in her purse, which I thought was a great idea!!

Tell me pls what you have in your bags and purses (or cars). Im struggling with my weight again, and being caught without food is something that will mess my whole day.

I have food with me EVERYWHERE.

Car (always):
emergency protein shake in glove compartment, emergency Nabisco 100-calorie pack of crackers in center console, 6-pack of bottled water.

Bag (always):
1 or 2 emergency protein shakes, fork & spoon, ziploc bag of multi-grain crisp bread, bottle of water.

Lunchbox (everyday = most of the following):
1 - 2 cans of Diet Sprite Zero, tuna salad, small tub low fat cottage cheese, 1 - 2 low fat string cheese sticks, apple, banana, clementine (when in season), 1 - 2 protein shakes, Instone High Protein pudding, small bag of almonds/walnuts/cashews, small tub no-sugar tapioca pudding, small bag baby carrots and/or other veggie, and Nabisco 100-calorie pack.

Gym Bag (always): protein shake, extra bottle of water, small bag of almonds/walnuts/cashews.

BTW, I don't necessarily eat EVERYTHING that's in my lunchbox during the day, but I like to be prepared (for what? a nuclear attack? LOL). I also eat about 4 snacks a day and practically live in my car some days -- going from school to work to the gym, etc.

I normally have my lunch bag with me with Breakfast, Lunch + a snack in it, even when I'm just going to my SIL's to visit. But I also have an emergency supply in my desk drawer at work of 2 small cans of veggies (string beans, etc.) a couple of packets of protein powder and one of those little ready made lunch packets by Bumblebee Tuna (Light), the ones with the Tuna Salad and Crackers together (for the days that I walk out and leave my lunch bag on the counter).

Me too - I often carry food with me, depending on the day's schedule. Getting too hungry will totally screw my eating plan too, so I take a minute every morning and think about what I'll eat, where, and when. Sometimes I'll plan the day in Fitday, print it out, write the meal times in next to the meals, and stick the whole thing on my frig door. I realize that it may seem to normal people but it's a necessity for me to plan, plan, plan.

In the trunk of my car are a case of bottled water and 20 pack of protein powder packets, so that's my emergency stash. I can get the juice bar at my gym to mix up my own protein shakes (theirs are loaded with sugar) with their water, ice and blender, so that's an easy meal while I'm at work -- though I may gag if I drink another protein shake (major burnout ). I have an insulated lunch bag with one of those freezer inserts and frequently take cottage cheese concoctions to work. Another easy portable meal is chicken breast and a cut-up apple. And I make my own protein bars, which are the ultimate in portable.

My gym is right across the street from a huge grocery store with sushi and salad bars, so that's another emergency option if I'm at work, but not the best choice. I'd much rather fix the food myself so that I know the quantity and what's in it.

Meg, I'm intrigued...would you mind sharing your recipe?

I'd love to, but then I have to share Mel's also -- no, not because we're really the same person but because hers are really good too.

Meg's Protein Bars

2 cups protein powder of your choice (I’ve used chocolate Nitrotech, chocolate and vanilla MetRX, and chocolate Grow!)
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup nonfat dried milk
1/4 cup natural peanut butter, either smooth or chunky
Optional (see note below): nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, extra peanut butter

I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer with the dough hook to mix this, but you could mix and knead with your hands also.

Blend the three dry ingredients together. Blend in the peanut butter. Here’s the tricky part — add enough water to make a sticky mixture. The amount of the water depends of the brand of protein powder. For the ones I have tried (above), it’s between 3/4 and 1 cup of water. You don’t want it dry and crumbly, but not too wet and runny either. The consistency should be quite sticky. If you are not using a mixer, you’ll need to squeeze and knead this with your hands until it is blended.

Spray a 8x8 or 9x9 pan with PAM. Press the mixture into the pan evenly. I spray my hands with PAM also before I do this so it doesn’t stick. Refrigerate for a few hours and then cut into individual bars, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate.

I cut mine into six bars, but you could do eight if you wished. The nutritional info is based on six bars per pan, so you’d need to recalculate if you do eight.

Note: — if you are not too concerned about calories, you can add in extra peanut butter, dried fruit (raisins, dried cherries etc.), nuts, and/or chocolate chips. If you want to use any of these, just add them to the nutritional info and recalculate.

Nutritional Information (six bars per pan)

250 calories
26g protein
18g carbs
8g fat

Mel’s Pumpkin Protein Bars
8 egg whites
1/2 C low fat cottage cheese
2 C oats
1 C canned pumpkin
4 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2 C water
1/2 C Splenda
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, ginger…)
1 tsp baking soda


Mix together in blender and pour in 9 x 12 pan, sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cut into 6 bars for a complete 240 calorie meal.

If you want these crunchy, then take the bars and cut in half then slice down the middle. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and place cut side down. Re-bake at 375 for so minutes until brown and crunchy.


Mel's Chocolate Flavored Protein Bars

Use same recipe as above, but substitute 2 tbs. Dry cocoa powder instead of pumpkin pie spices. Use chocolate protein powder.

Note: Both these recipes are very hard to blend completely in my blender. I have used the blender to mix the egg whites, cottage cheese, and oatmeal, then transfer it to a stand mixer to complete the recipe. Otherwise, plan on spending a lot of time turning the blender on and off and using a rubber spatula to mix the top layer into the bottom where the blender blades can mix it.

Lately I have been relying on our cafe at work for veggies and dip (I have very limited time at home to prepare my own). Also, I carry cup-a-soups (not the creamy kind), flavoured tea (my warm comfort foods) and either a small banana or clemintine orange. These are choices I enjoy, without being too bad for me and satisfy my sweet tooth when I crave sweets. Also, I can "drink" at my desk, but not eat, so the soup fills the gap for me.

Thanks, Meg! (And Mel!) I'm excited to try them -- I've been in a bit of a protein shake rut myself lately. Still drinking them, but getting a bit sick of it. It'll be nice to try something new.

Thanks again!

Some great ideas!! I never thought about keeping protein powder and bottled water in the truck!

Thankyou for the recipes Meg! They look great....how long will they keep unrefridgerated?

I keep lowfat granola bars or 100 cal packs in my van..but when I goto work, I take my lunch and always bring an extra snack (banana, 100 cal pack snack, 1/4 cup nuts) something *just in case*. If I am going somewhere and wont be home (say shopping for the day) I take a granola bar (low fat/150 cals approx) with me that way after lunch and before dinner I have my snack. It fits in my purse and it is pretty quick to eat without looking like a pig for eating. I also do not eat even half of what I order in the restaurant if I stop to have lunch...sometimes I also bring lunch with..just depends on what is happening for the day, if it is just me, I bring lunch, but if I am meeting people for lunch then I order small and NEVER finish even 1/2. I also DO NOT bring the other half home (eliminates the urge to snack on it during my drive home) Since I HATE leftovers this helps me alot..

meg & kate - what type of protein powder mix do you guys use? I have been trying to find one that doesn't taste like chalk. Thanks!

I can't keep water in the car from about October through April, but I usually bring a bottle with me. Heck, I can't leave my gym stuff in the car while I'm at work. If I do I've got dead batteries in my MP3 and worse, frozen soles on my workout shoes!! I keep low cal bars in my file cabinet, along with single serving applesauce and fruit. None of these tempt me enough to eat them all. I try to bring my lunch, and snacks, most days. Lunch varies - often leftovers - but snacks are usually fruit, hard-boiled eggs, lf/ff yogurt, or any combination. I can go to the grocery store and hit the salad bar if I don't have anything with me. It's a very small town, and there's nothing resembling a decent restaurant, never mind one that might serve something healthy!

I always have water with me. i mean i never forget it.

i always have a banana and an apple in my car. I always plan ahead for meals that i will be eating away from home. this usually included a sandwich, pb or chicken. a cup of carrots, a cup of sugar snap peas, and a fruit, bananas, grapes, apple or clementines.

I always have hot tea in my purse. the other day i was out shopping and my purse was so heavy and i opened it up and i had 2 frickin apples in it. sometimes i forget and over pack. HA! better safe than sorry.

I'm a commuter who's out of the house at least 12 hours a day, so I always take a ton of food with me. I eat breakfasts 1 and 2, lunch and at least one other snack away from the house on weekdays. It all has to be stuff that can fit in my backpack because one leg of my trip is on bike so I'm big on kashi bars and fruit that doesn't bruise easily.

My mom is the queen of car food. I think she could feed a family of 8 for the weekend on the food in her car. We're hardly ever in ours, so the most I ever have in there is water.

I keep my desk well stocked.

Let's see, what's in there now....

-set of measuring spoons
-set of measuring cups
-snack size applesauce
-snack size pudding
-oatmeal
-apples
-peanuts (That's what the measuring cups are for)
-raisins (ditto)

I work in a large office with a fridge, so I stock up on food for the week every Monday on the way in. That way, lunches and snacks are all planned out and there's little room to fall off track. I'm also online all day, so I track everything in fitday as I eat it.

I don't allow eating in my car, but I do keep a bottle or two of water on hand. And I have found forgotten apples in my purse, like Laura!

-Amy