You know how much of a let down it would be for all the business travelers to know we DON'T make the $199K/yr and utilize coffee pots and clothes irons to stay alive? I like these threads every 6 months or so b/c as I get bored with my current setup I keep getting new (and good) ideas!

 

This is how I pack my lunch.. It last for four day even if there isn't a fridge in your room. There is always an ice machine and always ice on the plane if you have a long day...

First go to ebags.com and invest in this

eBags Professional Series Crew Cooler > Travel Coolers > Travel Accessories - eBags

Then go to walmart or any other pharmacy and get 2 of these. They are like $4 or so..

http://www.firstaidwarehouse.co.uk/p...19/ice_bag.jpg


This will save you a lot of money..
Hope this helps..

 

I make about a dozen breakfast burritos the night before a trip and freeze them overnight. As someone mentioned before, the ebags cooler doesn't do a very good job of retaining the cold, but with a bag of burritos frozen solid I never have a problem with them staying cold through the day. Then I just stuff them in the mini-fridge freezer overnight and they're good to go the next day. Nuke a couple of them for a few minutes, and you'll be the envy of the crew room on a lunch break.

I also slice up and bag veggies and throw them in my bag too. Cucumbers and jicama are my favorites right now. As long as they're kept in ziploc bags through the day and not left out to sit somewhere, they'll stay relatively cool for a day or two.

The grocery store I go to sells tons of things wholesale, and I've found that corn nuts, at 1.29/lb are an awesome and economical snack. As far as nutritional value, I haven't a clue, but a few handfuls of these on breaks get me through the day.

 

Corn nuts are fun when you throw in a hot mic

 

I am big into weightlifting and working out so for me , bringing my food is essential for overall health/gains but also to save a ton of $$$.....I go out occasionally with the crew if theres a good place to go...I have the ebag cooler that easily fits 4 days of food. I eat 5-6 small meals a day and I still have plenty of extra food. Im 185lbs 5-9" so I def dont skimp on eating thats for sure. Heres a typical 3-4 day trip and what i take for it.


Breakfast- 3 hard boiled eggs
1 packet of low sugar oatmeal (apple/cin. or brown sugar flavor)
1 small box of raisins, usually i mix it in w the oatmeal
Midmorning Snack- Protein bar or banana (i usually take one from the hotel)

Lunch- 1 sandwich (turkey, rst beef, ham, or tuna) on pita flatbread w 1 slice of cheese and low fat mayo.
-Baby carrots or sliced cucumber

Afternoon Snack- 1 pack of beef jerkey 98% fat free ( I get them at dollar tree) or a protein shake mixed w water, I bring about 3 shakes worth and put the powder in a ziplock bag.

Dinner- 6-8 oz of chicken or steak (grilled or broiled) w rice and peas. I take frozen peas and toss them in w the rice, I switch up the rice each week, sometimes w black beans or couscous.

Evening snack- usually another sandwich turkey/rst beef/tuna

---Thats one day of eating. Here are a few tips
-I have a medical bag that i keep filling w ice throughout the day to keep everything cold.
-On a 4 day trip , I only bring eggs for the first 2 days since it is difficult to keep them fresh
-The protein bars are usually balance, clif or go lean....whichever one is on sale that week at the supermarket.
-for a 4 day trip I usually bring 2 steaks and 2 chicken just so i have some variety.
-I am based in ATL so I usually go get honey musttard and or BBQ sauce up at one of the concessions so i can put it on the meat for flavor.
-I try to stock up on fruit bananas/apples at the free breakfasts at the hotels.

All in all it takes up about 2 hours of my time between going to the grocery store and cooking all of the food. I will put a can of healthy choice soup or turkey chili (Hormel make s a good one) in my rollaboard in the event that i run out of food or just get extra hungry. I am a commuter (PWM/BOS) so usually i will eat this on the flight home as by then i am out of food from my cooler. Anyways, thats about it, thats a typical 4 day and what I bring. Hope this helps.

 

A dozen breakfast burritos?!!! Make sure to take an extra roll of tp with you from the hotel. I just wish I had a dollar for every time someone opened a tuna can next to me in cruise flight. Tuna is not my thing, but I endure. Otherwise good posts.

 

With a name like skidmark, you should carry an extra roll of tp with you everywhere!

 

without a doubt the Quote of the day

 

I have just started bringing Indian food with me on trips and it has been a superb change up. Any store that has a good ethnic food section (I shop at Whole Foods) should have decent selection of poplular packaged, ready to heat Indian dishes. They come in flat foil pouches and take up very little room. They cost about $3.50 and give you about the same amount of food as a can of soup. To complete the experience, I also get some Naan (Indian flat bread) to scoop up my meal and it doesn't smoosh in the lunchbox. And since all you need is coffee pot to warm them up in, I keep a couple in my laptop bag in case schedule changes or delays prevent me from packing dinner. I also do all the other things mentioned, but this new discovery has been a real life saver.

If you have acess to a crew room fridge, cook for the trip the night prior (Pasta, chicken and rice etc.) and store single meals in ziplock containers and nuke them as you need them. You get looks like you are about to enter the wildnerness for six months but it seriously cuts down on the processed foods and sodium.

 

I have been known to use airport restrooms