For many of us summer means vacation!  Eating while traveling can be trickier than when you are at home, but I was out to prove that it can be done on my trip to Nashville for Beachbody Summit 2015!

So for this trip I did drive and that did allow me to pack a lot of food and transport it with me.  Air travel does make it a little harder, but I will be flying to Orlando in August so I will put this to the test again then!

I packed foods that did need to be refrigerated but could be eaten cold or warm.  I knew I was going to be out and about for most of the day so needed to have food that would fit in a small cooler or in my backpack.

Here are a few of the things I brought:

• Steel cut oats- my favorite recipe- Peanut Butter/Banana Oats
• banans, apples, blueberries, cherries and carrot sticks
• hard boiled eggs
• Salads in a Jar
• Quinoa/black bean/ground turkey/bell pepper bowls
• Cauliflower Fried Rice (this is great cold or warmed up)
• Almond Butter pouches (you can get Justin’s brand at Target and Whole Foods)
• Shakeology
• shelf stable Almond and Coconut milk (this only needs to be refrigerated after opening)
• mixed nuts and cashews
• Kind Bars

I stored most of my stuff in mason jars, I have a slight addiction to mason jars!  I brought everything in a cooler and put it all in the mini fridge as soon as we checked in.

I did eat out 3 times while gone and I made wise choices when I went out.  I fully realize that making your own food is the best way to go because you know what it is in and how it is made.  However, I do enjoy eating out from time to time.  It usually involves good company and I try to order something that I wouldn’t make at home.  I have tried a ton of new veggies and food combinations that I would normally not try at home when eating out.  I always keep in mind that even when ordering a healthy dish that restaurants cook with more fats and oils that I do at home.  I just plan my day around that and stay pretty low fat otherwise on those days.

So here is a quick breakdown of my weekend:

Wednesday

We left around 2 so I ate as I normally would for breakfast and lunch.  I had Cauliflower Fried Rice and an apple in the car for dinner and a ton of water.  I also “treated” myself to a Kombucha when I was grabbing my last minute items from Target.  Yum!  I also had some pretzels and almond butter.

thursday

I had one of the oatmeal I packed and a banana when I got up.  We met our group of coaches for a late breakfast and I ordered a spinach/tomato omelette with fruit and 1 piece of dry whole wheat toast.  For lunch I had my Shakeology.  I brought a little travel blender and added ice, blueberries and almond milk.  I got to do a live PiYo work out in the afternoon with Chalene Johnson!  I had one of my salads in a jar for dinner before we headed out for the night.  We did meet for a drink later that evening and I had an apple cider and a veggie burger.  I only had 1/2 the bun and a few of the kettle chips that came with it.  The veggie burger was delish!

Friday

I had one of the oatmeals I brought and 2 hard boiled eggs.  We left for the the day pretty early so I packed and ate trough out the day the following: an apple, mixed nuts, a quinoa bowl, Kind Bar and my Shakeology- this time just mixed with water, not my favorite way to enjoy it, but it works.  For dinner we stayed in and I had another quinoa bowl and salad in a jar.  I snacked on 2 Crunchy Rice Rollers (kinda like healthy rice crispy treats). We were exhausted from our early morning butt kicking by Shaun T so we went to bed pretty early.

Saturday

We were up ridiculously early for our Super Workout- 6 am outside with 25,000 other crazy people for an hour and a half!  I had my last oatmeal before the workout and a banana and my Shakeology with almond milk after the workout.  I did have some delicious pork tacos from a local restaurant for lunch.  I had 2 on corn tortillas- pork and an amazing pineapple salsa.  YUM.  I also had an apple.  In the afternoon I had a Kind Bar.  For dinner I had another Shakeology- Vegan Chocolate blended with coconut milk, ice and cherries.  I snacked on 2 more Crunchy Rice Rollers with almond butter.  We were even more exhausted and stayed in and brainstormed while having 2 beers.

Sunday

It was time to head home.  I took advantage of the hotel breakfast and had oatmeal with a few walnuts, slivered almonds and cinnamon.  I added some almond butter and had a banana.  I had my Shakeology with coconut milk in the car for lunch and snacked on another Kind Bar, my last 2 hard boiled eggs, blueberries, some mixed nuts and a Skinny Pop through out the afternoon.  Dinner was at home and I had cauliflower fried rice and we ordered pizza- mine was spinach and tomato, no cheese.  I had 2 small slices.

So, I actually lost a pound on this trip!  I came home feeling great.  My stomach was a little wonky, but nothing like it has been after previous trips.  I did enjoy myself- I had a few beers over the 5 days and enjoyed a few meals out.  It does help to travel with thousands of other health nuts!  Overall I deem this experiment a success!

So, think you can travel and eat healthy?  Do you have any tips you do when traveling to keep track?