Nutrition Goals on the Go

Vacation season is in full swing in August, but that doesn’t mean that our nutrition goals have to stay behind at home! 

We want to find a balance of finding enjoyment in what we eat, while also consuming foods that nourish and fuel our bodies to complete our desired activities.

While away from home, we are away from a kitchen; therefore, many, if not all, meals are eaten out at restaurants. Given this reality, my tips featured in April’s issue for eating out at restaurants are certainly applicable. 

1. Don’t “save up” for a night out

2. Make your meal balanced

3. Eat seasonally

4. Take advantage of leftovers

5. Practice mindfulness at your meal

Tips that are more unique to vacationing: 

1. Make reservations ahead of time – Set a concrete plan of when you will eat at least one of your meals. This will help to plan the remainder of your meals, while mitigating the amounts of times that you reach a point of starvation. This will help with maintaining mindful eating practices.

2. Check out the menu ahead of time – Since you are booking your reservation ahead of time, you can take that moment to look at the menu and plan how to make a complete, balanced meal based on the menu offerings!

3. Pack your snacks – Traveling with snacks is always a great idea. You never know if there will be a transportation related delay or if your planned excursion exhausted you out and you are hungrier than anticipated! Packing items like mixed nuts, beef jerky, peanut butter and crackers, a protein bar, or even fruit that doesn’t require refrigeration can help tide you over for your next meal – and keep the happy vacation mood lifted!

4. Stay hydrated – The act of traveling; whether by train, plane, or automobile, is taxing and often leaves individuals dehydrated. Packing your favorite reusable water bottle is a great way to ensure you have water readily available and it also serves as a method of measuring the amount of water consumed. If you are unsure about the water quality in your destination, I recommend traveling with a water bottle that has a filter!

5. Plan for your return – What’s the worst part of vacation? Coming back to reality, but by planning ahead and making these super easy egg bites, you have a high protein first meal covered! In addition to prepping your return meal, I also recommend prepping your grocery list. An easy way is, as you are cleaning out your refrigerator, write out your list.

Egg Bites

- Preheat oven at 400º

- Place chopped seasonal vegetables in a large muffin pan

August vegetables: bell peppers, chopped broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, summer squash, and tomatoes

- For meat lovers, you can also add sliced ham, bacon, or your favorite breakfast meat

- Add desired shredded cheese, like mozzarella or feta cheese, into the muffin pan

- In a separate bowl, combine one whole egg or the whites of 2 eggs, a splash of milk & stir

this is done per each egg bite!

- Combine egg white mixture into the muffin pan

- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden

- Let egg bites cool and place in freezer safe container to have ready for when you return home!