THM On The Run Snack Bag

February 4, 2014 By Gwen Brown 44 Comments

My THM on the run snack bag is a work in progress, but I thought I’d share it today for those of you who just want or need to be prepared for last minute trips or emergencies. Now, I always keep my stevia in my purse, but a post from a midwife on the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group really got me thinking. She asked what types of foods she could keep on hand, pre-packed to take to births. She wanted ideas for foods that didn’t require refrigeration, and that would give her some options on S or E meals or snacks.

I realized that it’s really not a bad idea to keep a little THM emergency snack kit on the ready, so I compiled this collection of items in my ‘just in case’ kit. Admittedly, some of these are not what I’d consider ‘healthy’ foods, and not staple items that I’d use as part of my everyday food choices. But in a pinch, they’d be better than having nothing on hand, and would expand my options even if there were some food choices available.

Full Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Disclosure Page

Maybe I’m not a midwife, but as a busy Mama and a soon-to-be aunt again, there are plenty of opportunities that may call me out on an errand or a late night run to the hospital at times when I just need to have some healthier options than what the candy bar/snack machine can offer.

I love the convenience of the 100 calorie packs of nuts. They help me snack responsibly. 🙂 Habenaro BBQ is tasty enough to dissuade me from potato chips, and hot enough to dissuade me from eating the whole can. Now, these do contain a few off plan ingredients, but we’re not talking daily snacks here. This is just for times of need.

The True Lemon products are great for flavoring waters or yogurt. The drink tubes are sweetened with stevia, and are usually found in the water flavoring aisle here. In my opinion, the drink tubes are too sweet and are better if you halve them between two water bottles.

The lemon packets are unsweetened and can be found with the bottled lemon juice or baking aisle. One lady shared a great idea that she buys plain 0% Greek yogurt cups when she’s on the go and uses the real lemon packets and her own sweetener to create a yummy lemon yogurt if she’s caught between meals and needs to eat. Smart!

Protein. Gotta have it. I’m thinking the salmon could be added to a salad or I could even add a pack of mayo and some dill relish if there are any packets around. Some types of jerky are better than others as far as ingredients. This is the Aldi’s brand of beef sticks. Like I said: I’ve eaten healthier food options, but this is an emergency, people. Don’t judge. (P.S. They should be refrigerated after opening.)

And speaking of emergencies:

and Aldi’s: I just adore these 85% chocolate bar packs. The little bars inside are one serving of dark chocolate, but I only use one square (half of a little bar) to add chocolate to my mint chip milkshakes. Chocolate: it’s what counts in a true emergency.

I just love these, especially if you’ve got kids with you when your emergency hits. The only ingredients are apples & vitamin C, and they’re a really quick way to get a decent E snack in (if you add some protein. May I offer you a beef stick?)

Oh, and HERE is a fun item:

Unlike regular dried fruit, which is too sugary to use on plan, this freeze dried fruit is low enough in carbs to work on plan as a Fuel Pull! I love this blend in oatmeal or even the berry cake I make. I snagged a pouch for my emergency kit. It is so nice & crunchy and makes a fun snack on the go. (This one is only 9 net carbs for the whole pouch.) I found a box of different flavors at Costco, but they’re also available here in my THM Amazon store or sold at Trader Joes or through Honeyville.

This next one, I have very mixed feelings about. For many reasons. I know some ladies like to use the Atkins bars and similar, so I thought I’d try the Aldi’s version.

On one hand, they’re VERY convenient and look at that gorgeous photo on the box! Caramel. Chocolate. Peanut. Nougat. Really, you don’t have to try very hard to sell me on caramel. I heart caramel.

However:

The bars are very small-maybe 3 inches? And they really are far less appealing than the packaging makes them out to be. On every level. You can see why peanut is not plural in the title, and the conservative caramel ribbon is not discernible at all when you bite into the bar. The chocolate coating is creepy and melts all over your fingers as soon as you touch it, and it tastes a bit like sawdust. If you want my honest opinion.

They qualify as a slightly off plan S style protein bar. Some of the ingredients are just less than stellar. So all the way around, I don’t see myself really using these or buying them again.

If I *know* I’m going to be out and about, I would much rather make on of the THM milkshakes for a snack instead of one of the sawdust bars.

Oh, and I’ll leave you with a REALLY fun idea for travel or emergency use: I remembered seeing the baby formula containers at the grocery store, and thought that it would be PERFECT to measure out scoops of protein powder! You may even want to go ahead and add your stevia and cocoa measurement to each section. This container stores 3 separate servings, and you simply twist the lid to the section you want to pour from, and dump into your cup.
This would be a quick fix to mix into some shelf stable almond milk, coffee, or even plain 0% Greek yogurt for an added protein boost.

So, what are your favorite on-the-go/emergency grab items on THM?

And now for LOTS more Trim & Healthy Inspiration…

A big thanks to all of the THM bloggers that make Trim Healthy Tuesday so fun! Your comments and clicks really make their day! And the linked up recipe with the top clicks will be featured here next week.

Here are my top 3 posts from last week:

(click to open them in a new window)

Game Day Treats

Coconut Cream Berry Crunch [S]

Apple Crisp For One! [E]

The post from last week with the most visits was this one.

Apple Oatmeal Cream Pies [E]

*drool*

And now for this weeks Trim Healthy Tuesday Posts!

Bloggers: please see updated posting guidelines here.

Thanks so much for joining me on Trim Healthy Tuesdays!

[inlinkz_linkup id=369029 mode=1 pageSize=60]

Bloggers, wanna link up? We want to see your posts! See the little blue “Add Your Link” box just above? CLICK IT if you want to add your Trim Healthy Mama link to this post!

Psst…the Name blank means the name of your recipe or blog post. And you’re welcome, because I’ve already screwed that up nicely myself.

NOTE: Please review the Trim Healthy Tuesday linking guidelines here and be sure to backlink to this post when linking up: http://wp.me/p4hfZb-U0