business trip

Note:  this post was edited over the next few days as I figured things out.

I started an 8 day trip today, the first part business, then seeing my family at the end of the week.  This post addresses the business portion of my trip:   I decided this time I'm not going to eat restaurant food!   However, much of our socializing takes place at restaurants so I will go to them, I just won't eat their food!  (Any suggestions on what I should tell the server?)  I brought a couple of bowls and utensils and nuts and seeds (daily portions of the nuts doled out), and some flavored vinegar, so really not much.  And enough food to get me to my destination today.  Then I got a refrigerator in my hotel room (had to ask 3 times and the last time I said I had food allergies, which is sort of true--my body doesn't like unhealthy food).  There was a farmer's market a few blocks from my hotel today, and a grocery store just a bit further.  So I went to both and got all stocked up.   Call me crazy, but I love fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds and beans.  Why bother with the unhealthy stuff?  I saw a lot of unhealthy people today eating a lot of unhealthy food.   Maybe I am crazy but I'm a lot happier doing this than suffering through trying to find a restaurant that will serve me a healthy and well-balanced meal (a $15 salad with nothing on it but some lettuce is healthy but not filling or well-balanced).  

Anyway, here's my plan for my meals.    

Breakfast:  sliced banana, berries, chopped walnut over salad greens.   Right now I have strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.  yum!

Lunch:  beans & fruit over salad greens.  I finally perfected this on day 3.  Put the salad greens in a bowl.  Add a can of beans (rinse first and drain).  top with apple and banana slices (I used an entire apple and banana--this is my big meal of the day!).  Add cinnamon and curry powder and some Dr. Fuhrman's D'Angou Pear vinegar and stir it around.  I did this on day 3 with black beans and it was yummy!  Day one just had an apple and pinto beans.  Day 2 had an apple, chickpeas and the spices.  Day 3 added the banana and vinegar and that was really good.   

Dinner:   salad with apple and orange and D'Angou Pear vinegar mixed with ground sunflower seeds.  Only I don't have any arugula, just lettuce right now.  

Also brazil nuts and a carrot.  I usually ate the brazil nuts at breakfast, and the carrot at dinner.

Supplies I brought: 

- small mortar & pestle for smashing the sunflower seeds.  (this didn't work so well--will just soak the sunflower seeds in the vinegar next time).

- Can opener for the beans.  

- plastic bowl and lid for the salads.  Unfortunately it leaks a bit---will get a better one.

- small plastic bowl for mixing the vinegar & sunflower seeds

- daily portion of nuts, 0.75 oz walnuts, 0.75 oz brazil nuts, 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds.  (not as many nuts and seeds as usual because I doubt I will be as active though I will try to exercise every day---actually I did pretty well with jogging on the beach and yoga).

- Forgot my DHA supplement!  (but it turns out my roommate has some!)

- Remembered my daily Gentle Care and Osteosun

- fork, spoon, sharp knife (I checked my luggage)

- smallish (low volume anyway) plastic cutting board

- Forgot carrots!   and it turns out the Wisconsin carrots are way better than California

- Forgot a peeler for the apples--since I can't always get organic on travel  (bought one at the store)

- Forgot curry powder & cinnamon (bought some at the store)

How did I cart all this?  Well, once I decided to check my luggage, I used a bigger suitcase and had plenty of room.  One of my carry-ons was a bag of fruit from my fridge that would go bad if it stayed home:  bananas, a few apples and oranges.   A bunch of carrots would have easily fit in there!   Also I was able to purchase everything I forgot except the DHA.