Out-of-Town Meal Plan

This week I ditched Des Moines for a fun-filled, crazy week conference in Chicago.  As you can imagine, leaving town for four days makes for interesting meal planning, especially for someone who is über anal about what she eats, someone who is a crazy cook for nearly every meal, and someone who has not yet strayed from her plan.

But, I did it...kind of.

First, I went grocery shopping as usual on Sunday.  I made sure that I was stocked up on essentials: sunflower butter, apples, string cheese, bottled water (I am so picky with other cities' water), baby carrots, Luna bars, and protein drinks.  On Monday night, I packed a cooler to the brim and stuck it in the fridge until I was ready to grab it Tuesday before we left.  With all of this food packed and with me in the hotel room, snacking will be much easier.

Protein drinks, apples, string cheese, sunflower butter + (somewhere) baby carrots, wheat thins, and wasabi peas 

Luna bars, a bowl for the sunflower butter, a sharp knife to cut the apples,  and a spoon

Second, I looked up where the nearest Starbucks was in relation to the hotel.  I then scoped out the breakfast menu and figured out what the best choices were nutrition-wise.  I figured out far in advance that I would be eating steel-cut oats with the fruit/nut/seed medley or the bacon and gouda artisan sandwich every morning.

The one thing I couldn't do, however, was plan out lunches and dinners.  Unfortunately, I do not know yet where we will be dining.  When I do know, though, I will look at the menu in advanced and plan out what I will order and how much I will eat.  I know that this week's meal plan is not going to be as strict or as accurate as it has the past five weeks, but I will try my hardest not to stray too far from Farrell's recommendations.

After all, I'm pretty darn pleased with the progress I've seen thus far.  I definitely do not want to mess it up now.

But there may be an extra glass of wine or two this week.  After all, I am on vacation.  :)

How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle on vacation?