What protein snacks do you keep in the car/on the go?

It's SUPER easy to make your own jerky! You can pick up a good dehydrator for about $40 and it will pay for itself very quickly if you eat much jerky at all.

The stuff I make has next to no sugar and is very low in salt compared to the commercial stuff. I marinate the meat in two kinds of hot sauce and some seasoning mix and it comes out great.

Would you share your recipe? Thanks!

Happy to share!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/members/sparklekitty/blog/2016/09 /19/julies-foolproof-jerky/

Your profile is not viewable - so the link does not work. Can you post it here?

Oops, forgot that I had my profile hidden for a while, sorry about that!

You'll need:

• London broil
• Small bottle habanero sauce (I use Yucatan Sunshine)
• Large bottle cayenne sauce (I use Louisiana sauce)
• Half bottle pre-mixed Montreal Steak seasoning, regular or spicy
• Dehydrator

To make:

1. Trim the fat from the london broil and slice it into thin strips, about 1/4" wide (or the width of your knife blade), at a 45-degree angle.
2. Put the meat in a plastic zipper bag, and set the bag into a mixing bowl.
3. Add sauce and seasoning to the bag. Zip it up, pushing out as much air as you can, and shake until everything is mixed well and coated.
4. Let the bag marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Lay the strips of meat in an electric dehydrator so that nothing overlaps. Run on "high" for 8 - 10 hours, depending on how crispy you like your jerky.

One 2oz serving contains roughly 75 cal, 12g protein, 0 carbs.

To the OP --

Since you just had surgery, I would encourage you to avoid using protein bars for at least a few months. Now is a good time to get in the habit of using real and whole foods rather than super processed ones.

In my first six months, I traveled for 4 weeks total across country from Ohio to Oregon and back (and have every year since) -- and was able to do so without using protein bars/processed foods. I also work 70 to 85+ hours a week, in two major cities -- requiring long hours and commutes -- and still am able to pack foods. I completely agree about having food packed and available at all times -- I just think that in the honeymoon period, avoiding too many processed foods is a better use of your tool.

Packing string cheese, chopped meat, portioned nuts, jerky, tuna pouches, portioned nut butters and RTD protein shakes are your best bet.

I am certainly not anti Quest bars -- in fact, I love them. However, they really are better when you are further out, more established in your routine, and close to or at goal. I don't eat them very often anymore since I have BED and they do tend to trigger me -- and more, since they've changed to the corn fiber, I have had some RH episodes from them. However, I used to eat them quite frequently for a while. I did look forward to them as a "treat" and used them as a meal replacement. I was more than 12 months out.

BTW, my favorite flavors of Quest bars were chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream, s'mores, and chocolate mint. I don't mind the brownie, apple pie or cinnamon roll. I often buy ones I don't like, so that I will be less tempted to eat one.

Thank you - I just want to keep something in the cars and my purse as sometimes I think I will be home in 2 hours and it actually is 4. I do agree about eating clean, prepping etc. It is only for emergencies. Pre-portioned will be crucial for me, it has been great now and I need to stick to it.

I try to keep a variety of things on hand. In every purse/briefcase/bag there is at least 1 protein bar, 1 small bag of almonds, and a case of water in my car. If push comes to shove, I always keep some Premier pre-mixed shakes around - I stop at Starbucks, get three shots of espresso over ice in a Venti cup and add my caramel Premier shake - 30 grams of protein and caffeine. That will hold me until a meal four or so hours later.

I haven't seen this point brought up yet in regards to protein bars:

There's a HUGE variety of bars on the market, some of which are pretty OK nutritionally, and others that are absolute crap, even though they say "protein" on the label. You'll want to find bars that are at least 10g protein per 100 calories.

Quest bars definitely fit this requirement, which is why they're so popular. The Think Thin bars do as well, but they're a little more cookie-like than other brands which is why they can be a trigger food for some folks.

There are plenty that look like they might be acceptable, and actually are not. These include Power Crunch (200 cal, 14g protein), Clif bars (250 cal, 10g protein), Luna bars (190 cal, 8g protein), Kind bars (210 cal, 7g protein), and so on.

Make sure to read the labels!

Yep, those labels are important (though ideally, we should be eating things that don't have labels!) as is understanding one's needs relative to the products. Just because something doesn't have the protein that we are looking for doesn't make them bad - just not for our use at this time. My nephew, who is a skinny-a$$ed swimmer guy studying to be an RD, likes some the CLIF bars for pre-workout use; they're not high protein, but have a nutritional profile made for that use. I did something similar during my loss phase with real food, but the need there was similar - modest protein but higher complex carbohydrate.

Likewise, beware of triggers - which can take almost any form. Some people will be triggered by Quest bars or other brands, while most will not. Nuts will do it to me more readily than bread or other classic "carbs". YMMV