Meal replacement bars

[JoeJustice]

When traveling I have a hard time eating right, particularly for lunch because it's almost always a rush which mean Fast Food. Dinner's not so bad because I can usually get a steak and salad. Well, I got a few business trips coming up soon and I was thinking maybe some kind of meal replacement bar or something like that with a fresh piece of fruit would make for a good lunch.

Anyone know of any good meal replacement bars or better yet maybe some kind of recipe whereby I could make my own? It'd need to be something that would "keep" in a briefcase, I won't have a refrigerator. I think something lower in carbs would be best too. I've seen recipes for kind of no-bake bars but they're usually sugar and oatmeal, aimed for spots activities.

Or any other lunch replacement type suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
-Joe

[gs300tx]

I have heard good things about Met-Rx bars.....but they are a bit pricey.

[ben alexander]

When I used to travel a lot, I'd make a thick vegatable soup, with carrots, potatoes, onions, and lentils for the protein. I'd put it in a thermos, and it'd stay warm throughout the day. Found it more palatable than meal replacement bars, which are often full of simple sugars. However, your mileage may vary.

I agree with gs300tx, though - Met-Rx are pretty good, despite the price. my bodybuilder friend swears by them.

Ben

[mts]

I have a Clff Builder's bar every afternoon as a snack. They're 30-40% organic, packed with protein and taste pretty good. I buy them in bulk at a wholesale club.

[gruntbrain]

Nuts "travel" well; almonds & walnuts are probably the best health choices. I less sure about sunflower seeds. In any case, go RAW or at least unsalted

[GJR]

Joe,
JP and I like these bars by Supreme Protein. They are carb conscious, 0 trans fats, 30g Protein. The type we like is the Peanut Butter Crunch, Quadruple Layer. Go to http://www.supremeprotein.com/peanut-butter-protein-bar.html

Hope this helps,
Gregory

[budgiefan]

Joe:

I went through a phase when I was consuming LOTs of these things. I reached saturation point and we are no longer on speaking terms.

That being said, the only kind I would even consider eating now is Zone Perfect. They have a ton of really good flavors (the chocolate mint is very nice) and are pretty easy to find (CVS and Walgreens usually have them. At least in Chicago).

Have you considered Gods gift of peanut butter? A smallish jar should travel well, and a loaf of really good whole grain bread shouldn't be to hard to pack. Couple of PB sands and a big glass of milk and you're ready to take on the world! Maybe even splurge on some gourmet PB.

Jeff

P.S. They also have tuna in foil pouches now that don't require draining. You could take a shot at those. They even have flavors like hickory smoked and lemon pepper.

[gruntbrain]

I may try PB on sardines - yum or yuk? In any case, are small can of sardines that is "disguished" in some way is a decent healthy choice

[keyway]

Jay Robb makes a great all natural low carb bar with no artificial sweetners - I like the fudge brownie flavor. Also Organic Food Bars come in several flavors and they are also very high quality.

[gruntbrain]

Needless to say, there's mucho hype-ing of these bars including they're NATURAL. In theory, bio-engineered food may be better than the food provided by Mother Nature but that 's quite a leap of faith

[budgiefan]

Sorry guys, I put the wrong message here.

[JoeJustice]

Thanks guys for all of the replies! Very helpful.

I do eat a fair amount of peanut butter, usually with an apple - Golden Delicious is the best. The idea of a bar was just so I would have something I could eat without any prep or utensils. Soup would be good, but I don't know how I would fix it in a hotel room. The tuna idea is a really good one too! I'd need a fork, but that I could probably swing.

I think I'll try the Supreme Protein, tuna and good-old-fashion peanut butter to get some variety.

Appreciatively,
-Joe

[Tink131]

Hey Joe,
I really like Snickers Marathon Bars- the chocolate nut burst have 28 gram for protein, no sugar alcohols (33 g carbs) but 10 grams of fiber and they are really good tasting too and reasonably priced at your local Super Walmart- like about a buck a bar. The only thing I don't like about them is that they contain soy, but they also contains lots of vitamins too! I've tried a few and these are my favorite.


oops.....here's a link if you want to check 'em out:
http://www.snickersmarathon.com/products/protein.asp?bar=3

[tom]

If it fits your life style and current psyche, try what I'm enjoying right now. It requires no prep and no packing. It's intermittent fasting. Read up on it, realize there are many variations, degrees, and graduations into it. There is Fast-5, fast-8, Warrior, (Free does a mild form of intermittent fasting (IF)), etc., and some good, reasonable blogs.

It has helped me get from 215 to 183 and to maintain it happily. You can lose weight, gain muscle, whatever you like with the proper tweaking. There appears to be evidence that it may clear up some chronic allergies, inflammations, etc..

My personal tweak is somewhere around a Fast-5 and NOS.

You don't need a meal replacement if you have no meal. I guarantee you that your evening steak and salad will be the best you've ever had, and you will be easily filled.

If this does not fit your life style or current psyche, disregard the above. There appear to be an abundance of bars to choose from and there are certainly many ways to skin an apple.

Good luck,
Tom

[Nathan]

Hey Tink,

That is very interesting. I never knew Snickers made anything like that.

[Tink131]

Hey Nate,
Yeah, you can find them with all the other weight lifting sups- but there are 2 kinds, I like the chocolate nut burst the best. And I made a mistake- there's only 22 grams of protein in them, but that's still pretty good I think- and lots of vitamins, high in fiber and a great price too!

[tom]

I do eat a fair amount of peanut butter, usually with an apple - Golden Delicious is the best.

That could be close to four, five hundred calories right there. Careful.

Tom

[JoeJustice]

That could be close to four, five hundred calories right there. Careful.

Tom

It's just under 300 by weight.

-Joe

[gruntbrain]

I have no clue about the health benefits of powdered extracts of berries & vegies but they may serve a roadie well, Place the powders in Zip-loc baggies & mix in water for your healthy(?) cocktail

[tom]

Golden Delicious live up to their name, but I have a hard time finding them consistently with the right consistency. Fuji are my all-time favorite. They're like candy.

Tom

[Andy62]

The PowerBar, protein plus, contains 290 calories and 46% protein[ based on 2000 calorie diet]

[gruntbrain]

With the current local firestorms, I reminded that such bars can be useful additions to emergency kits.

[tom]

Chopping brush, limbing trees, and pulling weeds may also alleviate the need of candy I mean power bars in an emergency. It's good exercise, too, and will benefit your neighbor. A win win situation.

Tom

[gruntbrain]

Tom
Since you also live in Taxifornia, keep some "candy" around to get through the predicted "big shake"