Critique and Suggestions for my @work food. page

[slk11]

Hello everyone, first post, but have been lurking for a little bit now here on the forum. I have been eating pretty primal sunday-friday, with the occasional cheat meal on the weekend. My biggest issue to this transition has been my food for work, and I am looking for some suggestions.

My first limitation is SPACE. I work in the middle of nowhere, and ride an ATV from 11pm-9am. I have 2 small saddlebags on my scoot, one is dedicated to 2 nalgene bottles for water, and the other usually fits my food and some extra hats/gloves. I'm working on a small camelback that I can attach practically to my ATV for more space, so I might be able to bring some other things in the future.

My lack of variety in the food I bring doesn't bother me, I enjoy what I have been eating. But I'm definitely open to some suggestions. Lately, I bring:

2 hard boiled eggs
2 sandwich bags full of mixed raw veggies (tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, mixed bell peppers, sugar snap peas, cucumber)
1 apple
1 sandwich bag with a handful of raw almonds and a handful of raw hazelnuts.
1 small tupperware with mixed fruit (blueberries, strawberries, grapes, sometimes kiwi/mango)
1 larabar.

That is pretty much the MOST I can comfortably fit in my bag. It seems to work well splitting the food up near the start and end of shift to make 2 smaller meals. If I get a practical way to carry more, leftovers would be awesome to be able to bring, but as of now I just don't have the space.

How does that look for work meals? Any suggestions to change up or improve on what I currently bring? Any feedback is appreciated, and thanks!

[achilles.kealoha]

I'd suggest more eggs. You will def need more fat and protein, so try increasing the amount of eggs and maybe sub in some good jerky, while removing some of the fruits. I'd say you wouldn't need more than the apple, but that's just me.

I don't know what a larabar is, so I can't really comment on that.

Maybe you can make some of those coconut ball things that are in the free PB cookbook.

[Glamorama]

At first glance it strikes me that it isn't by far enough protein in your work-food. I would cut the grapes (or make them very occasional) and I would also throw some macadamias into the mix. Could you somehow replace some of the bigger fruit-items with a steak/ chicken fillet prepared the day before?

[Hedonist]

I'm assuming you don't do dairy. Personally, I would add some extra sharp cheese.

[slk11]

Thanks for the suggestions so far! I actually found a small camelback that should attach to my handelbars and not interfere with riding. I'll probably remove the bladder, and just use it for storage for food.

As far as fat and protein. What other suggestions do you have for fats? Would adding avocado be a good idea? My coworker has a tree, and I live in San Diego, they are pretty easy to come by here. (if so, how much avocado?). Since I should have more room, I plan on cooking up chicken breasts for the week and bringing one a night. (if I cook them sunday, will they be good through thursday night?)

For dairy. Usually 2 times a week I'll have a greek yogurt with fruit for desert after dinner. Other than that, I don't mind dairy, so I may give the cheese a try.

Larabar is sort of a treat. Only 3 ingredients (dates, raw almonds, dried cherries), does good for my sweet tooth.

[Glamorama]

I'd leave the Larabar for weekends only (dates are high in sugar).. Big fan of avocados, I personally eat half an avocado daily.
I bake all my chicken-fillets on Saturday, and keep them in the fridge to use till Fri. This has worked fine until yesterday, where I suffered food poisoning thanks to not reheating the fillet before eating it. So I think you should bake the chicken, and then freeze half of it for later in the week. There is always cans of tuna if you feel like something different. I also use anchovies on my salads with chicken and a runny egg. Sort of a PB Ceasar-salad.

[ProtoAlex]

I normally just bring something complicated that takes microwaving. Stews, braised meats, anything that will go in one single tupperware container and allow for a decent nuke result. Alternatively if you're finding it difficult to get some good grub you could always cut down to two meals a day and just do breakfast/dinner. I did that for a while but I'm not much of a breakfast person so I swapped back to only lunch/dinner but it might work for you.

[landerson22]

dark chocolate, almond butter, macadamia nuts, jerky, chicken breast lettuce salad. those are what i bring to my 5 hour college class

[slk11]

Unfortunately, I have no microwave access. What I take with me in the field is literally all I have available. As for only 2 meals, I tried that, but did not like how I felt. I usually sleep immediately after work, and absolutely hate eating right before sleeping. Dinner in the evening, and small meals throughout work seem to be best, and least interference with my workout schedule as well.

This weekends shopping will be a little different, less fruit, more meat, and some macadamias! Also ordered the primal Blueprint 3 book set, so I'm excited for those to arrive.

Thanks for all the tips so far, glad I found this site. I never knew about it until my crossfit gym started referring to it! Not to mention my lack of technological skills with computers and the Internet.

[Hedonist]

I'd leave the Larabar for weekends only (dates are high in sugar).. Big fan of avocados, I personally eat half an avocado daily.
I bake all my chicken-fillets on Saturday, and keep them in the fridge to use till Fri. This has worked fine until yesterday, where I suffered food poisoning thanks to not reheating the fillet before eating it. So I think you should bake the chicken, and then freeze half of it for later in the week. There is always cans of tuna if you feel like something different. I also use anchovies on my salads with chicken and a runny egg. Sort of a PB Ceasar-salad.

+1
You might try taking a frozen chicken breast. It might be just right when you are ready to eat it.
I lived in San Diego for a year, with an avocado tree in my yard. Heavenly. I can't imagine that you could eat too many avocados. I'd like to try that experiment though.