How to Survive the Airport

Spoiler Alert: The only way to survive the airport is to plan.

We recently went to visit family via plane and it was my first airport trip in a while. We decided on the much much cheaper flight and had to drive 2 hours to the airport instead of the one 15 minutes from our house. (I know! If it wasn't more than double for the trip, I would have just paid the extra.) How on earth was I going to be able to eat the way I wanted, drive AND fly during lunch time? So I did what any normal over-the-top control-freak would do. I over planned my snacks and a meal for the trip.

That is it. There is no creative crazy tip out there that you didn't know. You just have to plan. Here is what was in my carry on (actually my husband carried my pink Lily since Allegiant Air has a one purse/personal item rule. Boooo).

Snacks:
* Paleo Simplified- Nutty Fruit Bliss
* Handful of Macadamia Nuts in a snack ziptop bag.
* 2 apples
* A packet of Justin's Almond Butter
* 12 oz. of Against All Grain's Paleo Vanilla Granola 
* A few different Tea Bags
* Bare Fruit Apple Chips

Lunch for 2:
* Half Red/half Yellow peppers, in strips
* One very large cucumber, peeled, cut in slices and in two snack bags
* Handful of olives
* Two Bubbies Pure Kosher Dills
* Deli Tuna Salad (my most used Well Fed 2 recipe, packed in two snack bags

As we were driving to the airport (2 hours away instead of the one right next to us)  I told Mr. FFF the plan. "I have packed that delicious tuna salad that we like and we are going to eat it on the plane for lunch so that we can have a yummy healthy meal and not pay for expensive fried food." I thought that I was speaking his language (read: cheap) and it was a foolproof plan.  He told me that "under no circumstances was he eating tuna on a plane", that I was "worse than a terrorist" and "subjecting my fellow passengers to the smell of tuna (no matter how yummy) in that small of a confined place was inconsiderate and rude". 

Good thing we arrived to the airport and through security with more than enough time to eat our lunch. TSA did take another look at my bag after it went through the machine- I guess tuna in snack bags looked odd on their monitor. Also the agent that handed me my bag back did look at me a little funny when I over-explained that I wanted a healthy option for lunch instead of airport food. Not sure if he was weirded out by the tuna or healthy food....

Once we were in the waiting area, we bought two waters and sat in the cafe section. I got two cups, forks and napkins. Lunch is served. *How easy was that? After lunch we were so full so we saved the remianing snacks for the stay at our family and the trip back. And that my friends is my airport adventure! 

Fortunately for others but unfortunately for me, I did have to buy breath mints since I didn't plan for tuna breath after lunch. So maybe Mr. FFF was right about the smell after all... Let's not tell him. 

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* Don't you just love Ina Garten?