Stay on Plan on the Go Pack

Whether you’ve been doing the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle or any diet including keto, you’ve probably run into this problem. You go out to eat with some friends and wind up eating some not-so-on-plan ingredients like ranch dressing or ketchup with too much sugar. Or maybe you would like some cold iced tea, but unsweetened is too bitter and good ol’ Southern sweet tea is MAJOR off plan so you end up having plain water because you gotta drink something. Well, little things like this can be remedied thanks to a Stay on Plan on the Go Pack!

Today’s article is all about giving you some ideas on what to carry in your Stay on Plan on the Go Pack. Basically, the idea is to pack small items–accessories kind of–that can be added or used with main meals and such when you have to eat out. Like little on-plan details to use in place of a restaurant’s off-plan bits.

First, you must acquire a small or smallish pouch (or a zip bag might do) that is convenient to carry around in your purse, diaper bag, backpack, or just to grab by itself. The pouch that I have for this I found in the back to school supplies at Walmart. It’s technically a pencil pouch I thing, but I LOVE it because it’s in my favorite color (aqua, teal, turquoise) and it says “You Got This” which is like the perfect statement on such a pouch.

What’s in my Pouch

In my pouch, I carry:

• Homemade Flavored Coffee Creamer. I use an old cleaned out spice bottle to store this.
• Mineral salt. I like the San Francisco brand off Amazon. I just put a bit in an old spice container that I washed out.
• Sweetener. At the moment, I have just a bottle of Great Value brand liquid stevia in my pouch because I ran out of Gentle Sweet packets. But, next time I make a Trim Healthy Mama order, I’ll get more and put a few of them in it too. I’ll probably still keep the liquid as well because it’s handy for adding to cold things like unsweetened tea.
• Oolong tea. I’ve never been to a restaurant that serves oolong tea, so I keep a couple teabags with me in case I want some.
• Peanut butter. I found some sugar-free Justin’s brand peanut butter online so I keep those handy as well. They’re good as a boost of protein or to enjoy instead of dessert.
• Ranch dressing. Sugar free ranch dressing is something I keep in the fridge at home, but grab and pop in Stay on Plan on the Go Pack just before I know I’m heading to a restaurant. If I know I’ll be eating out later in the day, I’ll put it in an insulated PackIt freezable lunch bag. I keep it in a little dressing bottle like this (I actually found mine at Dollar Tree).
• Ketchup. In another dressing bottle, I keep some sugar free ketchup. Same as with the ranch, I store it in the fridge till just before I know I might need it.
• Essential oil. I keep a little bottle of Young Living Grapefruit Vitality essential oil in there too. This is handy for flavoring water.

Pack Ideas

I’ll repeat what I carry in my pack, but also give you some more ideas of items to carry in yours. Some items need to be refrigerated until just before you head out the door and, depending on how hot it is and how long you’ll be out, may also need to be in a cooler with an ice pack.

• Homemade Flavored (or Not) Powdered Coffee Creamer in a washed out spice container
• Trim Healthy Bars
• mineral salt in a washed out spice container
• sweetener such as Gentle Sweet packets or liquid stevia
• oolong tea or any other other kind of tea bags
• peanut butter packets
• low or no sugar ranch dressing in a mini dressing bottle
• low or no sugar ketchup in a mini dressing bottle
• Vitality essential oils such as grapefruit, Slique, orange, lemon, lime
• on-plan creamer in a mini dressing bottle
• any spices or herbs you’d like to flavor your food with
• mini Tabasco bottles or Tabasco packets
• Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce packets
• xylitol-sweetened gum to curb overeating
• flavorings like cherry or maple
• collagen packets
• ghee packets
• olive oil packets
• balsamic vinegar packets
• coconut oil packets
• MCT oil packets
• tamari packets
• matcha packets
• True Lemon packets or any other on plan ones (see a list here)
• Stur water enhancer bottle
• cinnamon packets
• lemon juice packets
• Parmesan packets
• sugar free mayo packets