Before leaving North Carolina, I spent the previous 12 hours driving all over town, taking care of all the last-minute business every good procrastinator is known for. I made a few pit stops at the house, but all meals were on the run, and that was frustrating: The weekend hadn’t even begun and already I was eating road food.
This time, though, I’m determined to keep meals as healthy as possible, and put together this list before leaving for Orlando. You won’t see many milk-based options, stuff with certain fruits and/or meats, because this list is for things I like and can tolerate. Still, there’s plenty to choose from:
Breakfast: protein bars; bran muffin; yogurt; fruit and yogurt parfait; hot breakfast sandwich; small breakfast burrito; dry cereal; fresh fruits and juices.
Lunch or dinner: choose sandwich shops like Subway or Quiznos and choose whole grain breads, lean meats and lots of vegetables; salads; grilled chicken, alone or in a sandwich; cup of fresh fruit.
Snacks: Fig Newtons; nuts; seeds; fresh fruits; hard-boiled eggs; yogurt; dry cereal; Triscuits; baked chips; pretzels; health bars.
As it turns out, we didn’t snack at all during the nine-hour drive. We left around 4 a.m. today, and Bobby got some breakfast since he was driving. Skyler spent the night at a teammate’s house, since the whole squad was flying down together. Trey and I had stayed up, so we planned to just sleep.
We’d rented a minivan, and I created somewhat of a nest on the back bench. I wasn’t very uncomfortable, but if there were less of me, there’d be more coziness.
We stopped around 8 a.m. to gas up and get some breakfast, then drove on through to Orlando. While waiting to check into the townhouse-style condo, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. One great thing about being in Florida is the abundance of fish and seafood options. I had a great meal featuring haddock, which was light yet filling.
My mother, brother and sister-in-law are arriving this evening, and none of them are much interested in eating light. That’s fine; we’re located off a major state road with every conceivable restaurant, as well as a few massive grocery stores.
The townhouse has a “splash” pool – which I’d never heard of before – and it’s inviting, as is the exercise room and pools at the nearby clubhouse.
All in all, this could be my healthiest trip yet. I’m also looking forward to getting a lot of exercise tomorrow, walking around Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, which is where the Cheerleading Worlds are held. Yes, there I’ll be amid thousands of cheerleaders and yes, 90 percent are quite physically fit.
It’s hard to want to order stuff like pizza and ice cream when the super-fit have you surrounded.
Hopefully, I’ll drop another pound or two. If so, I’ll tell you about it Monday.
A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking. ~ Earl Wilson
Leslie J. Ansley is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who blogs daily for TheRoot. She lives in Raleigh, NC.