I am hardly an expert traveler, but I do feel like I've become savvy with choosing what to eat and drink at the airport.
Side note- remember how decades ago you used to get a full meal on every flight? I remember my mom ordering me and my brothers kids' meals when we flew American Airlines to Chicago...a 60 min flight, ha!
Now I live for my Delta Biscoff cookies, but that's not enough for most flights.
My go-to snacks for bringing your own include Think Thin® protein bars, KIND® bars, and homemade trail mix (go for mostly nuts rather than dried fruit). The key is no refrigeration needed!
Of course on our return flight home, we had to rely on the airport offerings. Fortunately I was impressed by the selection of snacks and meal options at LaGuardia.
The wall of the good/the bad/the in-between. See those seaweed "chips" on the bottom?
Pretty decent nutrition stats- good mix of fats/protein/fiber, plus scarfing the whole bag is 220 calories- less than potato chips in the same size bag.
Jerky gets a bad reputation because of the sodium, but really it's a great packable source of protein.
I love the idea of a fresh salad bar...but we knew we would be eating aboard the plane and I am much too sloppy of an eater to be attempting a salad mid-air. Truth hurts.
Normally I recommend steering clear of fruit bars but this one is legit. If it was just the mango and apple I'd still say "pass"- carbohydrates without fiber do not leave you feeling full or satisfied for very long! However KIND did a smart move by adding the chia seeds. Chia seeds add fiber, a bit of protein, and heart healthy fats. This is a bar that would stick with you!
So there's how I pieced together a meal out of some simple snacks. All together it was a little shy of 400 calories and gave me a well rounded mix of high fiber carbs, proteins, and fats. And don't forget- I had my two cookies too!