ChowBaby

hello from muggy louisiana. we finally made it here after a seriously botched travel day. we were booked on a 7:15 am flight from new york to new orleans but after waking up at 5 am, we were still running late. we reached the gate at 7:14 am to find that the plane was gone. not closed. not locked. GONE. as in no where near the gate. in the sky. really gone.

to avoid paying $300 to guarantee seats on the next flight out--which left at 2:30 pm!--we had to hang around the airport until 10 am to get (free) seat assignments. and by that time, going home wouldn't make much sense. so, we were stuck. for 7 hours. with a nap-aversive 2-year-old.

while it was not an ideal way to spend the day, i must say that isaac (and baby daddy, for that matter), held up remarkably well. it wasn't nearly as bad as i had anticipated. being in the new jfk/jet blue terminal definitely helped. it's pretty nice. it's new (ie, fairly clean) and there is a play area. but what about the food? i was dreading our options, but also knew that food was the key to a successful camp out. i prepared to break under the pressure of making the day go smoothly. thankfully, i didn't have to.

not sure how helpful this list will be seeing that our options were superior to those available at most airport terminals, but here's what we fed isaac while stranded and in flight:

• i had packed a hard boiled egg, but noticed that there were some for sale. i thought this was a good protein-packed foundation for what would inevitably be a day of snacking.
• we were excited to find a jamba juice--and, while not always as nice as jamba, i think there are usually places where you can get a smoothie. we got a fruit-and-juice-only smoothie that had pomegranate juice, strawberries, bananas and mango. no frozen yogurt, no supplement powders, no added sugar. the small size was plenty for me and isaac to share (about 1/3 for him, 2/3 for me)
• a lot of nyc airport terminals have lunchboxes made by nyc-based kid fresh. we got one with a small packet of organic cheese crackers, turkey & cheddar on whole wheat bread, and organic raisins.
• we picked up some stacy's pita chips to give isaac on the plane when me and baby daddy would indulge in potato chips. they're pretty salty, but more wholesome than your average chip. and with the same impact. i looked for some hummus to go with the chips, but couldn't find any. i was sure to call the package all done once 2/3 through--it's just too much to give him the whole thing.
• there were a bunch of celery and carrot packets with dip--i could have gotten them and ditched the dip, but found cherry tomatoes instead. it felt like they'd be easier for him to eat without requiring us to watch over him. carrots make me nervous. and i've recently learned that non-organic celery is among the 12 foods on which pesticides are most commonly found (according to the environmental working group).
• i found a small package of peeled (brand) dried fruits and nuts. i like how these come with the dried fruit and nuts in separate packets. i was able to pull out some of the dried fruit (isaac had had plenty of fruit between the smoothie, and pineapple fruit leather, apple sauce, and grapes that i brought--i was nervous for his belly!).
• i had also brought a bag of my own crackers (thinking organic ones would be hard to come by at the airport and, besides the crackers in the kid fresh kit, i was right), cucumber spears (which hold up well), and veggie booty.

besides the one mini chocolate chip cookie that baby daddy gave up when he was caught eating them, isaac didn't get nearly as much trash food as i thought he might. i felt really proud that we were able to pull it off. though, of course, if we hadn't, one day would not have killed him. it's just nice to not have to go there since we shouldn't be forced to. i hope that jet blue's approach to on-the-go food is a sign of how younger companies to come will think about the options they make available.

-S