20 Healthy Road-Trip Snacks
I wouldn't have thought twice about food and snacks had it just been me and my husband. It would have been fish, rice, noodles, and eggs for seven days and that would have been fine. However, we had an almost three-year-old along for the ride, who has somewhat of a picky palate.
Recently, our family did some traveling across our island that did not include travel by airplane (surprisingly). Instead, it included a nine-hour car ride up and down mountain sides on curvy, pot hole roads, as well as several boat rides—including, but not limited to, small motor boats, fishing boats, and a makeshift pieced together boat that went no faster than five miles per hour. Needless to say, we embraced the culture and traveled like the locals.
I wouldn't have thought twice about food and snacks had it just been me and my husband. It would have been fish, rice, noodles, and eggs for seven days and that would have been fine. However, we had an almost three-year-old along for the ride, who has somewhat of a picky palate.
We've taken him on a similar road trip before and I really dropped the ball on encouraging healthy eating habits. I guess I was just excited to snack on chips and sip on soda like I've always done on road trips in the States. I mean, what harm could be done if I let my son eat a little more sugary snacks for a few days? Let's just say, he got a little constipated for about five days and refused to eat or drink anything except carbonated beverages and chips. Oh, and he threw up an Oreo on the curvy car ride up and over a mountain on our way back home. Sigh...
This time, I decided to prep snacks for not only the road trip, but also the eight days we were going to be gone from the house. It was my goal to keep him on a more balanced diet with absolutely no soda, and much less sugary snacks. Local food tends to be spicy but I'm usually able to at least get him some fried chicken and plain white rice. Fruit is also easy to come by at local markets. Other than that, the options are slim.
I'm happy to report the snacks I packed worked great and lasted us throughout the whole trip. I thought I'd share some of the perishable and non-perishable items I packed that helped keep our tummies full, energies high, and digestive systems on track.
Some of the non-perishable snack items included:
Cereal necklaces. Hang it around their neck and let them snack away.
Marie biscuits (cookies). These are similar to graham crackers and make for a nice topping to individual applesauce cups for a makeshift "apple pie" of sorts.
Raisins
Peanut butter. Don't forget to bring a utensil for spreading the PB!
Oatmeal cookies
Fiber bars/Granola bars
Saltine crackers
Plain popcorn. I popped our own popcorn and added a little salt for taste.
Nuts
Trail mix
Apples (perishable, but not within a week).
We mostly drank water on the trip but we packed a few other drinks to add some flavor:
Vitamin water
Capri Suns (or Capri-Sonne...the overseas off brand?)
Individual UHT milks. Our little man loves milk but we were without a refrigerator for this trip. UHT milk is sold on the shelf and doesn't require refrigeration (until opened) so I packed several single-serving sized cartons. If you're not accustomed to drinking UHT milk and possibly a little skeptical, you can read this helpful article for a breakdown of the facts and nutritional value.
*none of the above mentioned drinks require to be cold before drinking, which is great if you're without the option of ice.
A few of the perishable snacks I packed for the initial car trip:
Cheese and crackers. These Cheez Dippers were a rare treat I found in the grocery store. The price was a little high but it made for a great, portable snack.
Sliced up fruit (strawberries, kiwi, grapes)
Veggies and hummus -- I make my own with this recipe.
Bread (for some quick PB sandwiches)
And a handy-dandy trick for soothing motion-sickness (whether it be in the car or on a boat):
Peppermint
Ginger candy. I got the mild version because ginger can have a pretty powerful taste.
These snacks worked great for us and really helped to balance our diet as we traveled. It's always a great idea to continue eating healthy while traveling so that you don't become sluggish or even sick because of not-so-great-for-you food
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What else would you add to the list? Share your travel snack ideas!