Are you going on a road trip this summer? When packing your bags and planning what your kids will do during the long ride, don’t forget to pack some healthy road trip snacks! With all of the convenience stores at gas stations and fast food-laden rest stops, finding healthy snacks while on the road can make staying on track with healthy eating a challenge. But, with a little preparation and a small cooler, you can have some nutritious on-the-go snacks right at your finger tips! Here are some of our favorite healthy road trip snacks for the whole family:
Hummus and/or Guacamole
Single serve healthy snack-sized cups of hummus and guacamole don’t take up too much space in the cooler and can be paired with raw veggies like sliced peppers, celery, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, etc. (buy pre-cut at the supermarket to save time) or nutrient-dense crackers like Mary’s Gone crackers, Crunchmaster crackers, Ak Mak crackers, etc. You can make things even simpler by stocking your cooler with Wild Garden Hummus & Cracker snack packs. Or make healthy dips at home and take with! Try an Edamame Hummus or these simple Dip Recipes.
Fruit
Fruit that travels well includes: apples, pears, clementines, bananas, grapes, peaches, nectarines, cut up cantaloupe, etc. These colorful snacks will help to provide you with vitamins & minerals as well as fiber to help in keeping your bowel habits on track while traveling.
Nuts, Seeds and Nut Butters
Buy single serve packs of nuts or seeds (Trader Joe’s, Emerald, Blue Diamond, etc. have nice selections) or pre-portion your own in Ziploc bags to avoid overeating (1/4 cup portion is a good snack-sized serving). Bring a container of almond or peanut butter or buy single-serve pouches of nut butters for convenience. You can simply take a spoonful of nut butter for a snack or pair it with a fruit, spread it on crackers, etc. You can also make a few nut butter sandwiches on whole grain bread at home to keep in your cooler for a quick mini-meal.
Popcorn
Air-pop a large batch of popcorn kernels before leaving on your trip to have as a crunchy source of satisfying fiber.
Snack Bars
Snack bars are convenient and can be satisfying and healthy if you choose ones made with good ingredients like RX bars, Core bars, Keep Healthy Low Glycemic bars, Health Warrior Chia bars, Nugo Fiber D’Lish bars, Kind bars, etc. You can also make your own batch to take on the road! Below you will find a tasty recipe:
Peanut Butter Protein bars
This easy to make, healthy road trip snack will become a family favorite!
Makes 8
Ingredients
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
10 medjool dates, pitted
1 cup protein smoothie powder (Try Vega brand; any flavor you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Brown Rice Crisp Cereal
1 Vega Maca Chocolate bar (optional)
1/3 cup chopped unsalted peanuts (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the peanut butter, applesauce, and dates into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the protein powder and process until combined and rolls around in one big ball.
- Add the brown rice crisps and process until combined.
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with a large piece of parchment paper (make it large enough to hang over the edges of the baking dish). Place the mixture into the dish and press down until flat. Place in the refrigerator for about an hour
- Lift the block out of the dish by pulling the parchment paper up. Cut the block into 8 equal pieces.
- If you want to top the bars with chocolate and peanuts, lay the bars out on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Melt the chocolate in a double broiler (or a glass bowl over a small pot of boiling water). Drizzle over the tops of the bars. While the chocolate is still melted, sprinkle chopped peanuts over the tops of the bars. Place the cooling sheet in the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened. Store them in an airtight container and enjoy within 10 days of making them.
