Healthy Snacks for Road Trips

This week, my family is embarking on a lengthy road trip. We will be traveling a total 1,424 miles, which is more than we have ever driven as a family. My husband and I enjoy taking the children to new and exciting places, but we much prefer the convenience and expediency of flight. For this road trip, which, thank you rising cost of air travel, could be the first of many, I am planning a number of healthy snacks (along with a few that are less so).

Oatmeal-to-Go
My family is really fond of oatmeal. This sugar-free recipe is a handy take on the typical baked oatmeal cups, but includes pureed sweet potatoes. It is delicious, travels well, and is very filling.

Blueberry Granola
You know those little containers that once held the baby food used in the recipe above? Do not throw them away! Instead, fill them with blueberry granola, which makes a fantastic traveling snack. I left out the almonds because my son won't eat them.

Almonds and Dried Fruit
Like I said, my son won't eat almonds, but I will! I love almonds as a snack because they are high in protein, which means you don't have to eat many to realize the health benefits. As for dried fruit, each of us have our own favorites, thus I am packing dried cranberries, raisins, dates, and prunes. Yes, my weirdo kids love prunes. I can't even imagine making myself eat one, but they gobble them up. Good for them for being healthy, but yuck.

Low-fat Cheese Sticks
Healthy, easy to transport, and mess-free eating. Low-fat cheese sticks offer a clean alternative to the fried cheese puffs that are available at most drive through windows that you know you want. I don't care how healthy I eat - fried food is always going to be a temptation.

Fruitables
I am not a big fan of juice to begin with. I much rather our kids drink non-sweetened drinks, like milk and water, and get their nutrition from eating fruit and vegetables. However, traveling requires a different mindset, which is where Fruitables come in. This drink includes vegetables and fruit and has no added sugar or artificial colors/flavors. Furthermore, the size of the packages are kid-friendly (there won't be any leftover to spill inside the car), and the price is very reasonable. I bought this eight-pack for less than $3.

Travel-Size Milk
Our kids are milk drinkers, and that is not going to stop just because we are on the road. I have found that purchasing travel sizes of milk from convenience stores is expensive, and transporting pre-portioned cups of milk is difficult as they must remain refrigerated at all times. Even in insulated coolers, this can be difficult on particularly hot days. We usually end up sucking it up and buying milk as we need it, but I finally found an alternate solution. Horizon makes single servings of milk that do not need to be refrigerated. They are expensive, but not any more expensive than buying milk that turns bad from the heat and has to be thrown out.

Starbucks Frappuccinos
When my husband and I are traveling, we almost always stop for a convenience store coffee drink. In the not-so-healthy category comes the pre-packaged Starbucks Frappuccinos. Purchased at a gas station, these can be $2 or more each, which we will gladly pay when we need a caffeine fix. Why not purchase ahead of time and save a few dollars? I bought a four-pack of Reduced Calorie Mocha Frappuccinos for about $4 - roughly half the price I would pay in transit.

Yogurt Covered Pretzels
Again, not as healthy as some of the other options, yogurt covered pretzels offer a sweet alternative to the numerous candies and chocolates that proliferate the checkout counter. Organic versions are available in bulk bins at most health food stores, though I admit that for this trip, I bought a pre-portioned package. This is not what I normally do, but price was the determining factor.

Lunchables and Summer Sausage
As we jump right down the rabbit hole into the least healthy foods possible, I deliberated over purchasing processed lunch meat of the grossest variety. I could make my own version of lunchables with freshly sliced deli meat, low-fat cheeses, and whole grain crackers, or I could just buy the cheap pre-made packages that I could throw in the back seat when the kids are complaining about how hungry they are yet we are 100 miles from any signs of life in the midst of Oklahoma. My husband, who doesn't feel like he's eaten if an animal hasn't died, also needs some snacks to keep him going strong. I bought a hunk of summer sausage, sliced it up, and called it a day.

As you know, if you're following this blog, I am not a stickler for healthy eating. In my opinion, unhealthy options are fine as long as they are taken in moderation. Gus, the six-year-old, asked if he could still buy a Bug Juice when we stop at the convenience store. If you're not familiar with this beverage, it's basically sugary chemicals in various colors. There is no doubt that we will stop at the ice cream shop from my husband's youth and a trip to The Big Texan is already high on the agenda. A vacation doesn't mean that healthy living is forgotten, but it does mean that our good choices are balanced with a fun trip.