Tips for packing kid-friendly travel snacks for a road trip or airplane trip.
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Last summer, my family drove from Houston to Destin, Florida for our family beach vacation. To keep the whining and "Are we there yet?"-asking at bay, I spent a lot of time looking up car-friendly activities, renting movies for the iPad, and packing up activity books, drawing supplies, and small toys. What I did NOT prepare well for, however, was the snacking.
First of all, I am convinced that riding in a car makes people 10x hungrier than they would normally be. That must be a scientific fact. Second, you just can't count on finding decent snack options when you're on the road. And even if you pull into a mini mart with the best intentions of finding something nutritious, those extra-cheesy, extra-crunchy snack chips are going to call your name. It's a road trip thing.
As a result of our lack of travel snack preparation, we ate SO much junk on that trip. By the time we got home, I just felt yucky.
Well, we're planning on doing our same vacation again this summer, and this time around, I'm going to do a much better job of packing healthy, travel-friendly snacks that will be really tasty, but also well-balanced. Just like when you’re planning a meal, you want to plan your snacks around a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fruits/vegetables.
One thing that will be a "go to" in my travel snack packs this year is Lorissa's Kitchen. Lorissa's Kitchen snacks are rich in protein, made from grass-fed beef and responsibly raised pork, and contain simple ingredients you'd be likely find in your own kitchen.
The health-conscious, label-reading side of me loves that there are no preservatives or MSG, and the foodie in me absolutely loves the unique flavorings that Lorissa's Kitchen offers:
- Lorissa’s Kitchen Korean Barbeque Beef
- Lorissa’s Kitchen Sweet Chili Pork
- Lorissa’s Kitchen Szechuan Peppercorn Beef
In addition to being a perfect snack for your road trip travels, Lorissa's Kitchen is great to take with you anytime you’re out and about, whether it’s for errands, sporting events, or a day at the pool or beach.
The Ultimate Travel Snack Pack:
The key to preparing the perfect road trip snacks is to create individual snack packs for everyone in the family. That way you can cut down on arguments (MOM, she ate ALL of the popcorn!) and negotiations (MOM, when I finish my apple, can I have a piece of chocolate?). Everyone gets their own container of pre-portioned snacks, which they can eat at their leisure.
When you’re packing for a road trip, you also want to choose snacks that are going to be relatively mess-free so you don’t have to worry about spills or crumbs all over your car. Another tip is to pack things that don’t need refrigeration (or would be OK with a simple freezer pack) to make life easier.
1) Choose a rather large container that can store all of the food and also serve as a lap-friendly tray to help minimize mess.
2) Pack everyone a labeled or color-coded reusable water bottle so that there’s no confusion about which bottle belongs to who.
3) Don’t forget to include napkins and wet wipes for messy hands, and to clean hands prior to eating.
4) Pack an assortment of protein-rich, fiber-rich, and carbohydrate-rich snacks that are tasty and won't create lots of crumbs.
Here are some suggestions:
- almonds
- Lorissa's Kitchen
- nut butter + pretzel sticks
- edamame
- hummus
- cheese sticks
- apples
- carrot sticks
- kale chips
- tangerines
- popcorn
I would love to hear from y’all about some of your favorite travel snacking tips, or tips for handling road trips in general! With 20 more hours of togetherness looming on the horizon, I can use all the advice I can get. :)
Stacey Werner
Friday 6th of May 2016
I love the idea of packing individual snack packs. I remember always fighting over the snacks with my sister when we were growing up. Great ideas of what to include too! Thanks.
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Alyssa
Friday 6th of May 2016
Thanks Stacey! The sisters in my family fight a lot about snacks, too. I don't know why I didn't think of the individual snack packs sooner! :)