Last month, my family took our first road trip and we drove from Milwaukee to Branson, MO and it was a looooong ride (we are talking 12 hours with all of the bathroom breaks). Not that I’m complaining – we had a great time and the ride actually went very smoothly since we planned ahead.
While this was our first family road trip, Jay and I have actually been on a few road trips together ourselves before. One of the mistakes we made was not planning ahead and thinking about snacks along the road. We wound up grabbing junk food at fast food restaurants and chips at rest stops. By the time we had been on the road a few hours, we both felt awful.
This time around we wanted to be a little better prepared when hunger hit on the road – especially since Josh is prone to getting carsick. Add sugary or fatty foods to the mix and we could have a real disaster! We made sure to pack some snacks that would support our attempts at a junk-food-free lifestyle, be easy to eat on the road, and everyone would like – even the picky kiddo!
Headed out on your own family road trip? Here are some ideas for family-friendly, easy to pack snacks:
1) Cheese and Crackers
No, I don’t think you should pull out a cutting board and start cutting up cheese slices while hurtling down the highway at 70 mph. A tasty snack of organic cheddar sandwich crackers is easy to manage, even if you’re the driver.
2) Food in Squeeze Pouches
So many great snacks now come in convenient squeeze pouches – applesauce, yogurt, and Josh’s favorite – Horizon Strawberry Bash Milk & Fruit Super Squeezes. No muss, no fuss – just lots of yum!
3) Jerky
When my stomach starts really rumbling, nothing is as satisfying as meat. Since gnawing on a steak can be kind of inconvenient in a car, I like to pack a variety of beef, chicken and even venison jerky in a variety of flavors. I usually head down to my local health food store and grab some nitrate-free, grass fed jerky.
4) Dried Fruit
When I am craving some crunch, I forgo the raisins and dried cranberries and pop some different options like Toasted Coconut or Apple Clusters from Horizon. They satisfy my need for crunch without derailing my attempts to stay away from potato chips.
5) Flavored Waters
I always get thirsty on the road and too much coffee makes me jittery (not a good thing when you’re driving!) and I definitely don’t want the added sugars from juices or sodas. I’ve gotten seriously addicted to flavored waters. When I’m home I infuse my own, but when we are road tripping, I’ll splurge and buy some of the individual bottles from the store. My favorites are chocolate mint, watermelon, and anything citrus!!
How about you – got any specific favorite snacks for a road trip? Horizon offers so many fun ones to choose from!
This conversation is sponsored by Horizon. The opinions and text are all mine.
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