Healthy Road Trip Snacks for Your Kids

Whether your road trip is an hour ride to visit grandparents or a 12 hour jaunt to the beach for vacation, snack food is a must. Although your kids would probably be happy with a candy bar and a soda, you know those are not the best options for a healthy diet. Healthy road trip snacks are easy to find, easy to take with you and easy on the calories.

Healthy Road Trip Snacks - Fruit
The key to success with snacking on fruit during a road trip is to prepare the fruit at home and store in plastic containers or zip bags. Make sure each child gets his own portions of fruit, it is much better than giving them an opportunity to argue! Avoid such fruit as bananas as they don't hold up well after being peeled and sliced and they are a bit messy to eat in the car.

Grapes - Purchase a pound of grapes and give them a good rinse and let them drain. To make it easier on the kids when snack time comes, remove all the grapes from the bunch and store them in a plastic bowl with a cover. It will make them easier to transport and easier for the little ones to enjoy.

Apples - Wash and prepare your apples at home. If your kids don't like the skin, remove it. Slice the apples and store in a small plastic zip bag.

Healthy Road Trip Snacks - Cereal
You feed your children healthy breakfast cereal and have that available already, so why not use it as a healthy road trip snack. Packing the cereal in small zip bags, one bag per child. Since they will be eating it with their fingers as a snack no need for spoons.

Healthy Road Trip Snacks - Kid Size Sandwiches
Peanut Butter and Jelly is always a good option. Prepare PP&J sandwiches by slicing the sandwich into 4 quarters and package in individual small plastic containers or the sandwich size plastic baggies. If you know your little one won't finish a whole sandwich, package the amount you know the child can finish.

Healthy Rod Trip Snacks - Veggies
Again, prepare them at home by washing, slicing and packaging the food.

Celery Sticks and Carrot Sticks - These are great veggies for a healthy road trip snack. Cut the celery and/or carrots into 6 inch pieces and then cut them lengthwise into the appropriate number of "sticks".

Grape or Cherry Tomatoes - These tomatoes are perfect bit size tomatoes and easy to eat in the car.

Healthy Road Trip Snacks - Cheese
String Cheese - String Cheese is already packaged and ready to travel.

Healthy Road Trip Snacks - Popcorn
Popcorn is easy to eat and kids love it. Pop up a bag full of the popcorn you normally use, avoid the buttery popcorn. Package the popcorn in small size zip lock bags.

Healthy Road Trip Snacks - Drinks
The words "I'm thirsty", always follows snack foods.

Juice Boxes - Juice boxes are easy to take on a road trip as they do not require refrigeration. Pack a few juice boxes for each child.

Water - Yes water. It is another drink that is healthy and does not need refrigeration. Fill up a few sippy cups at home and be on your way!

If you run out of any of the above Healthy Road Trip Snacks, you can always pop into a grocery store. Many stores sell fresh fruit already sliced and packaged. You can also buy plain popcorn by the bag if you run out of the microwave stuff.

Be sure to pack a small trash bag, wet wipes and napkins to aid in clean-up! Now you are all set to enjoy your trip and your kids will have Healthy Road Trip Snacks for when they get hungry.

Sources:

Common Sense