Road Trip for 16 Hours - Any Healthy Food Choice to Bring?

Updated on May 21, 2011
L.G. asks from Erie, CO
12 answers

I am taking my 2.5 year old + 4 year old on a road trip for 16 hours. Any advice on some healthy snacks to bring along?

thanks

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K.L.

answers from Cleveland on

snap peas are great and are super yummy. Raisins, wheat crackers, grapes, cheese sticks or slices, dried cereal are all good too.
Have fun!

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V.D.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Raisins, homemade trail mix, Fresh fruit, Dried fruit, Applesauce in the pouches they drink (I've found them in the canned fruit isle), Carrot sticks, Healthier granola bars, Yougurt tubes, dry cereal, Lightly buttered popcorn (much have hand wipes for after) Nuts and seeds.

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M.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Freeze your juice boxes or Capri Suns and some Go gurts to keep your cooler chilled...and they are good really cold.

Just discovered delicious yogurt covered raisins at Costco that my whole family loves...we eat them solo or throw into a trail mix. Make up individual baggies pre measured for easy serving.

Cut up cheese and lunch meats and grab a box of Wheat Thins or Triscuits for the kids to make sandwich crackers. Again...can be pre measured and bagged.

You can make a boat load of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ahead of time and freeze them...then put right in your cooler to defrost.

Just a few ideas off the top of my head! Have a great trip!! Also you can get fruit loops and string for them to make edible necklaces while driving. 16hrs is gonna be looooong!

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J.S.

answers from Dallas on

Dehydrated fruits, turkey jerky, dry no sugar coated cereals, goldfish, bananas, yogurt tubes, string cheese.

I would recommend water instead of juice or milk also.

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K.L.

answers from Redding on

Good suggestions so far. I'd avoid chocolate and anything else that melts in their hand and drips and gets sticky all over. We just did the 10 hours to Disneyland and 10 back,with a 3 yr old and it was nice to have stuff already cut up and in ziplock bags to just open and give to her. Also used cups for dry cereals and she had them in her cup holders on her car seat. Didn't push drinks a lot until we knew we were going to stop soon as she was right in the middle of potty training and we were using panties. She did pretty good, with only a few "dry run" stops with the potty chair. Try to stop now and then to let them run wild and then give wetter foods like cantaloupe or watermelon, and juicy stuff (outside the car) along with the bigger meal type foods when you know nap time is coming and they will sleep for hours once you hit the road again with full tummys and the car vibration. Have fun! Id do it again anytime.
As far as dry cereals go, I stayed away from the bright colored ones since they stain hands and clothes and carseats even when eaten dry. I did cheerios, frosted mini wheats, kix...

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S.G.

answers from Norfolk on

Are you bringing a cooler?
-carrot and celery sticks
-string cheese
-hard-boiled eggs
-almonds, cashews, pistachios
-clementines
Hope that gets you started!

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K.A.

answers from Portland on

Cheese cubes/sticks/slices, yogurt (gogurts!) and sugar snap peas!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Houston on

Drugs? Just kidding! I have been on these trips! Our minivan was our "lear jet"!

carrots, raisins, bananas. I would prepare sandwiches before we left. Ham and cheese. I would do some chips and animal cookies. Yum, now I'm hungry! Have a wonderful trip!

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C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

I would bring a cooler with sandwich fixings. I would have water bottles. I would have cut up carrots, apples, grapes. I would also bring yogurt, cheese sticks, and favorite crackers to snack on as well as some kind of treat like chocolate chip cookies. My son loves sunflower seeds, so I would bring a bag of those and a bag of nuts. Stuff like that :) Have fun!

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T.C.

answers from Dallas on

we do apples, bananas, cheese cubes, raisins, and premade sandwiches.

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G.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I've done loads of multi-day road trips with my kids, and here's what we usually take. If you're taking a cooler, I'd advise string cheese, apples, and carrots, ranch dressing if you're eating somewhere not in the car, tube yogurt if you're eating somewhere not in the car, and a few 100% juice boxes. We also like to take sliced bell peppers. Lots of water and cups with lids. Also, dried fruit, nuts, pretzels or grainy crackers, dry cereal, granola bars. Get some of those little recyclable/reusable plastic bowls with lids - they're great for putting a mix of the dry foods in and passing them to the back seaters. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches travel well and are reasonably nutritious. Not exactly health food, but much better for you than what passes for food at fast food joints. Wet wipes, a roll of paper towels, small paper plates, one sharp knife, some plastic utensils, and plastic grocery bags to use as garbage bags in the car are helpful, too.

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

I would avoid nuts, at least for the little one. I think it would freak me out to have them eating a potential choking hazard while we were driving down the highway and I couldn't get to them...just me. Anyway, my kids love Rice Chex and Cheerios as snacks, even dry. Goldfish are always good too. Dried fruit is also a big hit with us, we use the freeze dried kind and it's less sticky and has no sugar added (I get it at whole foods but target and costco have some too), as well as sliced apples, strawberries and oranges. I just put them in a little container and whip 'em out as needed, they stay fresh pretty long. I also usually pack a PBJ for the kids too. It's a good snack but will fill them up. You could also do bagels and cream cheese. Even if you don't bring a cooler, cream cheese and cheese sticks will be fine for a couple of hours on their own. I'd use them up first, but it will be fine without refrigeration. My kids also love the stick pretzels, just the regular salted kind, they eat them up!

We also use our stainless steel water bottles on trips too. I fill them up at home and then if needed when we stop for gas. I don't encourage too much drinking as I don't want to have to make too many potty stops but it's good to be hydrated! ;)

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