Healthy Road Trip Snacks
Embarking on an extended journey can be an exciting endeavor; but proper preparation is essential to ensuring your expedition is an enjoyable one, especially when it entails extensive travel time. Of all the considerations that go into planning an ambitious outing, one of the most important aspects is often overlooked: food. Instead of packing suitable snacks, many opt to eat whatever collations they come across at gas stations or convenience stores along the way.
Long car trips can be particularly draining for drivers and passengers alike, so it’s absolutely vital to select the right sustenance to sustain your party throughout the trip. Foods that are packed with sugar or saturated fat may offer a quick path to your return to the road, but the short-sighted energy they supply is setting you up for an ugly crash. Rather, you should select foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.
But knowing what to search for in a food is just the first step towards stocking your car with snacks for an enduring escapade. You need treats that are not only wholesome but also compact and easy to eat. What you decide to bring with you will depend largely on how many stops you are willing to make, how much space your vehicle affords each passenger, and your own personal palates and preferences.
With the aim of accommodating any needs and tastes, we’ve proffered suggestions that can be easily stored in resealable bags and small storage containers. We also recommend that you find a compact cooler to keep your fresh foods chilled; be sure, however, to use reusable ice packs instead of ice to prevent your snacks from getting soggy should traffic melt your ice into a lukewarm liquid.
To help you select a scrumptious array of amenities, we’ve put together a list of recipes and snacks that offer a variety of flavors. Each choice also intends to minimize messes by avoiding finger foods that can spill or stain. Some of our suggestions, however, assume you have a trusty thermos to store a sweet smoothie or an innate ability to bring our delicious desserts to your mouth without dropping them on yourself or your upholstery. In any event, we hope that you find these energizing portions readily portable and easy to eat!
Road Trip Recipes
Sure, bagged snacks are a staple for any vehicular voyage, but longer journeys will warrant fresh foods that pique that particular palate that can’t be assuaged with the preserved. With a modicum of preparation, a plate of these palatable portions proffers that perfect savor and texture to quell your longing for the refreshing relish of something fresh.
Protein-Packed Detox Smoothie Recipe {vegan}
This superfood smoothie supplies a superb source of energy to revitalize weary travelers with an invigorating combination of chia seeds, spirulina, and hemp seeds. Keep a batch in your thermos to get you through those lethargic lulls.
Ingredients: Almond milk, frozen banana, spirulina, hemp protein powder (optional), fresh mint, chia seeds, hemp hearts.
Total Time: 5 minutes
| Yield: 2 servings
Spirulina Smoothie Recipe
Another blended beverage to bring life to the languid, this simple formulation proffers a particularly palatable means of raising spirits on the road. The natural source of the sweet savor also offers a surplus of vitamin C and plenty of other essential nutrients.
Ingredients: Spirulina, banana, fresh spinach, apple juice, crushed ice, lemon juice.
Total Time: 2 minutes
| Yield: 2 smoothies
Chocolate Goji Berry Bars Recipe {gluten-free}
Replace your regular granola or energy bar with a homemade model that is equally as hearty and even more wholesome. This snack supplies a superb source of antioxidants, essential amino acids, protein, and healthy fats to keep you fueled up and ready to go.
Ingredients: Pitted dates, almond butter, quinoa puffs, goji berries, raw pistachios, coconut oil, dark chocolate chips.
Total Time: 20 minutes
| Yield: 8 bars
Blueberry Chia Jam Bars Recipe {gluten-free, vegan}
For a succulent savor that won’t make a mess, these brilliant bars blend berries and chia seeds to supply a delicious taste and juicy texture that is sure to keep you sharp.
Ingredients: Raw almonds, gluten-free rolled oats, chia seeds, maple syrup, water, vanilla or almond extract, blueberries, cacao powder, coconut oil.
Total Time: 30 minutes
| Yield: 16 mini bars
Quinoa Veggie Wrap Recipe {vegan}
For a hearty snack that can even serve as your lunch in a pinch, these dense delights are packed with protein and fiber, light on carbs and saturated fat, and full of vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients: Tortilla wraps, quinoa, hummus, fresh spinach, sun-tomatoes, shredded carrots.
Total Time: 30 minutes
| Yield: 4 wraps
No-Bake Granola Bars Recipe {gluten-free, vegan}
These simple snacks supply a wholesome collation that can be easily enjoyed on the road and feature a fresher savor than store-bought bars.
Ingredients: Gluten-free rolled oats, peanut butter, dried tart cherries, pistachios, flaxseed meal, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, agave syrup. unsweetened applesauce, melted cacao nibs or dark chocolate.
Total Time: 15 minutes
| Yield: 8 - 10 servings
Pumpkin Granola Bars Recipe {gluten-free}
For an alternate flavor that offers the same nourishment as our no-bake recipe, these palatable pumpkin bars provide yet another energizing treat that is fully travel-friendly.
Ingredients: Gluten-free rolled oats, pumpkin puree, cashew butter, honey, maple syrup, dark chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin spice.
Total Time: 45 minutes
| Yield: 8 bars
Homemade Granola Bars Recipe {gluten-free}
Why limit yourself? Add a third variety of gluten-free granola bars to your repository of road trip snacks with this supremely savory, naturally nutritious bar!
Ingredients: Dried mulberries, dried strawberries, raw cashews, organic peanut butter, ripe bananas, raw sunflower seeds, hemp protein powder, gluten-free rolled oats, chia seeds, flaxseed meal.
Total Time: 40 minutes
| Yield: 12 bars
Our Registered Dietitian Top Picks
This mix of mobile snacks has been hand-selected by our Health Nut and Registered Dietitian to fuel your next road trip! Whether you are traveling for work or for pleasure, packing along the right mix of foods before you head out for your travels can help to keep your energy levels up and your body healthy.