Healthy Snack Ideas for the Road

I'm sure we all know how it is when we're traveling . . . we load up on snacks and junk food. This year I'm trying to leave out the junk and have come up with some easy healthy snacks to take along with us on the road.

String cheese -- My kids love the Kraft Twist-ums cheese where you get mozzarella and cheddar twisted together.

Blue Diamond almonds -- We're a peanut free home and that's why we love Blue Diamond almonds. They're one of the few nuts that are completely peanut free. They're also packed full of vitamins and minerals and are high in protein. They make a great salty snack and my kids LOVE 'em.

Dried fruit -- This is what we call "real fruit snacks". We like raisins, craisins and apricots but we love dried mangos and pineapple.

Bite sized fruit -- Grapes and blueberries are great for the car. They can be popped in your mouth and are mess free--well, depending on who's

eating them . . .

Carrot sticks -- We can't forget the vegetables--and mini carrots are always a popular choice.

Crackers -- I've always loved Annie's Homegrown and we've recently become fans of the new Annie's Snack Mix. The kids love it, and I love that it's all natural and organic. The best part is that it's very affordable too. I stock up on boxes of this stuff when they go on sale at Target for $2. That's a price you can't beat!

Homemade fruit gummies -- These little jello bites are perfect for popping in your mouth. They're sweet and tangy and have a little fat to keep you feeling satisfied. My favorite recipes are these Lemon Gummies and these Coconut Lime Gummies. They're simple enough to make ahead of time and a fun snack to pull out when everyone is in need of a treat.

Granola bar bites -- This is another great snack to make ahead of time (or have the kids make them) to pull out when you're getting the munchies. Find the recipe here. 

. . . But you have to have a little junk food too. My kids already know we never go on a trip without licorice. Yum Earth is our favorite brand lately.

What are your favorite healthy snacks for the road?

-Amy

Simple and Healthy Dr. Seuss Lunch

March 2nd is Dr. Seuss birthday and our family has a tradition of doing something fun to celebrate.  This years I'm going to send my kids to school with a surprise Dr. Seuss lunch.

To make these Cat in the Hat string cheeses I simply drew right on the plastic with red and black sharpie markers.  Whenever I'm at Costco I pick up a bag of their organic string cheese.  It's such a great price and makes a quick and easy snack.

This cutie Lorax came together quickly with two googly eyes and a felt mustache.

I popped up some organic popcorn in coconut oil and sprinkled it with a little Real Salt to make these cute "hop on pop-corn" bags.  (Find the printable for the bags here.)

I hope my kids get as much of a kick out of their Dr. Seuss lunch as I had making it!

-Amy

Roasted Pumpkin/Squash Seeds

I love roasting pumpkin seeds every fall.  My mom roasted them when I was growing up so I feel like it's a tradition.  I could eat them year round, but the two pumpkins we buy every year never seem to have enough seeds to last us very long.

When my mom came to visit me a few years ago she made some delicious acorn squash with apples for dinner.  She saved the seeds from the squash and roasted them up.  They were so yummy and I couldn't believe I never thought of doing that.  I always threw the seeds away.  Now they're a favorite snack at our house.  My kids always groan when they see I'm making squash for dinner but they get super excited when they see me roasting up the seeds for a snack.  Those tasty little seeds get gobbled up quickly at our house.

Not only do seeds make a healthy snack but they are loaded with fiber, protein, vitamin and minerals.  So the next time you're carving a pumpkin or making squash for dinner be sure to save the seeds!

Roasted Pumpkin or Squash Seeds

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1 cup squash or pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Rinse seeds in cold water and make sure all the the pulp and strings are removed.  Drain and pat dry.  Stir seeds in a bowl with remaining ingredients making sure they are fully coated.  Place seeds in a single layer on a baking tray (I like to place parchment paper underneath for easy clean up).  Bake in a 250 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until brown and crispy (pumpkin seeds may take an extra 15-20 minutes).

Printable recipe


-Amy

Simple Trail Mix

Summertime calls for a lot of snacks.  With my kids home from school there is always someone that's hungry and there's always a need for snacks to grab on your way out the door.   All of us really love this simple trail mix.  I tend to leave the chocolate chips out more often in the summertime so we don't end up with a melted mess and in the fall I like to add pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

I usually pick up all my ingredients from Target.   The Archer Farms brand has a variety of dried fruit and I like the ghirardelli chocolate chips.  I admire that they do their best to use non-GMO ingredients as long as they're available.  They're not perfect, but by far better than Hersey's, Nestle, and Mars.

Have you ever eaten a plain almond and noticed how sweet it is?  I love the way they taste with a few pieces of dried fruit.  And sometimes I like to add sea salted almonds to my trail mix instead instead.  Combined with the dried fruit and chocolate it adds that irresistible sweet/salty combination.  Almonds are a great source of fiber, vitamin E and magnesium, which far too many people are deficient in.

Simple Trail Mix

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almonds (plain or sea salted)

dried cherries

dried blueberries

pumpkin seeds

sunflower seeds

chocolate chips

Combine together in a ziploc bag.

-Amy