Many people I know are heading out for Spring Break trips, and since I’m considered a “road warrior” by many, I thought I’d share some of my tips and recipes. First of all, the reason I’m a road warrior is that I travel a TON by car! My shortest trips are 3 hours, and longest are 12-17 hours. Growing up, my parents always took us on cross-country road trips, so I’m WELL versed in car travel. On top of that, I worked for a national airline for over 10 years, so I’m also a seasoned air traveler!
Snacking opportunities on these trips can sometimes provide people with many temptations that don’t jive with their healthy eating plans. Sure, it’s easy to grab those Cheetos and Snickers bars whenever you stop for gas, but then you feel horrible, and you’re not doing your body any favors! Having such a restrictive diet, I can’t even grab snacks at the local gas stop, so I’ve learned to PLAN AHEAD! It’s really not too difficult, and my snacks are YUMMY!
Coconut/Date Balls
Ingredients:
Container of dates (I prefer Medjool ) pitted
Roasted almonds (recipe to follow)
Touch of vanilla
Water (if needed)
Unsweetened coconut
Directions:
Add roasted almonds to food processor, and chop for about 15 seconds or less.
Add dates to food processor and process until everything is chopped and starts to come together.
Add vanilla in to help it stick together, and if you need more, add a bit of water.
Take mixture by teaspoonfuls and roll in your hands to form a ball. Roll in coconut.
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What I do then is place the coconut balls in the date container, and that keeps them from rolling around and getting smashed. It’s also easy to grab while you’re driving. 🙂
Another snack I make is Roasted Almonds. SO simple and easy to do ahead of time, plus tastes incredibly better than the packaged ones you get at the gas stations.
Light olive oil/ or almond oil
Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
Line a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with foil for easy clean up.
Spread almonds out in an even layer, add a couple Tablespoons of oil on top.
Mix that all together in the pan and salt.
Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes, and allow to cool.
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Generally, I package these in a zip lock bag for easy access. When they come out of the oven, roasted almonds taste like popcorn! They’re very yummy!
The other things I pre-package for snacking are:
Sliced cheese (easy to grab and I use a small cooler to keep it cold)
Hard boiled eggs
Blueberries
Sliced carrots or other veggies
Road trip snacks don’t HAVE to be unhealthy! With a little pre-planning, you can easily have lots of things to chew on while you’re driving long distances. What are some of your favorite Road Trip things?
The Sensitive Eater 