Any adventure that takes us more than ½ hour away from home requires thought given to snack options. Our kids are certified grazers. Even though we sit down for 3 meals a day, our kiddoes seem to be constantly snacking. The cost of purchasing food while on the road from convenience stores or fast food restaurants can easily add up. And the quality of options just can’t compete with your home supplies.
We try to limit liquid intake when on a longer journey as the often exclaimed. ”I need to potty!” can get tiresome. But we always bring along our watered down juice and recyclable cups for a supervised thirst quench. When we know we want to stop in a half hour or so, we hand out the juice to all takers.
We typically follow one of 3 paths for food that are dependent on the length of our journey. Path 1 consists of a handful of quick and easy snack foods: curried cashews, pretzels, bananas, or some sliced cheese. These items get thrown into a lunch sized tote with 2 small containers to hold the snacks and ease the passing of it to the kids. Path 2 requires a small cooler. We’ll throw in our little cutting board and a sharp knife. Then kiwi, apples, pb&j sandwiches, cheese, carrots, etc., can get packed up. Again, we bring along small containers for the food and a bag for trash. Path 3 involves a trip that requires a full meal.
Tip: Hand-wipes. Nothing makes snacking on the road more pleasant for our family than being able to wipe off sticky hands and faces without a full-on bathroom stop. We keep a pack of baby-wipes in the car for this purpose. The lid snaps shut keeping them moist. They tuck out of the way when you don’t need them. (But you have to bring them in during the winter— ice-cold wipes aren’t a fave with anyone in our family!)