It can be daunting to come up with food that is both healthy and easy to eat in the car, especially when you’ve got the whole family along on your road trip. Before you give in to the kids and buy unhealthy fast food for every meal, though, check out this list of road trip munchies that won’t shrink your wallet or expand your waistline.
- Fruit. Fruit is easy to eat, inexpensive, and it requires no eating utensils or plates. Unless you choose a particularly juicy type of fruit, like a peach, dripping juice shouldn’t be a problem. The best road trip friendly fruits include cherries, berries, apples, pears and bananas. Avoid oranges, watermelon and anything too juicy.
- Snack bars. Snack bars and fruit bars are a great way to stay fueled while on the move, because they’re easy to eat and they are made to fuel your body for hours before you need to eat again. Because they come individually wrapped, snack bars are convenient to share and store in the car. Many snack bar types are covered in chocolate, so they will appeal to the kids, too.
- Popcorn. Bagged popcorn is a great snack — it’s mostly air, and very light on the calories, but still satisfying to munch on.
- Nuts. For a snack that sticks with you longer than most, nuts are the way to go. They are packed with healthy oils and fats as well as protein; the carbohydrates will make them stay with you for hours.
Pack some of these when you depart, and buy more at any grocery store along the way to eat healthy the whole drive!
