If you’re anything like me, then you’re probably going to be spending most of the next month driving around visiting family. My husband has a a really close family, and me being an only child, we can wind up at as many as 3 Thanksgivings and at least 2 Christmases. Being on the road during the holiday season is no excuse to totally throw in the towel on healthy eating and just leave it for January, just throw some of these healthy treats in your bag whether you’re traveling by plane, train, or automobile.
I’m part of an awesome program called Influenster, and earlier this year I had a chance to taste a free sample of Blue Almond’s new Blueberry flavored almonds. In the interest of full disclosure, when I first saw the package, I was instantly ready to dislike these, but as soon as I opened the package and was hit with the smell of blueberry muffins I was officially a convert. Blue Diamond has a bunch of great flavors from pure and simple raw almonds, to wasabi flavored almond, to their new fruit flavors so whatever you’re craving, it’s there. Nuts are a great source of protein and healthy fats, but keep in mind that nutrient dense also means calorie dense in this case, if you know you’re likely to snack until your find yourself at the bottom of the bag either pre-portion some snacks ahead of time, or pick up the individual servings at only 160 calories a piece!
Apple & String Cheese
This has been one of my favorite snacks for as long as I can remember. A little protein, a little fiber, a lot of delicious. You can customize this a million ways by picking out your favorite apple (tart or sweet? soft or super crunchy?) and favorite string cheese or cheese snack. Don’t want to deal with apple cores in the car? Just core your apples ahead of time and squeeze half a lemon into a ziplock bag to toss the slices in so they don’t brown. I love sweeter apples like Gala and Fuji so the tart lemon is a really nice flavor contrast and I’ve pre-prepped a week of afternoon apples and not a single brown spot!
If you haven’t run into Enjoy Life brand yet, I’m so glad to introduce this awesomeness into your life! Whatever your allergy is, they’ve taken it into consideration in their snack packs and baking supplies. These nut & seed mixes are an awesome alternative to traditional trail mixes and perfect for parents who need to make sure they don’t send peanuts with their kids to school. Just like Blue Diamond, they make individual snack packs at 220 calories a piece, but with all the goodness of a variety of seeds and dried fruits with a little bit of mini chocolate chips so you can feel you’re indulging, it’s worth every bite!
I struggle with a lot of protein products because I try to keep soy to a minimum where I can and I just enjoy protein bars so much more than whey protein shakes. Enter Quest Nutrition bars! These bad boys are 100% whey protein based with less than 25 total carbs each, and most of those coming from fiber. These can be a bit hard to find out about about, they’re only available at GNC in my area, but you can get a great price at Amazon. I recommend you get the variety pack if you’ve never tried them because there are so many flavors to choose from and everyone’s sweet tooth is a little different.
Okay, hear me out here. Even if you’re not paleo/primal/ancestral you should check out Steve’s Paleogoods. Not only is it basically the most delicious jerky and other meat based snacks, but they leave out all the unpronounceable ingredients of most grocery store brands. I have been working hard to curb my sweet snacking, and beef jerky not only travels well but gives you a hit of protein-packed savory goodness that will help tide you over on a long car ride. As an added bonus every purchase helps support Steve’s Club which gives at-risk youth an outlet and a place to go after school through crossfit style training. So feel even better knowing you’re not only making a difference in your own life by choosing a snack that nourishes your body, but every purchase helps keep a kid on track for success.
So those are my favorite on-the-go snacks, what are yours? Whether it’s for road trips or stocking stuffers, share your favorite recipes and products in the comments!
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