What are some great healthy traveling snacks I can make?!


Question:

What are some great healthy traveling snacks I can make?

to put in a small cooler


Answers:
Grapes, cherries, and apple slices or maybe a banana make for guilt-free goodies. Keep a pocket knife in the glove box for trimming fruit. (You'll be surprised how handy that pocket knife is on an extended trip.) Except for the banana, keep the fruit chilled in cooler.

Cherry tomatoes make another great snack -- wholesome and refreshing. They don't need to be kept in the cooler.

Consider individual fruit servings from your grocer's shelves: applesauce, canned fruit, or mixed fruit.

For adults, put together a fruit salad and keep it chilled in the cooler.

Carrots and celery sticks make great snacks. Prepare them before leaving home.

The kids will be happier with a dip for their veggies or fruit. For the apple slices, mix a little honey and cinnamon into low fat cream cheese. A low fat ranch or thousand island dressing will work for the celery and carrot sticks.

As kids, we snacked on celery with that neat little trough in the center filled with peanut butter or cream cheese. We still like those snack sticks as adults. For the kids, stick raisins in the peanut butter to make Ants on a Log.

GRANOLA

Granola is a favorite travel snack. We much prefer the homemade variety; it's better and you can make it just as you like. We indulge ourselves with lots of dried fruit and nuts in our granola. Sure it has some calories but with all that fiber, it makes a great, lower glycemic snack.

Make your own granola with this easy recipe.
Let your imagination go when you make granola. The basic ingredients are cereal, oil, and a sweetener. Then add anything that you like to give it the character, taste, and the nutrition that you want. Since the kids' tastes are different than yours, make two batches -- granola is easy to make.


Mix and Match Granola

4 cups rolled oats, wheat, or barley (any combination)
? cup sunflower or sesame seeds
? cup honey, maple syrup, or a thick syrup made with ? cup brown sugar and 2-3 tablespoons water
? cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla and/or other extract
? cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
? cup nuts (optional)
? teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together except for the dried fruit. Set the dried fruit aside.
2. In another bowl mix the sweetener, oil and extract together.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The liquids will be absorbed and the granola will become darker and shinier.
4. Spread the granola in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 325°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until fairly dry and starting to brown. Stir every ten minutes while it is baking to keep the granola on the bottom from burning.
5. Remove the granola from the oven and stir in the fruit.

Tips

1. Granola will become crispier and crunchier as it cools.
2. Because of the oil, granola will not stay fresh long. Store in an airtight container and use within two weeks. It will last for six months or longer in the freezer.




NUTS & DRIED FRUIT

Pairing nuts and dried fruit is like eating candy that is good for you. Try pecans and pears or our favorite, cranberries paired with whole almonds.

TRAIL MIX

Your kids won't go for fruit and nuts alone? Try trail mix with additional chocolate pieces. Yes, it's calorie rich but the fiber tempers those calories to make it a better snack. Pick up or make your own granola and add chocolate candies for your own trail mix.


COOKIES

Pick a cookie with oatmeal, fruit, or nuts for road trips. The fiber makes them filling and satisfying. Choose cookies that are tough and will stand up to the handling and jostling of travel. There are lots of great cookie recipes with fiber to choose from.

TRAIL ENCHILADAS

We created these for high energy snacking on the trail, but they work just fine in the car. Take a whole grain tortilla and spread it with reduced fat cream cheese. Sprinkle the cream cheese with nuts and dried fruit (dried pineapple bits are a favorite), and then roll it up like an enchilada.

Raw veggies, cheese cubes or string cheese, whole strawberries or grapes, cut-up apples, crackers, pretzels, nuts, trail mix. Cut-up small sandwiches, PB&J works well or lunch meat and cheese. Nothing like egg salad or tuna salad, too messy. Bottled water or juice to drink. Small plastic containers are easier than plastic bags, they stay open better for you especially while you're driving.

I'm assuming you're going on a car trip. For non-drivers, you could also pack yogurt and plastic spoons, as well as dips for the veggies and fruits, but those may be too messy for young kids. If you're flying, they won't let you on the plane with most or all of the above, but it would work on a train.

Have a good trip!

Take chopped mixed raw veggies.

Chopped mixed fruit salad.

Nuts.

Dried fruit.

Yougurts.

chicken and vegie sandwitch, fruit, vegie wheatables (they are so good!), and low fat yogurt.

Trail mix, etc.




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