1. Chips – you can go healthy or greased up, plain or coated in red salt. There is a plethora of choices to suit the wishes of any family and, the kids luv’em. Buy in individual packs or save the environment by packing your own baggies that you can fill for each child.
2. Cut strawberries – sure, there are loads of different fruits out there that you can serve the kids, but many of them will never get eaten (or get too bruised before they’re unpacked.) These sweet bite-size snacks don’t pose a choking hazard to wee ones and, best of all, you can serve them early in the ride to assuage the guilt from feeding them junk food the rest of the way.
3. Lollipops - there’s not a good thing to say about these tooth-decaying orbs of sugar. Except that kids LOVE them and they take a while to finish. So, if you’re looking for five minutes of peace, you’ll be a sucker for suckers.
4. Sandwich wraps – bypass the first McDonalds you see, and instead, enjoy some homemade wraps. My personal favourite is the chicken wrap (recipe here.) This is less for the kids and more for the refined tastes of the adult passengers.
5. Trail mix – sorry to all the nut-allergy sufferers out there, but this is a healthy, easy snack that everyone can enjoy.
6. Peanut butter sandwiches – Kids loves these any day of the week. They’re easy to make, stay fresh for hours, neat, and healthy.
7. Salami and cheddar cheese – Be sure to include a sharp knife when packing this. It’s a quick and easy snack or meal on the road. Even better, have a hard-top cooler at hand to cut upon.
8. Cut carrots – Driving is a bit like watching TV. You always feel like munching on something. Rather than reach for the Doritos, leave out a bag of cut carrots. It’s amazing that you can just as readily enjoy munching on a carrot as an all-dressed chip (well, almost). Your waistline will thank you!
9. Granola bars – I try to stick to the healthier granola bar fare out there, but to each her own. One of the best aspects to these snacks? They’re easy to toss from the front to the rear seat of a minivan. Be sure to buy a few packs.
10. One hand-picked treat for each child – Before embarking on the road trip, allow each child to select his or her own treat at the grocery store. It gives them something to look forward to and helps relieve those periods in the car when the kids are grumpy, bored, irritable, or hungry (for something other than strawberries.) Also, it doesn’t hurt to get your own chocolate indulgence… Life on the road can be tough on the adults, too!
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