Jump in the car and get traveling. This is the time for weekend road trips, and we have the food covered. Eleven healthy, easily portioned snacks for happy backseat bellies.
By Alissa Harb
Keep hungry backseat bellies happy this summer with travel-friendly road trip snacks you can feel good about. All homemade snacks listed below are healthy, easily portioned and mess-resistant (well, for the most part). And you’ll be glad to know that when the hunger pains set in, all of these nutritious nibbles put on a delicious front, masquerading as something far less sensible. 
Road trip recipes like homemade muffins, fruit leather (so much easier than it sounds) and breads—the sort with long bake times—may sound like a chore, but they’re a multi-tasker’s dream. Make these a day ahead while packing or doing laundry. You’ll be glad to have them.
Packing Advice:
Portion out crunchy snacks like popcorn and nuts into small tupperware containers or Ziploc bags, making them easy to grab in a pinch and drastically reducing spill-risk. If it’s an extra-long trip, supplement your stash with a small cooler, packed with drinks and no-prep-required fruits and veggies like apples, bananas and baby carrots. Just don’t forget the ice packs!
Blackberry Mint Lime Fruit Leather
Kids and adults love fruit leather, and by making your own, you know exactly what’s in it. Plus, it is super easy to make and fun to play with flavors. Get the recipe.
Meredith Steele, In Sock Monkey Slippers
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bites
Cookie dough isn’t totally bad for you, especially when you’re trapped in a car. Delicious for adults and kids alike, these super healthy, no-bake raisin treat that doubles as a snack or dessert. Get the recipe.
Laura Fuentes
Cinnamon Granola Bars
These chewy bars contain whole-grain oatmeal and more than 5 grams of protein. Another plus, they make the kitchen smell delicious while baking. Nutty and naturally sweet, these bars contain the antioxidant vitamin E, which is found in nuts, many fruits and especially in wheat germ. Get the recipe.
Teresa Blackburn
Apple Chips
So easy to make ahead and no need to store in the cooler, apple chips are a great driving snack with no mess to worry about. Slice up your apples before they go bad! Get the recipe.
Elizabeth Star
Toasty Nuts
With such little effort and great packability, toasty nuts make a perfect portable snack. Add seasoning of your choice and chia or flax seeds for added flavor and crunch. Get the recipe.
Hugh Fort
Sweet Potato and Beet Chips
Similar to the apple, these chips are easy to make, eat, and enjoy. Play around with sweet and salty seasoning for the best snack mix. Get the recipe.
Meredith Steele
Spanish-Style Popcorn
Smoked paprika and cumin turn popcorn into a gourmet snack in a few short steps. This is classic popcorn gone even classier. Get the recipe.
www.relish.com
Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
A power breakfast recipe by Chef Gordon Ramsay. Bananas, wholewheat flour, and buttermilk make for a delicious car breakfast or snack. Get the recipe.
www.relish.com
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Slice, serve, enjoy, drive on. Use a mini loaf pans because it makes the kids feel like they are having breakfast in their “size”, but honestly we could all eat a whole large loaf in one sitting. Get the recipe.
Jessica Merchant
Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Walnuts
This delicious chocolate bread gets extra moisture and nutrition from unassuming zucchini. Get the recipe.
Rochelle Ramos
Fruity Breakfast Cookie
This breakfast cookie is densely packed with fiber, omega 3s, protein, iron and taste. You’ll be super road-tripper when you pull out these nutrition packed cookies. Oats for fiber, flaxseeds and walnuts for omega-3s, dried fruit for antioxidants, and carbohydrates for energy will keep their brains working faster than a speeding train. The perfect driving fuel. Get the recipe.
Mark Boughton/styling: Teresa Blackburn
