Healthy Road Snack

Who doesn't love a road trip? You get to bond with your friends and family (radio sing-alongs definitely included!), explore new towns and plan fresh adventures, but there's one big downside--the temptation to eat junky food. Stops at fast-food restaurants and convenience stores may have you choosing snacks you wouldn't normally have at home. Plus, are-we-there-yet boredom eating can lead to noshing when you aren't really hungry, which is never a good thing. That's why I've put together a list of snack ideas so that when hunger truly strikes during your journey, you'll have...

...a healthy option.

Pack Your Own: Nothing beats packing your own snacks in terms of getting the best value for both nutrition and the money. Here are a few of my favorite packable snack options:

• Peanut butter and banana sandwiches cut into fourths (That way it can serve as four separate snacks along the way.)
• Dry roasted nuts portioned out into one-fourth cup serving size and packed into individual baggies
• Apple slices (I splash them in a little lime juice before packing them in a baggie so they won't turn brown) with single-serving containers of peanut butter
• Single-serving containers of hummus with raw veggies (My favorites are the snack packs of baby carrots or sugar snap peas.)
• Mini Luna bars (I like packing the mini bars because they are just 80 calories each and great to pair up with a nonfat latte or a half serving of nuts when I want something sweet and salty. Plus, they fit so easily in my purse. Full disclosure that I work with Luna from time to time because I love them so much!).

Drive-Through: Didn't pack your own snacks? Well, you can still find healthy options in the drive-through. Check out a few of these ideas:

• McDonald's snack-size fruit and yogurt parfait
• Half of a Wendy's baked sweet potato with half of the cinnamon butter spread
• Sonic's apple slices with fat-free caramel dipping sauce
• Subway's egg white sandwich on a wheat English muffin with cheese and assorted veggies
• Starbuck's fruit cup and tall nonfat latte

Gas Station: Here are some great gas station picks to fill you up with something smart while you fill up your car:

• Single-serving container of whole grain cereal (Many service stations sell these and they are great to eat dry when you are craving something crunchy.)
• Dried fruit (Look for raisins, apricots, dried cranberries,etc, for a great sweet and chewy snack. Just keep your portion to about a fourth of a cup.)
• Low-fat chocolate milk or hot chocolate
• Lean beef jerky
• Small can of V-8 or other tomato juice with string cheese (I have seen these in several gas stations now in the refrigerated section)

And don't forget to bring plenty of water with you to stay hydrated along the way as well! No matter where you are going this spring or summer, look great when you get there by snacking well on the way!

Posted by Smooches

Courtersy: self.com