Snacks are a surefire way to end up spending more than you want to on a road/camping trip. Small little morsels “to tide you over to the next meal” can be found right at checkout counters and are SO tempting (and SO expensive!!). Again, with a bit of pre-planning, the brunt of the “snack bill” can be avoided.
This trip (my family left on Sunday!) I’ve already made 2 dozen mini banana muffins and 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies for the moments on our trip when the sweet tooth gets the better of us. We will also be packing fresh fruit, veggies and, our “must-haves” chips and dip and, of course, marshmallow “s’mores” ingredients for evening campfire snacks. For five days on the road, this should be good enough!
Survival Tip #2: Road Trip Snacking
The best way to avoid over-spending on snacks is to follow (at least in part) these rules:
1. Buy in bulk anything you can’t or don’t have time to make yourself.
2. Make/Bake as many different snacks as you can/want/need for the trip.
3. Shop “deals” the weeks leading up – if you have to buy your favourite brand of cookies, chips, etc., watch the local flyers for deals and buy them at a savings.
4. Stock up on fresh produce the day before your trip, clean and pack it according to the food preparation info in Survival Tip #1.
5. Gas Stations and Rest Stops are ONLY for refueling the vehicle and bathroom breaks!
6. Make sure your snacks are within arms reach. The perfect little container of grapes & carrot sticks will do you no good if it is in the trunk while you are cruising down a major highway and your preschooler is having a low-sugar meltdown.
7. Mix it up- literally. Make up a few snack bags for young children with healthy snacks like plain cheerios, granola, dried fruit combined then toss in a few smarties to make a fun trail mix. Much healthier than handing over the whole box of smarties!
I think everyone is always looking for new snack ideas for their kids, whether at home or on the road. What are a few of your favourites? Head on over and “like” Mudpies & Melodies on Facebook – we would love to hear them!
Read about Survival Tip #1: Camping
Read about Survival Tip #3: The Road Trip
Read about Survival Tip #4: Flying
We always go to the bulk barn and the boys pick out what dried fruit they would like, along with their pick on some type of nuts, usually almonds or peanuts and one type of treat, either smarties or skittles. Then I keep everything separate in the original bags until time make up the ‘mommy mix’. I bring along the take and toss cups and mix up everything as needed in the vehicle.
Great idea! They must love choosing their own snacks. Using the take and toss cups would work perfectly! I am adding those to my list for our next trip. Thanks Lindsay!