Easy and Affordable Road Trip Snacks

March 2020

Time to hit the road! Elaine presents some easy and affordable road trip snacks on CTV Morning Live Vancouver with Krissy Vann.

Click below to watch the video, or read on and check out the recipes!

Well, if you’re hitting the road this Spring Break, you want to make sure you have pack some snacks. Krissy Vann is in Burnaby for us this morning with some healthy ideas to keep us well fed and happy on the road. Good morning, Krissy.

Good morning. Well, I couldn’t think of a better person to help us get ready for the road than a mom of three. Founder of Easy Daysies. You, Elaine have curated some snacks and hacks, but before we dive in to get road trip ready, there’s some things we need to consider before hitting the road.

Sunshine Smoothie

2 cups orange juice
1 Whole Banana
2 cups frozen strawberries/mangos
2 tablespoons of local honey (this is a good one to help your child build up immunity to allergens from local pollen)
300 gram block of soft tofu

Contains about 4.5 grams of protein and 4.3 grams of fibre!

Absolutely. I think that every parent who’s planning a road trip needs to ask some real questions. Like where are we going? So are we going to be driving across the borders? So then we can’t be packing fruit and vegetables and raw meat. So you want to think ahead and then you’re asking yourself who, who are we bringing? Is my niece coming? Is she allergic to things, is she gluten-free? So you’re planning really ahead of time so that you are packing the right things and no one is starving in the car and they get grumpy when they are starving. And that’s the last thing we want. Yes. And then you’re asking what time are we leaving? So lots of great questions, right? Are we eating breakfast at home or are we going to eat on the road? And there’s some great things I’d like to show you right now if that’s okay. Yeah, you put together so many great items.

Let’s start with the smoothies. So we have some busy kids in my house and they love smoothies. So we call this the Sunshine Smoothie and it’s so easy to make it’s just two cups of orange juice, a whole banana, two cups of frozen strawberries and tofu. And actually yes, please do try it. It’s delicious. And actually each cup has 4.5 grams of protein and 4.3 grams of fiber. So you’re really, and lots of vitamins and nutrients and minerals. So that’s a quick and easy one.

You’ve got some easy travel ones here. So now we love cup holders in the cups and why not make use of them. So if you’re having breakfast on the go, here’s something your kids can help with and make the night before and it’s a little yogurt parfait. And notice how my kids have wrapped the granola separately so they don’t get all soggy. And then you could just rip it open, pour it in, and you have breakfast on the go. Another cup holder snack. Yes. Now who doesn’t love veggies and dip? Well usually kids don’t think they do until they’re eating it. So here it’s handy and you know what? When they are holding it, it will be empty because they have nothing else to do and they’re going to eat it all.

Energy Balls

Modified version (from a volleyball team mom)

Great for some extra protein in a little yummy peanut butter ball!

Three Step Instruction:

Gather all the ingredients below and mix them well in a bowl.
Time to get messy! But it is worth it! Now grab a tablespoon full and roll into a ball. Place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat until there is no more mixture.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes! And enjoy!

Only 6 Ingredients:

1 cup oats
2/3 cups unsweetened coconut shreds
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup unsweetened, natural peanut butter
1/3 cup local honey
1/3 cup hemp hearts (adds Omega 3s and 6s!)

Well we’ve got about a minute left here. So you have a couple of other snacks to showcase. Yes. So there is some, I have these, these are a friend of mine’s. It’s a local company called GoGo Bags. And instead of using Ziploc bags, let’s use reusable bags. And you can make your own trail mix. And I call it travel mix.

Now, here’s some hacks, some quick hacks. There’s some great containers. This was a friend of mine who does this for her little six year old, and it gives a variety. Now these are power balls. Now they are full of energy. Now what I have put into these Rice Krispie balls is hemp hearts. Oh, and it’s such an easy snack and it’s not gonna make a mess.

Speaking of not making a mess, you’ve revitalized the ice container. Yeah, so make your own lunchable. Why not, right? And then you can control what goes in it and how healthy it should be. But my favorite is this one here. Now all it is is just a veggie strainer so that it can drip into the sink. But you know, I have little kids too, and when you buy that french fries and hamburgers and it falls off their little lap, but now it’ll stay contained and it’s great for toys too. Thank you so much for sharing these great hacks. We’re going to have so much more to cover to get you a road trip ready, Jason, Kerry. Strainer as a way to keep your food contained on your lap. Here’s my snack tip. Can I give you a snack tip? Sure. You take a bread, peanut butter and a banana, and it’s a banana dog. My kids love it. Mr. Rogers, I learned that from Mr. Rogers, peanut butter and banana on, piece of bread. Did he call it a banana dog? You can’t go wrong. Classic combo.

Rice Krispie Chocolate Chip Protein Balls

An easy way to make a yummy treat full of omega 3s and omega 6s, protein, and fiber! Easy on the tummy too when travelling.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Hemp Hearts
3 tablespoons salted butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
4 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
½ cup sprinkles if you wish for rolling the balls in afterwards

Instructions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and set it aside.
Over low heat melt the butter in a large pot. Add in the mini marshmallows and stir frequently with a buttered spatula (to avoid sticking), until the marshmallows are melted. Remove from the heat as soon as it is melted and smooth.
Stir in rice Krispies cereal and hemp hearts. Allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
To keep the rice krispie mixture from sticking to your hands, lightly grease your hands and form 1 tablespoon-sized balls. I like to put a surprise chocolate chunk or chocolate kiss hidden inside.
Immediately roll each ball into the sprinkles or shredded coconut. Place each ball a centimetre apart on the lined baking sheet. Let them cool and enjoy!
Packs well for two days but best eaten on the day you made them! Perfect for the road trip the next morning!