I am so excited to be back on WCCB Rising this morning! I’ve missed the crew and am pretty pumped to have an excuse to put on something other than yoga pants.  Totally serious.

With summer in full swing, family road trips are a fun way to get away for a weekend. Luckily with today’s DVD players, tablets and plethora of car-safe toys (color wonder is awesome stuff), road trips are relatively painless for young ones.

Insert back in my day story here.

Still, despite the many forms of entertainment, snacks still reign supreme.

Though it feels like I am already packing enough stuff for an army whenever we leave town, it’s always worth the extra time it takes to prep some snacks for the road because no matter how full everyone insists they are before we leave the house, someone is always starving once we’re 30 minutes into the trip.

So let’s get right to it. Here are some of our healthy family favorites!

Fruits. Not mind-blowingly unique, I’ll admit, but their staples for a reason. Sweet, juicy and easy for all ages to gobble up. I like fully prepping the fruit and sticking them in containers where they won’t get smushed. As tempting as it is to just toss in a quart of strawberries to the cooler, you don’t want those little green tops covered in strawberry juice being flung around the car. Trust me on this one.

Good ones to try: strawberries, pineapple, sliced apples (tossed with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning), grapes

Customized Road Trip Mix. I’ve noticed Hailey really likes having a hand in prepping snacks, especially if she can doctor it up how she likes. We love hitting up the bulk bins to buy a variety of nuts, seeds, dried fruit and whatever else strikes our fancy, and then let each person create their own road trip mix. Use small ziplocks or tupperwares and label them by name for easy access during the drive.

Mix ins to try: Walnuts, shelled pistachios, almonds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, raisins, craisins, candy coated chocolate, pretzel sticks, granola

Vegetables (with or without dippers): Easy to grab and eat without much mess, veggies make great car snacks! Again, I wash and cut up the veggies so they’re ready to go. If you’re kids are more coordinated than mine (Ok, or maybe just older than 3), grabbing some individual dips can make this an even more satisfying snack.

Good ones to try: Peppers, cucumbers, baby carrots, snap peas, celery and as for dips, guacamole, hummus or peanut butter

Satiating Options: I always think it’s great to have a lot of light snacking options, but sometimes you need something that is a little more filling and offer some protein and healthy fat as well.

Family favorites: cheese sticks, olives, homemade laraballs

Prepackaged Options: Let’s be honest, I don’t always have the time or energy to prep a whole cooler of food, so if I’m looking for shortcuts, there are some really wonderful prepackaged options.

Such as: Individually packaged nut butters, fruit leathers, crackers or rice cakes, Larabars and applesauce pouches

And don’t forget to stay hydrated!

I absolutely love these glass water bottles for the girls and definitely drink my fair share of water too, but I always like to toss in a sparkling water to mix things up. Lime and grapefruit La Croix are my favorites- so refreshing!

Yes, downing water might call for an extra potty break or two, but it will be worth it not to arrive dehydrated and cranky at your destination. Plus, taking a break every few hours to stretch your legs is a good thing, especially if you can google a playground on your way and surprise the kids. Oh! And don’t forget to pack baby wipes, paper towels and plastic bags for tossing garbage into. It always feels like a more successful trip if my car isn’t completely trashed by the time we arrive.

Happy weekend everyone!

Do you prep snacks for road trips?

What are your favorite go-to options?

Planning a trip to anywhere fun this summer?!