Our Five Ring Circus: The Best Road Trip Snacks (and storage tips) for Families

Thursday, August 11, 2016

The Best Road Trip Snacks (and storage tips) for Families

The Best Road Trip Snacks For Families


We are officially one week away from our beach vacation! I absolutely can't wait, but we do have to make it through a 7-8 hour road trip with four kids first. That sounds like a nightmare to many people, but it isn't so bad. The reward at the end of the road trip is well worth it!


Let me start by saying that all four of our kids do really well on road trips. There's the occasional glitch, but everyone stays fairly content during the drive. In order to achieve that happiness, it takes hours of preparation on my part! I make a list and check it a million times, gather up all the snacks and supplies and stock up the SUV. Always be prepared for anything is my mom motto!

Most parents dread that infamous question "Are we there yet?" But for me, I dread hearing "I'm hungry!"  The hunger is nonstop! I truly feel like they eat out of boredom. My husband is one of those people who likes to get in the car and drive as far as possible before stopping. We don't often stop to eat or buy food at a rest stop so we need to be fully prepared with LOTS of snacks!

We just got a new car a week ago, so messy snacks will not be allowed on this road trip. I had to get creative when I made my list of approved road trip snacks! I mostly stuck with some old favorites from previous road trips, but added some new items as well.

Here are the best (mess-free) road trip snacks for my family:

  • Fresh Fruit
  • Crackers (goldfish, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, wheat thins)
  • String Cheese
  • Fruit Puree Pouches
  • Larabar Fruit & Nut Bars and Larabar Bites
  • Fruit Snacks
  • Dry Cereal
  • Pretzels
  • Puffcorn
  • Chips
  • Marshmallows

Here are my favorite tips for road trip snack and drink storage:


*We keep a small cooler behind the driver's seat and fill it with drinks and ice packs. When we get to the beach, we place the ice packs in the freezer. We take the cooler down to the beach each day and use those ice packs to keep everything cold!

*Prior to leaving, I assemble a snack kit for each of my kids, like the one shown in the first picture. Bento boxes work perfectly for this! I put items that need to be refrigerated in the snack kit (like string cheese) then store the snack kits in the cooler.

*Each family member has a reusable water bottle filled with water next to their seat. I put a sippy cup strap on Liam's cup and attach it to the door handle so I don't have to constantly retrieve his cup!

*Each kid also has a small tackle box filled with tiny snacks. When they get hungry again, I pass these snack kits back to them.

*We usually stop for one fast food meal each way. I bought small caddies from the dollar store for each kid. I place their drink, meal and napkins into the caddie and pass it back to the kids when it's time to eat.

*Hang a plastic shopping bag on next to each seat for easy clean up!

*I keep a stash of lollipops in a compartment in my SUV at all times. Desperate times call for desperate measures and that measure comes in the form of lollipops!

*Hide a collection of their most favorite candy up front with you and pass it out if the kids are being really good. Works like a charm! (Bonus points for bringing your own stash, too.)

Having a great stash of easy, healthy snacks for your road trip is key to your survival!

That's why I included Larabar! I chose Larabar because they are a healthy option for my entire family! Larabar believes that food is best in a whole, natural state and that everybody deserves to eat good food. These products are made with just a few simple ingredients that you can recognize. Larabar is gluten free, vegan, dairy free, kosher AND non-GMO. The products are made from real food and contain 6 ingredients or less. When I give Larabar Fruit & Nut bars or Larabar Bites to my family, I know EXACTLY what I'm giving them.

Road Trip Snacks

I'm also a fan of Larabar because their products don't crumble as you eat them. Any snack with minimal preparation and mess is a win in my book! Larabar Fruit & Nut bars and Larabar Bites are perfect snack foods for our road trip ahead!

Healthy Snacks

Plus, let's talk about flavor! Larabar Chocolate Macaroon Bites are fruit, nut & chocolate bites made from dates, almonds, coconut, fair trade chocolate chips. The dusting of coconut flour just adds to their delicious taste! My (almost) 3 year old loves them!

Larabar Bites

The Fruit & Nut Bars come in 3 great flavors: Cashew Cookie, Peanut Butter Cookie and Apple Pie. Everybody in my family loves them. My personal favorite is Peanut Butter Cookie!

Larabar Fruit & Nut Bars

These are just a few of the flavors available from Larabar! Larabar offers over 19 flavors. Although I'm choosing Larabar for our upcoming road trip, Larabar products are perfect for a busy life on the go. I can easily toss a Larabar Fruit & Nut bar into my purse and eat it while I'm taxiing my kids around! I don't often get to eat before we leave the house, so choosing Larabar saves me time and is a healthy choice when I need to refuel.

Larabar

I prefer to shop for everything I need in one store, so I headed to our local Sam's Club to stock up on road trip snacks! As always, I found everything I needed (and more) at Sam's Club, included Larabar Fruit & Nut Bars and Larabar Bites. (I swear, the pajamas and wireless mouse just jumped into my cart! Can't beat their prices!)

Larabar at Sam's Club

Visit the Larabar website to learn more about the background behind these products. Make sure you also share your simple foods on Instagram with #Larabar for a chance to be featured!


What are your favorite road trip snacks? Have you ever tried Larabar?

Road Trip Tips

Thank you to Sam's Club and Larabar for sponsoring today's post and helping my family get ready for our upcoming road trip!

Road Trip Ideas for Kids

10 comments:

  1. I agree with all of these! And now I want a larabar!

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  2. these tips are spot on! I just book marked this for our next road trip! xo

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  3. We're going to be road tripping soon, so I totally need this post! Great tips!

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  4. We are traveling north soon and these will be great!

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  5. I'm going to have to try larabar! Sound and looks good

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  6. Great snacks ideas! I'm the same way as your hubby, I like to drive as far as possible before having to stop. Somebody usually says they have to pee or are hungry at the beginning of any trip (ahem, my husband) LOL! Congrats on the new car, too! Woo-hoo!

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  7. Love this list of snacks! MARSHMALLOWS - genius...that's definitely going to become my car bribe. And I didn't know they had Larabites ::goes to Sam's immediately::

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  8. Love these tips! Our trip is 12+ hours away so I am going to need them :P.

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  9. The only way to keep my girls attention is with food! Got it from their mama ;) Love all your snacks and may have to try that lollipop trick!

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  10. This is such a great idea. We're about to go on a four hour trip, but you're right...it doesn't make sense to stop constantly for food. We will definitely be packing a cooler for the ride down with some healthy snacks. I also like the idea of bringing a reusable water bottle--this is smart!

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