Before I left for Colorado, I had a grand plan of making up a whole bunch of salads and snacks for the road because when I travel, I love to eat. Yet, thanks to the horrendous allergy season that seems to be happening in the state of Illinois this summer, I got sick, again. So instead of making delicious treats for the road the day before leaving, I was sitting in the heath center, again. Luckily I am now armed and dangerous with allergy medicine, inhalers, and antibiotics- nothing can take me down (I’m sure this would be the drugs talking….)
So, instead of sharing recipes, I thought it would be nice to share some quick and easy ideas that you can pick up at the grocery store for your cooler to save both time and labor.
On the way out to Colorado, we happen to come with in a mile of the only Whole Foods along the way. I ran in and with in 20 minutes managed to haul out a bunch of healthy snacks that are great cooler packing ideas. While I went ahead and bought the pre-prepped foods, these are all items that would be super simple to make at home.
Hummus and Veggies: This makes a great low-calorie, high protein snack.
Olives: For some reason whenever I travel, I start to crave salty foods. I blame this on my childhood that whenever we traveled, we always had chips I would munch on. So instead, I choose olives (they are just a wee bit healthier than potato chips, right?)
Fruit: I find myself grabbing for food a lot when I’m in the car, especially when I’m not driving (the quintessential boredom eating.) I love to have fruit around because it has just the right amount of sweetness that keeps me from reaching for sugary snacks. With it being berry season- I naturally reached for those this time.
Nuts: Although high calorie, nuts make for a great protein snack. I will talk more about this later on in the week when I do a post on food and hiking.
Yogurt: What can I say? I love yogurt any time of the day and makes a satisfying snack or even a light meal. Plus, whole foods had Greek yogurt on sale and I couldn’t resist.
Cheese: I love cheese and always have cheese on hand. That’s my justification and I’m sticking to it.
As for drinks, I always stick to tea, coffee, and water. Whenever I travel, I get the urge to drink soda (even though in my regular days, soda is rare.) If I want something carbonated, I buy sparkling water and mix that with a little juice. Again, staying away from excess sugar.
I use to feel gross every time I traveled before just because all I would do is eat sugary treats and fast food. By packing healthy snacks and even some light meals, you can keep yourself refreshed and energized for however long of a drive you have!
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