We leave tomorrow for our official summer vacation: a weeklong road trip to Montana to visit my brother and his awesome gal, as well as their new home in the hills of Missoula. There’s the rodeo and new farmer’s markets, floats on the river, and lots of hikes ahead of us. Personally, I can’t wait to make friends with their flock of chickens!
I can’t say how much blogging I’ll get done next week, but I’ll surely be posting pictures and snippets of our adventures – which include a side step to Glacier National Park – on Twitter and Facebook. I’d love for you to follow along!
In the meantime, don’t you just love a good road trip?
It’s a 13-hour drive from our place to theirs. Lots of time for happy tunes, scenic views and mind wandering thoughts. That is of course when one of us isn’t in the back seat trying to occupy K-Bear. I’ve got a bag of tricks ready to go, but what I haven’t added to it yet is snacks.
Snacks are essential for road trips. You have to eat, and frankly, it gives you something to do every few hours. But stopping at convenience stores for sugary and chemical-laden food and drinks is a definite no-no. Because we don’t eat like that normally, it leaves our guts in bad shape. Nothing is worse than sitting for hours in a car feeling full and bloated, while dealing with a toddler’s sugar high as they are confined to a carseat.
Therefore, a cooler of healthy snacks is the first thing to go in our car. Whether we munch on the go or pull over to stretch our legs and let a certain sassy red-head run like the Wyoming wind, I make sure we’ve got healthy choices.
Snacks to Go
- Fresh fruit, including blueberries, cubed honeydew melon, and sliced watermelon
- Dried fruit, including organic figs and raisins
- String cheese
- Pita chips, baby carrots and hummus
- Homemade granola
- Homemade zucchini bread with chocolate chips (for those sweet cravings!)
- Whole-wheat tortilla and almond butter roll-ups
- Reusable bottles of ice water
- Seltzer water with sides of fresh lemon
When you Have to Stop
It’s inevitable that we’ll have to stop for a meal or two, but you won’t find us hitting any fast-food joints along our journey, unless we happen upon a Chipotle, which I love for bringing environmentally conscious practices to a large national chain. They use natural meats and hormone-free chicken, as well as organic beans and biodegradable tableware. If you haven’t yet viewed their short video, Back to the Start, it’s one of my favorites.
One of my greatest recent finds is VeggieHeaven, an online guide to vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants worldwide. It’s easy to search by country, state or city for places to find healthy food; I was super-stoked to find veggie eats in both Wyoming and Montana, including Missoula. Otherwise, it’s inevitable that the healthiest, most veggie-friendly plate I can find in small towns dotting the never-ending roads of the wild west is, you guessed it, a grilled cheese. So this site provides some bright spots for sure, even if it’s just a local food co-op which is sure to have delicious pre-made wraps, salads and soups.
See you on the open road!
Have you taken a road trip this summer? What’s your favorite, healthy, must-have snack to go?
Bet it’s going to be a beautiful ride
Enjoy and have a safe trip!!!
Good call on the zucchini bread! I always forget to bring dessert-like things–I know I need a little sweet in my day, and Starbucks brownies start to look awfully appealing…We haven’t spent this much time in the car, but I did start bringing apples and other shelf-stable fruits–or buying them as soon as we find a grocery store–to keep in the hotel room for inevitable late-night snacks or a low-cost breakfast. Having a bag of low fat popcorn has also saved us many a trip to the vending machine.
Have fun! Wish I was there too. Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Have a great time Kimmie! Can’t wait to hear about your travels!