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I love a road trip, going to new places and just getting out of the day to day is so energizing but if you don’t have food packed – you’ll have to rely on what you find along the way! While you can stop at the grocery store or even a sit down restaurant for healthier options, it’s just not that time or money friendly especially when traveling with your family. That leaves gas station grabs or fast food as options and if you’re like me, you want to eat healthier while eliminating endless stops for food that isn’t as healthy or budget friendly as packing yourself can be! Here are my favorite, super simple to prep and pack travel food ideas that will keep you feeling full and fueled for the day!
Travel Food Inspo
When traveling for vacation, camping or just a long day trip to the beach you are going to want food that is portable, low maintenance, convenient and low cost. Anything other then that just makes it more stressful to manage. So this list of food is travel friendly, requires little prep work or minimal, doesn’t require a lot of fuss and is vehicle friendly – for the most part! It’s also high in protein and low in added sugars so you can fuel up, stay energized and feel great while on the go!
No Prep Work
Tuna Pouches
These make such an easy portable protein, literally low maintentce and coming in around 17g per pouch you can get your protein in so simply. Bring some pre-sliced cherry tomatoes and add them to the pouch for a little extra crunch and flavor. These also come in so handy as a quick protein option to add to salads! You can buy them in bulk at Sam’s Club, Costco or order a case online.
Salad Kits
Oh, these are SO simple and I think we totally forget about them. They’re already pre-packaged and they come in so many varieties. All you need is a small cooler and you’re good to go! If you’re like me, you don’t mind eating out of the bag BUT for a bit more enjoyable meal, pack a bowl. These are really cool bowls for traveling – You’ll find the salad kits in the produce section, my favorites are the Taylor Farms Sweet Kale. Add a tuna pouch on and you’ve got an excellent high protein and clean meal to go!
Portable Dip Cups
Hummus, Guacamole or even a cheese dip make great travel companions. Bring along some cucumbers, carrots and celery or your favorite whole grain crackers to pair with. Buy in bulk for easiness or you can save a few bucks and make your own packs. These containers work well for dips and spreads. The downside is then you have the extra containers to worry about which can be a pain for things other than day trips.
Greek Yogurt Cups
This is the one time I say buy the yogurt with fruit in it! These are really tasty but also filling with the high protein from the yogurt and fiber that leaves you satisfied. My favorites are chobani as it’s a cleaner brand and I love adding a scoop of peanut butter to them! It’s boosts the protein and makes it more of a complete mini meal in portable cup.
Snack Bars
I think it goes without saying, these are super convenient, portable and with the right brand relatively nutritious! You’ll want to choose packaged snack / protein bars that they are filling without the sugar overload. A lot of packaged protein / snack bars sound like a good idea but are just mostly sugar when you break them down or made with too many additives that you’d be better off skipping them all together. Look for bars with minimal ingredients and little to no added sugars that have at least 3g of fiber and protein. My favorite easy to find brands are;
Light Prep Work
Wraps
These are a staple meal for all things travel plus convenience! We take them on boat trips, to baseball games, days at the beach or car trips for one less meal to stop for! You can make a lot at once and keep them as simple as meat and cheese or as fancy as buffalo or apple chicken loaded! It’s really endless as to what you can do with them!
Bento Boxes
Make a large tupperware container up or small individual trays of meats, cheeses, veggies, fruits crackers, energy bites, pinwheels or small sandwiches. I like doing them both ways but larger trays are easier because you only have the one container and then you can munch out of it for the duration. Here is a list of bento box meals that you can mix and match to make your own!
Shredded Chicken Dips
My absolute favorite travel foods are Buffalo Chicken Dip and Apple Chicken. They are both so easy to make with minimal prep work, from cooking the chicken in the crockpot to adding a few other ingredients. They’re both high in protein with no added sugars so you won’t have the surgery craving all day. The apple chicken is sweet and crunchy and makes a great filling for wraps but I usually eat as is without the fuss and just make a big container since I’m the only one in my family that really likes it. And if you’re needing portable food without the fuss you can toss it inside a burrito or lettuce shell and roll it up. Make a bunch and put them in a tupperware container with ice to keep cold for the day. The dip is a crowd favorite, you can premake it to munch on while traveling or make it fresh when you get to your stay-cation.
Energy Bites
Pb Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Lemon Turmeric or Vanilla Matcha they’re are so good and simple! Have a batch of high protein balls for the trip will satisfy your sweet tooth craving and also keep you full and on track! They’re the perfect in-between meal snack. So even if you’ don’t want to bring a ton of food especially meals having small healthy snacks like energy bites on hand is great for hiking, boating or just something to munch on in the car and they really don’t require a lot of fuss. They are also great because you can make a ton weeks ahead of time and freeze them so ahead so it’s one less thing to worry about before the trip!
Trail Mix
If you’ve been around for bit then I am sure you have heard me mention trail mix. I love trail mix, sweeet, salty, crunchy, gooey it’s literally all the things. Plus it’s packed with protein, healthy fats and fiber! Like all foods out there, some are just loaded with sugar and additives but you can definitely find some with a lot less, clean label brands or if you have the time you can make your own! There are so many options to making your too! My favorite place to buy trail mix and nut blends is Target actually, they have so many healthy snack options from chocolate covered almonds to fruit and nut blends.
Rollups
These high protein easy snacks are perfect for the family or just you! Customize them by switching up the meats and veggies. I use clean label lunch meat without Nitrates, Nitrites or artificial ingredients. Sam’s Club has a delicious buffalo chicken variety that I’ll grab for these. Top with Neufchatel cream cheese to cut calories and stuff with a freshly sliced cucumber for a crunch! You can make a ton of these rollups in a just a few minutes and my family loves them. I like these for travel food because they’re real food ingredients and high protein snack option that isn’t loaded with refined sugars.
I put together a printable guide with some of my best recipes and stay-cation food ideas! Grab is here free!