DISCLAIMER:  This is a pre-scheduled post since I’m away & prepping for the wedding   Feel free to leave comments but I will not get to review them for 2+ weeks!

When going on vacation, besides packing clothes, I always think about what kind of “emergency” snacks to bring, especially if it’s a new vacation spot. If the trip involves a long drive (my trip today will be 2 – 2.5 hours depending on traffic), I like to bring snacks for the car ride to eat in between meals…

• Breakfast:
  • Usually, most trips we take start out early so I will often pack breakfast to-go so I can munch in the car, which helps the drive not seem so long too! One of my favorite on the go meals is a banana sliced in half with peanut butter in the middle (sandwich form) and a cup full of cereal (I like Kashi Heart to Heart OR Kashi Mighty Bites for munching)… I’ve also done the cereal + yogurt thing in the car, but that sometimes can be a mess… and what do you do with your empty yogurt cup & spoon when you are done with it, if a trash can is not in sight until you reach your destination?! Another good idea, which I have not yet tried, is bringing a hard-boiled egg for the road…On the other hand, if we aren’t leaving right away in the morning, then I will have my normal bowl of oats, fruit, flax, and some form of protein (usually nuts or peanut butter on the spoon) – shocking, right?!
• Mini Meals:
  • If you’re traveling while on the road and need a substantial snack to get you through lunch time, I often like to pack a Clif Bar or a Balance Bar and a piece of fruit… Another good option, if you have time to pack a lunch ahead of time is of course the very obvious peanut butter & jelly on wheat bread with an apple… I also like to pre-pop a 100 calorie bag of popcorn OR bring some goldfish in a bag with me for a well-rounded lunch that will keep me energized…
• Fast Food Meals
  • If you need to stop along the way for a meal, I often like scoping out Subway since they have healthy options (turkey on wheat w/ mustard & veggies, etc) or even a Chick-Fil-A (grilled chicken sandwich on wheat w/ side salad or fruit cup)…
• Snack/Meal Bars
  • I am obsessed with finding delicious, filling & portable snacks, which you may realize that after reading my blog! Since I work in an office and am often jumping from meeting to meeting, I depend heavily on “healthy” bars as snacks in between meals… Like many of you, I try to steer clear of empty calories, trans fats, and of course the dreaded HFCS, so here is a list of some of my favorite “bars”:
    • Larabars (Cashew Cookie, Banana Cookie, Apple Pie, Cinnamon Roll, Pecan Pie – all my faves!)
    • Clif Nectar bars
    • Clif Z Bars (only flavors in my area are Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Brownie, but lucky for me I love them all!)
    • Clif full-sized bars (love the PB, Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Chocolate Chip, PB/Chocolate Chip, and many more!)
    • Kashi TLC Crunchy (I love them all, but especially the Pumpkin Spice Flax)
    • Kashi TLC Ripe Strawberry Cereal Bar (reminds me of a Nutri-grain bar w/o the HFCS!)
    • Pure Protein Bar (only flavor I’ve had is the S’mores and I’m hooked)
    • Nature Valley Peanut Butter Granola Bars (prefer Kashi Crunchy, but the nutritionals are similar)

And just as a reference, here’s just a sampling of what I packed with us for Cape May…

I hope that you found my little “tips” interesting & helpful ~ Happy Travels!