Holiday Travel Tips: Healthy On-the-go Snack Ideas from 3 Mom Food Bloggers
Will you be traveling to see relatives over the Holidays? The gluttony doesn’t have to start right out of the door. In her previous post, My Road-Trip Resolution, ZisBoomBah contributor Kristina Doss writes about how to avoid arriving at your destination feeling sluggish by planning ahead for a healthy picnic and a pitstop with physical activity. In today’s follow-up post, Kristina shares family picnic ideas from three other mom bloggers so we can all enjoy healthier, happier travels this season.
Mom food blogger Amy Roskelley's idea of a healthy, kid-friendly lunch picnic look delicious. Photo: Amy Roskelley
I packed a picnic lunch for a recent road trip to Southern California. But, my daughter and I only got to eat grapes, cheese and crackers after birds flew off with the turkey sandwiches. I realized then that next time I go on a picnic, I should pack more healthy options just in case birds and hunger pangs strike again! Perhaps I’ll load my picnic basket up with edamame, skewers of strawberries and cheddar cheese, and skewers of grape tomatoes, basil and mozzarella balls. What would you pack? If you need more ideas, three moms who blog about eating and living healthy lifestyles agreed to share with ZisBoomBah readers the healthy foods that would make it into their picnic baskets.
Amy Roskelley, who is married with three children, has a degree in Health education and launched the blog Super Healthy Kids in 2007 to document the healthy foods her kids were willing to eat. Since then, Roskelley said her kids “have really come around! Now, they’ll eat more of what I offer, with less complaining.” If her family went on a picnic, Roskelley said she would make sure half of their meal consisted of fruits and vegetables. A fruit salad made with watermelon, berries and peaches would make the list, as well as vegetables that are easy to carry like carrots, broccoli, red peppers and cucumbers. Her family also loves whole grains like bagels or tortillas because they don’t get mashed easily during transportation. And, she would pack a protein source like a handful of nuts, peanut butter, rolled up lunch meat or string cheese.
Brenda Thompson is a married stay-at-home mom to two elementary aged children. Brenda also created Meal Planning Magic, a blog where she chronicles her journey planning healthy meals on a budget for her family. Brenda says the opportunity for going on a picnic comes up often since she lives in Texas. Like Roskelley, she would also pack fruits and vegetables. But, she would also bring hummus or homemade salsa to dip the vegetables in. Pasta salads, which are easy to make ahead of time and take on the road, are another family favorite. Each family member also gets to make their own wraps with whole-wheat tortillas and their choice of vegetables, meat and cheese. For a sweet but healthier treat at the end of the meal, she would bring homemade granola bars. Sometimes, though, they like to switch things up by bringing in Asian flavors. “When we’re feeling like something different one of our favorites is to bring Vietnamese sandwiches,” Brenda said. “My whole family loves them and they are so yummy filled with fresh veggies and herbs.”
Tiffany Seale, an Army spouse, recently left her career in the Air Force to raise her two kids. She also promotes healthy and eco-friendly lifestyles for families at Aurora Babies. Her ideal picnic meal starts with a trip to a store in Alaska called HomeGrown Market, which sells locally grown, raised and freshly made food. According to Seale, she would make sandwiches made with local homemade sourdough bread, turkey, provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato. She would also pack kiwis and watermelon. For dessert, organic ginger snaps. And her family would chase everything down with a drink of cranberry/apricot nectar. “I love that I am teaching my girls to choose healthier options,” Seale said.
