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It can be challenging to try and eat healthy during a road trip. Perhaps some of my most mindless snacking happens during endless hours on the highway. The biggest struggle I face is being ill-prepared, which typically results in grabbing chips and candy at the gas station along our route.
If you’ve seen my posts on Thanksgiving swaps or healthy dinner recipes, you know I’m a fan of trying to keep things as clean as possible. With that in mind, I try to resort to real foods over anything packaged when I can. And all too often, I’ve been limited to the packaged foods available in gas stations and rest stop vending machines. Taking the time to prep and pack these healthy road trip snacks lets me rest assured that I have options that will give me the energy I need to arrive at my destination refreshed, not worn down.
How I Prep Healthy Snacks for a Road Trip
One of my favorite things about road trips, as opposed to flying, is that it gives you a lot more flexibility regarding the food you can pack. The ability to take a cooler and utensils while not being limited on space is a game-changer. The below are my favorite options for quick, easy, healthy snacks for a road trip to help you survive any long ride.
Veggies and hummus
Fresh vegetables and hummus make a fantastic healthy and filling snack. With a cooler in tow, we can be sure that any veggies cut up the night before will stay fresh the whole ride. I also found these great individually-wrapped hummus containers at Costco which are perfect for on the go snacking!
Nuts and seeds
I am a huge fan of protein-packed nuts like almonds and cashews, as well as sunflower seeds. These are easy to segment by serving into smaller containers to avoid overeating. The high-calorie content of nuts and seeds makes that very easy to do.
Hard-boiled eggs
I do my best to avoid leaving food in the fridge when we’re going out of town. Making hard-boiled eggs the night before you leave is a great way to use up the rest of your carton. They also make a great snack. I am sure to peel them before we leave to avoid the messiness in the car.
Bananas, apples, and other whole fruit
Fruit is a natural, healthy option for road trips. Bananas, apples, strawberries, and blueberries are all easy to prep and bring for travel. If you want to spice it up, bring along a single-serve packet of almond or peanut butter. My favorite is Justin’s vanilla almond butter*. It tastes fantastic when paired with a granny smith apple.
Avocados
I love the flavor and texture of avocado. I could eat this as a snack by itself, but it’s ten times better with a little hot sauce. It’s best to open the avocado at a rest stop if you’re using a knife or consider grabbing a sweet avocado tool* like we use to avoid stabbing ourselves.
Roasted Chickpeas
These are so easy to make and a delicious, healthy snack for the road! I make these spicy chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a hint of cayenne to spice things up. But they are delicious with just salt and pepper as well.
Bars
Packaged bars are a great option when convenience is of utmost importance. The bars you bring from home will likely be healthier than what you find at the average gas station. My favorites are RX bars*. These bars are gluten and dairy-free and packed with simple, wholesome ingredients.
With these snacks packed up and ready to go, I feel confident that I won’t choose an unsavory option during a pit stop. But if I do happen to have a craving for Cape Cod chips, so be it. Eating, as in life, is not always going to be perfect. Remember that as important as it is to be healthy, you’ve also got to enjoy the ride.
Do you have a go-to healthy road trip snack that you have to bring on any long car ride? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
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