Snacking in the Back Seat

Snacking in the back seat

It often seems you’ve barely hit the road when the questions start: How much further? Can we stop soon? When are we gonna eat?

A family road trip can be both fun and stressful. Diversion is the trick for keeping peace in the car and making time pass pleasantly, and one of the best diversions is a bag of snacks. The following ideas are particularly good for car travel, but can also hold true for trips by plane, boat, train, bus, or any time food and drink may not be readily available for kids.

Instead of a car load of junk food, pack a combination of fun and healthy snacks that are satisfying, not too filling, and most importantly not too messy. Nothing’s worse than tired, sticky kids sitting in spilled drinks and crumbs.

On the healthy side, fresh fruits such as apples and pears are easier to eat in the car than a juicy peach, orange, or overripe banana that leaves you with a peel. Dried fruits such as raisins, apples, and apricots are natural munchies. Roasted nuts and individually wrapped packets of string cheese are convenient and can complement the fruit. In the vegetable category, don’t forget celery sticks and baby carrots which are available in pre-cut, snack-size packets.

Throw in a few real treats, too. Hard candies, gum, gummy bears, cookies, and animal crackers are on the “A” list since they aren’t too messy. Satisfy salt cravings with a bag of pretzels, which result in far less mess than popcorn. And be careful with chocolate. It melts quickly in a hot car, not to mention on small hands and faces.

Whatever you choose, get the kids involved in the snack planning, shopping, and packing. Give each his or her own bag to pack for the trip, letting them select a few favorite special treats for the journey.

Also pack a cooler for drinks and items that require cooler temperatures. Freeze bottled water for instant ice packs; as the ice melts, everyone can enjoy the icy cold water. Save the sodas for meal-time stops. Juice boxes are convenient and popular kid-pleasers, but are also notorious spillers. One squeeze and the juice is splattered all over the seat and clothes.

No matter how well you’ve planned, eating and drinking in the car means the inevitable clean-up, so be sure to pack a roll of paper towels, a few plastic garbage bags, and plenty of wet-naps. Then buckle up, enjoy the ride, and pass the gummy bears. You’re almost there.

Mindy Merrell is a Nashville, Tenn.-based food writer and cookbook author.

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