TRAVEL SNACKS for Road Trips | easy, healthy,on-the-go ideas!

I didn't really realize it until I was planning out this video, but the way I prepare and pack meals and snacks when I'm gonna be on the road or on the go is very similar to the way I approach healthy meal prep and eating when I'm going to be home. I tend to follow the same baseline principles that I shared with you in this healthy eating game plan video right over here. And so the takeaway here is when you practice building healthy habits, you tend to take them with you even when you're on the go. So the way I think about it, I break it down into three categories when I'm packing snacks for the road. The first thing I think is fresh foods, right? So vegetables and fruits. Then I think about protein sources because these can be tricky to find, especially when you're on the road. And then the third thing I think about are carbohydrates, which to me really means like fun snacks and sweet treats when I'm traveling. And I'm gonna share exactly what this looks like, but first I wanna thank my friends at Element for sponsoring this video. Now, Element is a delicious electrolyte company that was specifically designed for people like myself who like to take a less processed whole food approach to healthy eating. It contains a science-based balance of sodium, magnesium, and potassium that can help you to balance the electrolyte levels in your body. And I most definitely pack Element with me when I'm on the road as well, but I'll share more about them in just a moment. Now, when I am traveling, I always bring a cooler with me because I do like to have food options that are fresh and not always like dried and packaged. So I always bring a cooler, and I always try to stay in places that have at least a refrigerator. So sometimes that's an Airbnb where you get a full kitchen, but oftentimes it's just a hotel that has a little fridge. So I just wanna share those as my two baseline necessities when I'm gonna be on the road. So the first thing I think about are fresh foods. And what I mean by that is vegetables and fruits. Specifically, when you are traveling or on a car trip or a road trip, you're stopping at gas stations or fast food places, these foods are very hard to find. So I love making sure that I have them with me. When it's hot outside, I try to pack vegetables that are really refreshing, that hold a lot of water. So right now that looks like Persian cucumbers and bell peppers, and I will just cut them up into easy to grab bite-sized pieces. I also love baby carrots for the crunch factor, and then either grape or cherry tomatoes because they're super sweet, specifically this time of the year, and they're so easy to eat. You just pop and enjoy. So just like when I'm prepping my vegetables, aka my weekly crudités, when I'm home for the week, I do the same thing when I'm on the road. I will line the bottom of a glass container with some paper towels, and then I just pile my veggies in and pop the lid on, and then I have these to grab and go when we're in the car. I also love to pack a container of hummus. I just pack the whole thing as is right into my cooler. This is great because it adds a little bit of flavor and fun if you wanna dip your veggies, but it's still kind of neat, meaning that it doesn't spill and it's not messy when you're in the car. So it's an easy travel snack. The next thing I love to pack is some fresh fruit, okay? So I love blueberries, again, because I can just rinse them and pack them. You just eat them as is. There's no peels or pits that you have to worry about getting rid of. And the same with strawberries. The strawberries I will clean and dry and chop ahead of time. So again, we can just grab and enjoy when we're on the road. Another favorite, especially in the summertime, are fresh sliced apples. And then I toss it with fresh lemon juice and I sprinkle it with tajin, which is this kind of like bright, tart, citrusy Mexican seasoning. It's so good. It's like spicy and sour all at the same time. And the lemon juice keeps the apples from browning. So you can just toss this all together and put it in a container. And again, you've got to grab and go snack and you don't need to worry about what you're gonna do with the apple cores. Okay, so that's it for the fresh fruits and veggies. And you would be surprised how often my husband, myself, the kids will opt for the fresh options first when we're traveling. I think because you don't get a lot of it when you're on the go and so you actually crave it and it's just delightful and refreshing and it just hits the spot. Now, the next thing I think about is protein, okay? As you know, when you are traveling, the protein options can be tricky to come by. It's doable. If you're on a mission, you can find them, but it's a lot easier when you've got them packed and ready to go. So much like when I'm prepping for a week at home, the first thing I always pack are some jarred fish options. I love jarred mackerel and I love jarred tuna, specifically this brand that's jarred tuna with jalapenos. Both of these are really flavorful on their own. So you don't really need to like make a salad with them or do anything with them to have a really like flavorful, delicious, high-protein snack that's ready to go. The other thing I love about the jarred options is that they're really easy to eat out of, right? You can just eat straight out of the jar and when you're done, you can just pop the lid on and then pack it back up and you don't have to worry about a mess or it's spilling or cans or how to open cans, et cetera. So this is a very convenient and delicious option. Another food I love to pack when we're on the go, hard-boiled eggs. They are so simple. It's a great combination of protein and healthy fats. You pair it with some fresh fruit or some veggies and hummus. You can easily bump it up to a more substantial meal and everybody in our house loves them. What I will often do after I hard-boil the eggs is I'll just peel them ahead of time, put them in a glass container, pop on a cover and so we can just grab and go when we're in the car. Does it take a little bit of preparation ahead of time? Yes, of course it does, but it really makes traveling and snacking on the go so much easier. Now, another protein option I love to pack, and again, this is why I like to bring a cooler, is Greek yogurt and or cottage cheese. Now, both of these options I will buy in individual servings like you see here. Like when I'm home, I usually buy the big tubs, but when we're traveling, I just downsize. This keeps it really easy and really convenient. And if I pair these with some of the other things that I pack, it's very easy to enjoy this as either a snack or as a full meal. And then if you're looking for a protein-rich option that does not need to get packed in your cooler, these turkey and beef sticks are perfect. They are super convenient, they're very delicious, and each one packs in 12 grams of protein. So again, this is a fantastic option when you're looking for ease and convenience. Next up are beverages. So I always pack lots of water. I pack the Element Electrolyte packets and I pack some collagen. And I'm gonna show you how I use all of these. Now, for the collagen, I love to have this on hand specifically to add to my coffee. So what I'll do is I will just add a scoop to these little individual containers, which, by the way, are so convenient. They're also great for vitamins. So I'll be sure to link them for you down in the description box below. And so I'll put one scoop of collagen in each of these containers so I have it ready to grab and go. Then if we do a coffee stop on our road trip, which we always do a coffee stop on the road trip, I will just pour one of these right into my coffee with a splash of half and half or cream, and then I've got a delicious coffee with 15 grams of protein, and you don't even know that it's in there. Then I will also fill a gallon-sized bottle with filtered water from home, and I use this to pour from throughout the entire trip. I also pack a water bottle or a thermos with ice. I fill that with water, and then I'll add about a quarter to a third of a pack of Element to the water bottle that I'm actually going to be drinking out of. I've shared this with you many times before, but personally, I love the Element electrolytes. They make me feel great. I feel energized, I feel hydrated, and most importantly, I love the way they taste. Plus, they come in these little packets, so it's super convenient when you're traveling. You don't need to pour it into any little containers. You just grab and go, very convenient. Common signs of electrolyte deficiency include muscle cramps, headaches, sleeplessness, and fatigue, and Element can help to prevent all of those. Now, when we're driving, anytime we stop for any type of break, I always try to get a big cup of ice. I have found that most places, like anybody that offers fountain drinks, they won't charge you for the ice, and some people might charge you a small little fee, which I don't mind paying at all because I really love for my drinks to be icy cold. And then throughout the trip, I just continue to refill my water bottle with a little bit more ice, a little bit more water, and I'll keep sprinkling in the Element until I've used the whole packet. And as I've told you all before, the electrolyte packets really help me to drink more water because I just love the way they taste, and so I really look forward to drinking them. Plus, they contain no artificial flavors, no coloring, no sugars, no gluten, no fillers, and they come in so many delicious flavors. You can get orange, watermelon, raspberry, mango chili, grapefruit, citrus, chocolate, and even unflavored. Honestly, they are all so delicious, and if you wanna give them a try, Element is offering everybody in the Clean and Delicious community eight single-serving packets for free with any purchase. All you have to do is visit drinkelement.com forward slash dannyspeeds. Now, you can only get this with my link, so again, it is D-R-I-N-K-L-M-N-T forward slash D-A-N-I-S-P-I-E-S.com, and I will, of course, leave that for you down in the description box as well. Okay, so I've packed up some fresh food, my fruits and veggies. We've got some good quality protein sources on hand ready to go, and beverages. So what does that leave us with? The carbohydrate family, which to me really means sweet treats and fun, salty, crunchy snacks for the road. Now, first things first, I always pack a handful of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This is a great way to fill some bellies and to avoid having to do fast food options along the way. Sometimes I'll do peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes I do peanut butter and honey. Sometimes I'll do a few plain peanut butter. So I'll usually pack up a handful of these sandwiches, wrap them up, throw them in the cooler. It's a very simple option, but it's a very delicious option, and it does help to keep us from the lower quality fast food options. Now, another great option, when I want something a little bit sweeter that does not have to go into the cooler, are RX bars. They're just made with very simple ingredients. They come in lots of different flavors, and they're delicious. I pair one of these with a cup of my collagen coffee, and I've got a beautiful, delicious, balanced snack that is also like a little bit of a sweet treat. And then last but not least, I love crunchy, salty snacks when I'm in the car. So my two go-to favorites, when I say my, I mean our whole family, are popcorn and Pop Corners. Now, when I can, I will try to find the snack size bags like I have here with the popcorn, but I couldn't find them with the Pop Corners this time. This just makes it a little bit easier not to go completely mindless when you're driving and snacking out of the bag, because I know I, for one, can easily put a serious dent in a bag of Pop Corners. But these are fantastic to have on hand and absolutely delicious. So there you have it. Some easy, healthy, good quality snack options for when you're traveling or on the go. And as you'll notice, I try not to do just a whole bunch of prepackaged snack ideas. I really try to weave some real whole foods into the mix, because A, this helps me to feel better, and B, it helps me to create a little bit more balance when we're out of town. And like I mentioned earlier, I also like to keep these types of foods in my hotel or in an Airbnb, depending on where we're staying. Because often when we're out of town, we are eating out more often. So whether that's getting some ice cream or trying a new restaurant and maybe having some bigger meals than we normally have, having these simple staples helps me to create more balance like throughout the day and throughout the week, which ultimately helps me to feel better and makes the whole experience more enjoyable. So now I wanna hear from you. What are some of your favorite on-the-go healthy eating hacks? Are you the type of person who likes to pack a cooler and put some ice packs in there so you can have some fresh food options on hand? Or do you like to just keep things super convenient? I wanna hear all your tips and ideas down in the comment section below. Once again, I'd like to thank Element for sponsoring this video. As you know, I am a huge fan and highly recommend that you check them out. Keep in mind that you can get eight single serving packets for free with any purchase. All you have to do is use my link, drinkelement.com forward slash dannyspeez, and I will leave that for you down in the description box below. As always, I appreciate you watching and I will see you back here next time with some more clean and deliciousness. Cheers.