Easy to make family meal ideas while travelling

Who doesn’t love a great road trip?  It’s a great way to bring the family together, share some memories and actually control your trip with pit stops as you need them.  But with all the fun comes challenges and one of the biggest ones for parents travelling with smaller children or picky eaters is what to have for meal time and snack time along the way. While there may be many fast food options on the road, finding options outside of chicken nuggets and fries is easier said than done.

Here are some simple and fun meals and snacks that the whole family can enjoy which should help you ditch the drive-thru.

Five easy meals for kids while travelling

1. Sandwich with Fruits and Veggies

Sandwiches are a natural go-to for an easy and quick meal offering minimal crumbs while in the car or stopping for a quick picnic. Grab some  Wonder® White Bread  or  Wonder® 100% Whole Wheat Bread  and make the classics. From PB&J, to turkey and cheese, packing your kids’ favourites can make the trip easier and much more cost effective as well. Have some fun with it and create a travel pack with a reusable container with multiple separate compartments.  Now you can build the meal to include fruits, veggies, dips and even a little dessert. This lets kids have their own personal meal in one handy box. Definitely, kid tested and approved!

2. Homemade Granola Bars

Making your own granola bars are the best way to ensure your kids are getting all the good stuff you want them to eat, without all the preservatives and extras you don’t. Pack these up with proteins like extra nuts and add some sweetness like dried fruits or even some mini candies for an extra special treat. Here is an easy recipe from blessthismessplease.com that really lets you customize the granola bar as you’d like.

Granola Bar Base Recipe

Author: Melissa Griffiths – Bless this Mess Please

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 16

The base recipe for eight easy homemade granola bar recipes that come together in a snap. Variations include peanut butter chocolate, spiced nut, and cranberry white chocolate.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup nuts, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cups total extra mix-ins (about 1/4 cup of 3 different ingredients such as dried fruits, coconut, chocolate chips, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment or foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. Place the oats and nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted. Place the nuts and oats in a large bowl.
3. While the oats are toasting, add the honey, butter, and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. When butter mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour this mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine. Add any extra ingredients (except for chocolate) and stir to combine. Make sure none of the oats are dry.
4. If you are adding chocolate, wait about 15 minutes for the mixture to cool a bit before adding the chocolate and then stirring to combine.
5. Place all of the oat mixture in the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula or the bottom of a greased measuring cup to press the mixture into the pan. Chill the granola bars for at least 2 hours. Lift the bars from the pan using the edges of the foil or parchment and place them on a cutting board. Cut into desired shape/sizes and serve.
6. These store very well in the fridge or freezer. You may want to wrap them in a bit of parchment paper before putting them in a container or plastic bag in the fridge so that they don’t stick together.

Or you can give our  Super Snack Bites  a try for some bite-sized goodness!

3. Fruit and Cheese Skewers

For the older kids, having fruit and cheese skewers can bring some fun to mealtime when travelling. Choose your children’s favourite fruits, and alternate between two fruits and a piece of cheese. The more colour these skewers have, the more exciting the kids will be to eat them. Pack them in a reusable container or bag with an ice pack or in the cooler on those warmer days.

4. Hummus and Veggie Wraps

These are easy to make and delicious. Try a  Wonder®White Medium Wrap  or a crustless bread slice and spread your favourite brand of hummus. Add any chopped veggies you have on hand, and then top it off with some grated cheese before rolling it up. Pop in a toothpick so that the wrap doesn’t fall apart, and you’ve got yourself a healthy snack for the road.

5. Bento Box – A La Kid Style

Now who doesn’t love a good bento box? They are easy to create and can be customized for each child and their friends! If you don’t have a box with various compartments, no problem.  Use any flat Tupperware and add silicone cups to divide the food.
How you build your box is up to you, but the basics include:

• selection of protein (think hard boiled eggs, cold cuts, chicken pieces, or hummus)
• some veggies or fruits
• a bit of cheese
• and maybe some crackers or other grain based snack