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On the Road Again
As a former (I can say that now!) military wife, I am no stranger to traveling and moving. David and I have been married for a little over four years, and we have had three houses together, and are now trying to find our fourth! Our daughter, Zemirah, is not even two yet, but she has traveled by plane 10 times and been on the 24 hour road trip between SoCal and Texas three times in her short little life. David recently separated from the marine corps and we made the long road trip for the sixth (or is it seventh?), and final, time.
Traveling and maintaining healthy habits always proves to be challenging, but I wanted to share some tips on how we managed to eat healthy while on the road, and give you plenty of links to delicious and nutritious snacks (all toddler approved!) that are good at home or on the road.
Lunches/Dinners
Drive-thru food on the road only leads to one thing…being trapped in the car with your husband’s stinky farts (sorry, honey!), but it is also expensive and just makes you feel gross. To save us money and eat healthier, I packed a loaf of Dave’s Killer Bread along with a package of Applegate turkey (it actually tastes like turkey!) and some plain yellow mustard; when we got tired of turkey sandwiches, we had almond butter and jelly sandwiches. I brought along a big bag of apples and oranges to slice up with my favorite Cuisinart knife (which has a cover so it was perfect for traveling!), along with carrot sticks and celery to dip in hummus alongside our sandwiches. We only bought food once during our three days driving; I felt so happy to feed my family healthy food and save us money!
Snacks
One of the best things about road trips is the snacks! However, I knew I didn’t want us all to eat a bunch of chips and candy because they would lead to upset stomachs and sugar crashes. So I planned ahead and brought us plenty of tasty and healthy snacks! We had Sargento cheese sticks and *Whole30 approved* Chomps turkey jerky for quick protein, Annie’s snack mix for a salty and crunchy snack, and a multi-pack of Larabars for a sweet snack. These were good snacks for traveling, but we usually snack on them at home, too; we all enjoy them!
Everything else
For drinks on the road, we bought gallons of water to refill our Hydroflasks, and bought gas station coffees either black or with milk, but bringing along Nutpods would be perfect if you were 100% dairy free.
I always get sick after too long in the car, so we brought a bag of essential oils, and peppermint oil was so helpful for headaches and motion sickness!
For entertainment, we listened to The Scorch Trials (here is the full series), and started on the third book, but have yet to finish. Zemirah played with Legos, Play-Doh, colored, and was very entertained by her Melissa & Doug latch board; she really did shockingly well for being trapped in the car for so long!
Happy Trails!
Traveling always has many ups and downs, but funny memories are always made. I hope this post encourages you that it is possible to stay healthy while traveling! Did you travel for Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear in the comments or on social media what you do to stay healthy while traveling or any traditions you may have. Stay safe on your journey, have fun with your family…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!
A Pinch of Crazy 