Packing Healthy Foods and Meals for Your Family Vacation (Corrina Kuhar)

Summer is the perfect time for traveling. There is nothing quite like getting your family all packed up and hitting the open road on your way to a fun and relaxing destination. Traveling by car to get to your destination has many advantages: it's cheaper and it's less complicated than flying, you get to see the sights out of your window, and you can use that time to really bond with your family. There are some downsides though. If the drive is going to be a long one, you will need to stop somewhere to eat. This can get quite expensive after a while, and eating in restaurants can get tiresome, and there aren't always options for healthy foods and meals. A great alternative to stopping at fast food joints along the way is to pack your own lunch and stop for a picnic on the way. Vacations in general can take a toll on your health and diet. The temptation is always to eat t restaurants and indulge in treats. Packing your own healthy foods and meals is a great way to avoid this problem. This might sound inconvenient, but with a little preparation, it won't be so bad, especially if the whole family pitches in and helps pack healthy foods and meals. Sandwiches are always an easy choice, along with fruit, raw vegetables, and snacks such as trail mix. Set some time aside the night before you leave to put your picnic lunch together, and once you start preparing it, you'll see that's really not so bad.

Of course kids always look forward to eating out on trips. It's part of what makes vacations so fun for them. If you want them to eat healthy foods and meals on the way, but don't want to take their fun away, you can make your picnic lunch more interesting. Instead of standard sandwiches, pack some wraps. Even though they might contain the same ingredients as sandwiches, kids think of them as more fun. As a treat, bake some cookies for your trip, but use healthy ingredients. Try making banana oat cookies, or multi-grain cookies. If you throw in some chocolate chips, your kids will never know that the cookie is otherwise a healthy choice! They will still be having fun without having to compromise their health. For healthy drinks, pack some water lemon, strawberry, or another kind of fruit sliced into it. This will add flavor and sweetness without all of the added sugar and artificial flavors you see in most juices and soft drinks.

Going on a road trip can be such a fun family experience, and you shouldn't have to ruin your fun by constantly worrying that you are spending too much money on food or putting unhealthy food into your children's bodies. Packing your own healthy foods and meals will allow you to save money and avoid greasy, unhealthy fast food. Preparing your picnic lunch together as a family is also a great way to kick start your vacation!

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