road trip snacks.

We do a lot of road tripping... and I always pack our own snacks. I generally pack enough food to eat for eight hours straight so I asked on Instagram if anyone was interested in any of my ideas for car snacks...
and some people were.

So here we are..

Sorry in advance to people who like to follow a recipe (I'm one of them) but all of these ideas are a bit vague. Play around with the quantities or find recipes online. Hope this is a helpful starting point.

Sorry also to those who don't like to make food and want to buy it. I think it's much better to make it yourself – cause it's cheaper, often healthier and customisable, but luckily for you at the end I have added some ideas of healthy snacks that you can buy.

P O P C O R N

When you think of popcorn you probably think of the movies or those microwavable bags. Unfortunately neither of these types of popcorn are all that good for you, but popcorn, made a little differently, is actual an awesome healthy snack, easy to prepare and very yummy (especially if you make a range of favours)!

Pop some organic (because most corn is GMO) corn kernels in a saucepan (or you could do it in a glass microwavable container with a lid) in a little coconut oil til all the kernels are popped then... go crazy with the flavours!

To make, combine the ingredients with coconut oil (or butter or another oil) over heat and then mix through the popcorn (or alternatively, just sprinkle them over while it's warm – that's what I usually do!)

I love:

• sweet and salty (rapadura sugar and Himalayan salt)
• spicy (cumin, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, salt)
• chocolate (cacao, maple)
• cheesy (nutritional yeast, cumin, garlic, onion)
• nutty (nut butter)

Be adventurous and experiment with your favourite combinations. Share with me some winning combos!

Warning: they're pretty addictive!!

N U T S

Nuts are amazing in their health benefits (especially if they've been activated [soaked and dehydrated] to help with digestion) but did you know they can also be flavoured and made even more delicious.

All you need to do is combine nuts and marinade in a bowl, then pop them in the oven (at about 170C) until they're golden (about 15 mins but keep an eye on them cause you don't want them to burn!).

Try:

• Tamari almonds (just tamari and almonds)
• Rosemary Walnuts (rosemary, salt, olive oil and walnuts)
• Honey Walnuts (honey, cinnamon, sesame seeds, coconut oil and walnuts)
• Paprika and Rosemary Almonds (paprika, rosemary, honey, salt, olive oil and almonds)
• Cinnamon Cashews (cinnamon, coconut sugar, coconut oil and cashews)
• Nacho Nuts (nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, olive oil and cashews)

One again, so many flavours to try. Experiment with your own combinations or ask Mr Google. And yet again, they are super addictive and delicious! Or just eat them on their own; they're yummy!

A P P L E  C H I P S  ( O R  P E A R S  O R  S W E E T  P O T A T O )

I've written before about apples as I buy them in bulk and I'm always on the look out for recipes to use them. One of our favourites is super easy apple chips. You just need a mandolin (or a knife) and a dehydrator (or an oven). Slice 'em thin and dry 'em out and eat away.

As above, you can also flavour them in lots of ways. I've only tried this recipe: Cinnamon Baked Pear Chips (with pears and apples) and it was yum but I'm sure there are many combos that are gooooood!

For a more savoury option, try slicing sweet potato super thin and baking them for a yummy healthy snack.

T R A I L  M I X

Trail mix is filling, easy and transportable and if you find it in your handbag a couple of months later, you'll probably still be ok to eat it. The good thing is that you can just chuck in whatever you have on hand:

• almonds
• walnuts
• dried figs
• goji berries
• puffed rice
• coconut
• cashews
• pepitas
• sunflower seeds
• sultanas
• cacao nibs

F R U I T  A N D  V E G

Want no prep? Then grab an apple, banana, mandarin or pear (or whatever else is in season) and eat that. Full of goodness and deliciousness.

Or cut up some carrot sticks, celery, capsicum or cucumber and munch away (cutting optional). You can easily take some dips with you too...

W A T E R

Don't forget your water bottle (or two). The plastic from the number of one-use water bottles consumed in Australia makes me sad as well as the negative health effects from the water (yes, they actually sometimes add baddies to bottled water) and the bottle (no, they're not BPA free).

But actually, when I'm road tripping, I often crave sugar to keep me energised. If you stop for a drink, my guess is you'll be more likely to purchase a bottle of soft drink than water anyway. Resist the temptation, save some money and serve your body, by drinking water.

We also always bring our keep cups filled with a cup of tea... as well as a thermos filled with hot water and some tea bags. Sometimes we stop for a coffee and the staff happily rinse our cups with boiling water, add our new drink and off we go.

I F  Y O U   J U S T  W A N T  T O  B U Y  I T

• Tamari Almonds: Woolworths sells in their Macro range (look in the healthfood aisle)
• Popcorn: there are heaps of different types of popcorn you can buy in the supermarkets. Just be sure to check out the ingredients and buy the one with the least number of ingredients (i.e. corn and salt).
• Dried Fruit: you can buy dried fruit in many places but most of it has added preservatives. Check the labels and try and find ones that don't (steer clear of dried apricots, they pretty much always do).
• Sweet Potato Chips: you can find a range of veggie chips in the healthfood aisle or Red Rock Deli and Kettle do sweet potato chips which I believe just have sweet potato, oil and salt.
• Trail Mix: Aldi does Seeds and Sultanas, and I'm sure there are a million other ones out there too. Just check that the ingredients are just what you want to be eating... 

Hope this is gives some good ideas of some delicious snacks for the road and makes you less hangry on your trip and saves you money for the actual holiday! Snack on.

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snacks.

One thing I care heaps about is healthy eating. Not only is it good for me because that's what the doctor says, but I really feel the difference when I'm eating clean, whole foods. My body is very sensitive to what it eats and I'm so glad there is something I can do to make it feel a little bit better...

This has meant that I have cut out processed foods which might contain additives, preservatives, colours and other ingredients I don't know what they are. I'm only eating small amounts of wheat and dairy. And I'm not eating refined sugar. This sounds massive and like a big change but it's much easier than it seems (especially if you like cooking, and you give yourself a little bit of flexibility so you don't starve when you go out or go hungry when you're unprepared). We have even saved money this way even though most of the ingredients are more expensive – I buy a lot of ingredients in bulk, and get my fruit and veg through a co-op. It's smart shopping because I go to the shops way less often (saving me time and energy), I'm not supporting big corporations like Woolworths as much (thank goodness), I'm getting great food which is good for me (which makes everyone happy) and I'm saving money (which makes a huge difference when you can't work)!

It can be hard though. You know the Sunday afternoon when you just want to watch TV, eat a packet of chips and a block of chocolate, and pretend you're a sloth... Or am I the only one?! You need some good snacks!

Enter sweet potato chips.

Yes, they sound gross because they're named after a vegetable, but they truly are delicious. All you need is sweet potato, oil and salt (and a mandolin if you're both lazy and pedantic). Put them in the oven and you have delicious chips in no time. Good hot or cold. And there are lots of recipes to create other flavours like barbecue or salt and vinegar. I just like mine plain though (or with a bit of tumeric).

Popcorn.

Who doesn't love some popcorn? Unfortunately you can't eat it from those microwave packets but save yourself some money and counting the pops while freaking out if they're burning, and buy the corn kernels and stick them in a saucepan. Just as delicious, easy to know when they're ready (if you have a clear lid), saves you something like $1.50/100g and you can choose your serving size. Plus, don't the kernels look cute in a glass jar like this in your pantry!? If you want, add some butter, coconut oil and/or salt to them.

Pumpkin Seeds.

Pumpkin seeds can be used in heaps of things and have great health benefits, but roasted pumpkin seeds straight from your pumpkin, are yummy! Their taste reminds me of popcorn but with a crunchy shell. I'm not going to lie, they are a pain to prepare: wash, dry, unstick, boil, dry, unstick, bake, careful not to burn the inside (I can't see the inside!!) but they are brilliant for a no waste kind of girl like me.

Chocolate.

Dark chocolate is a winner for most clean eaters but I still sometimes react to the 85% stuff. However, making your own is so easy! Cacao, coconut oil, a natural sweetener, the fridge (or freezer if you're in desperate need) and voila. Much easier than going down to the shops for a block! You can even add things to it to spice it up: coconut flakes, fruit and nut, goji berries, pepitas, whatever you want (except marshmallows and lollies)! Sometimes I set it in a baking pan then cut it up, but it's also fun in shaped ice cube trays for some cute hearts or flowers. Keep them in the fridge and you have chocolate whenever you need!


What snacks do you enjoy? What could we make as an alternative? Or have you got any great clean eating ideas?

I'll post more sweet things I love to make at another time. I always have food made so I don't resort to eating stuff that makes me sick! However, the Portuguese tart I had the other day at a cafe was delicious!