Kid-Friendly (and Healthy!) Travel Snacks
Most of us have been there. You have hours ahead of you on the road and from the backseat all you can hear is, “Are we there yet?”
This year, instead of loading the kids up on packaged snacks with enough sugar to keep them bouncing out of their seats, try these wholesome, homemade and cost-friendly snacks presented by Memorial Wellness Center. While we can’t promise a peaceful car ride, we can guarantee happy stomachs. As many of us know, that’s half the battle!
Cinnamon Apple Chips
Makes about 4 servings
- 2 Golden Delicious apples
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions: Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Core the apples and thinly slice them using a knife, mandoline, the slicer blade of a food processor or the slicer side of a box grater to make the pieces uniform. (An adult will need to either do or supervise this step closely.) Arrange apples slices on a metal baking sheet. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and sprinkle over apple slices. Bake in the preheated oven until apples are dried and edges curl up, about 45 minutes to one hour. Using a metal spatula, transfer apple chips to a wire rack until cooled and crispy.
Pizza Chips
Makes 32 chips
- 4 8-inch tortillas (try out whole wheat or high fiber options)
- Pan spray
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each tortilla into eight wedges and place in a large bowl. Spray the tortilla pieces generously with pan spray. Sprinkle seasonings over the tortilla pieces and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the tortilla pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 10-15 minutes, until chips are crispy, but not too browned. Remove from oven and let cool.
Granola Bars
Makes 16 bars
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 egg whites
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup nuts of choice
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup dried fruit of choice
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with aluminum foil, leaving a generous overhang, and spray the foil lightly with pan spray. Place ½ cup of the rolled oats into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the oats are finely ground. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites, oil, vanilla, salt and ground cinnamon. Chop the nuts, seeds and dried fruit into small pieces. Add these pieces, the mini chocolate chips and the ground oats to the egg white mixture. Us a rubber spatula to stir well to combine.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared 13 x 9 pan. Press the mixture firmly to flatten it out. Press hard! You don’t want any air bubbles. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove pan from the oven to cool for 15 minutes. Don’t turn off the oven. Once cooled, use the foil overhang to lift the bars out of the pan. Transfer to cutting board and cut once lengthwise and then seven times along the length to make a total of 16 rectangles. Line a baking sheet with a clean piece of foil and spray with pan spray. Put the granola bars on this clean sheet and bake until they are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely before eating. Completely cooled bars can be stored in a zip top bag for about a week. They will get softer and chewier over time.
Strawberry and Nutella Wrap
Makes 2 servings
• 1 whole-wheat tortilla
• 3 tbsp chocolate-hazelnut spread
• ½ cup strawberries, chopped
Instructions: Put tortilla on plate and warm in microwave for about ten seconds. Thinly spread chocolate hazelnut to all edges of the tortilla, covering completely. Place chopped strawberries all around tortilla and then roll. Cut into halves.
