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Vacation snacks

We will be driving on our vacation, and was wondering if anyone had healthful snacking ideas. I am one to constantly snack if I am in the car for long periods of time. I have so far:
Apples, Sunflower seeds, Beef Jerky, Peanut Butter Crackers, sugar free hard candies, gum. Case of Water. Wheat thins. I plan on getting some baby carrots, and yogurt. But was trying to think of other things, that are 1 -healthy, and 2 not another carb. I have done so well with changing my eating habits, I don't want to mess up now.


Tue. Apr 4, 7:20pm

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* snack packs of applesauce or Jello
* green beans, sugar snap peas
* diet Snapple or something to quench the old sweet tooth, if you don't mind Splenda
* string cheese


Tuesday, April 04, 2006, 7:40 PM

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Kraftfoods.com

The Original Munch Mix! It's delicious!! I made it for a girls' night i attended and got rave reviews!

You can check out this recipe and others at kraftfoods.com.

4 cups POST SPOON SIZE Shredded Wheat Cereal
2 cups popped popcorn
1 cup small pretzels
1 cup PLANTERS Mixed Nuts
1 env. GOOD SEASONS Italian Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder



PREHEAT oven to 300°F. Toss cereal with popcorn, pretzels and nuts in 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with salad dressing mix.
MIX butter, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Drizzle evenly over cereal mixture; toss to coat.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until lightly toasted, stirring after 15 min. Cool. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.



Tuesday, April 04, 2006, 7:46 PM

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Unsalted almonds
bananas
celery w/ hummus

Tuesday, April 04, 2006, 9:28 PM

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protien snacks

hardboiled eggs
cottage cheese (in small tupperware, so they are single servings)
south beach bars/meal replacement bars
nuts

Tuesday, April 04, 2006, 10:17 PM

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how about low-carb lavash or tortillas wrapped around turkey lunchmeat?
Peanuts and pistachios IN THE SHELL-- that way, it takes longer to eat, and you may eat less... :-)

Cut up veggies.
celery
Carrots
Zucchini
broccoli
cauliflower

etc... :-)

Hummus or bean dip or veggie dips (Trader Joe's has some really yummy ones!

Olives - Trader Joes' has some small snack packs-- packed in a LITTLE oil--with herbs & garlic. The pack is something like 2 or 3 servings and only costs about 89 cents... :-) They are great and lightweight for snacking. :-)

Tuesday, April 04, 2006, 10:46 PM

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If you really like to munch constantly, it sounds like you need low-cal snacks. Be careful with the sunflower seeds, cheese, and nuts, they're very dense in calories. Aside from fruits and veggies, some good snacks are popcorn, some specialty dried fruits (my specialty grocery store has containers of, like, tomatoes, mushrooms, strawberries, bananas, apples, etc., dried until they're crunchy, and some are very low cal, you have to look at the label, but they're by the crackers, not by the other dried fruits, which are typically high-cal), light applesauce made with Splenda (by Musselman's, comes in lots of flavors, doesn't need to be refridgerated), pickles, etc. Cut up lots of veggies before you leave for the trip, so you have a lot of variety. Try some you don't normally have, in addition to the typical carrots, celery. Add grape tomatoes, brocolli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, etc. You'll get less bored with the healthy stuff if it's stuff you don't eat often.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006, 10:25 AM

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maybe you shouldn't take any. Seriously, maybe you need to get rid of the constant snacking bad habit. If you're going to really remote places, I'd take some jerky or protein bars and stash them in the trunk (only get in case of emergency). But it has to be something you wouldn't want to eat unless you're really really hungry (that's a backpacker's trick to stash something not-so-yummy for in case of emergency).

Wednesday, April 05, 2006, 12:20 PM

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I don't agree with the above poster, Sorry. I guess I would rather see someone pack a lot of healthy stuff and eat it, than run into the gas station for a giant sized snickers.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006, 10:35 PM

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buzzkill

If you know your eating habits and plan for them accordingly, it's all good. Not having snacks planned and packed on a long trip could lead to disaster.

That said, wheat thins and peanut butter crackers are not healthy, so tread lightly with those. Pirates Booty or some other "healthy" chip or cracker would be a better substitute. Nuts could be quite dangerous, too, so I'd watch your portion size (personally, I wouldn't be able to do it).

On trips I like the best fruits I can find: organic gala apples are my favorite, good cherries (fun to spit the pits out the window - ew). Also baby carrots are great. Otherwise string cheese, pria bars (110 cals) or clif nectar bars.
Also try dried apple rings - very low cal, high fiber and chewy. Grape tomatoes, too.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006, 10:46 PM

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I guess i didn't express myself properly. I'll take something very little until my next stop. I assume big meals are planned, so I'd only count on lunches and dinners, and maybe if it's really no man's land, stop at a convenience store and pick something filling and substantial, but very little.
My point is, when you have tons of food no matter how healthy - if you munch non-stop - it's still tons of calories.
Anyway, on the road I always like to eat whatever the road and other locales offer, not food brought from home - it is so much fun.

Thursday, April 06, 2006, 10:14 AM

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Different strategies work for different people. I am an all-day snacker, and it has really helped me maintain my weight loss. Sometimes when you are pulling through those long hours, having something to snack on keeps you a little busy in case your companions have fallen asleep.

Also, I don't know about special dietary concerns for the OP, but I am vegan, so it can often be tough to find healthy, low-calorie, inexpensive food on the road, especially at a quick stop. Often my only choice is the yucky watery pasta at Sbarro pizza or something hi-cal and nutritionally void like a hot pretzel. It's good to know I have back-up veggies and fruits in the car.

Thursday, April 06, 2006, 10:54 AM

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take up a craft

what keeps me busy and my mind off of food is knitting... It is a great car activity... and you could even do finger weaving or knitting with your fingers... get a cheap ball of yarn and start weaving on your fingers if you don't know or want to learn how to knit... you may not be sure of what do do with it in the end but it will have saved you a bunch of mindless eating... some snacking is ok... but find something to keep your hands busy.

instructions for finger weaving are at the bottom of the page of this link

Link

Thursday, April 06, 2006, 11:47 AM

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Be careful with knitting-- that you're not sitting in a seat with an airbag--in case of an accident, the knitting needles may be quite dangerous...

I know that sounds kind of odd, but the thought occurred to me as I was knitting socks with 5 double pointed needles...

The other thing is that some people get car sick if looking down at something while on the road...



Thursday, April 06, 2006, 12:54 PM

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Yeah, I find knitting a great distractor from munching - especially in the evenings at home.

In the car, maybe crocheting is a safer alternative?..

Thursday, April 06, 2006, 12:59 PM

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op here,
Thanks for all the suggestions... my munching on snacks, is only on long trips. When I am home or at work that is not a problem. Just the opposite, I have to remind myself to eat breakfast and lunch. Luckily my trip will be broken up with a day and half driving then two days with friends, another day worth of driving that I am splitting up into two days since I will be by myself for that leg of the trip, the next three days will be with friends or family. Then two -three days to get back home.
As far as my "seeds" I have a 14.5 oz bag which is seven servings, I doubt if I will go through half of it on the trip. The only advantage to them is they make me drink lots of water. I think it is the fact that my hands are busy. I will be doing alot of driving myself, and the seeds help keep me focused.
We plan on eating lunch on the road, and will probably only stop for diner. I do have the apples, and plan on carrots to snack on, maybe some celery also. I am not big on alot of raw vegtables, but I am getting better.
Thanks for your suggestions... See ya in 10 days.. Will let you know how I do.

Friday, April 07, 2006, 12:05 AM

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