When you’re on the road or on the go, there’s nothing like fast fuel.  When you’re feeding kids, it’s even more important to make sure you help them keep their energy up.  There’s nothing like a toddler or child meltdown caused by hunger.

Feeling “Hangry” is easily preventable.  Simply stock up on quick snacks that refuel your system and taste great.  Here are some of our favourite options:

(1) Clif Kid Organic Z Bar Filled

Our family is loving these nut-butter filled bars.  They’re substantial, portable and delicious.  If you’re familiar with the CLIF brand, you know they offer nutritious bars for the entire family.  The NEW “Filled” bars have the famous soft exterior (that resembles the texture of an oatmeal cookie) but it’s also filled with rich, creamy nut butter for that extra bit of protein.

As always, they’re a baked snack and they’re made from organic ingredients.  You can find them in nearly every major retailer, some gas station and pharmacies so they’re easily accessible on road trips.  They’re a much better option (in terms of energy and nutrition) than muffins, chocolate bars and other energy bars.  Our boys love them — especially the icing drizzle across the top of each bar — and they come in a variety of mouth-watering flavours.

(2) Popcorn

This sounds like a bizarre option, but when it comes to road trips, we’re often looking for snacks that take a while for our kids to eat.  Our boys enjoy savoury snacks so I had to figure out what they could easily eat in a 5-point harness car-seat (meaning movement is restricted) and popcorn became one of their top picks.

We often opt for air-popped popcorn (which we make before we depart), but if we’re already on the road we look for brands like Smartfood and Skinny Pop.  Don’t get me wrong, we know that Smartfood isn’t considered a health food, but the kids enjoy it and it’s made with decent ingredients for kids.  I think it came under fire a while back because people on diets were choosing it thinking that it was a weight-loss option.  But, we’re just looking for great on-the-go snacks and popcorn is always a hit!

They’ve also got some great options for adults too (wink, wink)

(3) Cheese Strings or Cheese Dippers

We love cheese strings because they’re not only a great travel snack, but there’s an element of play and creativity in them too.  We’re often telling our boys not to play with their food, but Cheesestrings allow them that moment to just be a kid.  Each wrapper features a new character, activity or item that kids have to try to make out of the cheese.  Our pre-schooler loves this activity.

They’re also a great little portion of protein and entirely mess free.

Bonus points for all of the above!

(4) Nuts

There’s a lot of nut-free policies in schools these days, so when it comes to after-school snacking or travel treats, we’re all about getting in those healthy fats and proteins.

We found some great individual portion size bags at Marshalls and the nuts are delicious.  We posted the images here so you can see what we buy.  The trail mix is also a great option, but our boys prefer the cashews.  We also buy them for family stocking stuffers since they’re such cute little packs.

(5) Manuka Honey Lollipops

What child doesn’t enjoy a sugary treat on travel days?!  Our boys were also asking for car snacks or plane treats.  At first we bought candy like Ring Pops because they took forever to disappear.  Our kids would silently suck away on them.

We soon realized I needed to find a healthier options.  After some research, and some trial and error, I came across these Wedderspoon Manuka honey lollipops.  They’ve been an absolute life saver.  They resemble those standard pops that you usually see at doctor offices or restaurant check-outs, but each one is made from honey.  They’re then flavoured grape, cherry and orange so kids get a bit of variety.

We don’t go anywhere without these sweets now-a-days.

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If you’re on the go and you can’t find any of the above, try to pick out snacks with limited sugar, artificial flavours and artificial colours.  We’re not saying this because we’re an anti-treat family or because we’re over-the-top healthy.  Neither of those descriptions are accurate.  When you’re on the go, you want to avoid those sugar peaks and dips as much as you can.  It makes everyone happier in the long run.  Choosing snacks with protein, natural ingredients, and “real/natural” flavour are better options for your family because it keeps blood sugar levels steady and fuels the system with good energy sources.

We’d love to hear what you give your kids when you’re on the go!

Safe travels!