Best food hacks and snacks for a family road trip
From meal prep to food storage, TikTok star Ayeh shares her top five tips.
By Ayeh Manfre – Cooking With Ayeh
Whether you’re heading out for a day trip or planning a family road trip, when you have kids it means extra preparation is called for!
Meal prepping, food storage, and making sure the kids are entertained and happy is something all parents need to consider.
TikTok star Cooking With Ayeh has shared some of her best tips for how to prepare when going on the road!
Snacks and food tips for your trip
1. Plan ahead
It’s a simple tip that can take you just a few minutes, but save you plenty in time, money and waste.
Before your grocery shop, sit down and plan your meals in advance. If you’re packing for a road trip, have an extra think about versatile ingredients that will stay fresh for longer periods of time and meals you can batch cook to last you multiple days.
By planning out exactly what you need to buy, you won’t end up overspending on foods you won’t consume.
This is especially useful for the days or weeks before you plan on being away from home. This way, you can avoid creating more waste before you leave and won’t need to worry about the state of your fridge after you get back home.
2. Reuse leftovers
I love roasting any leftover vegetables and ingredients to make into sandwiches or wraps. These are super versatile and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
3. Buy in bulk
Buying foods in bulk not only saves money but reduces the amount of package waste in your pantry and, later on, your bin.
You can buy large packets and containers of nuts, crackers and chips, which you can then pack into perfectly portioned snacks during your next road trip.
There are even some bulk food stores that let you bring your own containers, so you can store your groceries safely from the moment they enter your trolley.
4. Never throw out spotty bananas
Relevant while at home and on the road! While bananas make a great energising snack, they very quickly go brown and mushy.
Ripe bananas are amazing additions to baked goods and can be used as a natural sweetener without sugar in cakes, muffins or a classic banana bread. I like using Glad to be Green Compostable Bake Paper to make individual muffin cups, which are also great for on the road.
Freezing ripe bananas makes them last even longer if you plan on baking at a later time. You can also add them to your smoothies for a boost of flavour!
5. Fresh fruit and veggie sticks are underrated
Fruit and vegetables actually make great healthy snacks, especially on the road. But a lot of the time, they don’t get eaten when packed whole and on their own in a lunchbox.
The tip is to peel and slice them into easily snackable bites. Oranges and apples can be cut into segments and vegetables like carrot and celery can be cut into sticks. For extra flavour, just pair with your favourite dip!
