Nutritious Road Trip Snacks

This blog post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Pure Protein. All opinions are mine alone. #KeepOnTrack #CollectiveBias

It’s summertime and that usually means more activities and vacations for the average family. Whether it is a family reunion, summer camps, or driving your kids to and from soccer and baseball practice– chances are you will be spending a lot of time in the car!

Even if you are just hustling kids across town to swim lessons or play dates- that time really adds up and that can really make it difficult to remember to eat nutritious meals and snacks like new Pure Protein Plus Bars.

Instead of hitting up your local drive thru or grabbing chips from the gas station this summer, I would like to share a list of ideas to help keep you eating healthy and staying full– even on the go!

1.) Pure Protein Plus Bars

These are a brand new product found at Walmart and I’m so glad I found them– I’m already hooked!

I love these protein bars because these keep me full, have less sugar than most treats, they taste good and they curb my sweet tooth. There are four great flavors to choose from: cookies and cream, mocha brownie, apple pie, and chocolate chip cookie dough. With so many great options, it definitely keeps me from getting tired of the same old flavor.

While these bars are delicious on their own, and a great idea to take in the car for those with busy schedules- I also love using them to make protein cookies.

Because these bars have so much protein (20-21 grams) and are high in fiber (15-16 grams) you can feel good about giving them to your family in between meals. They are also low-sugar with no artificial sweeteners and are GMO and gluten-free. You really can’t beat that! And who doesn’t like eating a cookie that actually helps you #keepontrack with your active, on-the-go lifestyle?

When you shop Walmart for Pure Protein Plus Bars, be sure to use Ibotta to earn $1.50 back.

For more Pure Protein Plus Bar inspiration, visit this website. Make sure to enter the sweepstakes below too for a chance to win prizes to help #KeepOnTrack!

 

2.) Pure Protein Plus Bar Homemade Cookies:

These cookies are so delicious! They are moist, and almost cake-like in texture. Because the dough is so versatile, you could add any flavor or Pure Protein Plus Bar in them, and they would be delicious. I used the cookies and cream variety and think they turned out extra delicious thanks to the big chunks of cookie in the bar.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1  egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1  1/4 cups all-purpose flour (optional: 12 cup whole wheat flour, and white flour for the remainder)

1/2 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats

1 teaspoon cornstach

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

18 tsp. salt

2 Pure Protein Plus Bars (diced, small in any flavor you’d like)

Optional:

1 cup total of dried cranberries, raisins, almonds

Directions:

1. Combine the butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla in a mixing bowl until creamed and well combined.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour, oats, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix until combined.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the protein bars, and optional add-ins until combined
4. Then scoop tablespoon sized dough to  form approximately 12 equal-sized mounds of dough and then roll into balls.
5. Put the balls of dough on a large pan and cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Do not skip this step! Baking with unchilled dough  will make cookies bake thinner.
6. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart  and bake for about 11 minutes.
7. Enjoy!

Other items for your on-the-go nutritious  snacks could be:

• Granola
• Dried Fruit (apples, bananas)
• Apple Sauce pouches
• Water Bottles
• Raisins
• Pretzels
• String cheese
• Baby carrots
• Hummus packets

Bonus tip:

Take the time beforehand to divide each item into small snack sized bags. You will be able to control your portions and you won’t have to take a big bulky bag or box of different snacks.

I would suggest keeping a reusable bag handy to keep most of the snacks in at all times.  You could keep the bag or basket  on a shelf in your pantry– that way you can just grab it and head out the door when you know you will be in the car a lot each day.

The most important thing to remember is to stay hydrated during the day and fuel your body with nutritious  foods that will keep you going and keep your energy up. As the old saying goes “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” and when it comes to your health, you always want to succeed.

What nutritious  snacks would you add to the list?
Pure Protein Plus Bars #KeepOnTrack Sweepstakes