Food for car traveling

[tgeorge0207]

I need ideas for snacks and dinner for the car... we will be making a 22 hour drive to disney in September and I need ideas.... We plan to do supper in the car snacks and breakfast.... thanks for the help.

 

[momof3ds]

I would plan a stop somewhere for dinner and breakfast. That is a long time to be in the car.

As far as snacks go: fresh fruit in a cooler, bottled water, crackers with peanut butter or cheese (we buy these in bulk at BJs), nuts, granola, popcorn.

 

[babyrich]

I need ideas for snacks and dinner for the car... we will be making a 22 hour drive to disney in September and I need ideas.... We plan to do supper in the car snacks and breakfast.... thanks for the help.

Uncrustables are good, they are filling too.

You can make sandwiches at home and pack them in a cooler.

 

[tkme4ard]

um this is probably horrible but I usually back the park with tons of snacks/yummies that I wouldn't normally let the kdis (or us adults LOL) have. Not part of the list below. I mean snacks/chips/candy/just general crappy stuff LOL

I buy these

and I pack meals for everyone with fruit, cheese cubes, ham cubes, rolled deli meat, veggies like cherry tomatoes, mini pickles, olives, little broccoli, little cauliflower, baby carrots, bottled water, juice boxes, pre seperated baggies of crackers and pretzels (chips if you like)

breakfast could be similar trays of fruit, granola bars, baggies of cereal, and you can pre make mini muffins. We also freeze yogurt tubes


I would plan to stop at least for one meal a day if not 2. Its a really long time to be stuck in a car.

 

[AshleeH]

I agree with a PP - I would stop for breakfast and dinner unless you want some miserable car riders.

You've gotten some great suggestions - I would also add Lunchables if your kids like them (and let them pick out the ones they want before the trip). We also just tend to load up on snacks with every gas stop.

 

[.:allisonr:.]

We're doing skewers with ham & cheese cubes, crackers, fruit, Lunchables, carrots & celery with ranch dressing, chips/pretzels, cookies.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Apple sauce pouches, fruit like bananas or grapes, pretzels, cheese sticks, annies fruit snacks, crackers. It is always hard to think of stuff that is not crappy but is easy to travel with. Oh, raisons too!

 

[jtopp]

Please stop for your meals, even if just at a fast food place. You get a meal, time to move around, and a bathroom stop all in one. As for snacks, we like juice boxes; small, individual size pretzel/ cracker/granola bars/string cheese, so everyone gets thier own portion. Frozen grapes are good, as are apple slices. Avoid anything not self contained as to generate rinds, peels, seeds or other trash.
Nothing that can melt or get messy if not eaten immediately. You know best what your family likes or dislikes, so choosing is easy. Have a great trip!!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Does anyone do manifold burritos anymore? LOL.

Sommer Sausage & cheese is always on our list

 

[mommy2_3]

we will be driving from Kansas to Iowa then down to Disney. we will be stopping for breakfast, lunch and dinner. as for snacks we are doing little zip lock baggies with mixed things like

first batch will be: pretzles, gold fish, cheese its, pop corn, corn chips and marshmellows

second batch will be: m&ms, kisses, and some other little candies (im going to a candy store for this lol)

then i will also have those 100 cal. snacks

for drinks my younger kids will have their sippy cups and the older ones will have their water bottles and only water for them.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

unless you keep baggies in a cooler with ice, watch out for the chocolates like kisses as it melts or gets very soft. m&m's most times work but chocolate bars do not and it takes along time to harden up again. i make chocolates and have had them melt in car at a rest stop of 15 minutes. o would rethink chocolate in bggies but the idea is a good one.

 

[1girln3boys]

For the kids I buy the individual wrapped snacks like gummies, teddy grahams, ect. Then I take gallon zip lock bags and they each get thier bag of snacks.

 

[Grendalynn]

Hi! We drive to WDW or Florida from NH most every year. We do it commando style and if we drive straight through we can make it to Orlando in less than 24 hours depending on traffic.... DH has driven coast to coast, and the The Ice Road as a truck driver many times so he is used to long rides and I am not afraid or to drive either. Our boys have been doing this since they were toddlers, so they are good about it too. AND it makes great childhood/family memories!!

We will bring a cooler with us to fit the food and keep things cool. a few frozen water bottles double as cooling and a cool drink 18 hours later. I think its a pretty well rounded menue. There is junk food on there but we all eat very healthy normally, so whats one day? We will do enough walking at WDW to make up for it!! We will also stop at a grocery store before we head North for the ride home. Otherwise you can spend an extra $150-$200 to get home.

Here is what I have picked up for our trip (its generally the same every year - but varies a little). Feel free to IM me or ask any questions or advice - I am happy to help.

Cold fried chicken or chicken strips
Small snack size lunchables
cold pizza cut into small slices
lots of chips
string cheese
beef jerkey
Cookies
Gogurts
Apples
Random surprises - got some leftover valentines candies that I will pull out when the natives get restless
Small gatorades (covers are important), waters
Redbull & Starbucks (for Mom & Dad)
WetWipes
Dramamine & Excederine migrane (has caffine in it)
Papertowels and plastic grocery bags for trash

Fun little surprises ad new DVDs are fun to have ((as bribery)) and pull out when needed. It will keep them kids from getting too bored. My kids will have homework, so that will keep them pretty busy.

 

[MSSANDRA]

You can combine taking food and still stop to eat if you want. We do not normally do this going to WDW but we have a few time and many other trips. We will pack a cooler and stop at a rest stop for a quick picnic. There are plenty of nice stops along 95 if you use that route.

Our favorite is a salad meal. We take home-maid chicken salad, potato or macaroni salad and fruit salad in throw away containers in a small cooler. We have even done the small Styrofoam throw a way ones as well. When we have had small kids we stick in some sliced ham and cheese as well. We have a bag packed with crackers and cookies. Much better than fast food and MUCH quicker than a sit down.Cheaper than either one!

We do eat breakfast in the car almost every trip as we leave very early in the am. We sometime pack a meal for that. Muffins, fresh fruit (mostly bananas) and bottles of oj. Sometimes we go through a drive through and will get an english muffin breakfast sandwich. Much less messy than a biscuit and if you do ham and or egg, a lot less greasy!

For car snacks, we try to find the smaller packs of cookies or crackers that are just enough for our family for one snack. That way we eat it all and don't have to worry about it getting dumped out once open. Always some fun candy or other treat. Our last trip was a week after Christmas and I saved a package of some REALLY good chocolate that we inhaled in the car. (not a good idea in warmer weather but they were long gone before we got too far South)

Also some fun, junk stuff for the 5 year old which is a rare and special treat. He likes the pez dispenser candy, those candy necklaces, the really sour powder that you dip a sucker into, pop rock candy, the mechanical suckers etc. Check after Holidays to try to find some good sales on the Holiday theme ones. I loaded up on after Christmas Sales for this past trip.

One fun thing we sometimes do it to allow a junk food purchase ONCE during the trip at a gas station we stop at. Not sure why that is so fun but it makes kids happy and has gotten us though a few rough spots!

Another fun thing to do is allow a drive through ice cream cone break. No getting out and only choose a place right off the hyw. MAx time 10 minutes and can refresh everyone for a few bucks!

 

[sdkuhn77]

The furthest we have driven in a day is 16 hours last summer and the girls were 5 and 18 months old. Our mentality is that we only stop for gas/bathroom breaks, therefore I pack all meals for the day.

I pack the following:
Breakfast:
Muffins, brekfast bars, donuts, bananas and yogurt. (BTW, thanks for the idea of freezing gogurts, my girls like those finally!).

Lunch:
Lunch meat sandwiches, fruit and chips

Dinner:
I make a Greek pasta salad, with tri color rotini pasta, feta cheese, beef summer sausage, black olives and garbanzo beans marinated in Kraft Greek vinegerette.

Snacks:
Goldfish, breakfast bars, granola bars, chips, gummies.

Drinks:
Sodas and coffee (for dh and myself), drink boxes and water.

My girls have always only known that we march to our destination and no stopping unless for gas/potty breaks. Luckily our oldest is a camel and could go a whole day without going potty if you don't tell her to. Our youngest is in diapers, so that helps us right now. They have never gotten cranky about it and will either watch movies or sleep. Train them young, is what I say! LOL! We go to WDW in June and will probably drive straight throuh from Indy (16 hour drive).