如果你曾经在飞机上一个脾气暴躁的吻d, you know how painful it can be. And if you've ever been on a planewitha grumpy kid, you know that packing adequate travel snacks is essential for preserving everyone's sanity.
Here are our favorite portable, healthy, kid-friendly snacks to bring on a plane—or a train, or an automobile—with minimal mess and (hopefully) no meltdowns.
1. No-bake energy bites
Mix old-fashioned rolled oats and unsweetened coconut flakes with honey and nut butter to form these easy, delicious balls of sweet snack heaven. Dried fruit adds a kick of tartness and an extra energy boost for those long waits in security lines.
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2. Fresh vegetables and dip
Grab your kid's favoriteraw vegand any dip—hummus, perhaps, orhomemade ranch. Monitoring a container of vegetables and a separate container of dip has disaster potential, so try this Pinterest-ymason jar method—dip at the bottom, sliced vegetables standing up.
3. Fruit and vegetable chips
The best part aboutthese vegetable chips(besides the fact that they take 5 minutes in the microwave) is that you can control exactly what goes into 'em. That's a win for picky kids and picky parents.
4. Crispy chickpeas
Chickpeas are high in protein and make a shockingly delicious snack when you roast them until they're crispy. This recipe uses curry spices, but you can alter the seasoning to whatever your little ones like best—salt and pepper? Garlic powder? Even cinnamon and sugar work well on these fun-to-eat crunchy bits.
5. Egg muffins
Speaking of protein—eggs are a no-brainer snack, but an even better choice than hard-boiled are these cuteeggmuffins. Or egg cupcakes, if you will. The night before your trip, mix up some eggs with any vegetables, cheese, or meat you like, then bake them off for 20 minutes until firm. Toss them in the fridge and pack 'em for the plane.
6. Smoothies
Obviously, smoothies are going to be a hit. What kid has time to whine when they've got a big jar of ice-cold blended fruit and a straw? Bonus points if youprep smoothie ingredientsbeforehand, and then just toss them into a blender with liquid before zipping to the airport, like the chill, laid-back parent you are.
7. Pasta salad
Think about it; pasta salad is kind of a perfect plane food. It's great at room temperature, it's not too crunchy (read: loud AF), and it's completely customizable, so you don't have to worry about a picky kid trying to eat around olives.
8. Easy homemade crackers
Homemade crackers sound too fussy? We're here to tell you that they're totally doable, totally easy, and undoubtedlyworth the extra step. These crackers aren't super crumbly or messy, they stand up to a hearty dip, and they're also delicious on their own.
9. Hummus and veggie wraps
For a more substantial version of hummus and dips, throw 'em into a wrap. This makes for a perfect snack or meal on the go—you've got vegetables, protein from the chickpeas, and carbs from a whole wheat wrap. Oh, and FYI—this is the right wayto fold a wrap.
10. Granola bars
Yup, you can make granola bars yourself—and you should, because they're so freaking easy. We love thesenutty grain and oat barsand thesesesame peanut bars—but thesechewy cereal barsare the travel snacks that will steal your kids' hearts.
11. Fruit and cheese
Sounds fancy, tastes good, and will definitely buy you some time before the "are we there yet"–asking kicks in. Pack fruits up in lightweight plastic containers so they don't get bruised, and try to pick ones that aren't insanely drippy and messy: sliced apples sprinkled with lemon juice, halved apricots or plums, and a bunch of grapes are all great options, as are dried fruits.
12. DIY Snack mix
"Snack mix" is code for "take all the snacks your kids like and throw them into a huge bag." Can't go wrong with that approach. We love thispopcorn and nut mix(naturally, you can change the seasonings to make it less spicy for kids), thispumpkin seed and cashew nut mix, and thisAsian-inspired snack mix. (Or there's always the Cheerios-and-dried-cranberries route to make them feel right at home.)
13. Coconut Chips
These are crunchy, customizable, healthy, and, most importantly, fun to eat. Pack a plastic bag of these spiced chips and let your kid at 'em.
