Conquer the Gluten-Free Road Trip + Popcorn Baggy Recipe

These easy gluten free snacks are perfect for road trips or any time you're on the go! Don't miss my spiced popcorn recipe as well.

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Family trips are a staple of the summer. The car is the perfect place for playing games, singing songs, lots of bonding, and…eating. Spending hours on the road provides endless temptation for classic car trip favorites ranging from fast food, to candy, to soda. So how do you conquer the car trip without overeating and while staying gluten-free? The secret lies in the prep ahead.

We talk all the time about how prepping ahead will save you time and stress, but never has it been more important to stock up on snack options in advance than when heading into a car with the family in tow. Short on ideas? No need to stress. We’ve gathered together some great ideas for easy, healthy, gluten-free, road trip snacking.

Pack the kids their own bag

There’s nothing more dreaded than those infamous words: “Mom, I’m bored”. The tight space of a summer road trip makes it almost guaranteed that these words will show up at some point. Want to slow their arrival?

I’ve got three words for you:Individual Snack Bags

Kids love the novelty of having access to their snacks when they want them. For older kids, load the bag up with mom approved snacks that should last the whole trip. For younger kids, fill the bag periodically with new snack options to spread out the snacking.

Reduce and reuse

Feeling guilty about the gas necessary to get you to your vacation destination? Cut the waste by packing the road trip snacks in reusable containers. For older kids, pack items in mason jars. They’re easy to clean and the screw tops stop messes.

For younger children, or if bulky mason jars don’t seem like the best option, try reusable snack bags. They’re easy to clean and are even dishwasher safe.

Pack with variety

Be sure to include a wide variety of snack options to keep the kids (and yourself) interested in the food on hand. Having many choices makes it easier to resist temptation of making a pit stop. Here are some ideas!

• Raw Nuts
• Fresh Fruit (orange wedges, grapes, apple slices, etc)
• Veggies (carrots, bell pepper slices, celery sticks, cucumber) and nut butter
• Peanut Butter and Banana Rice Cakes (Featured in the March plan)
• Popcorn Baggies (Recipe below)
• Larabars
• Trail mix – nuts, dried fruit, gluten-free dark chocolate chips

Prep ahead travel snacks save you time, money, and energy on long road trips, leaving more time for the alphabet game and rounds of silly songs. However, be sure to have some gluten-free pit stops in your arsenal as well, should the need hit.

Prep Dish menus all contain a healthy snack option, buy a gluten free meal plan! Or check out the recipe below for our fave, portable snack option: (from the August Plan)

Want more homemade popcorn recipes? Check out my 3 Healthy Popcorn Recipes for ideas and tips on making homemade popcorn!

Thank you for supporting Prep Dish!What is your favorite healthy road trip snack? Share your ideas and pictures on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram as @prepdish in all 3 places, or leave a comment below.