Traveling is an adventure out of the daily routine especially for toddlers and young children that can alter their body’s metabolic processes and cause disregulation in both the physical and emotional realm. Eating wholesome snacks that provide essential nutrients can help provide some stability physically and emotionally in the body during this time of change in routine. Snacks containing real food ingredients without any processed sugar or additives can help to regulate blood sugar and support your child in staying in rhythm with their sleep cycle, mood stabilization and healthy elimination. While it can be tempting to throw food “guidelines” to the side while traveling, feeding both you and your children nutrient dense food will make traveling more peaceful and fun for the whole family! For more travel tips and advise on how to “survive your family vacation” be sure to check out our other blog post this month, “Vacation Communication.”
The following recipes can be made ahead of time and will keep for a week.
Crispy Chickpeas
Ingredients:
- 2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoon olive or coconut oil, melted and divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: cayenne powder or curry powder (to add some spice)
Note: These are easy to make without the cheese and substitute other flavors. Try Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, simply salt and pepper, or chili powder and cumin. Be creative with what spices you like!
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Drain the beans and rinse them well. Lay them on paper towels to dry (20 min.)
- In a bowl, coat the chickpeas with one Tablespoon of oil. Add cheese, garlic, and salt and stir well to coat.
- Lay beans on a baking sheet and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of melted olive or coconut oil.
- Bake for 15 minutes, stir and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until crispy brown (test a chickpea- if they are still mostly soft on the inside and not crunchy keep baking until they are crunchy). May need to bake longer if they are still soft in the middle, but don’t let them get too brown on the edges!
For storage: Store in an air- tight container so they remain crispy.
Homemade Fruit Leather
Ingredients:
- 5 cups strawberries, blueberries (or any other berry you like)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- Optional: 1 teaspoon cinnamon or ginger
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees (200 degrees will work if your oven does not go that low)
- In a medium saucepan, on low heat, cook the strawberries (or other berries) until they are soft and juices are released.
- Add honey and lemon juice and spices (if using) and stir until combined.
- Pour berries into food processor and puree.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pour berry mixture onto parchment lined pan. Pour into a ¼ inch thick layer.
- Put in oven and bake for 4 hours or until the leather peels away easily from the parchment.
- Do not over cook or you will have fruit crispy instead of fruit leather☺
For storage: Use scissors to cut into rectangles and roll them up with parchment paper still attached.
Homemade “Kind” Bars
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almonds
- ½ cup pecans (can substitute another nut if you prefer)
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ⅔ cup pumpkin seeds
- ⅔ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup dates- pitted and chopped finely
- 3 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ cup honey
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and grease it with coconut oil.
- Chop nuts (roughly).
- Mix together all the dry ingredients and dates (everything except coconut oil and honey).
- Separately mix together the oil and honey, then pour over the nut/seed mixture, and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Pour into the parchment lined cookie sheet and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
- Place in the fridge for another 45 minutes to harden.
- Remove from the fridge and slice into bars.
Storage for travel: Wrap individually in parchment paper and keep them in an airtight container.
