Sitting in bummer to bummer traffic always bites, let’s bite back! A great way to avoid getting overly cranky and to keep your blood sugar levels from crashing – eat! This time of year we have some of the best snacks to choose from. Take a couple of minutes to plan ahead and minimize your stress levels. Keep it easy. Keep it healthy. Keep on truckin’.
Blanca on Malibu Canyon
Strawberries are fast and fabulous, talk about sweet AND low cal. Pick some up from your local store, although this time of the year I like pulling over and getting them fresh, just picked – on the trucks coming down from Oxnard. Can’t eat those yet, bring ‘em home, wash ‘em, pack ‘em, chill ‘em and they are ready for tomorrow’s commute.
Blueberries - At home from smoothies to eating right out of the bowl and everything in between. I save money and go frozen, but for the car you gotta go fresh.The frozen ones tend to get mushy quick, and they stain. Pack up and let’s go for a drive.
Popcorn is super easy, super simple, super cheap. Make it ahead of time – but if you forget you can buy a bag just about anywhere. Now pop in the car and go.
Chex Mix, it reminds me of the holidays. I can have a one gal party in my car. Just think of the fun you’ll have and what a hit you’ll be with the people in your carpool! Though a favorite of mine, you don’t have to go with grandma’s old recipe. There is a plethora of Chex Mix recipes even Gluten free. What do you think of this one?
Breakfast to Go!
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1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/3 cup butter or margarine 1 cup Corn Chex® cereal 1 cup Rice Chex® cereal 1 cup Wheat Chex® cereal 1 cup Honey Nut Cheerios® cereal 3/4 cup toasted sliced almonds 1 cup dried banana chips 1/2 cup dried blueberries or raisins 
1. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. 2. In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in cereals and almonds until evenly coated. Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. 3. Stir in sugar mixture and banana chips until evenly coated. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute. Spread on paper towels to cool. Place in serving bowl; stir in blueberries. Store in airtight container. Oven Directions: Heat oven to 300°F. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. In ungreased 13×9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in cereals and almonds until evenly coated. Bake uncovered 15 minutes. Stir in sugar mixture and banana chips until evenly coated; bake an additional 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Place in serving bowl; stir in blueberries. Store in airtight container. 
1/2 Cup: Calories 180 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 4 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g);Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 130mg; Total Carbohydrate 22g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 10g); Protein2g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 20% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2 My Pyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Pretzels and Milk are by far Husband Bob’s number one choice. He usually brings the pretzels from home. We like TJ’s honey wheat pretzel sticks. When filling up the tank, Bobby buys his low fat milk, that way it is nice and cold. A side note about salt, we’ve had to make some dietary changes this year, salt being one of them. We like salt. Salt is bad. Salt on pretzels – hard to give up. We buy the ones with salt, then pull the pretzel through our semi – closed hand pulling off most of it. With a few crystals left on here and there, we don’t even miss it and we have cut the salt intake by 75% or more.
photo from Stephani Equilao. I like her blog.
Edamame is a great snack for the car. Shelled, they are a great source of protein, high fiber, low sodium, no cholesterol and eating green is always a good thing. Hot or cold it is hard to go wrong with these gems.
Easy to come by. Every time I go to TJ’s I buy several bags of frozen edamame. Most stores carry them now.
A 1/2 cup of edamame is about 120 calories, 4g of fat, 4g of fiber, and 13g of protein. Now this is one healthy way to go!
Not included, not simple or particularly healthy in the top 5 best pack-a-snacks and yet a personal favorite. A “double double” from In-N-Out. Though now we have crossed the line from snacks to a meal. You will have a double double traffic jam, as the line for ordering equals the northbound 405 at 5…not such a great thing to eat and drive with either. It is perfect though, if you are fed up with the freeway. Get off the road, grab a burger and hit the nearest park. Maybe by the time you are done eating some of the traffic will have dissipated…maybe.
What is your favorite snack? Oh, and if you go with the In-N-Out idea, you might want to read my post 5 exercises you can do in the car while sitting in traffic.
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