Travel food

I'm taking the boys to Cleveland for "spring break" (right ... spring in Cleveland). Of course we're driving w/o dh. I've done it before, I can do it again -- and I'm really not that worried. I would just like to avoid subsiting on McDonalds the whole way.

What foods do you pack for road trips? I can only get the kids to consume so many PB & J sandwiches before they revolt.

[Flynn]

We're PB&J people too!

I buy lots of single serving things in cool packages -- usually they only cost a dollar.

• animal crackers in the zoo looking box
  fish crackers in the small milk looking container
  cheese sticks
  yogurt in a stick/tube -- freeze them for less mess
  grapes blueberries
  chex mix with a few chocolate chips thrown in
  pink (yogurt) cheerios in colorful zip lock bags (I do this myself)
  lunch meat cut up in small squares for finger food
  stars and moon cheese (Sargentos) shapes

For my go to bag I have lots of dum dum lollypops and pez.

[DCJenn]

We have taken the small cups of applesauce, the kids bars from whichever granola grocery store I hit, our own 'kid mix' of Kix, Cheerios, raisins, Goldfish and sometimes I'll throw in a sweet cereal like 'Dora the Explorer'.

Yogurts are always good and the dude does enjoy the cheese and peanut butter cracker 100% crap bright orange thingies.

Jenn

[samssugarmomma]

We've had good luck with all of the stuff listed above.

For "lunch" type things, we get those bags of frozen ravoili or tortalini and cook them before hand. We keep them in a cooler and then eat them cold (and with no sauce). It's gross to me, but Natalie loves them cold!

We've also had luck with cooking a frozen pizza in advance and cutting it up. I think we got one of the square ones and then cut it into small squares. We served that cold too.

Do they like lunchables? I could live on crackers, peperoni, and cheese!

[Sheherezade]

We have also done all of the above. The only thing I'd add is I had luck with making oven baked chicken drumsticks one time - and eating them at a rest stop while the kids ran around. It was a nice change from fast food restaurants and faster than sitting down. We put a frisbee in the car and tried that, too-- but mostly the kids just wanted to run and stretch their legs.

Veggies and bottled water may seem like sad and pathetic road trip grub, but you sure feel less greasy when you arrive. I'm still a sucker for the junk food at the gas station if it's after midnight, though.

[Stella]

Crackers, PB&J, Cheerios, fried chicken, granola bars, dried fruit, juice boxes, celery sticks and carrots, jerky