If your kiddos are anything like mine, they are hungry all the time! When I first started hiking with my kids, I underestimated their appetite. It took some trial and error, but I finally figured out some of the best hiking snacks and on-the-go lunches.
Food Ideas:
PB and honey whole wheat wrap roll-ups (Sunflower butter for nut-free option)
Nature’s Bakery fig bars (GF option)
Apples
Chomps – Beef or turkey sticks or Jerky
String cheese
Trail mix without chocolate (make nut-free by using seeds instead of nuts)
Raisins, Craisins or any dried fruit
Protein or Granola bars (There are GF and Nut-free options)
Pickle and olive snack packs (beware, this one can be a bit messy because of the juice in the packaging)
Tuna or chicken go packs (certain brands come with forks)
Ritz crackers
Graham Crackers
Apple sauce squeeze packs
A water bottle for each person (in the warmer months I will throw in extra water in my pack)
Zolli Lollipops (healthy treat to use as an incentive to get unhappy toddlers moving)
When I first started hiking with my kids, I made plenty of mistakes. I either didn’t bring enough food, or too much (which made for a heavy pack). Even the wrong foods caused extra problems. Some of the snack fails I learned are listed below.
Avoid:
Things that melt (chocolate)
Things that need to be kept real cold
Things that are complicated (think: need plates or forks/spoons, needs mixing or putting together)
Things that are overly messy and would result in kids needing a complete wipe-down
Make sure you pack enough for each person. If the kids are old enough, have them carry their food and water in their own backpack. This way you are not carrying the entire load. Please remember, to pack food for yourself! So often, I would focus on feeding them that I would forget about myself. No one wants a hangry parent!
Side note, bring a bag with you to throw food trash into, so to not liter the outdoors. “Leave no trace behind”, is the best practice when in nature. Even throwing your apple cores and banana peels on the ground is not ideal. Let’s all help take care of our parks, trails and nature preserves.
I hope this helps for your next hiking adventure. Let us all know if you have other food ideas. I’d love to hear from you all.
Until next time, see you outside!
Comentários