Summer vacations are a time to relax, reenergize and enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of a new or favorite location. Although traveling can make it more difficult to stick to a balanced eating plan it is not impossible!

Pack your suitcase for active fun and follow these easy tips so you don’t bring unwanted weight gain back from vacation:

     

    • Share large portions. Most restaurants are notorious for serving very large portions.  Share an order with a family member and add an additional salad with dressing on the side.
    • Ask for smaller portions of high-calorie foods. A single scoop ice cream cone in a plain cone for example.
    • Try to set meal times and stick to them. Try to avoid having a hotel room full of high calorie snacks.  It’s too easy to graze and not be mindful of how much you are actually eating.
    • Engage in some type of physical activity most days. Plan walks on the beach or in the new town you are visiting.  Also take along some fun family games.  Meijer has a lot of easy to pack family games that can be played outdoors and on the beach.
    • Think about what you drink. Sweet beverages like soda, milkshakes and fruity alcoholic beverages are high in calories and can really add up.
    • If a road trip is part of your vacation, packing healthy foods is a great way to maintain your diet and save money from eating out.

    Try these tips for healthful eating on the road:

    • Pack a cooler with fresh veggies and fruit for snacks.  Meijer has many easy-to-pack local produce items that are now in season.  Try peaches, carrot sticks, grapes, berries, and apples.
    • For beverages, bring canned or boxed 100-percent fruit juice and flavored bottled water.
    • Have your kids make their own individual bags of a healthy trail mix.  Use whole grain cereal squares, dried fruit, nuts, whole grain pretzels and a few dark chocolate candies.
    • Think about nutrient-rich food choices that provide more than empty calories – yogurt, string cheese, whole grain crackers.
    • Get out of the car every hour or two to take a short walk and stretch your legs.

    Be sure to keep your backseat treats safe with these easy tips:

    • Pack easy-to-transport, shelf-stable foods. Good choices include single-serve applesauce, peanut butter sandwiches, fresh fruit, veggie sticks. Try our Trail Mix Bar recipe below for an easy traveling snack.
    • Don’t let food sit unrefrigerated for more than two hours, and make sure coolers remain at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Add lots of frozen ice packs to the cooler.
    • In hot weather, place coolers and lunch bags in the back seat instead of the trunk.
    • Make sure everyone in the family washes their hands with soap and water before and after eating. If you don’t have access to a restroom, pack moist towelettes or hand sanitizer.

    Crunchy Trail Mix Bars
    Makes 36 bars

    4 cups toasted oat cereal
    3 cups trail mix (seeds, nuts, and dried raisins, cherries and other fruits)
    1/4 cup Meijer butter or Margarine
    1 cup Meijer brown sugar
    2 T. flour
    1/2 cup Meijer light corn syrup

    1. Grease 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.  In large bowl, mix cereal and trail mix; set aside.
    2. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in brown sugar, flour and corn syrup.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil.  Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
    3. Pour mixture evenly over cereal mixture; toss to coat.  Press mixture in pan.  Cool 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.

    Nutrition information per bar:  Calories 130; Fat 5g; Carbohydrate 18g