Compact And Healthy Snacks For Adventures

Many of our outdoor adventures take place over several hours where we would normally have a meal like lunch or dinner. And yes, sometimes we can pack coolers and sandwiches to eat while out or back at the car. However, not all of our excursions allow for that food plan. When it comes to packing a meal replacement on the go, be it hiking in the backcountry, mountain biking or paddling downriver, protein bars are the best option we have found. Of course, there is a plethora of protein bar options out there, and you may need to try a few to find some you like. We have found Atkins bars and Quest bars to be two of our favorites. Many of the Atkins bars are dipped in chocolate, which easily melts and can make a mess in the summer heat, but most of the Quest bars aren’t coated, though they may have chocolate inside. Both brands have a variety of flavors and are considered healthier bar options.

If you love fruit, especially dried fruit, you should definitely try RIND snacks. They are exactly what they say: Various dried fruits like apples, oranges, strawberries, pears, kiwis and more, including the rind or peel. The company’s mission is to reduce food waste and offer you healthy sources of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, all found in the fruit’s rind. We started with a sample pack and have narrowed down a few of our favorites to Straw-Perry, Tropical and Apple Chips. While they don’t have a ton of sugar, they do offer a sweet and refreshing taste when you crave something sweet during your adventures.

Originally, our GoGo Squeez pouches were healthy snacks for our son. They are always in our fridge, and he eats them with meals, as camp snacks and on our outdoor adventures. On one of our long hikes, I happened to find myself digging for extra snacks and had packed a handful of the GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches. Since we were all a little hungry, we each had an applesauce pouch and really enjoyed it! The applesauce tastes great; is made from simple, natural ingredients; definitely offers nutrition; and has a resealable lid, which is helpful if kids don’t finish the whole pouch. For adults, you might find yourself craving a bit more, but for a quick snack on the fly, they work great! GoGo Squeez offers a bunch of fruit flavors, some with vegetables, and even yogurts. (We don’t recommend the yogurt ones if they will be out in the heat.)

One of our tried-and-true adventure snacks is trail mix. For years, we have been buying trail mix packages right off the shelves, but recently we have started to make our own with healthier nuts and dried fruits. We still enjoy a little sweet here and there, so we’ll add semisweet minichocolate chips or M&M’s Minis. Our journey to healthy snacks is also all about balance. When we buy or make trail mix, we typically have a large bag or batch. In order to bring compact snacks along, we will fill up ziplock bags with the trail mix and store one in each of our packs or pockets.

On a hot summer day after you have been exerting a lot of energy, nothing beats biting into fresh, juicy fruit! But fresh fruit isn’t the easiest to carry around with you while you’re out adventuring in Mother Nature. However, we have found packing small fruits like mandarin oranges or tangelos to be a bit easier. The peel keeps the fruit fresh and the smell contained until peeled. Once peeled, we use one of the ziplock bags we packed to store the peels. This is an especially important practice when adventuring and hiking in bear country.

If you have kids like ours, they most likely love sweet and chewy fruit snacks. But many fruit snacks contain loads of added sugars and food dyes, which aren’t the healthiest snacks for them or us. But when you’re craving something sweet, a healthy fruit gummy is the perfect snack while spending time outdoors — especially because they don’t melt or make a mess. We have tried a few options, and the ones we have come to enjoy the most are the fruit leather strips by Stretch Island. We have been able to find these at Walmart and some grocery stores. They are made with 100% fruit and have zero sugar added to them. It’s definitely a different taste from all the sugar-loaded fruit snacks, but our son, who considers himself a fruit snack connoisseur, absolutely loves them!

Another great protein-filled snack we enjoy is a meat stick or beef jerky. You might think all meat sticks and jerky are relatively healthy because, well, meat. But that isn’t the case. When looking for healthy meat options, we look for ones that are made from grass-fed beef and that have zero added sugars. A few brands to keep an eye out for are Chomps, Mission Meats and Paleovalley. In certain areas of the country, we have even been able to find bison or venison meat sticks, which are also great adventure snacks. If you have the pleasure to come across local farms or ranches that produce their own meat products, buying from them is the way to go!

Spending time outside and exploring nature is an awesome way to stay active as a family. And replenishing your spent energy with nutritious snacks that are portable and tasty is a great way to round out a healthy day. As summer rolls in, we hope you enjoy the great outdoors as much as we do, and be sure to try some of these snacks while hiking, spending time on the water or just as an easy grab-and-go option when you’re in a hurry!