Homeade granola(trail mix) packed in individual baggies, or make them into granola bars

yogurt or pudding cups or applesauce cups

baby carrots

make wraps and wrap them well and place in cooler

bottles of water/juice

 

I am sure others will chime in with more ideas but hope this gives you a start!

 

 

OK... got those ideas... any specifics for the sandwiches.  I try to avoid PB&J cause it just gets weird and mushy!

I need a good granola mix recipe... I'll have to look one up.

I am not sure if PB&J gets mushy in a wrap, never tried it. I usually make wraps for my dd's lunches using low-fat mayo, a bit of shredded cheese, turkey, spinach if I have any....they both seem to love them.

Oh, I am going to enjoy this thread too!  We have soccer every Sat. for the next few weeks and there is a several hour break between games, but we don't come home because it is often an hour drive each way.  We ate out last week, but I am planning to pack some food the next few weeks.

I was thinking ham or turkey sandwiches or wraps; dried fruit or Fruitabu's (100% fruit fruit leather); (or apples - all my kids love apples and they travel pretty well); bottled water; crakers; string cheese; maybe a trail mix with their favorites - gold fish, cheerios, almonds, M&M's (don't put in if it is hot out), mini-marshmallows, raisins, that type of thing; granola bars; Yogurt/Go-Gurt.

 

I usually LOVE to have fruit and some type of home made bread such as pumpkin bread or so. In terms of sandwiches I think the best thing, especially considering how long you will be in the car is to put bread slices in a bag then bring jelly or ham/cheese in another container, a plastic knife and create the sandwiches as need be.

I regularly pack myself a lunch for long days on campus with fruit/yogurt/granola parfaits, turkey sammie or roast beef, celery/carrots, and I keep a small container of sauces/mayo/etc. just so my bread doesn't soak up all the gooey-ness. But for drives, it's never a bad thing to have sugar-free suckers or muffins (my travelling favorite)!

Thank you!  Thank you!  We are about to go on a 28 hour trek cross country and I am always looking for new ideas to make the trip more bearable (and affordable).  This is a terrific thread! 

We did a 22 hour drive to visit family at Christmas last year.  We packed lots of bottled water, juices, and individual milks. From there, granola bars, raw almonds, some muffins, even a small amount of fruit (mostly bananas, apples) for early in the trip.  For sandwiches we packed slices of bread and I bought a small container of mustard and mayo, turkey and cheese slices. and, of course, plastic forks/spoons.  It worked out great! The hard part is having room in the car for everything!  A 22-hr drive requires lots of things to keep the kids busy.  : )

Freeze your juice/milk boxes to use for keeping the other food cool. Make sure you pack dense foods in the bottom, softer foods in the top.

I make sandwiches ahead of time and I'm a Tupperware Diva, so they get packed in "hard" plastic. Tomatoes, and other "soggy bread" type additives get packed separately.
I don't do chips because they turn to crumbs so easily, even in my Tupperware, but crackers do ok. Sometimes I make "cracker sandwiches" with crackers and cream cheese or peanut butter.
A really good wrap is: large flour tortilla spread with peanut/almond butter or nutella, thin slices of apple or pear. Roll up, wrap in saran or lay in a Tupperware container. It slices into cute circles, too.
I also like flour tortilla with fat free cream cheese, sundried tomato pesto (a little goes a long way), turkey and sharp cheddar, spinach and thin sliced cucumber.

Carrots, apples, pears, oranges all travel well. I pack a lot of salads, just put the dressing in a small sealed container to use when you're ready to eat.

GORP (good old raisins and peanuts) with a little bit of chocolate chips or toasted coconut or yougurt covered peanuts or raisins, or craisins is great too. And gives those kids lots of sustainable energy.

I also like frozen grapes, even if they thaw they are yummy!
Family Fun has some home made granola bars that are yummy and actually pretty healthy, same with "trail mix". But my trail mix is just GORP with lots of other stuff thrown in, like sunflower seeds, coconut, banana/apple chips, dried fruit...

Don't forget hardboiled eggs, egg salad (I take the bread seperate with "salad fillings"), chicken salad, tuna salad....... for a fun treat you could take a bag of chips or crackers and use the "salad" as dip.

I prefer taking "finger foods" for car trips, and just make sure my wipes container is full for wiping off those little hands and faces (ok, my hands and face, too!). I am anti-disposable, and forks/spoons/plates can get gross in the heat. But, you could always take a (plastic) mayo jar with water, soap and vinegar in it to drop them in. (That's from my Mom, btw). (The vinegar makes sure any "ickies" die in the jar)

My mother, the queen of car-trips, taught me all of this. She also taught me to make sure you have a flashlight, gallon of water, small blanket, small first aid kit, sunscreen and a $10.00 bill  Just In Case. (she kept the $10 tucked between maxi pads in her first aid kit-best hiding spot in the world!). I also keep a small bottle of Aleve or Tylenol (I have both), a $20 bill, a few quarters, Immodium,Benadryl, baby wipes, and a couple of plastic bags in my "emergency box".