10 tips for summertime snacking on the go

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PrepFreeProtein #CollectiveBiasOne thing we are adamant about with our kids is that they grow up in an active family. With so many beautiful places to visit right near us, we make it a point to go biking, hiking, and exploring whenever possible. Our kiddos are well-traveled little adventurers at this point, and after the long winter we had, we're all excited to get out and play.

With summer weather slowly arriving in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve been taking every opportunity to get outside and enjoy every last minute of the sunshine. I love being out in nature and being active as a family, but I hate that that sometimes means eating out more than I would like. So, I've started packing healthy snacks with us for our adventures that help us keep fueled up without weighing us down. 

With weather in the upper 70s this week, we thought it would be a great idea to get out for a little hike as a family. Of course, that means snacks for the trail and for the trip to the trail, so we walked over to our local Fred Meyer to do a little shopping ahead of time. I'm sharing with you some of my favorite tips for picking up good foods, preparing for our adventures ahead of time, and making the day of as enjoyable as possible for everyone. 

10 tips for summertime snacking:

1) Pick healthy snacks. We like to pick varied choices that don't require refrigeration and are good even when the temperature heats up. Our go-tos are granola squares, dried fruit, fresh fruit, and popcorn.

2) Don't forget the protein. For this, I love Lorissa's Kitchen because it requires no prep ahead of time and is something I can feel good about feeding my family. Made using only responsibly raised proteins, like 100% grass-fed beef, they are the perfect option for a healthy, portable snack that allows us to be as adventurous as we like to be. Lorissa's Kitchen is high in protein, low in carbs, low in fat, has no MSG, no preservatives and is gluten free. We also love that Lorissa's Kitchen snacks have a higher moisture content than traditional jerky, which makes them more tender and thus more flavorful. They offer four globally inspired flavors, all of which we love, but we are especially fond of the Korean Barbeque seasoned beef that has just the right amount of kick paired with really amazing seasonings.3) Contain it. Find a divided container that can hold lots of different snacks without creating a whole bunch of dishes to wash when you get home. We love reusing the kiddos' lunch modulars because then we can use them for everyday lunches, too. This metal stackable container is ideal for any weather and can handle all sorts of abuse during our adventures
4) Water for everyone. I always take a reusable water bottle for each of us everywhere to avoid the inevitable "I'm thirsty" just minutes after we get out of the house. If I'm packing iced tea or juice, I will choose a double walled beverage container to keep it cool, but if it's just water any water bottle will do.

5) Flavor, please. If you really want to give your kids a treat after a long hike, you can pack away juice drops that can flavor your water you've brought. You can buy juice concentrate or natural options that are unsweetened, depending on your dietary needs.

6) Doilies as plates. I don't love sticky hands reaching into common food bowls, so I always prefer separate plates for each of us. Unfortunately, plates {real or disposable} are hard to pack when you're carrying gear for 5 people, so I prefer paper napkins or doilies to make our picnics feel even more special.
7) Washing up is a must. Speaking of sticky hands, I like to bring baby wipes with us on our hikes to clean up hands and faces. Before we eat, we use a little hand sanitizer as well.

8) BYOM. We love eating snacks on the go, so I always have a lightweight mat that we can set down to sit and enjoy our quick picnic.

9) Pack it in, pack it out. Avoid excess packaging if you are buying pre-portioned snacks. I prefer reusable whenever possible that I can just put a lid on and take back home, but for the doilies and napkins I bring a resealable plastic bag to contain them in my pack, like the empty Lorissa's Kitchen bags that have FreshLock.
10) Lightweight pack. To keep everything accessible and able to take with us even on long excursions, I use a lightweight backpack. That way it can go right into our trunk to hold our divided containers, doilies, napkins, mat, and cleaning items in.

Go forth and snack

For our recent hike, we had granola bites, bars, dried fruits, popcorn, fruits, and then we enjoyed some delicious treats from Lorrisa's Kitchen. This combination is our new favorite snack for on the go because it has something for everyone and it is filling enough for even our longest day adventures. Getting outside in the sunshine with my favorite people certainly makes me happy, but knowing that we won't have to stop right away to find snacks and treats makes me positively giddy.
Are you ready to shop for your own on-the-go protein snacks for your adventures? Head to your local Kroger {or Kroger banner} store and you will find Lorissa's Kitchen in the snack aisle.
You can even use this $1 off coupon from Lorissa's Kitchen to save even more at Kroger stores nationwide. The coupon is good until 8/29/2017, which is perfect for summer time adventures.

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