Family Roadtrip: Here's to not getting HANGRY

Family Roadtrip by cloch1 featuring james perse

Topshop sweat shirt / H&M shirt top, $9.19 / James Perse / American Apparel / TOMS shoes, $63 / DENY Designs Anderson Design Group Chicago Shower Curtain / Lug Snuz Sac U Blanket Pillow / Sony Over-the-Ear Headphones (MDRZX300IP/B) / Studio Pant II *No Liner / Matthew Justin Rupp Society6


Practically every summer my family loads up the car and we hit the road to visit our family in Montana. The drive from Chicago to Butte, MT has taken us as long as 26 hours and as little as 22...thats a lot of time to make great memories, but it is also just a lot of time. With about 29 years of practice I have the ride preparation down, one of my greatest challenges this year is the food!! I am a mostly plant based eater, my sister is gluten free and soy free. Oh, and have I mentioned that we get HANGRY--- super crabby when hungry-- so it is essential that we prepare appropriate food to tie us over between stops.

Two Day Road Trip Survival:
  Clothing:

• AVOID white (trust me)
• Two pairs of comfy pants
• Layering tops that are easy on/easy off in case you are the driver--overhead removal is highly frowned     upon
• Easy on/off shoes-- sometimes there is little coordination (mid nap) or time (post large coffee) to slip the shoes on once you stop
• socks to put on your feet in the car

Activities:

• something to do with my hands like Knitting
• ipad (I get carsick when reading in the car but I always seem to try)
• ipod/adaptor to listen to in the car because there are a lot of areas without any radio between Chitown and Butte
• headphones for when you need to feel like you are alone instead of in a six by six box with four other people
• camera to capture any beautiful sunsets, animals, or great pictures of your trip along the way
• PILLOW and BLANKET- I love my Lug because it is small and supersoft

Food:

• Grapes and other fruit that you can munch on to healthily pass the time (berries are more dangerous because if you drop one and sit on it your pants are done, especially if this berry is a piece of chocolate :/ )
• popcorn--stove top popped with a little salt
• chia seed puddings
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 cup milk (any kind, I use any non-moo milk)
• a little bit of coco and or fruit you choose
• in a blender combine the milk and coco (or fruit) and mix well
• combine the chia seeds and the liquid and let sit at least 15 minutes
• this makes a pretty good size batch and I like to divide it up between small tupperwares for either a sweet treat or breakfast
• Date Balls
• 1/2 c rolled oats
• 1/2 c pepitas (aka raw pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 c walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 coconut flakes
• pinch of salt
• splash of vanilla
• about 25 pitted dates (depends on the size so check the consistency throughout the date-ing process)
• place all the dry ingredients in the food processor (not dates or vanilla) and grind up
• add the vanilla and pulse a few more times
• through the feeder tube add the dates one by one- test the texture as you go, you want to be able to roll the mixture into balls
• remove the blade and roll the mixture into small balls
• place in freezer and keep frozen
• Energy balls- hits the sweet tooth and includes protein
• 1c rolled oats (gf)
• 1/2 c coconut flakes
• 3/4 c peanut butter
• 1/2 c honey
• 1 t, vanilla
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• handful of chocolate chips - vegan for me, regular for my sister 
• mix all in a big bowl and then roll into balls, feel free to add nuts or other seeds
• great refrigerated

• 3 ingredient cookies- I have seen these all over the web
• 2 ripe bananas
• handful of rolled oats
• add-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, cinnamon)
• mash up the bananas
• toss in the oats
• add one or two at most add-ins
• scoop into little cookies and bake for 15 minutes at 350 (place cookies on parchment paper or sillpat mat)

• trailmix- I love monkey buisness from Trader Joe's or Diet Delite from Whole Foods
• Kombucha tea--- maybe dangerous if you are not planning a stop anytime soon
• Lots of WATER-- I love my Hydroflask because if I fill it in WI, fall asleep with my water bottle in the sun, and wake up in SD I know my water will still be COLD (cold for 24 hours and hot for 12)! It also frees up room in the ice-chest for all the yummy snacks!

This year it is just my mom, sister, and I driving out--- here's to not getting HANGRY at each other!