
A road trip with your boo and a weekend getaway with the girls are must-do items for the summer. But being on the road can make staying on track with healthy food choices more difficult than you care to admit. Thankfully, with a little planning ahead and a quick trip to the grocery store, you can make yourself some fail-proof treats before you head out the door. And to make sure you have enough time to pack and plan, we spoke with Hillori Hansen, a culinary instructor at Whole Foods Market Northern California, to find out her favorite healthy snacks and simple recipes to throw in the car.
According to Hillori, vegetables and fruits are great, easy snack options for a road trip. She says, “They travel nicely and can be easy to chop up. Plus, you can store them in stackable airtight containers to keep them fresh the whole trip. I like to avoid fruits or vegetables that will smash or bruise easily, like bananas, peaches or strawberries.” Instead, she suggests sticking to grapes, blueberries, cherries and sliced apples and carrots, cherry tomatoes, radishes, cut cucumbers and celery (bonus: bring along some peanut butter packs to give the celery an added punch). “I also like to pack squeezable fruit purees, chia pudding and dried apricots, figs or mangos.”
1. Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Kite Hill Cream Cheese: “It’s always great to have a cooler in your car, to keep some of your traveling items chilling, but this is vegan-friendly (if you use the Kite Hill Cream Cheese) and would be fine for a few hours in the car,” notes Hillori.
Serves: 12-16 peppers
Ingredients:
— 1 package mini tri-colored sweet peppers
— 1 cup of your favorite herbs/veggies (dill, chives, shredded carrots, artichokes)
— (2) 8-ounce containers of Kite Hill Cream Cheese or Regular cream cheese (softened)
Instructions:
1. Cut the tops off of the peppers and scoop out seeds if present.
2. Combine the cream cheese, herbs and veggies.
3. Spoon the mixture into the peppers and store until ready to eat! Yum.
2. Berry Chia Pudding:
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients:
— 1 cup berries
— 3 cups 365 Vanilla Almond Milk
— ¼ cup honey
— 1 cup chia seeds
Instructions:
1. In a blender, combine berries, milk and honey until smooth.
2. Add in the chia seeds and stir constantly until well incorporated.
3. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or until set.
Note: This will last you a week in your fridge and is great to add to a lunch bag, eat for breakfast or have as a healthy snack when you need a quick boost of energy.
PROTEINS
“Having healthy protein snacks for your travels is a great way to relieve hunger and keep you from stopping at the nearest fast food burger chain,” advises Hillori. “Pack a few hard-boiled eggs with herb seasoning, jerky, nuts, string cheese or energy bars, like Lara Bars, which are always a favorite and made with natural ingredients.”
3. Raw Energy Brownie Bites:
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients:
— 2/3 cup Medjool dates
— 1/2 cup walnuts
— 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
— 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
— pinch of sea salt
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined and dough can be formed into bars or small balls.
2. Remove and roll dough into small balls or, if you prefer, roll the dough into bars. Enjoy! Store them in an airtight container for easy travel.
4. Turkey & Wraps:
Serves: 1 – 2 people
Ingredients:
— 1 tortilla wrap (sprouted grain or collard greens are healthy options)
— 2 Tablespoons cream cheese or vegan cheese spread
— 1 teaspoon herb seasoning
— 3 ounces of your favorite protein (turkey, ham, salami or cheese)
— handful of your favorite veggie toppings (peppers, tomatoes, olives, spinach)
Instructions:
1. Spread your tortilla with cream cheese and sprinkle with herb seasoning.
2. Layer the meat slices onto the tortilla and add the veggie toppings as you like.
3. Roll the tortilla with fillings inside and cut in half or into quarters.
4. Stick with a toothpick if you need to hold it together.
Tweet us what you pack to keep things healthy on the road @BritandCo!
(Photos via Whole Foods)
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.