by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: September 01, 2008

Road trips are good, old-fashioned family fun, a time of bonding and sight-seeing, right? Right! Unless, of course, you are packing the kids full of sugar and the energy highs and lows that follow. The most important meal of the day being breakfast, it is important to pack things in the cooler that will get everyone off to a happy and healthy start. There are many foods that will assist you in enjoying your road trip, even with the little ones.

~Bran muffins are great. Kids like them since they look like cupcakes and you can add a bit of honey to sweetne for the pickier palette. Baking them as mini muffins will be easier for littler hands. The following is my favorite recipe for these little wonders.

Bran Buds Muffins

*Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
2 cups Bran Buds cereal
1 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk
5 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
5 tsp. baking soda
4 additional cups Bran Buds cereal
1 cup raisins

*Instructions
Mix 2 cups boiling water with 2 cups Bran Buds cereal in a large bowl. Mix and allow to cool in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk.
Add cooled mixture.
Add flour, salt, baking soda, additional 4 cups Bran Buds, and raisins. Mix thoroughly.
Bake at 425 degrees F. for 15 minutes in greased muffin pans.

~Hard boiled eggs are another road trip breakfast that will eliminate the sugar woes. Hard boil the eggs and wrap them in cooked bacon the night before. Place in the cooler and when it is time to eat them, they will be full of the bacony flavor to be enjoyed by all.

~Snack bags of cereal are fun for the kids. They will be fun for you as well if you choose the right ones. Cheerios, granola cereals, and Kix mixed together in a bag are fun grab and go mini meals.

~Peanut butter and banana sandwiches on whole wheat bread are another option that keeps the sugar low and tolerance high.

~Trail mix is good, but be careful if you are buying the premade type as some of this is loaded with sugar. Making your own is a better idea. Include dried fruits, nuts, and seeds, leaving out the M&Ms found in many of the store bought bags.

~When it comes to drinks, watch out! Those cute little drink boxes will bring the sugar gauge up, up, up! Opt for bottled water or cartons of milk. Fresh squeezed juice is good, as well.

There are many options for keeping the sugar down on the road. You will enjoy a much more pleasant family vacation by packing these and saving the sweets for a time when you are not packed together in the car. Healthy traveling is happy traveling!

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