Recap of Plane Snacks

We've returned from our 3-week vacation to visit extended family on the East Coast. Do NOT take a peek at my living room right now! Three backpacks, three suitcases and one duffel bag, all awaiting to be unpacked, are strewn all over the floor.

I wanted to give another recap about the snacks I packed for the plane ride.

First, here is what we took back on our homeward-bound flights. 1 Welch's fruit snacks, 1 mandarin orange cup, 1 Mott's applesauce pouch, 1 GoGo Squeez pouch, a few fruit strips, 1 baggie of apricots, 1 baggie of blueberries, 1 Kashi, 1 package of Austin crackers, 2 baggies of Cheez-Its, 1 candy necklace, 2 Clif-Z bars. All of these snacks went into a gallon-size, Ziploc bag - 1 bag per person.

Here's what was left over from the kids' and my snack bags. Seems like quite a bit, but remember that is from 3 people's bags. AND I'd much rather be over-prepared and not use it all, then the alternative ... hungry, cranky kids and therefore hungry, cranky momma!

I learned that Nutri-Grain bars are terrific ... but unfortunately, they easily squish into a flat, yet delicious pancake, making them difficult to eat neatly. Perhaps, they are best saved for a travel-by-car snack. Kashi granola bars, on the other hand, held up great!

So, what do I do with the left-overs? I put the fruit-type snacks into 1 bin, and the other snack foods went into another snack bin. And now I just replenished my Smart Summer Snacking bins, except for the veggies. Time to go shopping for produce!

Review of Plane Snacks

Overall, everything handled the trip well! I realized that I overpacked the snacks (and the games). However, I'd rather overpack than underpack in this area.

The bonus to overpacking and not eating it all on the flights? Extra snacks while we traipse around on vacation!

All of the mandarin orange cups made it through the security screening.

The veggie chips got smashed, just like I thought they would. But I packed a spoon for that purpose. They still tasted just fine.

The NutriGrain bars also ended up getting smushed. Although they tasted delicious, they were a bit messy. I made sure to have wipes on hand.

Lastly, the tuna kit - we were gonna eat them in the airport; however, flights changed, and we ate them on the plane. Downside: they smelled a tiny bit like tuna (obviously), which might offend your fellow passenger. Bumblebee also has a Chicken Salad Kit; that might be a better plan option.

Everything else worked out great, and really satisfied our hunger on the flights and prolonged layover.

Leaving on a Jet Plane ... Snacks needed

Yup, in a few days, we're "leaving on a jet plane". Taking a family vacation back to the East Coast to visit extended family. And besides entertainment for the kiddos (which I have plenty of activities packed), SNACKS is the other thing that MUST be packed when traveling with kids. Or even by myself .. I get grumpy if I don't have something to snack on, OR if I have to pay exorbitant airline prices for less-than-appealing snacks. So ... I pack our own.

Here's what I packed in one bag:

3 packages of Terra veggie chips - 1 oz each

2 Kashi granola bars in different flavors

1 Market Pantry 100% fruit strip

1 SunRype 100% fruit strip 

1 Welch's Fruit Snacks

1 TreeTop fruit-flavored applesauce

2 Nutri-Grains in different flavors

1 package of Austin crackers (not healthy, but fun)

Next, I put everything except the applesauce pouch into a gallon-size Ziploc bag, setting the applesauce pouch aside.

When I'm traveling, snacks tend to tide me over. However, on a long trip, after a while, I want some lunch! Instead of buying over-priced sandwiches and salads in an airport or even on the plane, I pack a a light, portable lunch. Bumble Bee Tuna Salad kit comes with a small tin of tuna salad, 6 crackers and a tiny spoon. To round out the light lunch, I am also packing a cup of mandarin oranges and a spoon!

I threw the tuna kit and spoon into the gallon-sized bag, leaving the mandarin orange cup on the side.

Lastly, I placed the applesauce pouch and the mandarin orange cup in the TSA-required, quart-sized, Ziploc bag. They are technically gels and liquids, so into the quart bag they go. I'll have to admit ... I don't know if the fruit cup is under the required 3.4-ounces. I guess, I'll let you know on Thursday, when I blog about my choice of plane snacks. :)

Everyone gets their own gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Each person carries their own snack bag in their backpack; this keeps the little people from fighting over "the good stuff". When it's snack time, everyone opens their own personal bag, choosing which snack they want to eat. Lots of choices!

Like I said before, I plan to discuss the pros and cons of my plane snack choices. Join me again on Thursday to see how well the snacks faired! Here's what is in ONE PERSON's bag. That's right; everyone gets their own gallon-sized Ziploc bag. each person carries their own snack bag (no fighting), and when it's snack time, everyone gets to choose which snack they want to eat. Lots of choices!