Cooking with Karina: Tasty Travel Snacks

Karina Arnold is a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma who’s passionate about healthy cooking. She provides creative, healthy recipes and tips on clean eating.

In today’s globalized world, travel has become a necessity. Many families don’t live in the same state or even continent. In addition, most students travel out-of-state for college and study abroad. Many businesses require travel across the country or borders. Whether by train, car or plane, Americans are commuting.

This January, I traveled to Cambodia for two weeks. On the opposite hemisphere, Cambodia is about 20 hours. As much as I love to travel, I don’t enjoy spending $5 in the airport for a bottle of water and $12 for a bowl of limp lettuce and a tomato called a “salad.” I would rather bring my own treats for the plane.

Making my own trail mix out of popcorn, unsalted nuts and dried fruit along with an apple or pear is easy to stow in my backpack. I also choose granola bars with low-sugar contents and easy-to-read ingredients. If one of the first three ingredients has sugar, glucose or syrup, or if the sugar content is greater than 10g, I find a different bar. My favorite granola bar brands include Kind, Clif, Square Bars and RX Bars.

Turkey Wrap Snack Plate. (Photo: Karina Arnold)

You can also save money and your appetitive with these easy and tasty travel snacks. Throwing Overnight Oats or a Hummus Cucumber Sandwich into my purse provide a nutritious on-flight meal. Don’t be the person who brings a smelly, loud and messy snack on the plane. Pack this Turkey Wrap Snack Plate or bag these Blueberry Oat Muffins to enjoy with your complimentary coffee.

For those times in which flights get delayed or you have a layover, skip the greasy burger line and visit an airport coffee shop. A warm black coffee or tea with oatmeal or a parfait is much more filling and will aid in your digestion while sitting for long periods of time. For on-the-go, grab a whole wheat sandwich or wrap with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Increasing your consumption of fiber-rich greens also aids in digestion when destined to sit on a lengthy plane ride.

What grub do you grab for your travels? Comment below!