Allergen-Friendly Recipes for Road Trips
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Buckle up, Spiriteds, because we’re going road-tripping! Okay, not really. But in this post we WILL cover allergen-friendly recipes for road trips. Because it is an ENTIRE thing. There’s no shame in this parenting game. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. And our family is A LOT when it comes to, well, basically, everything.
For example, when they were little, I filled out pediatric paperwork for regular checkups and one of the questions asked how often we eat meals at the dinner table. And I asked the nurse, “Do you mean, like, we’re all sitting together with one hand in our laps and elbows off the table? Does it count if they are there but eating underneath the table? What if they are crying because their favorite food yesterday is not their favorite food today? Usually, we just roll with it. How formal must we be?”
Dinners and food and schedules are whole things unto themselves. Then throw in food allergies and attempt to take the show on the road, and, hoo-boy, you are in for it. Or maybe that’s just us.
Despite all the challenges, we’ve refined the art of roadtrips with food allergies. We’ve put the finishing touches on car picnics, as we did when we visited Great Sand Dunes National Park. And since my love language is quality time, and my favorite activities include travel, photography, and reading, road trips are my jam. Even if I do get horribly car sick when everything isn’t “just so.” See? It’s not just the kids. Our family really is an entire experience.
But I digress.
Below I will show you what we pack, what we prep ahead of time, and how we prioritize what gets eaten and when.
How the road trips with food allergies started
So, actually, this whole endeavor didn’t start on the road, as it were. It started in a mall parking lot when I took the girls to a festival that offered free food they couldn’t eat. K-Hubs was at work, so I packed a small lunch bag of goodies, and when the kids got hungry, I took them back to the car to eat, and the girls had a BLAST. They thought it was so hilarious to eat in a Camry (we aim to please). And since they were pleased as punch, and I enjoyed it, too, we started doing it more often with K-Hubs joining in immediately.
As the saying goes, one thing leads to another, and before I knew it, we car picnicked for all kinds of events. We did this so often, the girls started talking about it at school, as though we were the only family to ever do this.
Then we took the show on the road, traveling longer distances and covering multiple meals in a stretch From there it became a tradition.
The basics: outline a daily menu
Whenever we road trip, I make a daily menu that typically includes three meals and three snacks. Whether we really eat that much or not isn’t the point. Rather, it’s to make sure we don’t run out of food in the middle of nowhere. Also, the daily menu identifies just how many recipes we’ll need to make and how many prepackaged foods we’ll need to purchase before we leave for the trip.
From there, we outline which foods and snacks are designated for each day. This is based on what is likely to spoil first versus what is shelf stable enough to last several more days or even the entire road trip.
The basics: what to buy
K-Hubs and I strive to balance fresh ingredients, homemade recipes, and prepackaged store-bought foods. This diversifies our foods and nutrients as much as possible, given our particular mix of dietary needs and food allergies. Here are some of our favorites:
- Cereal. We buy ours in bulk from Costco so we have enough to cover a weeklong road trip.
- Almond milk (or other dairy-free option). We buy ours from Costco because the price is right and it doesn’t require refrigeration until it has been opened.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables. Berries, carrots, and lettuce are frequent choices. I’ve backed off bananas because they ripen faster than we eat them and apples because they are bulky to package and store. But that’s not to say you can’t have greater success than we do.
- Gluten-free bread for sandwiches. We like Sam’s Choice Gluten-Free Bread from Walmart or Canyon Bakehouse bread from Costco. Look for breads that don’t require refrigeration, if possible.
- Nut and seed butters. Almond and sunflower seed butters are popular in our household. We’ll also pack jams and jellies, too.
- Lunch meat. We don’t eat a lot of lunch meat, in general. But we will take some of road trips, and we typically enjoy them on the front-end and back-end of the trip. This depends greatly on expiration dates and how airtight the packaging is.
- Granola, chips, and applesauce. Our favorite pre-made granola is Made Good. We’ll also do individually packaged applesauce cups or squeezies. As for chips, it’s kind of a free-for-all.
- Crackers and pretzels. We like almond flour crackers from Costco and gluten-free pretzels from Walmart.
Allergen-friendly recipes for road trips
Once you’ve selected your store-bought foods, then you can make your own foods. Here are some of our family’s favorites. They make the list if they travel well, are filling, and taste good.
- Oil-Free Flour-Free Muffins. They are tasty, filling, and ideal for the front-end (first 1-3 days) of the trip.
- Caramelized Almond Slivers. Not just a salad topper, these snack bites are easy to adjust in quantity to meat your needs. And they should stay fairly fresh for 3-5 days if stored in an airtight container.
- Chickpea Cookie Dough Bars. Filling and tasty, they don’t require refrigeration. But we do put them in the cooler on top of whatever else is in there if the weather is warm.
- No-Bake Paleo Chocolate Chip Coconut Bars. These are great if you run out of time to bake more foods. Note, however, these bars DO require a cooler to stay firm.
- Chocolate Chip Cookies {DF +GF}. One of our favorite recipes, these cookies are easy to make and don’t require refrigeration.
- Gluten-Free Italian Pasta Salad. Although it’s a salad, this recipe is a lunch and dinner staple on our road trips. It’s filling and easy to bulk up by adding more salami, black olives, or tomatoes.
- White Bean Dip or Homemade Classic Hummus. Both recipes are quick to through together in a food processor. Store them in your cooler and enjoy them within the first five days of your trip!
Oil-Free Flour-Free Muffins
Known for their spongy, springy density and sweet, earthy flavor, these Oil-Free Flour-Free Muffins are a comforting breakfast or snack option! The ground cinnamon and coconut sugar confidently complement the mashed banana and applesauce. The overall effect is soft, both in flavor and texture! {Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free}
Caramelized Almond Slivers
Caramelized Almond Slivers are the perfect salad topper or quick, on-the-go snack! Made with only two ingredients, they are ready in about 30 minutes! And when you make a batch, just prepare to make it a double or even a triple because these little treats are a crowd-pleaser! {Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free}
Chickpea Cookie Dough Bars
These simple Chickpea Cookie Dough Bars may be vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free, but they are big on chocolatey, ooey, gooey goodness! Flavored with sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, and vanilla, they offer a soft, subtle base that belies their decadence. Tips and tricks included! {Gluten-Free + Vegan}
No-Bake Paleo Chocolate Chip Coconut Bars
One of the most popular recipes in our house and amongst our friends and family, these No-Bake Paleo Chocolate Chip Coconut Bars are so easy to make! Flavored with vanilla, chocolate, and shredded coconut, these dessert bars are sweet and satisfying! {Paleo + Vegan}
Chocolate Chip Cookies {GF +DF}
This gluten-free, dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is melt-in-your mouth delicious, buttery, and textured. From a crispy edge to a chewy center, your tastebuds will be wowed! Tips and tricks are included to get the right consistency and to troubleshoot allergen-friendly baking obstacles! {GF + DF}
Gluten-Free Italian Pasta Salad
Friends, I do not even know how to talk about this recipe. We enjoy it so much and for so many different occasions, I don’t even know how to scale our love for it into one readable blog post. But I’ll try. Because your tastebuds are worth it, and they’ll be so happy! {GF + DF}
White Bean Dip
White Bean Dip is a delicious dairy-free, gluten-free dip to enjoy with vegetables, crackers, bread, or chips. It’s also a great topper to burgers, poultry, grilled veggies, or even a salad consisting of crispy greens. This flavorful dip belies just how simple it is to make! {Gluten-Free + Vegan}
Homemade Classic Hummus
This tahini-free Homemade Classic Hummus is full of vibrant flavors and takes just minutes to prepare! Included are tips and tricks to create a delicious creamy hummus texture that tastes earthy and piquant! {Gluten-Free + Vegan}
How to store allergen-friendly recipes for road trips
- Glass containers. In addition to breakage worries, these don’t collapse once they’re done being used. So they aren’t great if you need additional space throughout your road trip. Where they DO shine is in preserving foods that are prone to getting smashed or are a little messier than other foods we’ve brought along. We store our pasta salad in airtight glass dishes and stick them in the cooler.
- Plastic baggies. These are great for storing individual packages of snacks, especially for each family member on the trip. And they are great for storing brownies and bars you’ve sliced into servings ahead of time. But they aren’t terribly eco-friendly and foods stored in them are prone to getting smashed.
- Silicone baggies. These have become a favorite of ours and are replacing much of our plastic baggie usage. They cost more up front but are reusable and hold their shape, thus preserving the foods stored in them. They are also fairly easy to rinse and collapse when you’re done using them. We love to store fruits, sandwiches, bars, and cookies. Smaller snack packs are great if you want to divvy out portions per person.
- Recyclable paper plates and bowls. Less for storage and more for when you’re actually eating, these are great because once done they are recyclable. We buy ours at Costco, but if you don’t have a Costco nearby or aren’t a member, then local stores should have options. Read the labels to make sure the materials are recyclable. And check for exceptions. Sometimes, if the plates and bowls are too messy once used, then they aren’t recyclable.
- Stainless steel water bottles. We use these throughout our trips, and we use hydration backpacks for day trips.
Allergen-friendly recipes for road trips: honorable mentions
This list includes recipes we haven’t made for road trips but could, if we needed to.
- Smoothies. I always want to make them because they are easy to customize, bulk up for nutrition and staying full, and to store. But we often run out of time before we leave and the girls never want to sip them during our road trips. I do think smoothies are a great choice to metaphorically keep in your back pocket if you run out of other ideas.
- Main dishes like chicken, turkey, and pork. Bake or roast a main meal, let it cool, and then store it in your cooler for the trip. My stepmother, Grandma Colorado, used to do this when I was a child. Ask 11-year-old me how I felt about days upon days of ham sandwiches. LOL I complained so much, she let me ceremoniously discard the bone when every last bite had been eaten. Freshness on the road is important, though, so it’s a good idea to research ahead of time how well and long the food will keep once it’s made. K-Hubs and I never manage to plan well enough in advance, and the girls often don’t agree on just one choice. But if you can swing it, this is a great way to get some mileage out of one food.
- Gluten-free oatmeal. We love a good gluten-free oatmeal for breakfast, and we’ve attempted to take it on road trips. But it just never caught on, so instead we make Gluten-Free Oatmeal Sugar Cookies for dessert and stick with fruits, cereals, and bars for breakfast.
Additional tips and tricks
- Call ahead. We find not all hotel room fridges work equally well. If you’ll need a well-operating hotel refrigerator, then call ahead to ensure your room has one or so other arrangement can be made.
- Identify major cities or towns along your route. Even if we won’t be visiting the city or town itself, we try to identify where majors stops are, in case we need to make a detour for a food shortage emergency.
- Download apps of favorite grocery stores, travel centers, or food brands that meet your needs. These apps often list locations of where the stores, travel centers, or food brands are.
- Start small. When we started taking our food allergy show on the road, we didn’t start with a 7-14-day trip. We started with a 3-day weekend and expanded from there.
That’s it, Spiriteds! That’s compilation of allergen-friendly recipes for road trips. Remember to stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun when you can, and definitely remember I’m glad you’re here. ❤️
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