Easy Snacks and Meals for Outdoor Adventures with Kids.

If you have ever ventured outdoors with kids for any amount of time, you'll know that the level of happiness and success for everyone is all dependent on SNACKS! But what do you pack so your child isn't just eating goldfish for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Last year, my family spent the school year in Costa Rica, and many of our favorite and easy snacks were no longer accessible or affordable. This got me thinking creatively as we traveled and went on adventures with our kids.

Below you'll find some of my families favorites. All tested and kid approved.

Snacks

Homemade Trail mix

Recently, we've been making our trail mix with a cereal base like cheerios instead of nuts.

Popcorn

We love to make homemade

popcorn in our microwave popcorn popper. It is a fun and easy snack to make quickly and munch on while hiking, in a stroller, a boat, or at the park. The nice thing about making your own popcorn is you can make it as salty or buttery as you want.

Seaweed

It's funny, because I am not a fan of seaweed at all. But all 3 of my children love it! I've found this to be an easy snack to bring, or keep in the car for those hangry meltdowns.

Cheese -

Mozzarella balls, baby bell cheese, string cheese, cheese curds - can you tell I am from Wisconsin?

Tomato & mozzarella balls on tooth picks

With our without glaze depending on preference.

Edamame

I love brining frozen edamame along with me on longer outings because it thaws out by the time we eat it.

Tofu

I wasn't sure to include this as a snack, or a meal. Can be either. My children love tofu cubed and cooked in soy sauce. Easy finger food, and not too messy. It also stores easily and can be eaten warm or cold.

Snack boxes aka "Snackleboxes"

These are a HUGE hit in my house. It turns snacks into an activity. Some things we like to include in our snack box are pretzels, cheese, trail mix, cut-up fruit, crackers, salami, cut-up veggies, ranch dip... or anything else your kids like to eat.

NOTE: I love bringing extras of everything so I can refill the box and use it again and again. This has proven especially helpful on the plane, during road trips, or for the beginning and the end of a hike or canoe trip.

Crepes-

Crepes are easy to make in bulk at breakfast time. They can be rolled up with cinnamon & sugar, peanut butter, Nutella, or made savory with ham and cheese.

FROZEN Juice Boxes

This has been a family tradition since I was young, and to this day I'm sure you'll find a few frozen juice boxes in my mother's freezer.

Frozen juice boxes are great ice packs for packing a cooler, they can then be drank later when no longer frozen or as we always enjoyed as kids - FROZEN with the top cut off just like a popsicle.

Smoothies

Smoothies, applesauce or yogurt frozen in a squeasy is a great way to add ice to your lunch box, and are easy for kids to enjoy on the go with limited messes. They work so much better than store bought pouches which always end up all over my kids.

Banana or Zucchini Muffins

Actually, any muffins will do! These just happen to be my favorite. Easy to pack and eat on the go.

MEALS OUTSIDE and ON THE GO

As a family of 5 it isn't easy, or cheap, to feed us all while out and about. If we are going to be outside for part or all of the day, I like to pack food for lunch or dinner, to keep us from stopping at a fast food restaurant, or walking away from a cute cafe with a check of a $100.

Unfortunately, my kids are not big sandwich eaters. So here are some of our easy go-to meals, that can be made in advance.

Peanut butter and jelly on graham crackers- Sure you can do this on bread. But we get a bit tired of PB&J so I like switching it up on to graham crackers sometimes.

Ravioli - This is a super easy thing to make in the morning before heading out for the day. They pack easily, and can be eaten cold with your fingers.

Meatballs - Another great finger food that my kids love and is a good source of protein.

Pesto Pasta

We like to eat it cold, sometimes we add tomatoes or chicken. Oh and don't forget parmesan.

Snack Boards

Not sure what it is with a lot of little things cut up, but my kids will just keep eating and eating. Sure, maybe it's just a bunch of snack items, but when laid out on a fun board they eat a full dinner size portion of food. I chop everything up in advance and put in a storage container and then just bring a small cutting board with.

Rotisserie Chicken

This is a family favorite meal for when I haven't planned ahead. Grab a loaf of Italian bread, some cheese, tomatoes and lettuce a for an easy picnic. Or grab some wraps and a bag of salad mix and make it a chicken Cesar wraps. My kids usually just eat the drum sticks.

Quesadillas

After making and cutting into triangles, I store in tin foil and they easily fit in any bag for snacks, or a larger meal with salsa or guacamole. (Can add chicken or beef if you'd like)

Falafel & Pita

If you have a Trader Joes near you this will be an easy meal. I get their frozen falafel balls and fry them up in the air fryer. You can store them in tin foil to keep warm. Combine with cucumbers, humus and tzatziki sauce.

Chili

Store it in a thermos, and enjoy hot. Add bread, corn bread muffins, cheese or crackers if you'd like.

Walking Tacos

Anyone remember these from school lunches? Super easy to cook up some meat and then bring along a few toppings (cheese, salsa, avocado) and of course the bags of chips (Doritos, Fritos etc.) . No bowls necessary.

Storage & Packing

I will admit that packing food can be one of the tricky parts. How to keep things cold, or hot, but also you have limited amount of space. I've included some of the items my family likes.

Note: Some of these are affiliate links, but please know that I will never EVER recommend something that I don't personally use and love myself. If you have any FAVORITE on the go food storage containers, please share them in the comments!

Here are some of the items I personally use with my family.

Stainless Steel Food Container

Artic Cooler

Squeasy smoothie containers

Dollar store clear boxes for your "snackle box"

Bentgo Kids Chill Leakproof lunch box Boxes

Pinnacle Insulated Leak Proof Lunch Box

These adorable plastic plates that make any meal feel like a picnic.

Finally, I have to share my favorite sand blanket that goes with us everywhere - and not just to the beach. We've used this in the park, to cover a dirty picnic table, in the woods, in the back of our car, and even in a parking lot.

What are your go to snacks and meals for outdoor adventures? Leave your ideas in the comments below.