A Cut Above: Car Food to Keep You Energized

A Cut Above: Car Food to Keep You Energized

Hitting the road? Don't waste time and calories at the next rest stop — pack a cooler with these smart eats.

Article By: Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough 

Car food is an American passion. Most of us grew up with the car trip: Dad drove, Mom packed a lunch and we made up time by not stopping at a roadside food joint.

Mom might have had time and money on the brain, but there's sound health logic there, too: Why eat fast-food or greasy junk just because we’re in the car? These wraps are wholesome, satisfying and easy to eat whether you’re on the road or parked at a rest stop along the way. And no one will miss those ever-present chips with our fiery cherry tomato poppers on board. (Just have the bottled water handy!)

Finally, for dessert, who could resist these sweet, sticky, chewy little morsels of dried fruit and spices? They’ll last for days, making them a lasting treat throughout your vacation.

So crank up the air conditioning and put the pedal to the medal. You’ve got some easy, economic road food that’ll keep you moving on down the highway!

Dried Fruit Bites

Makes 25 servings

PointsPlus™ value | 2 per serving

These little candies are like the filling to fig cookies without any of the cookie part in the way! They’re a hit with the kids and can be stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to four days. For the best results, dice the dried fruit until the pieces are all about the size of the raisins.

Ingredients

• 18 dried California apricot halves, diced
• 11 pitted prunes, diced
• 2 dried figs, stemmed and diced
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup dried pitted dates, diced
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups crispy rice cereal

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients, except cereal, in a food processor. Pulse until well chopped and blended, until the mixture begins to form into its own mound (but not until it’s a puree), less than 1 minute.
2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl; add 3/4 cup cereal. Stir with a wooden spoon until the cereal is evenly distributed in the mixture.
3. Crush the remaining 1 cup cereal with your cleaned, dried hands to a fairly fine powder (or you can seal the cereal in a zip-top bag and crush it with a rolling pin or a can.) Place crushed cereal in a shallow bowl.
4. Roll fruit mixture into 50 balls, about 1 heaping teaspoon each, dropping each into the crushed cereal and rolling until well-coated.

•   Serving size: 2 balls.

Cherry Tomato Poppers

Makes 8 servings

PointsPlus™ value | 1 per serving

What could be easier? Sweet cherry tomatoes are paired with spicy jalapeños and some cheese for an easy snack that’s ready when you are. Store them, covered, in the refrigerator or cooler for a day or two; but for the best taste, let them come to room temperature for 20 minutes before eating.

Ingredients

• 32 cherry tomatoes
• 32 jarred pickled jalapeño slices
• Four (4-inch) low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions

1. Slice off the very top, stem-end of each cherry tomato; use a small grapefruit spoon to spoon out and discard the insides, leaving the walls intact.
2. Place 1 jalapeño slice inside each hollowed-out tomato. Add a piece of cheese and press gently into place.

•   Serving size: 4 cherry tomato poppers.

Curried Turkey Wraps

Makes 6 servings

PointsPlus™ value | 5 per serving

Here’s an easy lunch in the car. Wrap these sandwiches in wax paper and then in aluminum foil so you can peel the wrappings down and eat on the go.

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup mango chutney
• 2 tsp yellow curry powder
• 12 oz deli sliced turkey
• 3 cups bagged salad greens, preferably a mix with crunchy Romaine, shredded
• 6 medium whole-wheat tortillas

Instructions

1. Mix the carrots, mayonnaise, mango chutney and curry powder in a medium bowl.
2. Spread 1/4 cup carrot mixture onto each tortilla. Top with 2 ounces turkey and 1/2 cup salad mix.
3. Roll each tortilla closed. Lay a piece of wax paper on top of a piece of foil; set the rolled tortilla on top. Roll closed and seal the ends by twisting them shut. Refrigerate or put in the cooler for up to 6 hours.
4. Serving size: 1 wrap.