Aaaand we're back... Road Tripping Part I - Food Prep

Sorry for the long delay but the boys and I have been on a road trip to visit family and I have been busier than a one legged man in... a contest that requires one to plant their foot firmly on opponents' hindquarters.

Anyway. Thought a good topic would be Road Tripping Economically. So here we go.

First of all, resist the urge to buy snack-sized packages of anything. Cheerios, raisins, goldfish, carrot sticks and celery sticks will all with go into small plastic storage containers or Ziploc baggies, Pack what you already have on hand, Don't buy more.

Same goes for water bottles. Just bout everyone has a reusable water bottle or seven lying around the house. Fill them 1/2 to 2/3 full and place in your freezer. Voila - you have ice to help cool down your cooler and for drinking later. Don't buy water you can get for free. And don't reuse purchased bottles from brand name bottled water. They are designed to break down over time and who wants to chance having your little one's genes mutated over a couple of bucks.

Which brings me to VIP (very important point) number 3). Bring a cooler. A cooler large enough to handle a couple of days worth of water, juice, etc. It can be Styrofoam if that is all you can afford, but a good a cooler is worth the investment down the  line. We have a cooler we bought for hurricane season (we live in FL) that will keep food cool for up to 5 days (properly supplied with ice, of course).

In your cooler pack your family's favorite sandwich fixins. Ham, turkey, bologna, tuna salad (although use this up in the first day or so). Pack condiments like mayo and mustard. Pack pickles, cheese, lettuce, etc. The choice is up to you.

Also, if you have little kids, pack quart sized containers of milk and juice and just use those to fill up sippy cups. (Again, learned the hard way on this one - toddlers like to SQUEEEEEZE the box because it make such a pretty fountain.). If you are the driver, indulge yourself with high caffeine beverages like red bull, Dr. Pepper, whatever. So this is a little spurge but you gotta stay awake so live a little -- literally,

A couple of days before leaving bake cookies for munching a long the way. Again, you save tons over buying them at the super market. Bake your own bread if you are so inclined but understand that by thy end of the second day it will be too crumbly to use.

Bring a large blanket and make rest/lunch stops a picnic. Gives the little ones a  chance to run around and stretch and you aren't paying $4 for a hamburger that will require an additional rest stop down the road.

Next time: Planning your route, booking hotels in advance and finding cheap gas,