Recipes / Healthy Travel-Friendly Snack Ideas For Long Flights

Let’s face it, airplane and airport food can be bland and/or expensive, therefore we highly recommend bringing your own food with you as much as your trip as possible. Although your eating won’t be 100% perfect, there are a number of strategies to help you eat healthier while travelling. A little planning can go a long way to keep you feeling satisfied, nourished and to help reduce the stress of flying on your body. We promise, the better you eat while you fly the more your body will love you for it later.

You can easily take a variety of perishable and nonperishable items with you depending on the length of your trip and how much room you have to pack food. For perishable foods, you can use a little cooler bag with gel ice packs to keep foods cool. To keep foods fresh, it’s best to store foods in airtight, spill-proof stainless steel or BPA-free plastic containers.

Travel-friendly perishable foods:

• Raw vegetables like carrots, cucumber, celery and cherry tomatoes
• Hard boiled eggs
• Pre-cooked potatoes or sweet potatoes
• Mashed avocado and crackers
• Peanut butter and banana sandwiches
• Massaged kale salad
• Bean and/or grain salads with diced veggies, herbs and vinaigrette 
• Chia pudding made with nut milk
• Fruits like apples and grapes

Packaged foods or foods that don’t need immediate refrigeration also make great emergency meals and snacks.

Travel-friendly “no fridge” foods:

• Home-made muesli bars
• Home-made granola
• Protein balls
• Trail mix with nuts and seeds
• Individual packets of almond butter
• Medjool dates

1. No-Bake Prune, Walnut & Coconut Squares

These bars are simple to make and easy to travel with. They’re also great at curbing sweet cravings so you’re less likely to reach for the chocolate mid flight. As flying can sometimes contribute to constipation, the prunes are especially great if you have trouble errm ‘going’….

Ingredients:

1.5 cups walnuts

1 cup pitted prunes

1/3 cup finely shredded coconut

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt 

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until just combined.

2. Line a small baking dish or container with baking paper and press the mixture into the dish with your hands.

3. Refrigerate for half an hour before cutting unto small squares.

2. Massaged Kale Salad

This is the perfect travel salad! It’s tasty without the need for messy dressing and in fact tastes better the longer you let it sit and the flavours infuse. Eat it with 1-2 hard-boiled eggs for an extra protein hit. A good option for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

5 cups organic kale, roughly chopped

1 red capsicum, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

 stalks of celery, chopped 

1 cup parsley, chopped

½ red onion, diced

1/4 cup of hemp seeds

¼ cup olive oil

squeeze of lemon

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of tahini

Directions:

1. Prepare all veggies by chopping into small cubes and roughly chopping the kale.

2. Massage the olive oil, salt and pepper into the kale leaves until wilted.

3. Add all ingredients (except tahini) together and mix well.

4. Pack into a leak proof container and drizzle with tahini.

3. Veggie Sticks and Hummus in a Jar

An innovative and easy way to get your veggies in. Eating high water content food (such as cucumber and celery) is important when flying to help keep you hydrated. 

Ingredients:

1 large carrot, cucumber or celery stalk, cut into sticks

Hummus:

1 tin chickpeas

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic

¼ cup tahini

squeeze of lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in food processor or blender until well combined. You want to keep the hummus chunky but add 1 tablespoon of water to help blend if it's too thick.

2. Fill 1/3 of the Mason jar with hummus

3. Stick in veggies

4. Close lid tightly and try to keep upright.