Whether you are gardening, hiking, biking, camping or spending a day at the beach, outdoor adventures are a relaxing escape. Having enjoyable, easy-to-carry snacks that fuel your body will make the experience even better.
With so many business closures right now, it’s tough to find convenience stops. Water fountains are also shut off in many areas, making it more difficult to stay hydrated. And of course, if you are out in the wilderness, the only resource available is your backpack!
Aside from packing things like towels and sunscreen, you should consider taking plenty of portable snacks and liquids for your outdoor adventures, even those in your own backyard. The key is to take one or two things, and enjoy them. Keep it simple and you will not overburden yourself with too many things.
Fresh fruit
Most fruit pack well and does not require refrigeration. Apples, oranges, pears, and grapes are always ideal choices for your outdoor adventures.
At the beach or campground, refreshing and hydrating fruits like watermelon slices and strawberries are a welcome treat on a hot day. If you have a cooler, slice fruit ahead of time and place in containers to make it easier to enjoy a smaller portion on-the-go.
Dried fruits and nuts
Almonds are a nutritious snack that are totally outdoor adventure-friendly. They contain the healthy fats, are filling and they can withstand high temperatures.
All dried fruits and nuts are easy to transport and offer a boost of nutrition whenever hunger strikes. Pick your favorites and make a large batch of trail mix to bring with you. Use two or three kinds of nuts and maybe raisins, dried cranberries, pineapples or bananas for the fruit in the mix.
Add in a variety of seeds like hemp hearts or shelled sunflower seeds for a truly healthy and satisfying snack. If the weather is cooler, toss in a few dark chocolate or carob chips for a little extra sweetness.
Bring along a few paper cups or small sandwich bags for a convenient way to share your trail mix.
Water & water-based beverages
When you are hiking through the woods or splashing around at the beach, you need to stay hydrated. It’s incredibly important for your health and well-being. Take plenty of water with you. There are plenty of containers that will help keep your refreshments cool without need for a bulky cooler.
Of course, avoid caffeinated beverages as they tend to dehydrate. If water isn’t your favorite, look for water alternatives like coconut water, lemonade, or decaffeinated iced tea.
One of my current favorite refreshments is DEFY ZERO. Designed to fuel every activity these Vegan supercharged electric thirst-quenchers have zero added sugar and 20mg of hemp extract (including CBD, – but has zero THC). Contains coconut water for optimal hydration along with vitamins, potassium, and electrolytes to help re-charge your body.
DEFY’s CBD performance drinks utilize a patented, cutting-edge technology that enable optimal absorption and increase the bio-availability of the ingredients. This results in a delicious performance drink that helps keep you hydrated and going the extra mile.
If you are looking for a way to “relax and chill” after a work out or a day of outdoor adventure – DEFY ZERO does the trick. CBD is well know for it’s ability to not only help relax your mood and mind, but also your muscles. DEFY sources hemp from US organic farmers and you can find full disclosure of 3rd party testing results in the “Quality Control” section of their website.
I had a chance to sample all of DEFY’s flavors and they are all a treat. My favorite is orange-mango. It’s a lovely, refreshing tropical flavor that truly helps you keep your cool. Check out all the awesome flavors at https://drinkdefy.com/products
Granola bars
Granola bars are popular for campers, but they work well on the beach, too. They are great energy-boosters, very beneficial when you are frolicking in the sun and sand.
Need a recipe? Check out our favorite homemade chewy pumpkin seed granola bar recipe.
Vegetables
Celery and carrots sticks as well as cucumber and zucchini slices are a nutritious snack to have on hand. Pick vegetables you know you already like. If you don’t regularly eat them at home, you won’t care for them any better at the beach.
Many vegetables will transport well without a cooler, especially carrots. If you have access to a cooler, bring along some yogurt-based veggie dip to jazz things up!
If you have access to a cooler add in additional items like:
- Lean lunch meats
- Yogurt
- Frozen bananas (or frozen banana slices)
- Cheese (cubed)
- String cheese
- Hummus
- Cold pasta salad
- Hard boiled eggs
- Pudding cups
- Cookies
Freeze a few water bottles ahead of time and use them to help keep your cooler cool. At the end of the day, you can then enjoy an iced cold drink on the ride on home.
Also, add in a couple of wet wash cloths for hand washing. They will stay wet in your cooler for the entire day for easy cleanup of hands and faces. A wet cloth also feels wonderful if you get too hot!
Just take a few things so that your outdoor adventures don’t require too much work and effort. You do, after all, want to be able to spend some time relaxing and unwinding. Be sure to bring a bag for any trash you develop to help make cleanup at the end of the day easy-peasy, too.
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