Packing healthy car snacks for your next road trip

Summer road trips are inevitable -- but the greasy fast food and salty gas station snacks don't have to be. How do you pack healthy car snacks?

Shannon Pearce, a registered nurse with St. John Providence, has some ideas. But it all boils down to planning ahead.

She suggests chopping up fresh produce, like peppers, cucumbers, apples, etc., and then putting them in individual containers or baggies. Then you can pack up some dressing, peanut butter or hummus on the side to go with any of your snasks.

One of her favorite tricks?

"One of the easiest things, almost with every trip, is I'm going to have a protein powder with me," she says. "It's simple. If I don't use it, it's still going to be good tomorrow. I take my water bottle ... and I've got a really filling protein drink that's going to give me the nutrients I need." She usually keeps her protein powder in a mason jar.

Another idea is to make popcorn ahead of time and bag it up. Another thing you can make at home is your own trail mix. Check your cupboards for your cereals, any nuts and maybe some candy to throw in.

Lastly, with a little searching, you're bound to find some healthy snacks at your grocery store ahead of time, too.