I’ve had a rough couple of weeks in the “health” department. I was nursing a sore throat, hoping to rest it off and avoid a full-blown cold. Did it work? Well… for a weekend. Then I started the following week with eyes watering, nose running, and sneezing shenanigans. Not cool. After I mostly recovered, my little family packed up for a 1500 mile road trip. Also not an ideal time to maintain any level of fitness.

Well, I’m proud to say that I did my best and brought my yoga mat and Yoga Glo subscription to our vacation. It was also important to plan ahead with some healthy snacks for the road. I deliberately did not buy any sweets, trail mix, or bags of chips because I have ZERO self-control when it comes to car eating. Additionally, since we were going on vacation, it was inevitable to encounter treats and less-healthy options during the days we were relaxing with family and friends. If you’re looking for some good travel snacks, here’s a snap shot of my stash for the first ride.

Speaking of sweets, here’s a spin on my Blondie recipe if you’re more of a brownie-lover!

Make your own cashew butter in your vitamix or food processor if you can’t find it in stores. It’s really simple to make. Just follow my Almond Butter method and you’ll have fresh cashew butter in no time (well, a little time… but you get the idea).

I didn’t have any of my favorite Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks on hand, so I used some cacao nibs instead. Feel free to add or take out nuts and chocolate. This is a “cakey” brownie as opposed to a more “fudgey” one. Are you a cakey or fudgey brownie person?

Cashew Butter Brownies

2 c. cashew butter
2 eggs
3/4 c. honey or maple syrup
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of sea salt

1/4 c. cacao nibs
1/4 c. chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Batter will be thick and sticky.
3. Fold in nuts and nibs (ha! that would be a cute blog name… )
4. Grease an 8×8 pan with coconut oil or butter and spread batter evenly in the pan.
5. Bake for 20 mins. Cool before slicing… or you’ll get crumb-y blocks like the ones you see above 😉