Confession: I have a sweet tooth. It’s not something I can hide either. I have a very hard time turning down cakes, cookies, a slice of pie and candy. I blame my parents for this. Especially my Dad. Growing up, he saw nothing wrong with always treating my sisters and I to sweets after every meal. Fast-forward many years later and I am still getting those “I need dessert cravings,” after every meal. I’ve learned to not even keep cookies in my house because I follow the out of sight and out of mind mentality. But when it comes to dining and traveling, I am almost always a victim of “That cake called my name and I answered.” It’s not my fault, really. It’s as if I have no control over these calls. However, a few years ago, I discovered that I can still get my sweet fix and maintain a healthy diet, as well. And what’s my secret? Fruit!

Well duh! Why didn’t anyone care to share this with me before? I’ve always loved fruit, but seemed to only eat it during breakfast. But you know what? Fruits are fantastic for snacking on the road. When I travel, I like to buy a few apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, berries and whatever other fruit is in season and pack them in bags. Sounds simple enough, right? I’ll pack those bits of fruits in a small cooler and grab ’em when I need a sweet fix. Fruit has totally been my saving grace! I no longer feel the need to load up on Skittles at rest stops or urge my husband to stop by a fast food joint for an ice cream cone. I munch on my apple and orange slices as happy as can be.

So take heed, my fellow sweet treat lovers! Fruits are fantastic for road trips!

Photo by Sandy Austin (originally posted to Flickr as Snack time again) [<a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0″>CC BY 2.0</a>], <a href=”http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMisc_fruit.jpg”>via Wikimedia Commons</a>