This post is sponsored by Amazon, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

My fondest childhood memories involved road tripping with my parents from Oklahoma City to Queens, New York every summer to spend my school break with my grandparents. It was a long, sometimes scenic, twenty-three hour drive that my parents made at least four times over the course of five years. My parents were no strangers to road trips and we had the routine down solid. The days leading up to our trips, my mother would head to the grocery store and pick up items to make sandwiches, keep us hydrated, and snacking on our journey, because any road-tripper knows that stopping along the way for food can:

1. Add 30-45 minutes onto your trip with each stop
2. Add up quickly when feeding a family of four breakfast, lunch and dinner

Now that I’m a mother, I find myself doing the same thing my mother did nearly twenty-five years ago. I’ve sworn off twenty-three hour drives, but my family and I regularly travel to destinations within a six hour drive. This summer we have several plans to hit the road, and up first is a family road trip to Destin, Florida.

We all have different dietary preferences so shopping smart is important since I have to gather several ingredients while maintaining my busy schedule. Delivery is a must, and I really enjoy the value, selection and convenience of Amazon’s grocery offerings. I can get fresh produce such as salad greens or lettuce, cucumbers, blueberries, tomatoes and other salad fixin’s from Amazon Fresh, and pantry staples such as organic popcorn and fruit pouches for Karris that don’t require refrigeration delivered straight to my doorstep from Amazon.com.

With more families hitting the road this summer and many feeling the economic impacts of the past year, those utilizing SNAP benefits can also enjoy the time-saving benefits of Amazon Fresh (in most metropolitan areas) with free and convenient home delivery available on qualifying orders. Customers enrolled in SNAP can use their SNAP EBT card to order online and shop a wide selection of groceries from Amazon while receiving access to special deals across grocery brands without a  membership fee.

Ideal snacks for myself include minimally processed whole foods and vegetables that don’t require heating, such as chicken strips over a salad with a lemon turmeric vinaigrette. I’ll snack on berries and organic popcorn in between meals, or chips and guacamole. 

Karris and Khomari thoroughly enjoy sandwiches, so I’ll typically prepare two different kinds for them–one with deli meat and a Sunbutter and jelly sandwich–since Khomari is allergic to peanuts. Their snacks differ however, as Khomari loves cookies and chips and I try to ensure Karris is getting optimal vitamins and nutrients out of his meals, so he snacks on chopped cucumbers, red pepper strips, granola balls, and mandarin oranges.  We all drink water, so that makes hydration simple and cost-effective.

One of the things I like about being on the east coast is that we’re within driving distance to new and familiar destinations. Now that things are getting back to normal (somewhat), I’m looking forward to making new, cost-effective memories that my family can savor. 

And yes, even though my sister and I have moved out of the house, my parents are still road-tripping across America.