In the kitchen with Henny: Road-trip ready meals for kids

It feels like everyone is on the go right now. Some are heading off on vacation, some are taking day trips, and others are just trying to get the kids out of the house for a few hours before we all lose our minds.

Packing ahead can save you both time and money. You won’t have to keep stopping every time someone announces they’re hungry, and you’ll usually end up eating a little better too.

Even better, get the kids involved in preparing the food before you go. They can mix, spread, roll, measure, and pack, and there’s something very satisfying about eating something you helped make yourself.

My 11-year-old niece is here visiting for my daughter’s upcoming bat mitzvah – which is very exciting and also means there is currently a lot going on in my house!

Yesterday morning, while I was making zucchini pancakes for breakfast, she asked if I had ever made cottage cheese pancakes. She told me she makes them back home, and I immediately thought, wait, why have I never tried that?

Yields one dozen pancakes

1½ cups (about 375 gr.) cottage cheese

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 Tbsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup flour

¼ cup canola oil, for frying

Place the cottage cheese, eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup in a bowl and mix well. Add the baking powder and flour and stir just until combined. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Spoon small amounts of batter into the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through.

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and continue with the remaining batter.

Serve warm, or let cool completely before packing for a trip.

In real estate, they say it’s all about location. When it comes to getting kids to eat their veggies, I think it’s all about presentation.

Thankfully, vegetables come in so many bright colors and different textures that it’s actually pretty easy to make them look fun and appealing. These wraps can be filled with any vegetables you like and spread with hummus, tahini, mayo, or even cream cheese.

Let the kids choose their own fillings and build their wraps themselves. They’ll have fun making them, and, of course, rolling them up is the best part.

Yields 4 servings

4 large wraps or tortillas

½ cup hummus, tahini, mayo, or cream cheese

1 cucumber, cut into thin strips

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips

1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips

1 large carrot, shredded or cut into thin strips

1 cup shredded purple cabbage

1 cup lettuce, thinly sliced

Lay the wraps flat and spread your choice of hummus, tahini, mayo, or cream cheese over the entire surface.

Arrange the vegetables over about three-quarters of each wrap, leaving about 8 cm. at one end with just the spread and no vegetables.

Starting from the filled end, roll the wrap up tightly toward the empty end. The spread on the last section will help seal the wrap closed.

Slice in half or into smaller pieces. Wrap individually and keep chilled until ready to eat.

Pizza has to be one of the most served kids’ meals of the summer. It’s easy, everyone likes it, and when you’re feeding a crowd, it usually works. But sometimes even pizza can start to feel a little overplayed.

These pizza pinwheels put a fun new spin on it – yes, pun intended! They’re easy to make, and kids love getting involved by spreading on the sauce, sprinkling the cheese, and, of course, rolling up the dough.

They’re also easy to pack and take along, making them perfect for a road trip, beach day, or summer outing.

Yields 15 pizza wheels

500 gr. pizza dough or puff pastry

½ cup marinara or pizza sauce

1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Roll the dough into a large rectangle.

Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Starting from one long side, roll the dough up tightly into a log.

Slice into 1-inch (about 3 cm.) rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden and the cheese is melted.

Let cool slightly before serving or cool completely before packing.

My favorite afternoon snack is a bright green Granny Smith apple. I love that sweet-tart tang, and it gives me just the pick-me-up I need when my energy starts running low.

So when I came across the idea of combining green apple, oats, and cinnamon in a granola bar, I knew I had to try it. These bars are simple, portable, and perfect for packing along on a day trip. You can use regular oats or certified gluten-free oats, depending on what works for you.

Yields 1 20x30 cm. pan

2½ cups old-fashioned oats, divided

1½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup milk of choice

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

¹⁄³ cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup oil (coconut, olive, or vegetable)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an 8-inch (20 cm.) square baking pan with baking paper.

Place 1 cup of the oats in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

In a large bowl, combine the ground oats, remaining oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

Add the milk, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, egg, and vanilla, and mix well.

Fold in the grated apple.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and press it down firmly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until set and lightly golden around the edges. Let cool before cutting into bars.

One of the things I love most about living in Israel is that there is always somewhere to go. You can revisit a favorite trail, head back to a beach you’ve been to a dozen times, or discover a place you somehow never knew was there.

Sometimes the best outings are the simplest ones. A packed bag, a cooler full of food, good company, and a little sense of adventure can turn an ordinary summer day into a memory.

And when the kids help prepare the food too, they become part of the whole experience from the very beginning. They get to choose, mix, roll, pack, and proudly pull out something they made when everyone gets hungry.

So whether you’re heading north, south, across town, or just out for the day, pack a little something homemade, get on the road, and enjoy all the beauty and adventure waiting for us right here in our beautiful land.