Satisfying snacks for a trip that also save you money? That’s a win-win

As an intrepid traveler the past 30 years, I’ve discovered a wealth of delicious snacks to stash in my suitcase that eliminate the need to spend extra money, time and effort finding smart treats in faraway places.

My suggestions can make your travel easier and less expensive (goodbye, minibar) and healthier, and they may even keep your diet routine from taking its own vacation.

Powdered peanut butter: Celebrity travel journalist Samantha Brown once told me in an interview that she always traveled with a jar of peanut butter. I can do that one better: powdered peanut butter that weighs in with one gram of fat, with all the fat and calories kicked out of it.

Look for PB2 from Bell Plantation. From this you can create a delicious paste for a fresh peanut butter sandwich anywhere. A two-tablespoon serving has but 50 calories and 1½ grams of fat. By contrast, regular peanut butter has about 190 calories and 16 grams of fat in those two tablespoons.

The peanut-chocolate combo, called Chocolate PB2, has the same calorie/fat count and tastes almost like calorie-dense Nutella, which has 200 calories and 12 grams of fat in two tablespoons.

Flavored water packets or minibottles: These add zing to plain old free water from the flight attendant. At lunch or dinner, add them to your water glass instead of buying soda.

I buy Wyler’s Light Lemonade at my nearby dollar store; each packet has just 5 calories.

Healthful nuts: Whether going to Bangkok, Thailand or Bora-Bora, never travel without healthful snacks to tide you over until you can eat a nutritious meal. Flavored nuts are a great protein-packed option if your diet allows it.

Blue Diamond makes several flavors; my favorites are the coconut/brown sugar, dark chocolate, and smokehouse. Each almond has about eight calories.

Think Thin protein bars: I’m in love with chocolate-almond Think Thin protein bars, which have only 150 calories each but have a whopping 10 grams of protein. This much protein may not work for everyone’s diet, but if you can handle that amount, these treats are for you.

Crackers adorned with Laughing Cow cheese wedges (35 calories each): These tempting triangles make taste, not waist. The light Swiss cheese has always been a big hit, and the new Asiago offers savory satisfaction on the road.

Fresh fruit: Always carry bananas, grapes and apples (unless you’re on an international flight and they may be confiscated). For a seductive make-ahead snack, marinate fresh berries in calorie-free balsamic vinegars in flavors such as honey-ginger or chocolate-orange, and pack in a plastic container. I get my vinegars online at Dash ’N Drizzle.

Sunsweet Cherry-Essence Pitted Prunes are my secret travel weapons. Each is just 20 calories, is filled with potassium and is delicious. They come in a resealable pouch and pack easily in any carry-on. They always put a tiger in my tank.

Twizzlers: If you crave guilt-free, fat-free candy, nothing beats strawberry — or chocolate — Twizzlers licorice, at just 30 calories a piece. I took them on a safari to Africa, where they hit the spot after game runs.

Kashi cereal, powdered milk and raisins: Throw it all into a bowl from room service, add water, and you have not only a snack but also a yummy breakfast, a great pre-workout fuel boost and easy dinner when you’re jet-lagged.

These ingredients have helped me numerous times when I was just too tired to trudge out to a restaurant in a new city.

On a car trip, I even take my own plastic bowl and spoon. I add Lakanto monkfruit sweetener, a sugar substitute, to this concoction.

This natural sweetener, which Buddhist monks discovered 1,000 years ago, offers a wealth of advantages: It has no calories and rates zero on the glycemic index.

These tried-and-true travel techniques have saved me a small fortune and thousands of calories. Happy munching!

travel@latimes.com

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel