Hello Moms,
My son has just started preschool where I pack him a lunch. They don't have refrigeration or resources for heating things up. I'm having a hard time coming up with lunch ideas. He loves PB&J, but that's all I've been able to come up with. I ask him what the other kids eat, but he's pretty much focused on the accompanying snacks, so no ideas there. Any ideas would be appreciated!
Thanks,
N.
Why not get one of those blue ice packs that you can freeze and put in his lunch to keep things cold... that way you can pack some other types of sandwiches or lunches? If you choose not to you're limiting yourself to the high sodium pre-packaged foods that nobody should be eating anyways!
Maybe you could try cheese and whole wheat crackers? You could add lunch meat as well...Tell him he can make his own little sandwiches. Yogurt would be good as well. Cold, chopped up chicken, some raw veggies with a small container of ranch and fruit would be good.
Wal Mart has little ice packs in cute shapes for kids, like bug shapes and smilie faces. I make my girls "lunchables" with lunch meat and cheese with crackers, and put in that cooler pack. The lunch stays cool long enough, use an insulated lunch pack also if it helps. My girls love turkey bologna sandwiches, quesadillas, etc. I have even warmed up mac and cheese and put it in a thermos which keeps it warm and yummy! There are so many options! Good Luck!
Does he like pasta? many kids will even eat it without sauce. You could pack some of that because it still tastes pretty good even when at room temperature. My son goes to 2nd grade and they don't have a refrigeration either. so I make things like a turkey hotdog, toast the bread , add mustard and wrap it in aluminum foil to help seal in the warmth and flavor. He seems to enjoy that as well as Amy's mac and cheese. Again, it's room temp, but he doesn't mind it. I am also sure to include some type of raw uncooked food such as red bell pepper slices (he loves it) and fruit. I think uncooked food is good as the enzymes are still in tact. As for a snack, I make homemade popcorn but cook it with coconut oil as when it heats it doesn't turn to a transfat.... I add a tiny bit of salt and NEVER butter. it's a nice healthy treat. but your son might be a little young for popcorn but it's something to keep in mind when he is older. it's better than sending chips..
You can get a small thermos that will keep foods warm. That way you can pack things like pasta, soup, rice, etc. You can also pack along with an ice pack - luncheon meat, cheese, fruit (apples, oranges, grapes). Cereal bars and fruit rollups, raisins, bananas are also great room temperature snacks.
Check out www.laptoplunches.com for a lot of different ideas. An ice pack should keep lunch cold enough to stay safe...
We feed our daughter dinner on the commute home (sadly a must for our family but we’re hoping to move soon). I have done a lot of experimenting with different types of ice packs and found that the hard ones that are designed to keep six-packs cold can keep a toddler meal cold for well over 12 hours. We got ours at Target. We also got a really good soft side cooler there that is vinyl free (no lead). I hope that helps.
