TrixieB Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 One of my dc will be attending a day camp for a week, and has to bring her lunch every day. I need some ideas for food that's not the same ol' same ol' stuff... PB&J every day gets old. DD gets sick when she eats eggs, so those are out. She eats mostly vegetarian, but likes tuna, so one day she'll take a tuna sandwich. Another day will be PB&J. Any ideas for something creative or interesting or different for the other three lunches? We have a cooler bag, so stuff that needs to be kept cold is fine, but there is no way to reheat food at the day camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 fruit packs with dip sauces applesauce - variety of flavors peanut butter crackers cheese string No tuna in the heat ;) food poisoning - no mayo at all actually. NOT a good idea. Camp does not refrigerate lunches. :( I would not trust cooler style lunch boxes either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I recently bought a little box of snacks on a commercial airplane ride and I thought, "What a great little lunch idea!" The box contained a package of salami slices, some cheese spread with a knife, a bag of dried fruit, crackers, chips and a piece of chocolate. I have adapted this idea to packing lunches because I don't particularly like same-old either. Crackers with Salami pieces, cheese slices, dried fruit, bars of any kind (homemade or packaged) - all make a nice lunch without the blah factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Homemade muffins hummus with carrot stix and crackers for dipping oh, actually-just check out this website for tons of ideas-lots of vegetarian too: http://www.laptoplunches.com/bento-menus/ (they obviously don't have to be in fancy containers like they show on the site-I just use it for great lunch ideas) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 fruit packs with dip saucesapplesauce - variety of flavors peanut butter crackers cheese string No tuna in the heat ;) food poisoning - no mayo at all actually. NOT a good idea. Camp does not refrigerate lunches. :( I would not trust cooler style lunch boxes either. Thanks for the suggestions. Are the fruit packs you mentioned something I can buy in a package? Or do you mean cut up apples and add some type of dip sauce? If so, what kind is good? I'm okay with our cooler box. It's insulated, I add 3 ice packs, and camp is in an air-conditioned building (music camp). And outdoor temps are forecast to be 70 degrees. But if it were sitting out in a hot climate, I agree with you, I wouldn't send anything with mayo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 I recently bought a little box of snacks on a commercial airplane ride and I thought, "What a great little lunch idea!" The box contained a package of salami slices, some cheese spread with a knife, a bag of dried fruit, crackers, chips and a piece of chocolate. I have adapted this idea to packing lunches because I don't particularly like same-old either. Crackers with Salami pieces, cheese slices, dried fruit, bars of any kind (homemade or packaged) - all make a nice lunch without the blah factor. Good idea! She'll eat turkey pepperoni; a nifty little box of snacks like that sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Homemade muffins hummus with carrot stix and crackers for dipping oh, actually-just check out this website for tons of ideas-lots of vegetarian too: http://www.laptoplunches.com/bento-menus/ (they obviously don't have to be in fancy containers like they show on the site-I just use it for great lunch ideas) That's a great website! The bento boxes look so cool! Their ideas will keep me inspired for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions. Are the fruit packs you mentioned something I can buy in a package? Or do you mean cut up apples and add some type of dip sauce? If so, what kind is good? I'm okay with our cooler box. It's insulated, I add 3 ice packs, and camp is in an air-conditioned building (music camp). And outdoor temps are forecast to be 70 degrees. But if it were sitting out in a hot climate, I agree with you, I wouldn't send anything with mayo. Sorry to sound "motherly", but some people just don't think or have brain farts like me.:lol: I tend to mention the obvious more often than not. I buy the fruit cups and fruit packages with dips in single serve sizes at the produce section of the grocery and Wal-mart. With apples, you can choose a fruity dip or caramel dip with or w/o nuts. There are quite a few single-serve cups/packages. AS for pb&j, we went with the lunchables because of the variety: grape, strawberry, and honey with peanut butter. As well, jiffy and peter pan make single server peanut butter cups to which we would include cheese nips and pretzels for dipping instead of a sandwich. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 tortilla roll-ups? You can put refried beans & veggies or cream cheese & veggies or even pb&j. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 My kids love to eat "Honey Nutty Rollers." You take a wheat tortilla, spread peanut butter on it, squirt a little honey on it, throw on some raisins and then roll it up in a tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I also do "pancake sandwiches." If I make pancakes for breakfast, I save the leftovers, then at lunch I use cookie cutters to cut them into fun shapes and spread peanut butter or cream cheese or nutella on them and put two together like a sandwich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) tortilla roll-ups? You can put refried beans & veggies or cream cheese & veggies or even pb&j. :iagree: Anything can be rolled in those things! Dd was at camp last week and she rolled up white bean dip with cucumbers, cheese, green onions and lettuce; left over black bean taco filling, peppers, onions, cheese and lettuce; cream cheese and chive spread with carrots, pea pods, onions, and lettuce/spinach mix. And I know she took some pb&j sandwiches, too. She usually packed some carrots or pea pods or broccoli/cauliflower and a piece of fruit, too. We froze some bottles of water (we dumped a little out before we put them in the freezer to allow for expansion) and that's what she used as an ice pack, and then drank it as it thawed throughout the day. ETA - and oil/vinegar based pasta and veggie salads. They should stay cold enough with the ice pack. Edited July 31, 2011 by LauraGB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 You're getting some great ideas here. My suggestion is to keep track of her favorites and what worked the best, including how you packed them. Then you'll be able to do this with ease next time she attends a camp. My kids take bento boxes when they attend day camps. I take pictures of all of them. Then I can go back and see what I packed and how, making the process much more mindless next time around. By the way, my 11yo will eat waaaay more vegetables in a bento -- I just stick broccoli or whatever in to fill in gaps, and it gets eaten. And oniguri (rice balls that can have other foods stuck inside them) are incredibly easy to make using these directions. I get the cheap sushi rice from Walmart, the kids think they're swanky, everyone's happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 You've gotten some great colder food suggestions, particularly wraps (so versatile!) What about California rolls? Have you considered some warm dish options? Your insulated cooler -minus the ice packs- would work just as well to keep hot foods hot/warm. This opens you up to soups, pastas, baked potatoes, quesadillas, paninis, rice bowls, and steamed veggies. These are some of our go-to dishes when we need to pack lunches to go. We eat veg*n, but we hate peanut butter sandwiches LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in NZ Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) Ds#2 has to take luches this year. I get lots of ideas off bento box websites. Things ds#2 likes are: wraps--his favorite was a BTL wrap or BBQ chicken wrap (both with lots of veggies. I wrap his wrap in a bit of foil to keep it tidy. yogurt---freeze to help keep the lunch cool & to provide a nice cool treat. mini muffins---any quick bread or muffin recipe can be cooked in mini muffins mini cheese burgers---I made mini burgers & mini buns & put the fixings on the side for him to add at lunch. I like to save the ketchup packets from McDs for lunches. tuna & rice crackers---we can get tuna in 95g cans & individual packets of mini rice crackers. Salmon & chicken comes in the small cans as well & all 3 meats are available in a variety of sauces. Teriaki chicken with seaweed crackers is yum! small sub sandwiches---dinner rolls work great for these Calzones---make with favorite pizza toppings for fillings. Calzones are less messy to eat than pizza. veggie sticks & a bit of dip fresh fruit small UHT flavored milk I love threads like this one as it gives me new ideas for lunches. :thumbup: Edited July 31, 2011 by Deb in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I asked something along these lines not too long ago and got some fantastic ideas! The best one for us was sliced cheese, pepperoni, crackers in different little containers and then they can be put together like sandwiches. My son LOVES this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 My kid is a weirdo and loves taking salad for lunch. :) We pack a small-sized two-tiered tiffin with a salad (shredded romaine or baby lettuce, maybe some chopped tomato or cucumber or black olives, and a tiny container of goddess dressing) and fresh cut fruit (in the other tier). If I have leftover grilled chicken, I'll add that to the salad section of the tiffin. Then we wrap up a half-sandwich in a piece of waxed paper and put it all in an insulated lunch bag with a "real" fork and a cloth napkin. Honestly, I think he just likes feeling "civilized" and like he's having a real meal while he's off at camp or a class for the day. :) I've tried plenty of other things, but for him, a salad as his main dish just makes him happy. :) *shrug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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