Camp lunch ideas for hungry teen boy?

[Teaching3bears]

He is having a full day of outdoor exercise and he just grew a whole bunch.  He is hungry.

Unfortunately, he has become quite picky.  He is eating cold cut sandwiches but I want something else.  I made a yummy pasta salad but he did not like it.  He doesn’t like potatoes, cheese, chicken or tomatoes.  Peanuts, nuts and sesame is not allowed.  There is no microwave or fridge.  

Help!

[vonfirmath]

Fruit

Zuchinni sticks

baby carrots

 

[saraha]

Does he eat cream cheese? When I have a kid needing extra they pack cream cheese mixed with green onions and spread on a tortilla and add lunch meat or leftover taco meat.

Anything wrapped in a tortilla really

[MEmama]

I used to make Chipotle runs—a 2000 calorie burrito usually did the trick as a snack.

Hungry boys are a challenge!

 

[itsheresomewhere]

If he is happy with the sandwiches, I would let him be happy with it.  Cold pizza could always work ( one very popular lunch at camp one year). 
 

If he likes spaghetti and Mac n cheese, get a thermos.  Costco has a two pack right now very reasonable or Amazon.  Just heat up the food and I fill the thermos with hot water while heating up the food.  Dump out the water and add the food.  It will keep it hot for awhile.  DD and DH both say it was still hot for 5 hours after they left the house.  

[plansrme]

I have 3 teenaged boys living in my house, and they go through various level of hunger. When someone is eating a lot, we pile deli meat onto sandwiches--by pile, I mean "I can barely fit that in my mouth"; boiled eggs (no one's favorite, but you can't beat it for a pop of protein); bagels; granola bars; and bananas. But we do not worry about repetition (they seem to thrive on it) and just repeat as needed. One of my boys  needed a packed lunch for a week in May, and I made him the same 2 very thick turkey sandwiches every day and rotated sides with it. Sometimes he ate the sides, sometimes not, but he had no complaints about eating turkey sandwiches every day for a week.

[Danae]

I'm finding that with my teenage boys dense bread helps make sandwiches more filling.  Pretzel buns are a favorite right now.

But I agree with the other posters not to worry too much about variety.  Sandwiches, apples, clementines, and cut up veggies are what mine are packing for lunch every day this week.

[mmasc]

I agree with everyone else about not worrying about the repetition! Does he like tuna? Those flavored tuna packs are easy, good, and nutritious. My ds likes the lemon pepper one. 

[Teaching3bears]

Thanks!  I am not having much trouble with the sides and snacks.  It’s the main course/protein.  I am worried he will get sick of the sandwiches if I do it every day.  Also, sandwich meats are not so good in terms of cancer.  Keep the ideas coming.  Maybe he will do Mac and cheese if it comes from a box.  

[brehon]

Active, hungry teens here, too. A good lunchbox/small cooler with cold packs (mine stay frozen/cold for hours even in hot & humid TX) is a must. Thermoses are very helpful if your kid likes soups (think beef & barley, etc; not thin broths with nothing in them). I’m not above buying large cans of Campbell’s Thick and Hearty soups  

In addition to just letting your son eat whatever cold cut sandwiches he wants (and pack 2-4 full sandwiches if you’re not already doing so), try fruit and veg with cream cheese, creme frêche (easy to make at home), and/or hummus. 

[brehon]

Or what about making bean burritos using refried beans? Or, really, burritos with any filling your son likes — shredded pork, beef, bean? I know there isn’t a microwave where he’ll be, but I don’t think that’s strictly necessary. Chilled/cool is fine for pre-cooked burritos. 
 

ETA: If you’re worried about cancer with deli meats, try roasting, smoking, whatever chunks of meat and slicing it yourself for sandwiches. You can cut the meat into thick slices which will help fill your boy up. We do this a lot even though we’re not at all concerned about cancer with deli meats in kids/teens. (Your calculus may be different based on your family’s particular health history. I’m not knocking your concern at all.)

Edited July 12, 2021 by brehon

[bensonduck]

I don’t think my kids would want to deal with a thermos or something for the whole day. They are not good about keeping track of that stuff, haha.

Here are a couple sandwich variations that are not “deli meat”. I second the idea of getting a big bun (like a hoagie or Portuguese roll style) and send 2 sandwiches. 

- very thick layer of hummus, cucumber and tomato slices laid into it, basil leaves

- cream cheese and green olives

- pizza sandwich with tomato sauce and several mozzarella slices and whatever toppings your son likes (I usually do green peppers which add a nice crunch, but those are a favorite veggie around here)

- leftovers, if you make a roast or pork chops or something, just slice the meat on the thin side and put it in the bread. 

- will he eat smoked salmon? That + cream cheese + onion + lemon has been a staple for us all summer.

[Clemsondana]

One of my kids likes chicken salad sandwiches.  I don't usually buy deli meat, so if we do sandwiches I just cook a turkey breast or get a rotisserie chicken or cook a pork roast and then slice it.  One of my kids likes frozen taquitoes, microwaved, cut in half, and stood upright in a thermos (Trader Joe's mini-tacos also work for this....egg rolls or pot stickers probably would, too). We sometimes put refried beans in a thermos and pack tortillas so they can make bean burritos.  One kid likes the veggie cream cheese spread on a tortilla and then topped with veggies to make a roll-up, and we also do ham and cheese roll-ups.  Hot dogs aren't much different from deli meat, health-wise, but can be put in a thermos, as can beans and rice or fried rice or pasta dishes with sauce.  Mini Baby Bell cheeses, crackers, fruits and veggie sticks, deviled eggs, pretzels, and chips are all in rotation.  My hungry teen doesn't prefer most cold main dishes so we use the thermos a lot.  We do vary the bread a bit - Hawaiian rolls with ham, chicken or turkey on wheat, chicken salad on croissants, egg salad or veggie spread on white, sometimes biscuits with ham or pork roast, etc.  

One other thing is that if we're expecting a long day we do smoothies before and/or after.  Banana, milk and/or yogurt, and then peanut powder or vanilla whey powder (2-3 scoops), sometimes with berries.  Many days my kid drinks a quart of smoothie with 2-3 bananas, and sometimes kid has 2 a day.  

Edited to add:  when I was a kid I took lunch most days, and cold leftover fried chicken, pork chop, or steak were favorite lunches.  

Edited July 12, 2021 by Clemsondana

[brehon]

3 minutes ago, Clemsondana said:

One other thing is that if we're expecting a long day we do smoothies before and/or after.  Banana, milk and/or yogurt, and then peanut powder or vanilla whey powder (2-3 scoops), sometimes with berries.  Many days my kid drinks a quart of smoothie with 2-3 bananas, and sometimes kid has 2 a day.  

Ooh!! That’s a good point about smoothies! My kids love them, too. When my older girls were swimming competitively they would pack smoothies for after practices. Now, all my kids can make their own and I keep plenty of frozen bananas (sliced then frozen for greater ease), frozen fruit, milk, yogurt, etc available. 

[lynn]

If all he wants is sandwiches got with it.  Maybe add a protein bar or cliff bar.  Does he like fruit?   It was easier to let my teen boys fill up on what they want.  They all did eat whatever dinner j served plus night time snack of another sandwich or cereal.     

[WildflowerMom]

Haven’t read everything, so this may be mentioned…. But my ds19 loves “rollups”.   He does peanut butter and jelly (you could try sun butter), refried beans and cheese, deli meats, etc.   you can get spinach wraps, cheese wraps, etc, to change it up some.  

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, brehon said:

frozen bananas (sliced then frozen for greater ease)

I didn't realize you could do this! Do you have to put lemon juice on them or something first?

[PeterPan]

Trader Joes makes really nice cans of baked beans that would go well with the sandwich.

[HomeAgain]

DS likes biscuit balls.  It's the closest he will usually get to a sandwich, so I'll take it.  He doesn't usually eat breads of any kind.

Anyway, it's a can of cheap biscuits.  I flatten them out, add leftovers: taco meat, sloppy joe, veggies, pizza fixings..it doesn't matter. I pinch up the sides around it and create a ball.  Then into the oven to bake as normal.  I think the can makes 8 or 10, I forget, but ds can take a few along with fruit, yogurt, and whatever else he wants.

Edited July 12, 2021 by HomeAgain

[brehon]

40 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

I didn't realize you could do this! Do you have to put lemon juice on them or something first?

I don’t. They’re a bit brown, but as they’re going in a smoothie, no one in my family minds. 

[Farrar]

 Kids and teens are weird. They can eat the same meal way more often than the rest of us and be fine with it. In other words, good to look for alternatives, but also, don't treat it like a dire thing if he's okay with the sandwiches.

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

 Kids and teens are weird. They can eat the same meal way more often than the rest of us and be fine with it. In other words, good to look for alternatives, but also, don't treat it like a dire thing if he's okay with the sandwiches.

I eat the exact same foods every single day and have for years!  I was just talking to DH about this - I probably eat the same dinner 340 days/year.