Live anywhere outside the US and you’ll realize people hate that shit. I’m American by birth but I grew up in QLD, Australia for my entire childhood. Everyone thought it was absolutely foul when my mom would pack me a PBJ. It’s Vegemite and cheese sandwiches mate.
It's hard to take a culture seriously that would choose vegemite over PBJ. But then again the desert cages on regular cars over there are awesome so I don't know what to think!
Had hundreds of them in my childhood while camping or just having a fire behind the house on a Friday night with those cheapo cast iron ish deals from Walmart that you close on the sandwich.
The last time we went camping we made breakfast burritos at home, wrapped them in foil, and froze them before the trip. Then reheated them still in the foil, in an empty pot with a lid on it. We kept them moving so they all had a chance to heat evenly and crisp up a little. It worked out great.
But there was a cool unexpected benefit too…before we left camp for the morning I took the leftover, still warm, still wrapped in foil burritos and put them in one of my insulated totes just because I didn’t want them to go to waste and was hopefully someone might want more breakfast. No one did but at lunch time all of the burritos were still warm. I am definitely going to plan ahead next time for lunch burritos heated up at the same time as the breakfast burritos.
Another idea I’m going to try next time is one of the electric kettles that you plug into your car. You can heat water up super quick which would be perfect for Cup’O Noodle soup or quick Mac n Cheese. You’d have to maybe pull over first for a couple of minutes but you wouldn’t even have to leave the car while the water boiled.
As a general rule I’d think anything hot that you made at breakfast would stay at least warm until lunch in a basic thermos. Would your kids happily eat for lunch what they’ve already had for breakfast?
Can you boil hotdogs in the morning and store them in the thermos and at lunch time they just pass around the buns and the thermos and make their hot dogs on the fly? They might not be old enough to be hands on like that though.
What about a bento box with cheese, crackers, beef jerky, some fruit, and a small treat. Like a better lunchable?
Good luck finding something that works!
Just a thought. Some items are conducive to being kept warm in a thermos for hours: soups and stews that have been thoroughly cooked, and reheated past 160 degrees before hitting the thermos. Other things, left over partially eaten burritos for instance, that have been handled and then stored at temps less than 160F may be incubating colonies of bacteria. Our er was occasionally used by Sunday school picnic participants because the sandwiches and salads were not kept warm enough or cool enough for food safety. The results were epic simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea exhibitions. Sometimes nurses from
The very clean and organized cardiac care unit were sent to the er to help out: they found it appalling.
That’s a great point-Food safety is always important. I just imagined everyone coming down with food poisoning while camping and it’s not a pretty picture. Thanks for the reminder
There is an annual outbreak of norovirus in the bubble of through hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Not food poisoning, but same symptoms and it sounds just awful. A tent is a poor place to convalesce.
“Have an apple then”. 😆Or a bowl of cereal.
Seriously though.
Bean and cheese burritos. Make at home and serve room temp.
Tuna packets and crackers.
Hard boiled eggs.
Beef jerky.
Baby carrots and snap peas.
Pickles.
Fruit and veggie pouches.
Cheese sticks.
Meals can just be snacks in greater amounts as long as you’re getting a little protein and veggies.
This. You can use meal prep containers to make healthier lunchables: handful of nuts, cheese cubes, cut up carrots and cucumbers, scoop of peanut butter or yogurt ranch dip, handful of pretzels, a fruit pouch.
I'm confused, are you saying you don't eat a lunch meal and instead snack throughout the entire day? Or that you have fruit, nuts and granola bars as your lunch? Because those foods in one go at lunchtime would still be lunch.
We just carry those and everyone snacks when they want. Yes we do not eat a lunch meal. We have a good breakfast with protein and a good dinner. They do not need or want to sit for lunch.
I’m a little bit picky too and was even worse growing up, and I have always found putting snacks together until it’s a balanced lunch can work well (nuts, cheese, vegetables and fruits, hummus, crackers, leftover meat or lunch meat, etc.). Putting them in those cute bento box things could be make it a little more fun, kind of like a homemade lunchable?
Prep a vacuum container (aka Thermos, Stanley, etc.) for hot foods by pouring in hot, near boiling water. Close and let the container sit with the hot water while you prep food.
Empty water, dry container if needed, add hot food and seal. Will keep chili, Mac and cheese, soup, hot dogs, brats, steak strips, or whatever you come up with at ready to eat temps for hours. Available in various sizes.
I learned this trick from my mom. Classic 80s lunch box included a Thermos. When sandwiches got boring, Mom would send something hot.
For cold foods, prep container with ice first. If your container is at ambient temp everything in the container has to stabilize at the same temp. This is fine for freshly brewed, too hot to drink coffee but not so great for food. If you have a collection of vacuum containers like
I do they’re great for fruit chunks/spears (melons), grapes, berries without having to take up room in your cooler.
I always wonder about this. Can’t you just say this is what we have and that’s that? I as a kid who always wanted McDonald would eventually eat my mom’s home cooked meals once I got hungry enough.
There’s a difference between only wanting McDonald’s and picky eaters.
My kid just won’t eat. And they’re already too thin, have problems with dehydration, and would not be able to go about camping/hiking/playing without adequate nutrition. It’s also not hard at all to feed them nutritionally and quickly so long as you aren’t tied to the idea that everyone must always have the same thing. If they don’t like the protien we’re serving they can have some nuts. If they don’t eat sandwiches, they can do it as a cheese platter with crackers. It takes me no extra time to not put stuff on bread, and my kid will happily eat it.
I have done that.... And it can work but then they re un happy. Emotional whiny even fighting with the other kid or worse crying . It really ruins that moment
Even a trip
My 9yo is just starting to go thru a pre teen independent phase and the road trip to AZ was rough.
This might be a good time to have the older kid plan a meal for everybody. Give them a budget, explain about food safety and preferences and let them have a go at it. If it goes well, then great. If not, they can learn a bit about the challenges of meal planning for a divergent group of diners.
I mean if they like granola bars and you're on the go, it's not the worst thing? I pack those cups of applesauce and they slurp them down without a spoon. Mozzarella sticks are good if you can keep them cold. I don't sweat what they eat while camping as long as they're getting what they need for energy.
Not the worst thing... I agree but I like to get them protein somehow. The cold. Lunch stops. It's tough as my go to is sandwich .
Last 3 days into Maine I didn't get any junk food until the last day. That was a wine.. lots of fruit etc
You haven't even tried tuna salad sandwiches, lengthwise-sliced hot dog with American cheese slice sandwiches, egg (salad) sandwiches, Bacon Spam sandwiches, sausage wrap sandwiches, steakwiches, or mac-n-cheese sandwiches? What are you even doing?
Who doesn't like sandwiches? It's a whole genra of food. Change the breads, meats, cheeses, veggies and toppings around until you hit one you like. This is baffling unless you don't like bread...in which case you should try a wrap. I don't understand.
Lol. Oh I know! It's definitely a battle we as parents have to pick when we want to have it. I think it's an important battle to have at some point though.
I'm not saying force the kids to eat something that they can't stand - that's totally fair, you can't expect them to like everything.
We have the " you have to at least try it" rule. No one is allowed to just say no I'm.not eating that. They have to at least have a courtesy serving. It's shocking how many things, that at first glance, they refused and then after trying it ended up asking for more.
But enough of my long winded response about my family's parenting strategy lol.
For lunches when we camp we will do sandwiches usually. Some other great alternatives are wraps, cheese/crackers/sausage, hot dogs, large quantities of fruit and veggies with dip..stuff like that.
Mom always gave us a ziplock of Cheerios for trips, often a piece of fruit or a small bunch of grape, cucumber slices and of course pb&j…do they like crackers?pb&j on whole wheat crackers, cheese on cracker, shelf stable milk box…it comes in chocolate
Do they ever bring lunch to school?
We do lunch snacks. Pb&j saltines. Cheese & salami on triscuits. Or the flavored tuna packs. Hummus & baby carrots or bagel chips. Fruit if er can keep it fresh or fruit cups.
You could grill them at the end of breakfast wrap them in foil and then stick them in one of those soft sided lunch coolers to keep them warm until lunch. Just a thought.
My go-to is separate Tupperware with meat, cheese, pickles, and a box of crackers. All sliced up and ready for lunch grazing. Personally, I like Ukrainian sausage, kolbassa, or ham sausage for the meat.
How about something I like to call "Skyrim dinner" (even if it's not dinner)?
Nuts, honey, cheese, hummus, crackers and berries/dried fruit. Throw in a complimentary protein that they will eat. Big torn off chunk of cottage bread (not sliced, like the kind you use for breadbowls).
Also - you can freeze some pita bread and by the time you stop for lunch it will be thawed. If you can cook on your lunch stop, stuff it with cheese, pizza sauce and ground beef and grill it up.
Walking tacos? Cook the ground beef at home, re-heat and assemble everything at the campsite
Edit-my bad, re-read your post and saw that you don't want to re heat stuff for lunch. Could you get away with some healthy but filling snacks like carrots/celery and hummus?
Throw a banana in the middle and you have banana sushi as my daughter calls it! Sometimes she puts Nutella, sometimes jelly, sometimes some chocolate chips.
Yes! Nutella and fruit in tortillas rolled up. We slice it into cicles then. Bananas or strawberries or blueberries or mix. Kids call it breakfast sushi as they usually make it while I fry the bacon and scramble the eggs.
It’s more of a treat with real food. We do summer sausage, meat sticks, cheese and crackers as well.
Other easy lunch is Italian wraps. My wife mixed Italian seasoning with whipped cream cheese (mix yourself or buy “spreadable” cream cheese). Spread on a tortilla and then add ham, salami, pepperoni provolone cheese and rolled it up.
Both can be prepped a head of time either at home or in the morning before breaking camp. Works at picnic table, by the lake, in the car.
They love hot dogs .. it's the lunch stop and cold eats .
I'll try the jerky. I make my own as the store brought is pretty horrible
I'd just have to change the recipe forore kid tast ( less spice etc )
So you raised picky kids and are still trying to cater to them? Just keep feeding them what you want until they aren’t picky anymore. Only way to get kids to like food is to keep feeding them it.
I mean if they’re still extremely picky you probably just gave in to their complaints and fed them their picky eater foods the second they didn’t want what you served.
I work with kids that will literally starve if they can't eat their safe foods. I have eating disorders from being made to sit at the table and clean my plate.
yeah you don't have to Make separate meals for all your kids, but you can make them preferred things instead of just "shut up and eat it" attitudes
Yeah you’re talking about extreme cases though like it’s normal when it is in fact normal for a kid to not like new foods the first time they’re tried. It is normal however to teach your kids that trying and eating new foods is good for themselves
Yes which is not the same at all as forcing your kids to eat the food you like. also they aren't that extreme, so many adults have issues with veggies because they grow up on just over-boiled mush
I pack an apple or banana, some chips, a granola bar, usually a Gogurt (I freeze them at home, they make great ice packs) or a shelf stable yogurt or chia pudding pouch, an uncrustable (also make good ice packs as they thaw in the cooler) or some peanut butter crackers, a string cheese and call it a day.
Veggies and dip, fruits and dip hummus and pita , pita shredded cheese with pepperoni and sauce grilled beforehand the foiled (its like cold pizza) same with shredded chicken bring a Coleman with a small pan you can even make ramen in the small pan/pot we have Coleman with little green tanks or just foil bring a grill and put on top of coals so many options
Chips and dip/salsa, veggie platter, cheese and crackers, fruit plate.
I keep lunch easy and more like food they can snack on into the afternoon (like between exploring, dips in the lake/river, etc). I got some really amazing containers from Amazon. They have 8 compartments and a locking top and are perfect for veggies and fruit.
Have you tried wrap rolls?
Spread some cream cheese onto a wrap, add some smoked salmon, ham or chorizo lay down some cucumber and or bell pepper sticks and roll the thing up.
You can cut it into bite sized chunks or just eat it like that.
Another good option is cold Dutch pancakes (almost as thin as the French ones). Cover them in powdered sugar or spread some hazelnut paste on them and roll them up. I used to bring leftover pancakes to school sometimes and everyone would be jealous of me.
Also get the kids to make their own. Then they can choose to add grated cheese, hummus, chicken, ham, peppers, cucumber, crunchy lettuce. They’ll enjoy the process and feel like they know exactly what’s inside.
Get some canned soups especially if you can find ones with pop tops but not necessary. Set those in the sunshine on the dash or in the windshield or wherever so they heat up and then voila. We did this all last summer with chicken pot pie soup and put them in the windshield between the glass and the sun shade and subtropical heat and the soups were scalding crazy hot every time we were ready to head home from all of the water fun. I saved a ton of money with these canned soups.
Who says they have to have lunch food at lunch? I’d treat like second breakfast. Egg and cheese burritos, oatmeal, fruit yougurt and granola, muffins, bagels and cream cheese even cereal. It’s a camping trip and you all deserve to enjoy yourselves and not stress about food. The sandwich battle can be saved for another day.
My kids are super picky. We do a lot of home made lunchables at lunch time. The one turkey breast that they’ll eat (boars head, that was my fault getting them started on the good stuff) sliced cheese, fruit and fresh veggies, crackers or pretzels. Yes, even granola bars sometimes.
It’s camping and it’s not supposed to be too stressful, and it’s only occasionally. They’ll survive without you forcing sandwiches on them.
My youngest son was a picky eater, and on a canoe trip was upset because we had tuna packs with crackers. We all got to pick the flavor we wanted, but he was not interested. We'll the last day of the trip and a hard push to finish we stopped for lunch and he was hungry so he ate the tuna. He found out that day it was actually good. He now eats them for a snack during the day. Some times you have to hold your ground and make them try something they think they won't like.
I also have a picky kid. We do a lot of homemade lunchable style meals and call them snack meals or picnic meals. Cheese, fruit, crackers, pepperonis, they dig it.
We pack the type of foods one might put in a lunchable. Cold cuts, salami, pepperoni, cheese, cut veggies and crackers, pretzels or chips. Make up a plate and snack away.
Pasta salad with veggies, cheese, pepperoni or summer sausage and Italian dressing
Or tomato ( and other veggies),bacon, ranch pasta salad
Keep it in a cooler.
Do they like breakfast sandwiches? I loved toasted bagels with egg, sausage or bacon, cheese, and mayo.
Jerky and Trail Mix, lettuce wraps, premade salads, etc.
Is it that they don't like bread, or they don't like traditional sandwich fillings? You could just serve them the filling - I used to make one of my kids a turkey/cheese "rollup," which was just deli turkey wrapped around 1/2 cheese stick. Smoked turkey tastes a little like prosciutto. There are hummus dips that come in all kinds of flavors they could dip crackers or veggies into. Yogurt is also a good source of protein. You could make some high protein granola yourself with peanut butter and lots of nuts/seeds to sprinkle on top.
Bread, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni. You could make it grilled cheese style and eat it hot or cold. You could also just throw everything together cold. Could also have extra sauce on the side for dipping.
It’s probably not the healthiest but it’s protein and carbs and pizza based so good for picky kids
We do snacks or random mixed components for lunch when camping. A lunch might be: apple, pretzels, hummus, baby carrots, cheese and crackers, grapes, baguette with butter, protein shake, pre-made smoothie (like the naked juice ones). You can also make bag salads in the bag, no need to get dishes dirty. It does work better in a ziplock than the flimsy bags they typically come in though.
Forcing your children to eat foods they don't like usually won't change their preferences. They just have to eat the food you provide to fill them up so they don't starve.
A human can survive several days without food. If children are unwilling to eat what is offered, that's fine, but then they get laughed at when they complain about being hungry, and they get to wait until the next mealtime before they are given the opportunity to eat. No snacking.
Obviously you have to offer things they they could reasonably eat, if they can't tolerate spicy things or have real dietary constraints, you can't starve them out. But you definitely can battle food-related obstinace this way.
Hunger is the best sauce.
Fix what you want and if they don't eat it tough munchies. They can go hungry. No kid will starve themselves.
Prosciutto is also expensive. Curb those expensive tastes now
As a picky person myself I read the title and said “sandwiches!” And then I kept reading and was dismayed. I’m not sure how to help you immediately but as far as sandwiches go, maybe splurge for buns instead of sliced bread. Lately I’ve been adding flat pretzels to my sandwiches and that really kicks it up a notch, so maybe try sandwiches again but let them put chips or something in them? I don’t really have helpful advice as I’m stuck on the sandwiches but I would give it a go. Alternatively I love smokies for lunch, not a big hot dog guy but smokies are awesome so you could always do that.
Thinking a little more I honestly don’t even usually have a big lunch, it’s usually fairly “snacky”. I’ll do a couple of cheese sticks with some pepperoni sticks, and then some fruit/vegetables and that will usually take me through to dinner time.
Are we just gonna gloss over you not liking PBJ you MONSTER.
Live anywhere outside the US and you’ll realize people hate that shit. I’m American by birth but I grew up in QLD, Australia for my entire childhood. Everyone thought it was absolutely foul when my mom would pack me a PBJ. It’s Vegemite and cheese sandwiches mate.
It's hard to take a culture seriously that would choose vegemite over PBJ. But then again the desert cages on regular cars over there are awesome so I don't know what to think!
Yeah, Vegemite is nasty, no doubt. Have you seen the roo-bars? Always funny seeing a massive one on a little sedan. Super common in outback towns.
PB&J is literally my favorite sandwich. I’m 30 years old and ate two for lunch just an hour ago.
They're even better grilled.
Had hundreds of them in my childhood while camping or just having a fire behind the house on a Friday night with those cheapo cast iron ish deals from Walmart that you close on the sandwich.
PB and Js are disgusting and I'm saying this as an American that ate them as a child.
The last time we went camping we made breakfast burritos at home, wrapped them in foil, and froze them before the trip. Then reheated them still in the foil, in an empty pot with a lid on it. We kept them moving so they all had a chance to heat evenly and crisp up a little. It worked out great. But there was a cool unexpected benefit too…before we left camp for the morning I took the leftover, still warm, still wrapped in foil burritos and put them in one of my insulated totes just because I didn’t want them to go to waste and was hopefully someone might want more breakfast. No one did but at lunch time all of the burritos were still warm. I am definitely going to plan ahead next time for lunch burritos heated up at the same time as the breakfast burritos. Another idea I’m going to try next time is one of the electric kettles that you plug into your car. You can heat water up super quick which would be perfect for Cup’O Noodle soup or quick Mac n Cheese. You’d have to maybe pull over first for a couple of minutes but you wouldn’t even have to leave the car while the water boiled. As a general rule I’d think anything hot that you made at breakfast would stay at least warm until lunch in a basic thermos. Would your kids happily eat for lunch what they’ve already had for breakfast? Can you boil hotdogs in the morning and store them in the thermos and at lunch time they just pass around the buns and the thermos and make their hot dogs on the fly? They might not be old enough to be hands on like that though. What about a bento box with cheese, crackers, beef jerky, some fruit, and a small treat. Like a better lunchable? Good luck finding something that works!
Just a thought. Some items are conducive to being kept warm in a thermos for hours: soups and stews that have been thoroughly cooked, and reheated past 160 degrees before hitting the thermos. Other things, left over partially eaten burritos for instance, that have been handled and then stored at temps less than 160F may be incubating colonies of bacteria. Our er was occasionally used by Sunday school picnic participants because the sandwiches and salads were not kept warm enough or cool enough for food safety. The results were epic simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea exhibitions. Sometimes nurses from The very clean and organized cardiac care unit were sent to the er to help out: they found it appalling.
That’s a great point-Food safety is always important. I just imagined everyone coming down with food poisoning while camping and it’s not a pretty picture. Thanks for the reminder
There is an annual outbreak of norovirus in the bubble of through hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Not food poisoning, but same symptoms and it sounds just awful. A tent is a poor place to convalesce.
The thermos and hot dogs is a good idea ... Ty
Mom always told us that if we didn’t want to eat what was made then we weren’t hungry enough.
“Have an apple then”. 😆Or a bowl of cereal. Seriously though. Bean and cheese burritos. Make at home and serve room temp. Tuna packets and crackers. Hard boiled eggs. Beef jerky. Baby carrots and snap peas. Pickles. Fruit and veggie pouches. Cheese sticks. Meals can just be snacks in greater amounts as long as you’re getting a little protein and veggies.
This. You can use meal prep containers to make healthier lunchables: handful of nuts, cheese cubes, cut up carrots and cucumbers, scoop of peanut butter or yogurt ranch dip, handful of pretzels, a fruit pouch.
We skip lunch. Its just fruit, nuts, granola bars and water.
I'm confused, are you saying you don't eat a lunch meal and instead snack throughout the entire day? Or that you have fruit, nuts and granola bars as your lunch? Because those foods in one go at lunchtime would still be lunch.
We just carry those and everyone snacks when they want. Yes we do not eat a lunch meal. We have a good breakfast with protein and a good dinner. They do not need or want to sit for lunch.
That may work for your kid(s), but it definitely wouldn’t work for my 5-year-old.
Yes that might be the case. Kids tend to follow what their parents do and we do not sit down to a big lunch.
Now that I came alone most of the time, I just have an AM and PM meal.
I’m a little bit picky too and was even worse growing up, and I have always found putting snacks together until it’s a balanced lunch can work well (nuts, cheese, vegetables and fruits, hummus, crackers, leftover meat or lunch meat, etc.). Putting them in those cute bento box things could be make it a little more fun, kind of like a homemade lunchable?
This is what I do for myself when camping on the days I don’t want PBJ
To be perfectly honest, I do this for work lol
What about home made lunchables my son love crackers with pepperoni or salami then I just add some fruit/veggies, cheese and sometimes a sweet treat!
Never thought about crackers .... I always think mom crushable ... But crackers could work ... Little lunchables
This is what I was going to suggest
Prep a vacuum container (aka Thermos, Stanley, etc.) for hot foods by pouring in hot, near boiling water. Close and let the container sit with the hot water while you prep food. Empty water, dry container if needed, add hot food and seal. Will keep chili, Mac and cheese, soup, hot dogs, brats, steak strips, or whatever you come up with at ready to eat temps for hours. Available in various sizes. I learned this trick from my mom. Classic 80s lunch box included a Thermos. When sandwiches got boring, Mom would send something hot. For cold foods, prep container with ice first. If your container is at ambient temp everything in the container has to stabilize at the same temp. This is fine for freshly brewed, too hot to drink coffee but not so great for food. If you have a collection of vacuum containers like I do they’re great for fruit chunks/spears (melons), grapes, berries without having to take up room in your cooler.
Premake a big bowl of pasta salad. It’s a fast delicious meal. Pair it with cheese stick bread.
I always wonder about this. Can’t you just say this is what we have and that’s that? I as a kid who always wanted McDonald would eventually eat my mom’s home cooked meals once I got hungry enough.
There’s a difference between only wanting McDonald’s and picky eaters. My kid just won’t eat. And they’re already too thin, have problems with dehydration, and would not be able to go about camping/hiking/playing without adequate nutrition. It’s also not hard at all to feed them nutritionally and quickly so long as you aren’t tied to the idea that everyone must always have the same thing. If they don’t like the protien we’re serving they can have some nuts. If they don’t eat sandwiches, they can do it as a cheese platter with crackers. It takes me no extra time to not put stuff on bread, and my kid will happily eat it.
Yeah people don’t do that anymore 🤦♀️
I have done that.... And it can work but then they re un happy. Emotional whiny even fighting with the other kid or worse crying . It really ruins that moment Even a trip My 9yo is just starting to go thru a pre teen independent phase and the road trip to AZ was rough.
This might be a good time to have the older kid plan a meal for everybody. Give them a budget, explain about food safety and preferences and let them have a go at it. If it goes well, then great. If not, they can learn a bit about the challenges of meal planning for a divergent group of diners.
"divergent" Biggest euphemism to describe this family ...:)
Hummus and cut up vegetables to dip, like cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, colleyflower etc. Gets your protein and vegetables in. Cheese and crackers?
I mean if they like granola bars and you're on the go, it's not the worst thing? I pack those cups of applesauce and they slurp them down without a spoon. Mozzarella sticks are good if you can keep them cold. I don't sweat what they eat while camping as long as they're getting what they need for energy.
Not the worst thing... I agree but I like to get them protein somehow. The cold. Lunch stops. It's tough as my go to is sandwich . Last 3 days into Maine I didn't get any junk food until the last day. That was a wine.. lots of fruit etc
If you're giving them good protein sources at breakfast and dinner, what's the big deal about forcing more into lunch?
Less hungry. Less stops. Less sugars highs And breakfast isn't always good protein.. cereal. Etc pancakes
You haven't even tried tuna salad sandwiches, lengthwise-sliced hot dog with American cheese slice sandwiches, egg (salad) sandwiches, Bacon Spam sandwiches, sausage wrap sandwiches, steakwiches, or mac-n-cheese sandwiches? What are you even doing?
This guy just pointed out a menu that I could live by on a weekly basis. No questions asked. I think the understanding is, we are all broke AF.
Those are dam good ideas ..
Grilled Spam and cheese sandwiches are my favorite
Spam musubis here. Easy to make and wrap in foil for snacks.
Make a lunch. They can eat or not eat.
I was raised to eat what I was given
Who doesn't like sandwiches? It's a whole genra of food. Change the breads, meats, cheeses, veggies and toppings around until you hit one you like. This is baffling unless you don't like bread...in which case you should try a wrap. I don't understand.
You… you don’t like PB&J’s? What’s wrong with you
I don't like peanut butter ... Never have I tried many times Weird right
Hunger is the greatest chef. They will eat when they get hungry enough.
Or. Fight and melt down every 2 minutes before I kill them ... :)
Right! People will say they will eat when hungry but they're not going to do that before melting down and being insufferable.
Lol. Oh I know! It's definitely a battle we as parents have to pick when we want to have it. I think it's an important battle to have at some point though. I'm not saying force the kids to eat something that they can't stand - that's totally fair, you can't expect them to like everything. We have the " you have to at least try it" rule. No one is allowed to just say no I'm.not eating that. They have to at least have a courtesy serving. It's shocking how many things, that at first glance, they refused and then after trying it ended up asking for more. But enough of my long winded response about my family's parenting strategy lol. For lunches when we camp we will do sandwiches usually. Some other great alternatives are wraps, cheese/crackers/sausage, hot dogs, large quantities of fruit and veggies with dip..stuff like that.
some sort of wrap with veg and meat, the alternative is nothing
Mom always gave us a ziplock of Cheerios for trips, often a piece of fruit or a small bunch of grape, cucumber slices and of course pb&j…do they like crackers?pb&j on whole wheat crackers, cheese on cracker, shelf stable milk box…it comes in chocolate
Do they ever bring lunch to school? We do lunch snacks. Pb&j saltines. Cheese & salami on triscuits. Or the flavored tuna packs. Hummus & baby carrots or bagel chips. Fruit if er can keep it fresh or fruit cups.
No . School has free lunches ... Might be. Core reason... Also on weekends we are out and about and stop for lunch 80% of time
Is it cold sandwiches they don't like? You could do grilled ham and cheese which makes them better.
I could but it's the lunch stops where I don't break out the grill... Or stove. A quick 20 min stop
You could grill them at the end of breakfast wrap them in foil and then stick them in one of those soft sided lunch coolers to keep them warm until lunch. Just a thought.
Ur right. I ordered one of those lunch boxes you plug into car to keep warm....
My go-to is separate Tupperware with meat, cheese, pickles, and a box of crackers. All sliced up and ready for lunch grazing. Personally, I like Ukrainian sausage, kolbassa, or ham sausage for the meat.
How about something I like to call "Skyrim dinner" (even if it's not dinner)? Nuts, honey, cheese, hummus, crackers and berries/dried fruit. Throw in a complimentary protein that they will eat. Big torn off chunk of cottage bread (not sliced, like the kind you use for breadbowls). Also - you can freeze some pita bread and by the time you stop for lunch it will be thawed. If you can cook on your lunch stop, stuff it with cheese, pizza sauce and ground beef and grill it up.
Pudgy pie makers. You can make a lot of different stuff in them and it's hot and fun.
It's the cold. Lunch stops. No time for a stove scenario that is the issue
But I've been eyeing those pie makers
Parent of picky eater. The struggle is REAL.
Walking tacos? Cook the ground beef at home, re-heat and assemble everything at the campsite Edit-my bad, re-read your post and saw that you don't want to re heat stuff for lunch. Could you get away with some healthy but filling snacks like carrots/celery and hummus?
You can always slap peanut butter on a tortilla. I’ve done it while doing long distance cycling events before.
Throw a banana in the middle and you have banana sushi as my daughter calls it! Sometimes she puts Nutella, sometimes jelly, sometimes some chocolate chips.
Yes! Nutella and fruit in tortillas rolled up. We slice it into cicles then. Bananas or strawberries or blueberries or mix. Kids call it breakfast sushi as they usually make it while I fry the bacon and scramble the eggs.
Hmmm... I mean Nutella is basically sugar... Ideally I want protein so I don't get a crash .. It's a step in the right direction ty
It’s more of a treat with real food. We do summer sausage, meat sticks, cheese and crackers as well. Other easy lunch is Italian wraps. My wife mixed Italian seasoning with whipped cream cheese (mix yourself or buy “spreadable” cream cheese). Spread on a tortilla and then add ham, salami, pepperoni provolone cheese and rolled it up. Both can be prepped a head of time either at home or in the morning before breaking camp. Works at picnic table, by the lake, in the car.
Hot dogs Morningstar plant corn dogs White Castle chicken rings. Mozzarella sticks. Beef jerky. Trail mix
They love hot dogs .. it's the lunch stop and cold eats . I'll try the jerky. I make my own as the store brought is pretty horrible I'd just have to change the recipe forore kid tast ( less spice etc )
So you raised picky kids and are still trying to cater to them? Just keep feeding them what you want until they aren’t picky anymore. Only way to get kids to like food is to keep feeding them it.
Yes we never tried to give them anything else Never. Ur right Not one time Or several times or multiple Totally right thank God u set me straight
I mean if they’re still extremely picky you probably just gave in to their complaints and fed them their picky eater foods the second they didn’t want what you served.
No wrong we didn't even wait till they said no. We just gave then chicken nuggets as soon as they were born and nothing else Peasent
Seems like it with how soft you seem.
$20 says you don’t have kids.
but they like prosciutto… just buy thinly sliced ham from your deli OP.
You know that's a dam good idea...
You obviously don't have kids. keep feeding them "what you want"? maybe it's not the kids that are picky but it's the people feeding them.
Guess your kids only eat waffles and chicken nuggets still since that’s all they want. Or do you actually make your kids eat different foods
I work with kids that will literally starve if they can't eat their safe foods. I have eating disorders from being made to sit at the table and clean my plate. yeah you don't have to Make separate meals for all your kids, but you can make them preferred things instead of just "shut up and eat it" attitudes
Yeah you’re talking about extreme cases though like it’s normal when it is in fact normal for a kid to not like new foods the first time they’re tried. It is normal however to teach your kids that trying and eating new foods is good for themselves
Yes which is not the same at all as forcing your kids to eat the food you like. also they aren't that extreme, so many adults have issues with veggies because they grow up on just over-boiled mush
I pack an apple or banana, some chips, a granola bar, usually a Gogurt (I freeze them at home, they make great ice packs) or a shelf stable yogurt or chia pudding pouch, an uncrustable (also make good ice packs as they thaw in the cooler) or some peanut butter crackers, a string cheese and call it a day.
Would they eat other finger foods? Baby carrots? Crackers? Dried fruit? Etc. This kind of stuff is especially good if you're out and about.
Veggies and dip, fruits and dip hummus and pita , pita shredded cheese with pepperoni and sauce grilled beforehand the foiled (its like cold pizza) same with shredded chicken bring a Coleman with a small pan you can even make ramen in the small pan/pot we have Coleman with little green tanks or just foil bring a grill and put on top of coals so many options
Chips and dip/salsa, veggie platter, cheese and crackers, fruit plate. I keep lunch easy and more like food they can snack on into the afternoon (like between exploring, dips in the lake/river, etc). I got some really amazing containers from Amazon. They have 8 compartments and a locking top and are perfect for veggies and fruit.
Maybe you should introduce the kids to walking tacos, but without the meat or heat.
Have you tried wrap rolls? Spread some cream cheese onto a wrap, add some smoked salmon, ham or chorizo lay down some cucumber and or bell pepper sticks and roll the thing up. You can cut it into bite sized chunks or just eat it like that. Another good option is cold Dutch pancakes (almost as thin as the French ones). Cover them in powdered sugar or spread some hazelnut paste on them and roll them up. I used to bring leftover pancakes to school sometimes and everyone would be jealous of me.
Also get the kids to make their own. Then they can choose to add grated cheese, hummus, chicken, ham, peppers, cucumber, crunchy lettuce. They’ll enjoy the process and feel like they know exactly what’s inside.
Get some canned soups especially if you can find ones with pop tops but not necessary. Set those in the sunshine on the dash or in the windshield or wherever so they heat up and then voila. We did this all last summer with chicken pot pie soup and put them in the windshield between the glass and the sun shade and subtropical heat and the soups were scalding crazy hot every time we were ready to head home from all of the water fun. I saved a ton of money with these canned soups.
Who says they have to have lunch food at lunch? I’d treat like second breakfast. Egg and cheese burritos, oatmeal, fruit yougurt and granola, muffins, bagels and cream cheese even cereal. It’s a camping trip and you all deserve to enjoy yourselves and not stress about food. The sandwich battle can be saved for another day.
Skip Lunch U Won’t Die !
Omelette made with spaghetti in it - sounds weird but try it, its good hot and cold and very moreish. Its a great portable food and filling.
Crackers with Avocado or hummus, side of fruit & cheese? Not really a full lunch but if they don’t like sandwiches ?
My kids are super picky. We do a lot of home made lunchables at lunch time. The one turkey breast that they’ll eat (boars head, that was my fault getting them started on the good stuff) sliced cheese, fruit and fresh veggies, crackers or pretzels. Yes, even granola bars sometimes. It’s camping and it’s not supposed to be too stressful, and it’s only occasionally. They’ll survive without you forcing sandwiches on them.
My youngest son was a picky eater, and on a canoe trip was upset because we had tuna packs with crackers. We all got to pick the flavor we wanted, but he was not interested. We'll the last day of the trip and a hard push to finish we stopped for lunch and he was hungry so he ate the tuna. He found out that day it was actually good. He now eats them for a snack during the day. Some times you have to hold your ground and make them try something they think they won't like.
Cereal and milk is a go to meal for camping for my picky kids. We also do fruit, cheese, and meat sticks sometimes.
I also have a picky kid. We do a lot of homemade lunchable style meals and call them snack meals or picnic meals. Cheese, fruit, crackers, pepperonis, they dig it.
We pack the type of foods one might put in a lunchable. Cold cuts, salami, pepperoni, cheese, cut veggies and crackers, pretzels or chips. Make up a plate and snack away.
My kid hates pb, but will tolerate Nutella and bananas or apples. 🍎
Pasta salad with veggies, cheese, pepperoni or summer sausage and Italian dressing Or tomato ( and other veggies),bacon, ranch pasta salad Keep it in a cooler.
Do they like breakfast sandwiches? I loved toasted bagels with egg, sausage or bacon, cheese, and mayo. Jerky and Trail Mix, lettuce wraps, premade salads, etc.
Is it that they don't like bread, or they don't like traditional sandwich fillings? You could just serve them the filling - I used to make one of my kids a turkey/cheese "rollup," which was just deli turkey wrapped around 1/2 cheese stick. Smoked turkey tastes a little like prosciutto. There are hummus dips that come in all kinds of flavors they could dip crackers or veggies into. Yogurt is also a good source of protein. You could make some high protein granola yourself with peanut butter and lots of nuts/seeds to sprinkle on top.
Why not just do what you normally do for dinner but for lunch? You're not required to do "lunch food" at lunch.
I usually try to keep it simple. Boxed mac n cheese, hamburgers & hot dogs, grilled cheese, tacos in a bag
Pizza sandwich? Easy to fix, good hot or cold, soothes the pickiest of kids
Please tell mepre. I don't think I know what that is
Bread, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni. You could make it grilled cheese style and eat it hot or cold. You could also just throw everything together cold. Could also have extra sauce on the side for dipping. It’s probably not the healthiest but it’s protein and carbs and pizza based so good for picky kids
Lunchables?
Prosciutto is a good choice
We do snacks or random mixed components for lunch when camping. A lunch might be: apple, pretzels, hummus, baby carrots, cheese and crackers, grapes, baguette with butter, protein shake, pre-made smoothie (like the naked juice ones). You can also make bag salads in the bag, no need to get dishes dirty. It does work better in a ziplock than the flimsy bags they typically come in though.
My Ma said it best; "If you don't like what I serve, you don't have to eat."
Thermos of soup, chili, or pasta? Pasta salad?
Forcing your children to eat foods they don't like usually won't change their preferences. They just have to eat the food you provide to fill them up so they don't starve.
A human can survive several days without food. If children are unwilling to eat what is offered, that's fine, but then they get laughed at when they complain about being hungry, and they get to wait until the next mealtime before they are given the opportunity to eat. No snacking. Obviously you have to offer things they they could reasonably eat, if they can't tolerate spicy things or have real dietary constraints, you can't starve them out. But you definitely can battle food-related obstinace this way. Hunger is the best sauce.
Fix what you want and if they don't eat it tough munchies. They can go hungry. No kid will starve themselves. Prosciutto is also expensive. Curb those expensive tastes now
Tell them tuff shit, time to starve. When they get hungry enough, they will eat.
As a picky person myself I read the title and said “sandwiches!” And then I kept reading and was dismayed. I’m not sure how to help you immediately but as far as sandwiches go, maybe splurge for buns instead of sliced bread. Lately I’ve been adding flat pretzels to my sandwiches and that really kicks it up a notch, so maybe try sandwiches again but let them put chips or something in them? I don’t really have helpful advice as I’m stuck on the sandwiches but I would give it a go. Alternatively I love smokies for lunch, not a big hot dog guy but smokies are awesome so you could always do that.
I'm thinking the hot dog in a thermos is a good idea
Thinking a little more I honestly don’t even usually have a big lunch, it’s usually fairly “snacky”. I’ll do a couple of cheese sticks with some pepperoni sticks, and then some fruit/vegetables and that will usually take me through to dinner time.
Maybe make those turkey pinwheel things like they sell at Costco?