What Are Good To-Go Meals for Infants

Hello~
I have two kids and neither of them really enjoyed baby food, so I would roast a chicken or turkey breast and cut it up into small pieces and put a handful in snack baggies. I would end up with about 25 snack bags full of turkey or chicken and I would freeze them. When I needed to run errands I would grab the frozen turkey and put a few canned veggis (peas, green beans, corn) and some chunks of cheese in the snack bag. By the time they were ready to eat the lunch bag, the turkey was defrosted and still cold and the other stuff was chilled from the frozen turkey. It always worked great for us!

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When we go out, we often have to bring our own food, so we take a small cooler with us. We use frozen water bottles for the ice, and as they melt, we can drink the cold water. Great for staying hydrated on a day out.

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Hi A.!

Off the top of my head I am at a loss for specific examples. I would caution against the prepackaged infant foods - there is usually more sugar than they need and some of the ingredients are very questionable (especially DHA and ARA manufactured by martek and found in some earth's best products and other brands - if you would like more info specific to the martek DHA please let me know and I will be glad to pass the info on!)

Two things do come to mind. One is to get a little cooler pack like you would use for transporting breast milk or formula. The second is to check out this book - I can not say enough good things about it or the recipes that are in it - my daughter is now three and I certainly don't need to hide her veggies in brownies or other silly things! The book is Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It talks specifically about introducing foods to infants but has a bunch of great recipes for toddlers as well. There is also a lot of really great nutrition information in the book!!

Hope it works out!
L.

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I got this site from another post and it is just amazing. check it out: http://wholesomebabyfood.com/babyfingerfood.htm
lots of great ideas it is split into age appropriate categories.

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Not all your stuff needs to be able to last all day--fruit and dry carbs (dry cereal, crackers, cookies) will do that. Just eat in the order of perishability.

For all-day trips, we steam some veggies and boil up some noodles and pack those for midday, and use the longer-lasting snacks for later in the day.

I think beans and rice is a pretty good meal. Also I second what others have said about getting a cooler. There are lunch bags that you can keep in the freezer or fridge that are insulated and have built in "ice" to stay cool. That way you can throw cheese sticks or anything else that needs refrigeration and it can stay cool for a few hours.

My son eats very little food from a jar. Here are two methods that I use to take homemade food along on day trips:

1. When he will be eating the food within a couple of hours, I heat the food very hot and then put it in a small Foogoo Thermos (They are great! You can get them at Wal Mart) It is usually still pretty hot a couple of hours later.

2. When I need the food several hours later, I pack the cold meal in a small cooler bag with an ice pack. I also pack a thermos of boiling water and a plastic container to heat it in. When he is ready to eat, I take out the meal (usually stored in a glass canning jar) put the jar in the container and pour the hot water in. Voila! Instant water bath. Stir it occasionally. Depending on the amount of food, it is warm in about 10 minutes.

If I know I will be in a restaurant or a starbucks or something, I don't bother bringing hot water, because most places are really nice a about providing hot water.

If I am in a rush and don't have time to pack everything, I grab an avocado and a banana a small plate and a fork. When mealtime comes, I mash together 1/2 avocado and 1/2 banana. This is a big favorite and much more sustaining that pure fruit

Hope these ideas help!

Cooked veggies like carrots, apples, peas, cheese and crackers, dry cereal, other fruit, fruit lether or stips.

I can't think of anything else that you would have to warm up or cook.

Sorry this is so basic but my daughter hates jar food as well. PB&J, banana, bag of cherrios and milk in a thermos. This works great as long as it is not everyday.
I think of it this way. My 4th grader eats that for lunch at school, so my baby can too.
~Happy Eating~

You can take home made foods. Just put in small containers and slip into a small cooler bag. Target had some small containers that have a freeze thingy in the lid. I bought these for my kids lunches, they work great. Look in the Rubber maid isle. They are called Fresh and ? Something like that.
D.

My daughter likes Mack and Cheese! You could make a big pot and puree it, or just cut it up and store it or freeze it in portions in zip lock bags.

I know for me, I bought the soft insulated lunch boxes, put the food in ziploc freezer bags and put an ice pack on the inside as well, these last for a long time, and I would put it in the trunk or on the floor of the car.

Hope this helps.

D.

Hi A.,
I have a one year old and discoverd a good way to do this.I like to blend up real food ( sphagetti, salad, soup. anything really) and put it into a small, well sealed container. And put that into a thermal pouch with a ice pack and voila! Depending on the amount of time I'm gone I'll bring more. And don't forget dessert! :)

Get a cooler! I know that enfamil has individual coolers with little freezer packs that slip into the pockets - it's the size of a lunch pail but is partitioned so that things don't spill all over the place. WalMart has take and toss bowls, cups, and plates with snap on lids. Spaghetti is good, bread, cereals are always a great choice, yogurt (you can get the go-gurt, freeze it, and by the time it is time to eat it it will not be spoiled), applesauce (easy to make homemade and so much better - just cut up apples, boil them, and when they are soft pour off the water and mash them up), cheese sticks (my babies LOVED gnawing on them). You can actually pretty much take anything in a cooler for hours on end!

Put your home cooked food into a container(s)and then into an insulated lunch bag along with a frozen block. It's covered with plastic and can be used over and over. My daughter puts them into her school aged kids lunches. They work great.

A.,
I have so many food issues that I can't eat out. I have to make my own meals and take them everywhere. What works for me is that I have containers with really good sealing lids that I put my meals into. They withstand heat and cold.

If it's cold outside, I don't worry about a hot food or cold food being stored. If it's hot outside I do worry about cold food. I have a soft shelled "lunch cooler" that we purchased at Joes. It can hold as much as two six packs of cans and is lined to keep in heat or cold. I line it with ice packs made for lunch boxes and coolers and put my food in there. (You can also freeze a damp cloth or towel to set on top of the food to help keep it cold. As for items that don't need to stay cold like applesauce and fruit cups, I use a cloth bag (echo friendly bag) or my backpack to put them in.

I think it's awesome that your child prefers home cooked meals. You save so much money that way.

Best wishes to you.

Hi there, sorry if I am repeating what another mom has said but I can't read all the responses today:) My aunt used to make her own baby foods and then freeze them in ice cube trays... then you can just pop them out put them in some sort of container (old baby fod jar, plastic ware, tupperware plastic baggie etc. ) You can also use an ice pack and one of those insulated bottle bags or lunch bags.

I can't think of good meals to go. But when we are out I find small snacks work well to keep her entertained. So fruit and string cheese work, either eat them early or if your diaper bag has a small bottle insulator/cooler. Then cheerios or a favorite cracker.
If you are only out all day occasionally I wouldn't worry about meals, just good nutrition. When you eat out just make sure you have something on your plate to share.