Meals on the Go

*String cheese with crackers and hummus
*Grapes and Watermelon (thirst quenching)
*Mini bread sandwiches (tuna or salmon salad)
*Dippers lunch -- fruit salad and sliced veggies with different dips (ranch, western, honey, peanut butter, etc.)
*Roll ups -- tortilla wrap sandwiches (cut up last night's chicken breast, add mayo, salt, pepper, lettuce OR my favorite, add an oriental sauce to the chicken and lettuce, carrots, and chow mein noodles!)
*Any kind of cold pasta salads (SOOOO many combinations to experiment with)
*Home-made or store bought trail mix (energizing and filling)
*Very lightly buttered grilled cheese sandwiches. They are fantastic cold or slightly re-warmed. I generally don't even butter the bread, just spray it with Pam so that it doesn't have that left-over greasy taste to it. Also great made with burrito wraps instead of bread.
*Jello and pudding cups are great desserts.

Have fun with it!
K.

I just made a great sandwich on a sourdough roll. Spread basil pesto, add provalone cheese, and slices of red, yellow, and green peppers, plus some lettuce (red leaf, green leaf). Some people also add black beans or olives, but I like it without. It has an interesting taste. :)

With my children I do a lot of pieced together small snacky meals. A typical on-the-go meal for us is whole-grain crackers, cheese pre-sliced, black beans pre-rinsed, fruit or veggies pre-cut, etc. All healthy things and all ready to go!

Have a great summer!

We tend to pack snacky things for meals on the go. I also like things like hummus (can be spread on a pita with veggies or eaten as a dip), wrap sandwiches, pasta salads, fruit, and trail mix. Yogurt and granola would also be easy to pack.

Try going on www.kraft.com they have a tone of receipes all you have to do is type in what you are looking for!! Its super easy.

This does include deli meat, but w/ a twist. Have you tried making wraps. Tortilla shell spread thinly w/ cream cheese then sprinkle a little shredded cheese, layer of meat Turkey or ham are really tasty, and another thin layer of shredded cheese. Microwave until the cheese starts to melt and roll up. You can microwave it more once rolled up and it can be eaten warm or cold. It works without the cream cheese too for a more low fat recipi, but the cream cheese makes it really yummy. My boys are 2 and 3 and they love em. :)

I also pack boiled eggs, nuts, fruit, vegies, mini peanut butter cracker sandwiches, string cheese, or any other snacky food that's decently nutritious. It gets tricky for me in the summer too because my kids get sick of the same foods.

Cold pasta salads - these can be the equivalent of a whole meal - grain, protein, veggies, cheese. My little boy loves the fun pasta shapes and the small pieces of veggies make it easy to eat as finger food if he prefers that.

One tip for bringing condiments along (vs. whole bottles) if you are doing sandwiches is to squirt what you need into a ziploc sandwich bag. When you are ready to use just snip the corner off and squeeze out - then you can just throw away when you're done!

Hi C., I have a suggestion if you are taking a cooler. Its for self assembled pita sandwichs that I have done for a variety of kids tastes. spread inside of pita with mayo or salsd dressing or mustard that the kid likes or maybe just butter and add any left over vegies like brocoli carrots potatoes add cheese and lettuce depending on the kids taste.
Good luck have a great summer.K.

Try cold salads like tunasalad,chickensalad etc... throw it in a small cooler!

We do cheese/crackers/ cut up fruit/veggies/ etc...
Another fun thing to try is what we call "pizza pockets". Using frozen rolls, thaw, let rise slightly, roll out, place your favorite filling (canadian bacon/cheese/ground meat/veggies...)some garlic powder and spices. fold in half seal edges with a fork. You can top with an egg wash and cheese then bake 350 until golded. Serve plain, warm or cold, or with pizza sauce to dip. These freeze well!
HAve fun!

I am in the same boat, but my kids are 6 and 4. We have a jammed packed summer. My plan is to do things such fruit salad, pasta salad, in addition to sandwiches. Also my kids like the lunchables, so I thought I would do cheese and crackers.

I like to pack meals ahead of time in a cooler for the kids. Any balanced combination of the following, with silverware if needed:
-fresh apples and pears (bring a Pampered Chef-type apple corer to cut them)
-popcorn
-pb&j sandwiches
-cheese and crackers
-vermicelli or spaghetti w/butter & light salt or parmesan or nothing else, cold
-pickles
-apple sauce
-cold pizza
-bagel and cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches
-carrots and dip
-string cheese
-cold plain cheese ravioli
-leaves of lettuce and spinach
-bananas & grapes
-yogurt
-shell peas from your local organic farmer, shell them with the kids and eat them raw
-sugar snap peas (eat 'em whole)
-uncooked corn on the cob
-broccoli-cauliflower & ranch dip
-cold refried bean/cheese/sour cream softshell tacos
-melon balls or "camel humps"
...and here's a list of the 7 worst convenience foods:
http://mail.qhmessages.com/W0RT07489318EF843FB7A3AB31FAE0