What's for lunch?

Hello,

We spend a lot of afternoons at the park with friends. I am having a problem getting my little ones to eat their lunch there. They won't eat jelly sandwiches anymore. I switched to cheese and crackers a while back and now they are not interested in them. Do you have any suggestions? I normally go to the gym before the park so I need something that can travel easily. I look forward to hearing from you all.

 

Peeled apple slices chopped up
cooked carrots in a rubber maid container
animal crackers
fruit snacks (love the Gerber brand toddler snacks)
goldfish crackers
juice boxes
raisins
bread sticks
pretzels
lunchables ?? I think they would work


those are all I can think of at the moment.

 

For the park, I do uncrustables or the little lunchables Jr.

 

That's a tricky one. Honestly, I might go with granola bars of some kind, at least some days. My kids will almost always eat those, because they're a big treat. And I know it seems more like snack food than lunch food, but they're at least as nutritious as PB&J.

Raisins (or other dried fruit -- apricots, Craisins, dried mango), goldfish, Veggie Booty, and dehydrated fruit snack (not dried fruit -- it's crispy, not crunchy) are also in our closet. And many kinds of fruit (grapes, apple slices, bananas) can go a few hours without being refrigerated.

 

Mine are much younger but i've found recently that string cheese travels well and holds up well - and they will almost always eat it. Then again, ANY kind of cheese product seems to go over well in this house!

Might also try almond butter w/all fruit jelly; not sure they'd like it but almonds are so healthy! (hmmm, that made ME hungry for some right NOW!)

-oranges - a bit sticky, but they come in perfect packaging!

- celery sticks w/peanut butter or cream cheese, add raisins if they eat them - we call them 'ants on a log'

- i agree on the granola bars; you can find good healthy ones at a health food store that aren't necessarily mostly fat and sugar - or at least are a bit lower in sugar!

- I bet you could find a recipe for a healthy cookie -lots of rolled oats, other grains, dried fruit etc., and make them part of the 'treat' lunch for when you're out and about. Not that there's much time to bake, but - a large batch once a month, a ziplock freezer bag and - voila! (says the woman who hasn't baked in, oh, a YEAR!)

- what about a 'sandwich' made of pancakes with some kind of protein? Fun and different.