We're taking a vacation to Canada at the end of the month. It isn't the first time we've made the trip with our girls to the family summer home. However, this is the first time we're going just the four of us (in the past we've had my Mother-in-Law). One thing we would like to do differently is pack meals in individual containers to be able to eat on the road, as well as picnic type lunches for days where we are doing the tourist thing. We're planning on picking up some divided storage containers, so that we can separate the food easily. However, I know that sandwiches can get pretty boring if we eat them every day. I'm hoping that some of you out there can give me suggestions to make the lunch (or dinner in the case of traveling) more varied. It would have to be something that we can eat cold, but we'll have a cooler and some ice packs, so we can keep it cold - just not heat it up on the road.
Thank you so much everyone, for your suggestions and tips. One thing that might have been helpful to know is that I'm on Weight Watchers, and our children eat very healthy as well - which means things like hot dogs, packaged meals, etc. are usually out of the question. However, it seems like a pasta salad was an overwhelming suggestion, and one that I like and hadn't thought of. The meat salads (tuna, chicken, etc.) were also very good suggestions. As I was reading responses, I also thought of a few others that I hadn't before. So, I think, that between your suggestions and ones that you prompted me to think of we'll be all set.
You could always try wraps. They are similar to a sandwich but I like them much better.
Try chicken or tuna salad wraps, an all veggie wrap with ranch dressing, one of my favorites. I used to love PB&J wraps when I was younger.
A favorite at our house is Tuna salad. Real simple to make. Shell noodles (or really any will do) tuna fish, mayonaise sp? and green peppers if you like them. Boil the noodles and then mix everything together. Easy breezy summer meal. Also good with corn on the cob.
Pasta salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, potato salad etc.
cottage cheese and yogurt. Cook chicken before and use it in tortilla wraps with veggies. My kids and husband like spag o's and ravioli's right out of the can. Cereal and milk. Salads with meat/cheese/nuts/hb egg etc to make it a meal.
Also you can stop at roadside parks and use their grills for hamburger and such. Just bring your own charcoal.
Fried chicken
pasta salad (put some pepperoni or sausage in it for some protein)
hard boiled eggs
precooked hotdogs (not the best cold, but they do ok....)
lots of fruits and veggies
Have a safe & fun trip!
Virgina:
When we travel, we always pack foods for the car. Fast food and eating out can get expensive and old. We pack things like, pasta salads, chips, yogurt, salad with fixings, fruit, sandwiches, lunchables, cheese and crackers, etc.
Good luck.
we would take cereal - milk in cooler - salad with chicken strips both from store and easy to put together on paper plates for diversity! tuna salad in the ready to go containers were good for a change too and of course peanut butter jelly and lunchmeat bread and fruit and snacks!! travelled across the country this way!
V.,
The only sandwiches my 9 yo likes is pb, which gets boring, so he actually eats a lot of other things cold in a packed lunch- spaghetti, pizza, french toast cut into strips with syrup to "dip", fried chicken, even hamburgers. Sounds like a great trip- have fun!
-T.
Pepperoni and cheese rolls always work well. An easy way to make them is:
Flatten out two pieces of thawed frozen rolls
fill with pepperoni(I use turkey) and cheese
pinch together around outside
brush with butter
bake until golden brown
My kids love these, and you don't have to keep cold or warm, they will keep well in a ziploc bag.
V.,
If you are planning on eating out for dinner in the evening, save your leftovers and wrap them in a tortilla for a quick sandwich. I love doing this with cooked chicken breast, rice, lettuce, sliced veggies, and then a homemade honey-mustard sauce.
If you take a few condiments with you (not mayo) on your trip then you can dress up leftovers from the night before.
Here's a great website that has some easy, inexpensive snack and meal recipes that you can make at home before the trip.
http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/GEFP/index.htm
Good luck on your trip.
We travel to Tennessee every year and picnic at rest areas instead of fast food or restaraunts. I have a great chicken pasta salad recipe that we use every year. If you'd like it message me and I'll send it. It's easy and yummy!
When my husband and I stay on the cedar point resort for a couple days, we bring our own food and you're right...sandwiches get boring after a while. We like to bring some kfc chicken because we can eat that cold. I will also make pasta salad which you can pack up individually too.
This sounds like a great idea. Think about things you can dip and spread. Look at the Lunchables meals in the store and see what foods they put together that appeal to kids. Kids like things in small sizes. I always take along a paring knife when we travel by car so I can cut fruit, cheese etc. Spme things I've thought of are the small whole wheat pita you can buy in a lot of stores, crackers, pretzels, cheese sticks, hummus, peanut butter, cut up turkey, cut up or small veggies w/ ranch dip, unsweetened applessauce, cheese spreads, etc.
You could make fried chicken and take it along with you. It always tastes good cold. Also make up a pasta salad. Or cook up some maccaroni noodles and then while on the road add in your mayo and tuna so you don't have to worry about it spoiling.
Have you thought about getting a portable cooking device - looks like a stove burner and runs off of little propane tanks? That way you could even cook up hot meals along the way. I'm sure any sporting goods store would carry this.
Enjoy your vacation.
