Need Ideas for "Home Lunch" for My Daughters Field Trip

Probably late here also...a tip on the freeze the drink...depends on the weather...is it indoor outdoor? etc.
Here by spring most days the frozen stuff will thaw...especially the smaller juice boxes.
You can always put in a small baggie that was filled with some water and frozen if you are worried about the drink being frozen.
I agree with the 1st grade teacher..keep it small.
Half a sandwich...or a small rolllup - string cheese - a applesauce (individual)
My ODD, now 17 said her fav was crackers/cheddar cheese/pepporoni,I would put each in individual mini baggies. an applesauce and a juicebox.
Barb

When we were little we used to have bread butter jam sandwiches. Butter instead of peanut butter. Give her some chips and a juice box and she is good to go

Check out this site, they should have an idea or two for you!
http://www.laptoplunches.com/ideas.html

M.

Try these: a snack sized zippered bag (Ziploc) full of apple slices dipped in lemon juice (so they won't turn brown), small cheeses from Babybel (they are wrapped in cellophane and have a wax coating that she can easily learn to zip open -- the three year old I care for loves to zip these), a snack sized ziploc bag that contains chunks of celery filled with pimento cheese spread, finger sandwiches (cut a regular sandwich with three parallel lines, to make 4 small, thin but long sandwich sections) with her favorite sandwich filling (tuna salad, chicken salad, ham, cheese, deviled ham)--and a small bottle of water that can be thrown away.

I know this is old, but thought I would respond anyway for future lunches.

It really isn't that hard to pack disposable. I think that you are stressing over it when the main thing is just that you can't send a thermos type bag with a frozen thing to keep it cool.

For disposable fieldtrips....The main thing is to make sure that whatever you pack doesn't get all gross and warm while waiting to be eaten.

Here is what I do:
Double bag your lunch. Large Brown paper bag for lunch inside a gallon size ziplock bag. This will help the wear and tear that could happen to those paper bags, and keep all contents inside. Permanent Marker on the plastic bag your child's name.

3/4 freeze a juice box and place it also in a sandwich or quart size ziplock because it will sweat as it melts and will get everything in the paper bag wet. This will cut down on this issue. This will act as your "frozen" item that should keep the other items cool.

You can pretty much pack anything you normally would considering you will have the cold drink to keep it cool.

sandwich of any kind....turkey, cheese, creamcheese and jelly, or any lunchmeat favorite. (Hormel has a nitrate free hormone free lunchmeat now that is REALLY good!!) I ALWAYS put a thin layer of at LEAST lettuce on my children's sandwiches. I can't stand to see them eat a plain sandwich with NO vegetable. \

So you already have the basic sandwich and drink taken care of......now some snack ideas that my kids aways enjoy.

Danimals (drinkable yogurts)- don't have high fructose corn syrup or any of the other crap other yogurts labeled for "kids" have.

fruit cups with a disposable spoon
Applesauce with a disposable spoon

peanut/nut free granola bar (Quaker has a natural version now which is FANTASTIC, my kids like it better than the original that contains high fructose corn syrup, etc.)

Apple or Cut up Apple

Clementine (SUPER easy to peel mini oranges, with no seeds)

string cheese

Box of Raisins

Grapes

Mini bag of cookies or popcorn or snack chips

Pudding cups/Jello cups

individually packed carrots with dip found in the produce area at stores

The one thing to remember, is that especially at 5, no matter what their appetite is, they tend to eat less at fieldtrips. Also a little rule of thumb is that I know fieldtrips are special occasions, so I don't hesitate to give my kids something out of the oridinary, just for that day like a piece of candy or a mini can of pop instead of a juice box. It's only one day and it goes along with the "special" day.

Being disposable doesn't mean you have to send your kid with a lunchable and a bag of chips with a "cooler" type drink. Just pack a 100% juice box (or there are also prepackaged milk by nestle or organic valley(?) that is juice box like and doesn't have to be refrigerated.) and make your own snacks or put in your own ziplock bags. Before you know it, you will become a fieldtrip wiz. I've been on so many and have seen all the lunches that have failed the test of the fieldtrip. I think my double bagging and way I do things has been by far one of the better and well preserved fieldtrip lunches.

OHH...and pack wet ones to wash hands before and after they eat. Not all fieldtrips allow for bathroom time to wash up before eating.

Hope it helps in the future

Sorry I missed this whenever you 1st put it on mamasource but I'm glad because I got to read the answers from other moms before responding to you. I WOULD NOT send cream cheese-bacteria could form at 40 degrees or warmer. How about those little stick cracker with cheese, mozarella stick, raisens or dried cranberries (they are to die for),etc. Make sure the child has a good protein breakfast. Bacon, eggs, etc and that will hold her over till after school snack. They really are too excited to eat very much I was a room mom and went on all the trips so I know how much fresh fruit got tossed. Pack wipes in plastic bag and don't forget fruit wrap for fun.

I know this is late as well, but many of the pre packaged carrots, celery, apples are great. They even have pre packaed little bags with apples and grapes. As far as a sandwich, i suggest getting those little rolls instead of bread or a hamburger bun for the sandwich, because many times the bread gets all smashed and sometimes the little ones will not eat it. Try the little rolls like the kind subway uses for the kids meal packs, drinks, capri suns or a small water bottle is the way to go. It is true on what one parent stated about feeding your child a good breakfast in the morning-when kids do not eat, sometimes they get motion sickness and having something in their stomachs does help. Usually some fruit(like a banana), toast, oatmeal, and some juice does the trick, it will give them more energy, - another reason, is by the time they get to the destination, they are hungry, their endorphins are running wild because they are so excited, so they do tend to get hungry early on - that is why i also suggest a good healthy breakfast and a small lunch. The kids are excited and they will take a couple of bites and then on the bus they crash out on the way home.

to avoid having to send an ice pack in the lunch try apples that are already in the little bags, crackers, bottled water, and a granola bar that is nut free. Give your child a hearty breakfast and a snack when they get home and they will be fine. You can freeze the water the night before and by the time they go to drink it it will be cold not frozen.

here is a idea, about the lunch, get those lunchables it has the juice in it as well. I work at the school and have gone on the kindegarden trips and there was alot of kids with them.
L.

My daughter's favorite thing about field trips is that we stop at Subway on our way to school. She gets her sandwich, a fruit roll up or raisins, and juice. It is a popular tradition here and we have to leave early becuase the line gets really long at our subway on field trip mornings. They have mayo and mustard packets, if your daughter likes that stuff, so doesn't sit on the sandwich and spoil.

My daughter also takes her lunch everyday and this is what she has:

1-2 Tyson southern style breast tenderlion (white meat)
1 packet of either apples or grapes
1 pack of carrots with dip
2 caprisun waters
1 granola bar or 100% real fruit roll ups

All of this can go in baggies and everything can be thrown away. I heat the chicken up in the morning and wrap it in tin foil. It isn't hot when she eats it but it stays somewhat warm. She eats lunch early so I don't worry about it spoiling. Plus she's been doing this for more than a year and she hasn't gotten sick so I think it is safe.

Well, we usually do Musubi (rice with fried Spam on top, wrapped in seaweed). I used to make a lunch meat or cold cut sandwich and freeze it. If you put it in a ziploc bag with a frozen juice or water, it should be thawed out but still cool by lunch time. I guess it would also depend on the weather but just in case, put in an extra drink. Lunchables are also a good alternative. Good luck!

My daughter is also in a peanut free classroom, and she loves cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. She has one everyday that she doesn't buy lunch. She also likes the "go-gurt"-yogurt in a tube or yogurt drink. That is something healthy and disposable. I definately agree w/ the frozen drink as a lunchbox "ice pack". Hope your daughter has a great time on her field trip!

My 2 children have cold lunches almost everyday. Their favorites are bologna or ham wraps. Just a flour tortilla with the meat(dab off wetness so it doesn't make the tortilla mushy-I don't like that!) They have had it with american cheese or without. bananas are a hit, or orange smiles or apple slices the slices can be placed ina plastic bag as can hte wrap. I always give a sweet also either pudding, jello or a cookie. My kids also like veggies so I have given them celery, carrots peppers radishes (most kids may not eat some veggies like this.) Good Luck. Lunches are very simple to make and the easier they are it seems the kids like them better. I have even sliced cheese and sausage then sent crackers with it. They love this. and usually a juice box

I just had to pass on a way to send apples in a little ones lunch. Use an apple cutter but don't separate the slices. Put a rubber band around the whole apple to hold the slices together then just slip the apple in a sandwich bag or wrap in saran wrap. Your child will have perfect cored apple slices that the air has not turned brown.

All the ideas given are great ones. If packing a sandwich be sure to put a napkin or piece of paper towel in the zipbag so that is remains dry. Also, you might try freezing the juice bag and putting it in a zipbag-this gives a icepak that can be consumed and thrown away. Hope this helps.

How about an old fashioned lunch. Sandwich, piece of
fruit, cookies and a juice box. Eat and throw away.

I know you have already gotten your responses and probably already gone on the field trip. But we never used ice packs as kids and our lunches were just fine. Though the idea of freezing the water is a good one, they say not to freeze those plastic bottles b/c the chemicals leak from them into the water. Tuna fish, turkey, egg salad, corned beef, salami, tofu salad, cheese sandwhich all come to mind. I put carrots in a bag and my own apple slices in a bag. Toss is a bag of chips and a cookie and that is more than enough. I would stay away from all of that prepared food, it takes 5 minutes to make a healthy inexpensive lunch yourself.
Also, what is your website? J.

I agree in not preparing a new menu for this ocassion. But try cream cheese and cucumber slices sandwiches!. They taste good and are fresch and healthy, carrot, grapes or raisins and the frozen juice box (only with a plastic lunch box!)plus the cookie.
Unfortunately I have to disagree with the banana, if it is to green they won't eat it and if not, it will get to smelly and smashed and won't eat it anyway. I had added orange slices in a plastic ziploc back, that they always loved and gives them energy. Plus always the wipe shoud be present!.

Good luck
Di

Hi I'm sure the trip has passed but this advice is for the future. I have been a first grade teacher for 35 years and have been on at least 70 field trips. Pack light! The kids are starved at lunchtime but once they eat a small amount they are so excited they want to run off and do things. Most of the extras moms put in the lunchbag are thrown away and a sub sandwich is way too big. I hate waste and it always kills me to waste all the food but we can't drag it with us all day long. Also, I have seen many frozen lunches still half-frozen. Stick with non-perishables and no freezing. Or freeze half way. Send a couple of wipes. Trips can be dirty but of so much fun.

What is your website?

My daughter loves a wrap with creme cheese and with turkey or salami.
PS check out the go-gurt (SP) it is full of high fructose corn syrup a very badchemical for anyone.

My kids don't have any field trips lined uo but what great ideas ! Thank you all.
xoox