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With school in session I&#;m just waiting to get a note that there&#;s a field trip, and we need to provide a disposable lunch. It was something I used to dread, but then I thought about and it&#;s not so bad. I&#;ve even pulled together some different options and ideas that will make the teachers, kids and you happy about making a field trip lunch.
Lets start with a disposable lunch. Of course there&#;s the good old brown bag method, but I know a lot of people don&#;t keep these on hand. I also hate having to purchase something that&#;s just going to be throw away. My suggestion is to take a look inside your recycling bin. I found a large plastic tomato holder and salad mix container, that are perfect for me to put food into. A quick wash and you&#;re good to pack!
What to pack. I always try to keep this part simple, but want my kids to get the proper nutrition so I pick items that are packed with goodness and easy to eat.
Drinks ideas:
Juicy Juice has lots of options and flavors. I like that I can use one of the Splashers or juice box and feel good that I&#;m giving the kids 100% real juice
Small bottle of water. A great way to stay hydrated
Snacks:
Yogurt: I love to put a squeezable yogurt in for lunch. I freeze it the night before so it stays cool.
Earth&#;s Best Prepackaged Berries: This cup is great. Not only does it come with a spoon, but the lid is sealed so I don&#;t have to worry about berry juice leaking and I freeze it overnight so it&#;s nice and cold when it&#;s time to eat
Clif-Kid Z-Bar Fruit and Veggie- These are brand new and I love that they combine both fruit and veggies. Keen Green is one of our favorites.
Cheese Sticks or Laughing Cow Cheese &#; These are the perfect way to get some protein and very easy to pack and go great with veggies.
Go-Go Squeez- Goodness on the go. These are easy to pack and eat and with lots of different flavors I know they&#;ll finish it quickly.
Apples- Nothing beats a good apple (unless you&#;re going to the orchard, because they usually get an apple there!)
Veggies &#; Carrots, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, snap peas. Whatever you think your child will eat!
Lunch:
Sandwich &#; Of course you can make a sandwich, my kids typically go simple with ham or turkey and cheese. If PB & J were allowed I would totally make them that, but jelly and cream cheese is another great option.
Wrap or roll up: Wraps are always great if your kids enjoy them. Plus lets not forget roll-ups. My kids love when they get them in lunch.
Breakfast for Lunch: I also love to give them a fun surprise, maybe a waffle or french toast piece. We always make extra so grabbing one from the freezer and putting it in the baggie is a great treat.
When it comes to packing the lunch don&#;t forget the napkins and finishing off with a special treat. I like to throw in some gold coins, because it&#;s fun, small and won&#;t ruin their appetite. I also like to add a special note on top with their name, teacher&#;s name and grade. I tape it on so there&#;s not confusion on who&#;s lunch it is, but make sure not to tape the sides of the container!
A field trip is a fun experience and bringing lunch is a part of that. Hopefully the next time you hear disposable lunch you&#;ll think &#;No Problem&#; and be ready to go!
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Sack lunch ideas that require no refrigeration and can be kept at room temperature. I've included classic ideas as well as some different ones for more adventurous eaters. Great for field trips, summer camp, car trips, hiking or camping.
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Packing a disposable sack lunch for yourself or your child can be tricky. Maybe you are going on a family hike, camping trip, or your kid has a field trip or summer camp requiring a disposable lunch. You immediately panic thinking that your standard school lunches that you send with ice packs in your reusable bento box won't work.
It can be difficult to think of easy sack lunch ideas that don't require an ice pack for cold lunches, especially if you have a picky child. I have done the hard work for you and brainstormed a list of foods that are perfect for a paper bag packed lunch. Everything on this list can be thrown away after eating.
Although it may feel limiting, there are actually a lot of foods that do not require refrigeration. It might be helpful to show your child this list and see what foods look appetizing. Giving them ownership often goes a long way in making it more likely they will actually eat the food you pack.
If you really wanted to include some perishable foods, you could include an "ice pack". You could freeze your child's water bottle or juice box ahead of time and have that act as your ice pack. Make sure to remove some of the water before freezing so it leaves a little space for the water to expand as it freezes. I would wrap the frozen drinks in paper towels and place them in a small ziplock to keep condensation from ruining the brown paper bag.
Of course, there is still a potential danger in this method as you are never 100% sure if the food will remain a safe temperature, so proceed with caution. The shelf stable list above is always the safest bet.
For additional sack lunch ideas in this category, you could add the following:
Here are some example of combinations you could put together for sack lunches. Sometimes the visuals can be helpful. I like to aim for a protein, carb, fat, and something they will look forward to eating.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, carrot sticks, banana, pretzels
tuna pack, pita, shelf stable yogurt pouch, cutie, granola. Make sure to pack a disposable spoon or fork for the tuna. You could also pack an individual condiment packet like ranch, ketchup or mayo for the tuna pita.
baguette, sealed pepperoni, grape tomatoes, basil, packaged olives, cheese crisps, fruit. Cut the bread in half in case they want to make a sandwich with the pepperoni.
beef sticks, applesauce, seaweed chips, snack bar
muffin, peanut butter and apple slices, popcorn, trail mix.
A shallow snack bag is ideal for the peanut butter so they don't have to reach down far in the bag for dipping. I also like to cut the apple ahead of time and then keep it closed with a rubber band to keep the apple slices from browning. The trail mix can be anything you have on hand. Pictured is pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, pretzels, raisins, and chopped dried mango. You could also add nuts, cereal, coconut, or other dried fruit.
beef sticks, muffin, chips, yogurt
PB&J, popcorn, banana
chicken salad kit, banana, yogurt, pretzels
This little kit is not ideal ingredient-wise but it is very convenient for sack lunches and pretty decent in taste. It comes with six cracker and a little spoon for spooning the chicken salad onto the crackers.
Wrapping and packing options
Of course, plastic bags can always be used to pack small amounts of food like sandwiches and chips. If you do not like the idea of all of that single use plastic going in the trash, try wrapping your sandwiches in parchment or butcher paper and securing it with string or tape.
Don't forget to send a water bottle or juice box, frozen if needed to keep cold.
Include disposable forks or spoons if needed. If you really hate the idea of plastic, you could try compostable cutlery instead.
Also don't forget a napkin or paper towel. If you wrap it around the water bottle, it can act as a wet wipe catching condensation as the water thaws.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Disposable Lunch Box.