summer camp fun lunch packing ideas

[Anonymous]

what do you pack? most of the summer camps refrigerate my kid lunch and some camps don't.

[Anonymous]

Trader Joe’s!

Let the kids pick out freeze dried fruit, roasted seaweed, fruit leather, apple mango sauce granola bites etc….

I pack a sandwich, fruit/veggies and let them pick a few fun snack items from above. Most are shelf stable and relatively nutritious.

[Anonymous]

Between a Thermos container and an insulated lunch bag with ice packs, you can pack almost anything.

My kids need to pack lunch and a snack, so they have 2 proteins, 2 veg/fruit, and 2 snacks/sides.

Examples:

Leftover rice and beans from Taco Tuesday, yogurt, berries, seaweed, pretzels, granola bar

Turkey pepperoni and crackers, string cheese, fruit cup, fruit leather, crackers, yogurt tube

[Anonymous]

Cold Asian noodles. My kids love them and think they’re special, plus they’re fine with freezer packs (or refrigerated). Can add chicken and/or veggies like edamame and red peppers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cold Asian noodles. My kids love them and think they’re special, plus they’re fine with freezer packs (or refrigerated). Can add chicken and/or veggies like edamame and red peppers.

Like leftover lo mein?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cold Asian noodles. My kids love them and think they’re special, plus they’re fine with freezer packs (or refrigerated). Can add chicken and/or veggies like edamame and red peppers.

Like leftover lo mein?

No, because I’m making it fresh. When you Google you’ll see the recipes are a lot lighter than greasy lo main.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]Between a Thermos container and an insulated lunch bag with ice packs, you can pack almost anything.[/b]

My kids need to pack lunch and a snack, so they have 2 proteins, 2 veg/fruit, and 2 snacks/sides.

Examples:

Leftover rice and beans from Taco Tuesday, yogurt, berries, seaweed, pretzels, granola bar

Turkey pepperoni and crackers, string cheese, fruit cup, fruit leather, crackers, yogurt tube

Yeah, I just use plenty of ice packs. My kids like variety a la these options. I bought bento boxes that go in thermal lunch bags, and there is room for ice packs under, over, and on the sides.

[Anonymous]

Many, many camps want disposable lunches, and rather than sort out which are which, I'm erring on the side of no refrigeration, no returning lunchboxes home.

Brown paper holds:
apple/fruit pouch
piece of fruit (banana or other)
snack size bag of bite-size fruit (grapes, cherries, berries, cherry tomotoes)
snack size bag of cut veg (bell pepper, celery, carrot, cucumber, etc)
prepackaged cups of hummus/guac for dipping
snack bag quinoa/bean/plantain chips/crackers
2 cheese sticks
pouch of tuna/chicken
snack size bag of nuts/seeds/roasted chickpeas

They have water throughout the day, and they can eat any or all of the above as snack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many, many camps want disposable lunches, and rather than sort out which are which, I'm erring on the side of no refrigeration, no returning lunchboxes home.

Brown paper holds:
apple/fruit pouch
piece of fruit (banana or other)
snack size bag of bite-size fruit (grapes, cherries, berries, cherry tomotoes)
snack size bag of cut veg (bell pepper, celery, carrot, cucumber, etc)
prepackaged cups of hummus/guac for dipping
snack bag quinoa/bean/plantain chips/crackers
2 cheese sticks
pouch of tuna/chicken
snack size bag of nuts/seeds/roasted chickpeas

They have water throughout the day, and they can eat any or all of the above as snack.

The OP specifically asked for fun lunch ideas, not healthy or diet lunch ideas. This lunch, while balanced and nutritious, is a little short on fun. I liked the trader joe lady’s suggestions.

[Anonymous]

I’m rotating through some nostalgic snacks from my childhood that I wouldn’t normally pack during the school year. Things like fruit roll-ups, Swiss cake rolls, Cheetos... my kid thinks it’s fun.

[Anonymous]

Camp lunches are are a PIA: no nuts, no refrigeration, plus not even kept at room temp. They sit in a pile on a picnic table outside in 90+ heat, and disposable. So forgot a cooler.

I just do snack stuff. Nut free “healthy” granola type bars, whole fruit, veggies, pretzels.

I give them a hearty breakfast. This plus the snack lunch is enough for them to get through until they come home

[Anonymous]

My kids definitely preferred things with a lot of liquid in them at outdoor camp.

Chocolate milk shelf stable container

Ear of corn (if they're eating outside, just microwave it in the husk and they can peel it there. My kids thought that was fun)

Frozen peas (defrost over time, so it's like an ice pack)

Frozen mango or pineapple (same)

Fresh fruit

Little container of mandarin oranges or apple sauce

Whole grain waffles with seed butter and honey (meat sandwich made me worried). If you want to be "fun" cookie cutters make this cute, and you can eat the rest for your own lunch

Baked goods. We baked a lot in the summer. Between no homework, and the amount of energy they were burning in the pool and at camp, it was the perfect time to try all the new cookies or bar recipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many, many camps want disposable lunches, and rather than sort out which are which, I'm erring on the side of no refrigeration, no returning lunchboxes home.

Brown paper holds:
apple/fruit pouch
piece of fruit (banana or other)
snack size bag of bite-size fruit (grapes, cherries, berries, cherry tomotoes)
snack size bag of cut veg (bell pepper, celery, carrot, cucumber, etc)
prepackaged cups of hummus/guac for dipping
snack bag quinoa/bean/plantain chips/crackers
2 cheese sticks
pouch of tuna/chicken
snack size bag of nuts/seeds/roasted chickpeas

They have water throughout the day, and they can eat any or all of the above as snack.

The OP specifically asked for fun lunch ideas, not healthy or diet lunch ideas. This lunch, while balanced and nutritious, is a little short on fun. I liked the trader joe lady’s suggestions.

To each their own. The kids have a blast with it, and they picked everything, the only thing I nixxed was peanut butter cups.

[Anonymous]

I wasn’t a great lunch maker but I always put notes in. I used a Cricut to make them. My oldest is now 23 and I just found out he saved all of them.

[Anonymous]

Nutella Rollups. Buy a can of Pillsbury crescent rolls. Plop some Nutella in before rolling up, bake as directed. They're best warm out of the oven, but still good the next day in a lunch box.

Kings Hawaiian sliders. Turkey, cheese, mayo.