Anonymous wrote:Do you need them to be portable/non refrigerated?

We make “kids” protein shakes at home using milk powder for the protein, ice cream, juice, fruit, heavy cream, peanut butter, etc., so I could control the quality of the ingredients. They have 300-500 calories. But we used them as a high-calorie snack for my underweight DC, not as a meal replacement. And like the PP said, the point is calories, so I am not worried about sugar. We did want fat and protein.

Yes. At home we manage. When traveling we struggle. I don't want her to become too dependent on them at home and start to refuse real food.

Do you need them to be portable/non refrigerated?

We make “kids” protein shakes at home using milk powder for the protein, ice cream, juice, fruit, heavy cream, peanut butter, etc., so I could control the quality of the ingredients. They have 300-500 calories. But we used them as a high-calorie snack for my underweight DC, not as a meal replacement. And like the PP said, the point is calories, so I am not worried about sugar. We did want fat and protein.

Anonymous wrote:I second the recommendation for Boost Plus. It took me a long time to accept that nutrition didn't need to be chewed. We tried a lot of bars/drinks and this was my kid's favorite. I also found recipes to make granola bars - we called them cookie bars - and after some trial and error found a mix that DS would eat. Good luck.

I do this too - my kid is very resistant to fake tasting foods (in her own way she’s a food snob) so I will back oatmeal cookies and sneak in whole wheat flour and an extra egg. I also make muffins with part whole wheat and yogurt. If there’s enough sugar she will eat them despite the healthy ingredients. But for my kid honestly it’s worth it for us to always rent an AirBnB with a kitchen so I just need these replacements for travel days and we typically eat dinner back at the rental as well as breakfast so I only have to deal with lunch around other people’s preferences/schedules. Hungry kid = bad behavior and travel is hard enough. I hope some day it changes but I have accepted that this allows us to do trips that would otherwise not be possible.

I second the recommendation for Boost Plus. It took me a long time to accept that nutrition didn't need to be chewed. We tried a lot of bars/drinks and this was my kid's favorite. I also found recipes to make granola bars - we called them cookie bars - and after some trial and error found a mix that DS would eat. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:Boost Plus is what got my child eating again after months of living on air. When a child is otherwise not eating, calories are what matter -- don't worry about sugar (said our nutritionist).

Now that my child is eating more, we supplement real food with cliff builder protein bars and Kodiak muffin power cups.

Thank you. That is a good reminder. Though I worry about the sugar making her jittery, which it sometimes does. I forgot about Kodiak products....this might be a good solution for us. Seemingly better ingredients than some others?

My kid happily accepts the Orgain shakes. They certainly aren’t cheap but fill the need for additional high quality calories.

Boost Plus is what got my child eating again after months of living on air. When a child is otherwise not eating, calories are what matter -- don't worry about sugar (said our nutritionist).

Now that my child is eating more, we supplement real food with cliff builder protein bars and Kodiak muffin power cups.

Met-RX bars - 32G Protein (the flavor my son prefers has more protein than sugar at 32 vs 27 sugar)
400 + calories

Very picky eater - you can sometimes get them at CVS, Wegmans or Giant. These are not cheap ($22 for 9 bars at Wegmans/Giant) but they have supported us for a few years.

I like macro bars.

Orgain Clean Protein shakes have a lot more protein than sugar but they’re not as tasty as Ensure Plus.

I like Kind Bars and Luna Bars. My own personal secret is just a Snickers and glass of milk.

We like the Fairlife Chocolate ones. I used to get them at Costco but they stopped selling them so now I get them online with Sam's Club. You don't need a membership but they charge a bit extra without it.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/fairlife-nutrition-plan-chocolate-30-g-protein-shake-11-5-fl-oz-12-pk/prod24381709

Anonymous wrote:Ensure plus - 35o calories in a shake.

More sugar than protein (22/16). Is that just the nature of a shake?

Ensure plus - 35o calories in a shake.

Picky eater, we manage ok at home with very repetitive meals. Traveling is difficult. I can stock up on preferred healthier snacks (cheese, crackers, yogurt, fruit.) But sometimes we don't have access to a store to stock up or can't bring things through security, or don't have refrigeration/ice packs.

In an act of desperation I bought an overpriced bottled protein shake in the airport the other day, and the protein got the job done and we recovered from verge of meltdown. Yay! Same thing on another day with one of my own emergency protein bar.

But the shake and bar had aspartame and all kinds of junk in it. The other option had as many grams of sugar as protein. I think traveling in general will be easier if I had a constant supply. Any good high protein portable meal replacements that aren't loaded with junk?