HELP!!! Need lunch ideas for 2yr old at camp!

[rfeibelm]

MY 2 yr old is starting camp tomorrow 5 mornings a week and he needs to have both a snack and a lunch sent. I'm ok with getting together snacks (well, not really) bu I have no idea what to send for lunch. To make it even harder, it needs to be kosher (which I can handle) and no meat. So deli meat is out. They're ok with nuts (although I think that it such a bad idea) so peanut butter would be ok. Cheese is ok, but ds is so bad at eating sandwichs.

My ideas have been cheese sandwiches (which he may or may not eat), yogurt cups, raisins, fig newtons, PB sandwichs.

I need more ideas!!! PLease help, I'm desperate!

Rachel
Benjamin (I"m going to camp!)

[bubbaray]

Ihave no idea if these things are Kosher, but you might be able to find Kosher versions: Cheese strings, pineapple cups (in juice), applesauce in cups, granola bars, mini muffin bars, diced fresh fruit (ie, watermelon, cantalope, cut grapes), goldfish, teddy grahams, bear paws.

Is tuna fish Kosher? As long as you use ice packs, it would be OK for lunch. What about veggie sandwiches (cucumber, tomato, cheese -- yum!).

Also, sandwiches made with a tortilla and rolled are a huge hit with DD -- I use whole wheat tortillas, whatever filling, then roll like a tube. Then I slice it to make pinwheels. She really likes these.

How about veggies and dip? DD d/n like this, but other kids her age do. If you can send pb, how about celery stuffed with pb. Or banana and pb sandwiches (or pinwheels).

Grilled quesedillas, cold from the fridge are a hit here too.

Like I said, I'm not sure if these things are kosher, but presumably you could make them out of kosher ingredients -- would that be OK for the camp?

Also, can't you get kosher deli meat? I'm reasonably sure I've seen it in stores.


Melissa

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[deenass]

well, DS is also at a school where lunch needs to be dairy, remember, you don't have to come up with 5 different meals (little ones don't seem to care if the eat the same lunch everyday!)

waffles or mini pancakes
bagel with butter or cc
dry cereal in a bag or cup (you could even send a bowl, milk and spoon)
cheese sticks
hard-boiled egg (my son likes scrambled eggs, and yes, I make them in the morning and put them in a plastic bag with a cold pack, I think it sounds disgusting to eat an egg 3 hours later, but this is his favorite lunch!)
cold mac & cheese (as in last night's leftovers!)
cream cheese and jelly on crackers (since you said he doesn't like sandwiches)
pizza (if DC will eat it cold, mine won't)

[bubbaray]

Just a thought -- do you have time to check out some kids recipe books?

Here are a couple I like:

Company's Coming "Kids Cook" -- it has a whole section on bag lunches. This is a Cdn book, but some of the titles are available on Amazon.com. Also, here is there website: http://www.companyscoming.com/index.php?par=cookbook_catalogue&cat=cookbook_catalogue&bcbb=topic&bcbbname=kids&bcbbid=12


Taste of Home "Good Food Kids Love" -- this is a mini-book I picked up at the grocery store. It looks like a US publication -- now that I think of it, I might have picked it up at a US grocery store, LOL! Anyway, it has lots of different recipes. Most I would modify to be healthier (whole grains, lower the fat, etc.), but the concepts are good -- make the food fun for kids.

I'm sure there are others.

HTH
Melissa

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[janeybwild]

At 2, Megan ate her sandwiches cut into bite size cubes, so that might help. Favorites are hummus, PB & J (or soy butter), cream cheese and jelly. Drinkable yogurts were a hit too. I also made a mix of dried fruit (prunes, cranberries, blueberries sand raisins) with dry cereal (like Chex, O’s or Kix) for snacking. Cheese sticks, apple wedges with a dipping sauce or yogurt. Grape tomatoes are always a hit too if sweet. Good luck!

[brittone2]

I have no idea on how Kosher these things are, but again, assuming you can make them Kosher...

Cream cheese and avocado sandwich or on crackers
Roll ups as a few PPs mentioned. DS is happy with cream cheese and avocado mostly, but you can put anything in there.
We don't do nut butters yet (DS is also 2) but he will sometimes eat sunflower seed butter sandwiches.

Pasta salad with veggies and cheese in it. You can use all sorts of fun pasta shapes and it can be finger food. Even just grape tomatoes, a little mozzerella, and some Italian salad dressing (or just a little EVOO) would be easy and pretty yummy. Whole wheat pasta would make it healthier.

Egg salad, hardboiled eggs, deviled eggs? (DS is addicted to hardboiled eggs right now for some reason). Quiche could be made in advance, could be picked up, it freezes and reheats well although a toddler probably wouldn't mind it cold.

Cheese and crackers

Hummus and crackers, hummus and veggies, hummus and cheese sandwich.

Cold veggie pizza. DS likes this. I just use a prebought crust (sprouted whole wheat). THere are recipes online, but the gist of it is mixing mayo and cream cheese (yes, sounds kind of gross but it is yummy), spreading that on the prebaked and cooled pizza crust, and then pressing finely-chopped veggies into the cream cheese mixture (broccoli, shredded carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower...whatever mix your DC would like). Refrigerate and then slice. You could make small toddler sized wedges. Could be used for more than one day, and could also be used as a snack on days when it isn't taken for lunch. I do this to use up some of our CSA veggies. Lots of online recipes are done with the crescent roll style dough.

Quesadillas? If you use cheese and veggies or even just cheese, IMO it will all hold together better than a sandwich. Cut into wedges with kitchen scissors and just pack it with an icepack. I think my DS would eat this cold. If he'll eat beans you could throw some refried beans or just blackbeans in with the cheese.

[tiapam]

Try using hotdog or hamburger buns as the bread for his sandwiches. I would also try cold pizza, if he normally eats pizza.

-Pam

DD - One year old!