We're trying to figure out how to pack healthy, frugal food my toddler will eat on all day outings. The challenge is that he doesn't like left-overs and doesn't eat many foods re-heated.
What are your toddler meals that you can pack and have them eat in public/on the road?
We don't have a way of heating up the food. We're looking for something slightly more substantial than snack foods.
What Frugal Meals should We Pack for a Toddler on an all Day Outing?
byu/greatexpectations23 inFrugal
Posted by greatexpectations23
6 Comments
Peanut butter jelly sandwich, some sliced up cheese, maybe a meat stick or some pepperoni. That along with some snack foods is what I have been taking on days out and about and it has worked great.
Not sure if quite what you’re looking for given request for more substantial than snack foods and frugal, but this is what we do (while trying to be substantial and frugal, not sure if achieved to standards).
A general assortment of the following for our 2.5 year-old: fruit (at least 3 varieties, going with what’s on offer/sale if possible but most often berries, kiwi, apple, banana, tangerine, pear, plum, apricot, tomatoes, whatever is around), vegetables (large carrot, cucumber slices or baby, celery, sugar snap peas, trying to expand the options here tbh), cheese (usually Babybel – kind of a splurge but reliable, some cheddar blocks or individually wrapped generic), nuts (most often peanuts and cashews, but other types if we have it, try to go for dry roasted unsalted in bulk and mix), dry cereal (original unsweetened cheerios for the added iron and zinc, lately all-bran type of twiggy ones, mixed with coconut flakes and pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds for him to pick at), a beverage or two (milk (whole cow or boxes of soy/almond if we have), sparkling water, nutribullet green smoothie from what we had – usually kale, spinach, omega 3 nut mix and some frozen fruit), a whole wheat/multigrain sandwich usually with peanut butter and if not cream cheese and jam, dried dates as back up, sometimes we’ll buy a few falafels or grilled chicken strips or kibbeh/meatball or yogurt types of things while we’re out from refrigerated ready-made/ready-to-eat sections if we need more. When I had more time I’d bake almond flour muffins with an omega-3 seed mix for him to snack on as well, also tried making spinach/kale pancakes with powdered greens and nutribulleted greens + egg + flour + banana/pumpkin/apple) but no time to bake lately with baby #2 arriving any day now. I’d also pack some chewable multivitamin and omega-3 and vitamin D gummies as back up – we don’t give him candy but that’s as close as he gets, and much like his banana, quite useful for getting him to get into pram/stroller when leaving playground or whatnot. Literally just had the idea we could also start packing a hard boiled egg in the shell since we keep some of those in the fridge – hadn’t tried that yet but might. Leftover pizza slices have been a hit too. Maki rolls with just ground beef in the middle cooked previously have also been a hit (or just sushi rolls in general). He’s also liked quesadillas. My friend recommended fried/baked tofu but haven’t tried packing yet.
Our daily pram/stroller walks have been essential for getting a bunch of calories in – he just snacks the whole time one after the other while taking things in. At home he’ll run off to play with toys and whatnot and it’s harder to get him to stick around and eat. Also just messier at home than when he’s sitting in stroller and eating so it’s nice to have him contained in that way while eating (hasn’t been sitting in a high chair for at least a year, just sits on regular chairs). Hope this helps.
For a day out, finger-friendly, ready-to-eat foods work best. Mini sandwiches or wraps with nut butter, cream cheese, or deli meats are easy to pack. Cheese sticks, hard-boiled eggs, and cut-up fruits like apple slices, grapes, or berries travel well without a cooler for a few hours. Veggie sticks like carrots or cucumbers are good too, maybe paired with a small container of hummus. Dry cereal, granola bars, or trail mix can fill in between meals. Bento-style containers help keep everything separate so it’s easier for toddlers to pick what they want.
Is a lunch box that has an insulated jar, an option? If you heat prep it, then add your warm food, it stays warm for a while. Then sooo many options are possible: pastas, dumplings, meatballs, small veggie “pancakes”, etc.
Graham crackers, mild cheddar squares, peanut butter 1/4 sandwiches, raisins, hard and small box oatmeal cookies, pretzel rods, carrot sticks, deli style ham slices rolled, a small slightly green banana in the peel.
Don’t forget water/juice/milk in a thermos!