Ideas for healthy dinners on-the-go for my DD (4)

[AFlashOfLight]

Hoping for some inspiration. Starting from next week, my DD will have one day a week where she’ll have to eat her dinner on the way home from an after-school class. (The class finishes at 6 and due to the bus times we won’t get home until after 6.45, which is too late to start eating because she’s the slooowest eater in the world).

I’m looking for ideas of healthy and easy-to-eat food for her to have on the go, and that I can make at home with my very average cooking skills. No sandwiches or anything with too much bread because she’s prone to constipation and it blocks her right up.

I’m thinking things like quiche slices or lasagne cups, along with steamed veggies or carrot sticks. All ideas welcome!

I would get a food flask that keeps food warm for so many hours and put some kind of pasta in it. It will be relatively easy for her to eat on the bus and should fill her up.

Just give her a packed lunch that hasn't got crumbs and isn't smelly. Cold meats, fruit, cucumber/pepper/carrots, babybel/cheese stick and maybe a frube or something?

Why does she have a class that gets her home so late at 4?

I'd do a lunch box picky tea to keep things easy.

Or a flask of pasta with some crudités.

If it's once a week I wouldn't worry about a varied menu.

She’s been moved up from the class she was in before. She’s the youngest in the class, but not by much. I should say that we are not in the UK and schedules for children are later here than the UK norms, so this isn’t seen as particularly unusual. I’ve seen kids who looked about 5 starting swimming classes at 6.30!!

Thanks for the messages so far. She will have a packed lunch (yogurt, fruit, biscuits etc) after school before she starts the class which is why I was hoping to think of some other types of food to give her afterwards.

Well, the problem with warm food is it will stink.

Don't want pastry because of crumbs.

Just give her the packed lunch, it's only one meal in the week.

Or some sort of smoothie? Peanut butter and banana? Maybe have that as after school,and packed lunch Of cold meats, cheese, vegetable sticks etc for after activity.
all mess free, easy to store and not smelly!

Carrot flapjacks www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/carrot-flapjack?srsltid=AfmBOorwn1aPnaE_08bGobD428a3qWYkAOn6CB4vSO53TVXPHlWHNcSn

4 year olds are not known for their impeccable table manners and trying to eat some potentially messy hot food on the go (at the bus stop? On the bus?) sounds tricky. Certainly I don't think a bus driver would be chuffed with a small child dropping bits of pasta or lasagne on the seats and over the floor.

Can you not do the hot meal before the club and just a little cold snack after?

Some kind of wrap? Could be warm and wrapped in foil - fry a bit of chicken breast and add sauce/mayo/ grated cheese (not too much sauce).

What's the gap like before the class? We had a year of sausage & mash in the Sainsburys cafe once as it was the only way to get a hot meal into the DC around classes. Could you do something similar, finances permitting?

Frittata is good for this.

I have DD (nearly 3) and DS (8 months)

DD won't eat sandwiches- she loves toast, but is hit and miss with bread, so will pick the filling out of a sandwich and leave the bread more often than not.

I make veg puree for DS and stir leftovers through cooked pasta for DDs packed lunch at nursery, then put it in the fridge so that she eats it cold.

Quiche is an easy option, as there's no cooking, unless you want to make one from scratch.

Another hit is to make eggy bread/French toast and put it cold into her lunchbox. She loves it!

I add any of these to a lunchbox with mini cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pepper slices, baby corn, etc, a peice of fruit and a yogurt or cheese slices.

I love the look of the carrot flapjacks that a previous person posted. Definitely going to make that recipe for her lunch box next week.

Why are people suggesting droppy/crumbly food like quiche or flapjack?? The kid is on a bus.

How about a soup in a thermos she can drink and then a mix of ham and cheese chunks with some fruit and raw veggies.

Or get her a takeway as a special once a week treat

Ugh, and hot food on a bus?
The smell of other people's hot food on public transport is awful.

Does it have to be a hot meal? Why don't you do a snack box for the bus home with cold food like veggie sticks, cheese, crackers, fruit etc then another small meal when you get home ? Something very quick like an omelette or beans on toast?

Thanks for all the replies. I hadn't really thought about hot food being smelly on a bus - it wouldn't bother me but good to be reminded that others might not like it!
I think packed tea of a range of cold finger foods will be the easiest thing to try.