Packed lunch ideas for a nearly two year old out and about?

[JimJamJump]

At home, my nearly 2 year old will have things like ‘jacket’ potato, cheese and beans for lunch, or soup and toast.

When we’re out and about though, we’re having difficulty in thinking what to put in a packed lunch! He’s gone off sandwiches… and obviously wouldn’t want to eat anything cold that should normally be served warm…

We’re struggling for inspiration other than the usual fruit, yoghurt, breadsticks/cheese straws etc!

i make batches of Charlotte Sterling-Reed’s cheddar and spinach muffins and freeze them - they always go down well. Also sweet potato biscuits I always have a stash in the freezer. Plain cooked pasta, cold scrambled eggs works for us but maybe not for you if cold versions of “hot”
food are a no-go! I tried making frittata and stuff like that but my DS preferred plain egg. You can take warm stuff in a little vacuum flask, too, beans is always a favourite in a cold day, or pasta and sauce.

I have a thermal lunch box, keeps things warm.

DIY lunchables?

Thermos flasks- there's a kids range of them. Invest in the branded ones, they're work much better. I've been through about 10.

Fill flask with boiling water, lid on, wait 5 mins before emptying and filling with piping hot food. Works well with jackets, soups, risottos, pastas, cottage pie, mousakka. Slightly undercook your pasta and add a bit more sauce as it'll absorb and continue cooking in the flask.

You can get lunch boxes with thermos bits- Omie is the good one. The cheap ones are just metal tubs and don't do anything.

Get a thermos or thermal lunchbox, really makes it easy as you can take leftovers. Just remember bowls if you're sharing.

They will also eat pesto pasta/pasta salad cold if don't want to take the thermos.

Otherwise it's crudités, sliced up chicken breast, crackers, cheddar cheese chunks, salami, fruit, some nuts. Basically whatever is in the cupboard.

Mine is the same age: she’s never liked sandwiches, wraps; egg muffins etc - we take warm food in a thermos pot just whatever is leftover - pasta, Mac and cheese, curry and rice… also probably healthier than a sandwich!

Breadsticks / cucumber/ chicken slices/ babybels/ tuna pasta / fruit/ hummus

could you cook something and put it in a thermal?
my 2 year old loves pasta and sausage rolls

I use the children thermos flasks from Aldi. They are good value (£5) last ages and keep the food warm.

They have them in atm as back to school stuff

We did this plus chopped fruit, crackers, cheese sandwich, mine loved cold cooked sausage, rice cakes with peanut butter or peanut butter sandwiches, chopped cherry toms, granola bars, pitta pockets with random fillings they fancied, booked eggs

Another vote for the thermos pots and YY to warming them through with boiling water first. My 5YO isn’t keen on sandwiches, unless they’re peanut butter, which is a no no for summer camps, so I usually make him tomato pasta or maybe bolognaise if there’s leftover sauce, and it stays hot til lunch and goes down well.

pastry pin wheels are good!

Veggie muffins / frittatas - batch cook & freeze

What Mummy Makes and Family Conforts by Rebecca Wilson has some good ideas in it (for meals as well) - fritters, savoury muffins, pinwheels and bliss balls from those books all go down well! Mine also sometimes like a little pot of peas and sweetcorn.

Veg flapjacks are brilliant as are cheddar spinach muffins.

Salmon and beetroot/ broccoli muffins also great from Charlotte Stirling-Reed.

Pasta with cheesy sauce or pesto, some cooked veg or chopped tomato.

Room temp stir fry mine will eat, rice noodles are good and quick.

I also cook things like homemade potato and veg patties or sardine & veg potato patties until crispy and give to my 17mo room temp.