Is packing lunch meat in my child's lunch safe if the sandwich is not refrigerated for up to three hours?

Paul m

Answer
Yes, absolutely safe, but if you are worried put a small freezer pack in the lunch bag.

Good ideas for healthy school lunches?

peachy app

I have things like mac n' cheese and pasta, because I'm not really a fan of sandwiches. I need ideas!

Of course I know there's fruits and vegies, and I've included those in my lists.

Any ideas? I don't need recipes, just lots and lots of options! Haha, thanks! :)

Answer
7 Ideas for Easy - and Healthy - School Lunches

1. Pack Produce
The great thing about fruits and vegetables is that they deliver a ton of nutrients and they don't require cooking. They also boost hydration and typically taste great without any added ingredients. Stick with what's in season, and you won't have to pay extra for fruit that's been flown in from Chile.

"Keep raw vegetables washed and cut in the fridge so all you have to do is pack them in the morning," suggests Christina Le Beau, blogger at Spoonfed.

Cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, red peppers, cucumber slices, sugar snap peas, shelled edamame, berries, clementines, apples, pears, and grapes are all perfect on their own and travel well.

2. Keep it Cool, Skip the Sugar
Instead of juice boxes, include a small bottle of frozen water, suggests Kristy Bernardo of The Wicked Noodle. "The ice will keep the rest of the lunch cool, and will melt enough by lunchtime to be drinkable."

3. Think Muffins
Muffins taste great, can be eaten without utensils, and can be customized to fit in small hands (by varying the size of the muffin tin you use). "Best of all, muffins can be cooked in a big batch on Sunday afternoon, then cooled and frozen," says Charity Curley, blogger at Foodlets. When it's time to pack lunch, reach in, grab one, and put it in the lunchbox.

Here are a few easy and delicious recipes to try:

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins and Baked Oatmeal Cups
These mildly sweet muffins - one from Two Blue Lemons, the other from Wicked Noodle - offer lasting fullness thanks to the fiber-rich oatmeal
Italian-Style Pasta and Cheese Cups and Broccoli and Cheese Pasta Cups
Two variations on a savory theme from Foodlets, and what a great theme it is: mac-n-cheese made healthy (using whole wheat pasta, eggs, and pureed beans for more protein and fiber) and they're portable.

4. Plan for Leftovers
Any dinner that doesn't require reheating or cooling can do double-duty as lunch via the miracle of leftovers. "Pack some extra dinner into lunch containers while you're doing the dishes," suggests Sarah Waldman, an integrative nutritionist and blogger at TwoBlueLemons. Cook once, feed twice - what's not to love?

Here are some lunchbox-ready dinners:

Whole Wheat Penne Pasta with Pesto & Beans
Roasted Butternut Squash Quesadillas
Chickpea Salad (sub whatever veggies your kids will eat if peppers don't fly)

5. Try a Waffle-wich.
Another lunch staple you can cook in bulk, freeze, then use on an as-needed basis are waffles. "Every time I make waffles, I do a double batch, then lay the extras on a cookie sheet, slide it in to the freezer, then transfer them to a Ziploc bag once frozen. Then, when I'm packing lunch for my 8-year-old, I toast a waffle or two and spread with almond butter and banana slices," Le Beau says. When the waffles are whole-grain, it's a great way to get some fiber in to your kid's diet, and beat sandwich boredom.

6. Embrace Snacks
This is for all the mothers of grazers out there - it's OK if your kid will only eat snacks, Waldman says. Just follow the USDA guidelines and include tennis-ball sized portions of vegetables and whole grains, golf-ball sized portions of fruit and lean protein, and a ping pong ball of low-fat dairy. Choose from an assortment of their favorite snacks: a few cubes of cheese, dried mango, whole-grain crackers, cut up veggies with humus, and homemade popcorn or granola bar would fit the bill. "It feels better to pack a lunch that I know my son will actually eat, even if it looks more like a combination of snacks than a full meal."

7. Go Reusable While you could load your child's lunchbox up with pre-wrapped individual servings or lots of plastic baggies, there's a greener way. Use reusable containers, flatware, and even napkins, says Alexandra Zissu, author of The Conscious Kitchen and blogger at AlexandraZissu.com. We try for zero waste lunches whenever we can and it's actually pretty easy to succeed." Zissu's favorite lunch container is a tiffin, a stainless steel, stackable container that allows you to store a few different foods separately, while Le Beau likes bento-style lunchboxes, particularly LunchBots and PlanetBox. "My daughter typically goes to school with a cream cheese and jelly sandwich in one tiffin and cut up seasonal produce in another. If she's in a yogurt or applesauce phase, I pour it into a baby food jar with a lid," Zissu says.

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How should I cut back on grocery bills?

children's pack lunch bags image

Lauren

My husband and I have six kids. It has been sort of sudden because we had three (which wasn't bad) and then we had triplets almost three years ago. As our kids grow our grocery bill is kind of dominating our income and it can be very stressful. I don't always want to feed them cheap food and it's not a major strain but I was wondering if anyone had tips for cutting back on groceries. I use coupons every so often but I wouldn't consider myself a "die-hard" coupon shopper (I often feel that people who go crazy with coupons end up buying products they wouldn't have otherwise purchased) and I price shop as well. So, in short, what do you do to save money when grocery shopping? Thanks :)

Answer
I use a few coupons for things I would normally buy anyway, and I buy when things are on sale. But you are correct that most coupons these days are for highly processed, high profit items that are best left on the shelf at the grocery store, in my opinion.

You don't say whether or not you work outside of the home, but I assume that with six kids you don't. I saved money when my kids were young by packing lunches for both my kids and my husband every day they ate out of the house. We almost never ate out or brought home takeout. If we did buy something like pizza to bring home, we would get one pizza and supplement it with salad made at home.

I make most baked goods, such as muffins, cookies, cupcakes and pies from scratch at home. They are much cheaper to bake than to buy, and the ingredients are much better and healthier. We get most of our fruits and vegetables at orchards and farm stores or raise them ourselves in our yard. Just this week, my husband picked sour cherries at a pick-your-own orchard for me to can at home for use this winter(I made him a cherry pie, too, for his efforts) and he picked fresh blueberries for me to freeze and make blueberry jam. I taught my children how to bake and cook food, and also gave each of them a small vegetable garden(four to six feet square is big enough for a child's garden). This taught them to appreciate vegetables, which they eat with enthusiasm.

There is a cheaper and better substitute for almost every expensive food at the grocery store. We eat popcorn popped in a big pot on the stove instead of bagged pre-popped or microwave popcorn. You can learn to make pizza at home, with a biscuit type crust rolled out and topped with olive oil, spaghetti sauce, cheese and vegetables like chopped onions and peppers.

We eat cooked oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, instead of cold cereal, instant hot cereal or things like Pop Tarts or breakfast bars. I buy plain yogurt in the largest containers and add fresh fruit, with maybe a spoonful of homemade jam. We make homemade pancakes and waffles on weekends, topped with things like homemade applesauce and cottage cheese, or fresh fruit with a bit of real homemade whipped cream, for a treat.

Never, ever buy sodas or sweetened drinks for your children, since they are not healthy and a needless expense. You can make your own iced tea with tea bags(I like Red Rose the best) and boiling water. Sweeten with a little simple syrup(half and half sugar and water, boiled and cooled) and add some bottled lemon juice, if you like. Store after it is fully cooled in gallon orange juice jugs in the refrigerator. If you wait until it is cool before you refrigerate it, it will not turn cloudy.

When kids don't get snacks and treats all of the time, they appreciate what they do get more. You can give your children turns to pick out something they really want but don't often get.

Eggs are cheap and nutritious, so is peanut butter. Make good use of your food budget and buy the best quality food you can afford, such as whole grain bread instead of the cheapest white bread. Eat less meat and don't buy lunch meat. Tuna salad, egg salad, grilled cheese and peanut butter sandwiches are perfectly fine. Crackers are high in sodium and often sugar. Feed your little kids plain Cheerios, small cubes of cheese and sliced bananas instead.

Make meat loaf and learn how to cut up a whole chicken. Make soup, lots of different kinds. Put fruit in sweet things and vegetables in almost everything else, like omelets and casseroles. Kids who grow up eating lots of vegetables are much less picky and easier to feed. Don't make special meals for picky eaters. I have never known a child who voluntarily starved to death, although I have known lots of anxious mothers were were certain they might. I am ashamed to say that with my first child, I was one of them.

You will need a supportive husband, too. Remember that cheap food is not "bad" food. Lots of times processed or junk foods are the most expensive and the worst for you. Whole, natural foods are the best for your health and for your pocketbook.

What are some things to pack?

Me

What are some things to pack for my child's lunch at school? I would like something that doesn't have to be kept warm, because he doesn't have access to the microwave.

Answer
sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly or fluff, turkey, ham..all that good stuff)

macaroni salad, its good and you dont have to keep it warm.

fruit salad. healthy =]

tortilla chips with salsa or cream chese.

and a juice bag or water.

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What are some things to pack?

children's pack lunch bags image

Me

What are some things to pack for my child's lunch at school? I would like something that doesn't have to be kept warm, because he doesn't have access to the microwave.

Answer
sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly or fluff, turkey, ham..all that good stuff)

macaroni salad, its good and you dont have to keep it warm.

fruit salad. healthy =]

tortilla chips with salsa or cream chese.

and a juice bag or water.

What are some cool places for a 6-8 year old birthday party??????

coccadots<

What r some cool places for a 6 to 8 yr old birthday party??? I have to plan my sister's party and I need ideas...I was thinking about Bumble Beads....Is this a good idea????? Thxx!!!!

Answer
I was thinking Build-A-Bear too!

Other places you can go too are:

Miniature golf
Go karts
The zoo
movies and lunch
Ice cream parlor
If you have a gym place that has activities
Roller skating

There are pizza places you can go to and make your own pizzas and then sit down and eat them. Call your local pizzerias or like Pizzeria Uno. Your local one may do more showing them how to knead and toss the dough, but call around and see what's around if it's something they would like to do.

You can take them to a salon to get little manicures and make-overs, not big make-up and things, but they do things for that age group and the girls would LOVE it! Call your local salons and ask if and when they do the parties. Some do them on Sundays when the salon is closed etc.

You can go to an ice cream parlor, Friendly's, etc.

Picnic in the park. You can pack up some of her favorite foods and games and go to a park and have a party there if your local park allows.

Amusement park or waterpark

OR

You can do the party at home and take advantage of the nice weather. Before you completely close off the idea, here are some ideas: LOL

Have relay races, do potato sack races (use old pillow cases), three legged races, wheel barrel races, etc.

Set up a volleyball net and let them play volleyball (with an inflatable beach ball) and badmitten.

Get an inflatable kiddie pool and fill it with water, break them into 2 teams and have a tug of war, the losing team ends up in the pool! Then they can all go in later!

Set up an ice cream bar. Get chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream and some toppings. Sprinkles, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and marachino cherries and have them make their own sundaes. You can get waffle cone bowls at the grocery store, OR make them ice cream cones!

You can get a pinata and in the same aisle at the party store is what's called pinata filler which are big bags of candy. Just make sure to write each child's name on the bag so there are NO fights over whose bag of candy is whose at the end of party! It can and will happen if there are no names on the bags! You can get the pull string pinatas if you don't want them with the regular ones!

For other games, there's one where they stand in a circle and they toss a ball around, it doesn't matter what order, but if someone drops it, they're out. The object is to keep the ball in the air. The last person standing and NOT to drop the ball wins!

Another game, they stand in a circle with their hands at their side or behind their backs, and canNOT use them and they pass the ball around the circle using ONLY their chins! They pass and take the ball with their CHINS ONLY! If they drop it, they're out, this game is hysterical to watch too! Whoever is the last standing wins!

Just make sure with this age group that you have prizes for everyone and that at the end of the party everyone has gotten at least one prize and you tell them this at the start of the game, otherwise you're going to have kids getting upset when they lose. Just keep reassuring them that you have games and that everyone will leave with a prize NO matter what! So make sure to have extras and that every child gets a prize!

They can also play Twister and charades and any board games that they like.

For food, do whatever your sister's favorites are. Being it's her birthday and her party she should have the food that she loves and that's her favorite. If it's pizza, send out for that, if it's tacos, do a taco bar, if it's bbq, do burgers and hot dogs, but make sure that the food is what she loves! Same with the chips and snacks too.

I hope some of these ideas help and that your sister has a great party and a very Happy Birthday!

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How should I cut back on grocery bills?

children's pack lunch bags image

Lauren

My husband and I have six kids. It has been sort of sudden because we had three (which wasn't bad) and then we had triplets almost three years ago. As our kids grow our grocery bill is kind of dominating our income and it can be very stressful. I don't always want to feed them cheap food and it's not a major strain but I was wondering if anyone had tips for cutting back on groceries. I use coupons every so often but I wouldn't consider myself a "die-hard" coupon shopper (I often feel that people who go crazy with coupons end up buying products they wouldn't have otherwise purchased) and I price shop as well. So, in short, what do you do to save money when grocery shopping? Thanks :)

Answer
I use a few coupons for things I would normally buy anyway, and I buy when things are on sale. But you are correct that most coupons these days are for highly processed, high profit items that are best left on the shelf at the grocery store, in my opinion.

You don't say whether or not you work outside of the home, but I assume that with six kids you don't. I saved money when my kids were young by packing lunches for both my kids and my husband every day they ate out of the house. We almost never ate out or brought home takeout. If we did buy something like pizza to bring home, we would get one pizza and supplement it with salad made at home.

I make most baked goods, such as muffins, cookies, cupcakes and pies from scratch at home. They are much cheaper to bake than to buy, and the ingredients are much better and healthier. We get most of our fruits and vegetables at orchards and farm stores or raise them ourselves in our yard. Just this week, my husband picked sour cherries at a pick-your-own orchard for me to can at home for use this winter(I made him a cherry pie, too, for his efforts) and he picked fresh blueberries for me to freeze and make blueberry jam. I taught my children how to bake and cook food, and also gave each of them a small vegetable garden(four to six feet square is big enough for a child's garden). This taught them to appreciate vegetables, which they eat with enthusiasm.

There is a cheaper and better substitute for almost every expensive food at the grocery store. We eat popcorn popped in a big pot on the stove instead of bagged pre-popped or microwave popcorn. You can learn to make pizza at home, with a biscuit type crust rolled out and topped with olive oil, spaghetti sauce, cheese and vegetables like chopped onions and peppers.

We eat cooked oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, instead of cold cereal, instant hot cereal or things like Pop Tarts or breakfast bars. I buy plain yogurt in the largest containers and add fresh fruit, with maybe a spoonful of homemade jam. We make homemade pancakes and waffles on weekends, topped with things like homemade applesauce and cottage cheese, or fresh fruit with a bit of real homemade whipped cream, for a treat.

Never, ever buy sodas or sweetened drinks for your children, since they are not healthy and a needless expense. You can make your own iced tea with tea bags(I like Red Rose the best) and boiling water. Sweeten with a little simple syrup(half and half sugar and water, boiled and cooled) and add some bottled lemon juice, if you like. Store after it is fully cooled in gallon orange juice jugs in the refrigerator. If you wait until it is cool before you refrigerate it, it will not turn cloudy.

When kids don't get snacks and treats all of the time, they appreciate what they do get more. You can give your children turns to pick out something they really want but don't often get.

Eggs are cheap and nutritious, so is peanut butter. Make good use of your food budget and buy the best quality food you can afford, such as whole grain bread instead of the cheapest white bread. Eat less meat and don't buy lunch meat. Tuna salad, egg salad, grilled cheese and peanut butter sandwiches are perfectly fine. Crackers are high in sodium and often sugar. Feed your little kids plain Cheerios, small cubes of cheese and sliced bananas instead.

Make meat loaf and learn how to cut up a whole chicken. Make soup, lots of different kinds. Put fruit in sweet things and vegetables in almost everything else, like omelets and casseroles. Kids who grow up eating lots of vegetables are much less picky and easier to feed. Don't make special meals for picky eaters. I have never known a child who voluntarily starved to death, although I have known lots of anxious mothers were were certain they might. I am ashamed to say that with my first child, I was one of them.

You will need a supportive husband, too. Remember that cheap food is not "bad" food. Lots of times processed or junk foods are the most expensive and the worst for you. Whole, natural foods are the best for your health and for your pocketbook.

What are some things to pack?

Me

What are some things to pack for my child's lunch at school? I would like something that doesn't have to be kept warm, because he doesn't have access to the microwave.

Answer
sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly or fluff, turkey, ham..all that good stuff)

macaroni salad, its good and you dont have to keep it warm.

fruit salad. healthy =]

tortilla chips with salsa or cream chese.

and a juice bag or water.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers