Struggling with what to bring to the beach or pool that’s healthy, easy to pack and satisfying? Here are some easy ideas to try for laptop lunches. Instead of resorting to bags of chips (talk about bait for hungry seagulls!) or a cheese pizza delivery, think about the following when filling your cooler:
- Plenty of water – kept cold – so kids won’t get dehydrated!
- Small cans of flavored seltzer water (for example, LaCroix water) can be nice when kids get sick of plain water
- Layer your cooler with lots of small ice packs or small baggies filled with ice cubes to keep the cold food cool under the hot summer sun
Make sure your “laptop lunches” includes protein (which could be dairy, meat, or a legume/bean), fruit, vegetables, and grains. Here are some ideas to mix and match!
Protein ideas:
- Hummus Yogurt dip (for example, mix plain Greek yogurt with cinnamon and honey)
- Cheese stick or cheddar cheese cut into squares
- Peanut butter or almond butter to spread or dip
- Nitrite free pepperoni slices
Vegetable ideas:
- Red pepper slices
- Cucumber slices or sticks
- Baby carrots
Fruit ideas:
- “Fruit salad” made of any combination of fresh cut up pineapple, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, strawberries
- Watermelon, cut into triangles or “sticks” for little hands
- Cantaloupe cut into “rainbows”
- Apple slices with cinnamon
*Any of these fruits can be used to dip in the yogurt dip above or eaten alone
Grain ideas:
- Whole grain pretzels or crackers (for example, Wasa Crispbread or flax/onion pita chips)
- Light or reduced sodium popcorn