Help! From UK - what foods?

[Monkey_Mum]

Hello

I am hoping some of you lovely people will be able to help put my mind at ease a little.

We are visiting the World with our DD for the first time next year when she will be about 18 months. Being from the UK I know a lot of the branded/packaged foods will probably be different and I am trying to get some suggestions of things to look out for.

We are obviously going to try a lot of fresh fruit/veg, raisins etc etc for snacks and for main meals she will probably eat with us (within reason) but it would also be handy to have some packets of snacks or easy meals to hand in case of emergencies!

So....what are your suggestions of things to look out for? Don't mind the odd treat but want to avoid too much junk if poss!

[Sorry, don't know if I've explained myself very well - but thanks in advance!!]

 

[IlliniMouse]

Will these be foods you're preparing yourself? Or things you're taking in the park? If you could give some ideas of what type of things you're thinking of, then we could toss some suggestions your way.

 

[Monkey_Mum]

Hi

Thanks for your reply. We are coming with extended family and have hired a villa so can prepare some things myself (although don't want to spend the whole holiday slaving over a hot cooker!).

Ideally, suggestions for some things I can cook quickly and easily and some things that I can buy 'ready to go'.

Hope that's a bit clearer


Thanks again

Laura and Niamh
x

 

[IlliniMouse]

Kraft macaroni and cheese is always easy, and a hit with the kids. If you're wanting to do spaghetti, there's Ragu, Prego, and Classico are the three premade sauces I can think of. Grilled cheese is another easy thing. Get some Campbells or Prgoresso soup, and you've got a meal. JOhnsonville has pre-cooked brats and such so all you'd need to do is heat those. Oscar Mayer is the big name maker of hot dogs. Banquet makes skillet dinners. I think you buy these in the frozen section. If you have a larger family, you'd need a few of these to feed them, and I think they're expensive for what they are. But if you're looking for easy, with minimal ingredients to buy, that's a possibility. Peanut Butter would be Jif, Skippy or Peter Pan. For jelly, Smuckers is a widely known one. There are lots of fruit snacks, granola bars and such. My son will eat any brand of fruit snacks. There's always Hamburger (or chicken or tuna) Helpers made by Betty Crocker. (Boxed, where all you need is the meat)

Hope this helps!

 

[IlliniMouse]

Another one that kids love are Lunchables. They're in the refrigerated section by the cold cuts. They usually have crackers, cheese, cookies, and a drink. They also have ones that have hot dogs, pizza (with big crackers for the crust), and taco lunchables.

There are also prepacked jell-o, pudding cups, applesauce, and jell-o cups with fruit. Those would be easy to take with you.

Edited to add: Check out the deli's in the stores too. Many of them have premade sandwiches and other things.

I need to stop remembering things to add! LOL

 

[ntsammy5]

Bangers and mash?

Excuse the humor.

However, prepared meals in the US are quite different. Frozen pizza is usually good and easy to prepare. IMHO staying away from canned food is a good idea. Most grocery store have prepared meals available -- chicken, subs (sandwiches), things like that. Those are usually pretty good and easy meals. Other frozen meals can be good also. There are lots of choices.

I hope you have a good time.

 

[Kay1]

Most supermarkets have a deli with rotiserrie chicken which makes a nice meal with a bagged salad and baked potatoes. You can also get cold cuts at the deli and a lot of pre-mixed salads, like potato and macaroni.

If you like seafood without all the mess, Sea-pack and Contessa make dishes that can be microwaved. Frozen rolls made by Pillsbury are great and most any frozen vegetables are good. We like the ones Green Giant makes that steam right in the bag and are pre-seasoned.

Sara Lee makes good frozen pastry but most supermarkets have a bakery section.

Good luck and don't work too hard in that kitchen.

 

[LadyShea]

Although the brand names are different, I think you'll find our package label laws very helpful, as everything must be listed including sodium, fat, and sugar content, and you will have an easy time making choices for your family in any supermarket.

A fave snack food in the toddler age group, at least amongst all of them I know, is Cheerios. They are whole grain, low sugar, finger food sized, and can be thrown in a Ziploc bag for carrying around the park. I carry a baggie of Cheerios everywhere with me for my DS20mos

 

[britincanada]

I am a Brit, living in Canada, and often visit the US.

You will find that the supermarkets have pretty similar stuff to home, and many of the same brands. You can easily prepare meals that you would at home in similar circumstances.

I love the grocery stores in the US - they stock lots of different things to Canada.

I would suggest meals like:
spaghetti bolognese (use 'ground' meat a.k.a. mince! & jar of sauce)
chicken breasts - marinate in salad dressing, cook in oven
BBQ meats - the villa may have one for you to use
you can buy stuff like chicken pie & shepherds pie ready made & frozen


don't worry about the food, it won't be all that different to home. Plan a time to shop when you arrive so you have chance to look around & maybe find some new ideas. The food in the US isn't 'foreign' to what you are used to eating.

have fun!

 

[NotUrsula]

If you would tell us what your daughter's usual favorites are, we'll be able to give you the closest US equivalents.

A couple of nursery things I can think of right off: soft-boiled eggs are not advisable here, there is a risk of salmonella. Restaurants generally will not make them, you'll have to do them in your villa if you want to risk them. 2) Blackcurrant juice is not a normal flavor here; if you want it you will have to go to the "foreign foods" section of a large supermarket that caters to expat British. 3) Squash (the drink) is also not normally available here, again the only place to get it is somewhere that has a British foods section. 4) Digestive biscuits are also not common here; the closest we come are Graham crackers, but they are not quite the same. 5) Common name-brand cereals tend to be made with different recipes, our Cheerios do not taste the same as those sold in the UK.

Major supermarkets in the Kissimmee area near the larger rental villa communities often do have a section with British specialty foods, but prepare to pay a lot more for them than you would at home.

Note that some veggies have different names here, too. For instance, courgettes are zucchini.

Oh, and in the US you tend not to hear "spaghetti bolognese"; we say spaghetti with meat sauce, or spaghetti marinara if you want tomato sauce without meat.