packing a budget lunch for day trip

[drcmk]

My dds Girl Scout troop is going on a day trip to New York City in June. They want to pack lunches for one meal of the day to save $$. Actually since it is NYC, to save $$$$.

Here is my dilemma. I have to pack a lunch for three of us, that we'll have to carry on multiple forms of public transportation and walking around the city for a few hours. I have to pack the lunches five or six hours before we'll be eating them. Obviously there is no refrigeration and I don't want to pack anything too heavy or containers that I'm going to have to lug back home with me. I'm confident I will find someplace to buy cold drinks in NYC, but I don't know what kind of nourishing food will survive the hot trip. Any suggestions?

 

[GinnyEmma]

I'd do basic pb and j on whole grain bread. Not unhealthy at all. Add a piece of fruit, some carrots, a handful of nuts and be done with it. A sweet if you need. It is a field trip, I wouldn't worry too awful much about health.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Are all the other girls packing as well??? I would be sure the girls were following what everyone is doing so they will not feel left out. I would just choose to grab a hotdog from a street cart. No city trip is complete with out one and they are not too expensive and really fun!!

If you choose to pack, I agree to go with P&J if there are no allergies and use the throw away plastic containers to carry in. 6 hours of touring can do a lot of damage to a sandwich!

 

[mjbaby]

In your shoes, I would definitely plan to buy drinks on the spot! Definitely not as cheap as bringing your own refillable bottles and such, but my word dragging them around NYC would be a buzz kill. And since you are considering buying drinks, would you also consider buying lunch from a street vendor? Hot dogs, soft pretzels, a banana or apple and a drink wouldn't run more than a few dollars a person and may well be "worth" the expense for not having to drag food around all day. Then you can breakfast on the train with bagels, granola bars, dried fruit, nuts, etc. and throw everything away before you even arrive in the city.

If you'd really rather take lunch with you, those same items are always good, along with little packs of peanut butter with carrot sticks and pretzels for dipping or PB and crackers (sometimes I use that ILOVEPB chocolate peanut butter for a treat - yum!), rice krispie treats (homemade or store bought would work), licorice for a "treat" (holds up well in a bag), beef jerkey if you're into that kind of thing.

 

[GinnyEmma]

I agree. If all are buying a hotdog in NY is a treasure. And the throwaway plastic.

 

[drcmk]

Thanks for your ideas. It's not really my choice to pack lunch. The Girl Scout troop has made this decision and I think it would be frowned upon to break ranks to buy a hot dog from a vendor when everyone else has packed. I'm willing to risk that to get something cold to drink, though.

It seems like peanut butter is our best choice, although hot peanut butter is probably going to give me heartburn. Maybe I'll get Nutella as a treat, that would keep just as well as peanut butter without refrigeration, don't you think?

I guess I was hoping for the impossible. That there would be something that would be nourishing (and by this I mean "filling and satisfying" more than healthy) and would stay tasty without refrigeration

 

[GinnyEmma]

Nutella would be fun. Hummus would survive if you want something different, but if the purpose is just to get through lunch, then I'd go easy peasy. Love rice krispie treat. I can't make them. They are the one treat that I can't resist.

 

[njmomtoone]

I'd do basic pb and j on whole grain bread. Not unhealthy at all. Add a piece of fruit, some carrots, a handful of nuts and be done with it. A sweet if you need. It is a field trip, I wouldn't worry too awful much about health.

Make it easy on yourself. Guy a hot dog, soda and pretzel. It's quick and inexpensive and so much easier. It's NY, it's hot and it's crowded. Why bother carrying around stuff when you don't have to.

 

[njmomtoone]

Thanks for your ideas. It's not really my choice to pack lunch. The Girl Scout troop has made this decision and I think it would be frowned upon to break ranks to buy a hot dog from a vendor when everyone else has packed. I'm willing to risk that to get something cold to drink, though.

It seems like peanut butter is our best choice, although hot peanut butter is probably going to give me heartburn. Maybe I'll get Nutella as a treat, that would keep just as well as peanut butter without refrigeration, don't you think?

I guess I was hoping for the impossible. That there would be something that would be nourishing (and by this I mean "filling and satisfying" more than healthy) and would stay tasty without refrigeration

Girl scouts are alot less lenient then Boys Scouts. Besides, how can they force you.

 

[GinnyEmma]

lol, they have to...

 

[GinnyEmma]

Girl scouts are alot less lenient then Boys Scouts. Besides, how can they force you.

Why would you want to be the kid that broke the agreement? Either you'd be the soon to be little, isert bad dis word, or oblivious to both the rule and consideration for others.

 

[tlbwriter]

Make it easy on yourself. Guy a hot dog, soda and pretzel. It's quick and inexpensive and so much easier. It's NY, it's hot and it's crowded. Why bother carrying around stuff when you don't have to.

She already said this isn't an option.

Since the heat factor seems to be the big issue, what if you carried a disposable ice pack? Freeze a small water bottle and use it to keep your lunch cold.

 

[Kellydelly]

Havn't you ever packed anything in your kids' school lunch that needed to stay cool before? Just freeze some caprisuns or juice boxes and put it next to whatever food you want to keep cool (deli sandwich, salad, etc.). As for keeping sandwiches from getting crushed, my husband discovered this good idea during our last trip to Orlando, use a cracker box to keep the sandwiches in (or a granola bar box would be perfect size), you can then just toss everything when you are done eating (this was just for pb&js, which didn't need to be chilled). It won't be hard to tote just three lunches around, you can have the girls carry their own if you don't want to be burdened with a big bag full of food.

 

[njmomtoone]

Why would you want to be the kid that broke the agreement? Either you'd be the soon to be little, isert bad dis word, or oblivious to both the rule and consideration for others.

Well, if you have to then, then that is different. I am not saying break the rules.
Even on school trips when they say bring a lunch, there are kids buying from concession stands. On scouting trips where food is provided, alot of people prefer to bring their or cook their own.

Use a small cooler bag, freeze some juice boxed or capri sun and use as ice packs. Then pack a sandwich and some snacks.

Plus, she is already willing to "risk it" to buy a drink, so why not a hot dog too. At that point, you are already holding up the group to make a stop.

And I am not sure what "Either you'd be the soon to be little, isert bad dis word, or oblivious to both the rule and consideration for others" means so I cannot comment.

 

[kahblue]

Do you like tuna? You can buy packs of tuna and crackers already packaged together. I do that often. Sometimes I buy a pack of sandwich ready tuna and spread it on a few crackers.

 

[scrapquitler]

My dds Girl Scout troop is going on a day trip to New York City in June. They want to pack lunches for one meal of the day to save $$. Actually since it is NYC, to save $$$$.

Here is my dilemma. I have to pack a lunch for three of us, that we'll have to carry on multiple forms of public transportation and walking around the city for a few hours. I have to pack the lunches five or six hours before we'll be eating them. Obviously there is no refrigeration and I don't want to pack anything too heavy or containers that I'm going to have to lug back home with me. I'm confident I will find someplace to buy cold drinks in NYC, but I don't know what kind of nourishing food will survive the hot trip. Any suggestions?

There is no way in the world that I would want to carry a lunch around NYC for five or six hours before I eat it.

Honestly there are LOTS of places where you can eat lunch relatively cheaply (less than $5 per person) so there is no way I would do it. Let the kids experience a little bit of NY and have a hot dog from a cart or a bagel from a deli for lunch (there's also lots of great soup restaurants and delis with fairly inex*****ve sandwiches). One day eating a somewhat non-nutritious lunch isn't going to be a big problem. Way better than lugging lunch.

 

[scrapquitler]

I want to know where the troop leader thinks the troop is going to go to sit and eat these lunches they've been carrying around all day? Or are they going to eat and walk?

I hope she has some idea planned, because I can't imagine a dozen kids sitting down somewhere together to eat without some serious forethought about how it is going to happen. On some benches at South Street Seaport, in the bleachers near the TXT booth at Times Square or in Central Park are the only places I can envision a big group finding a spot together.

OP, for those cold drinks (yes, they are easy to find from the corner newstands), budget $3 (it may actually be more like $2.75) for a bottle of soda or bottled water.

 

[disneymom2003]

Oh for heaven sake. What is the big deal. I agree about the Capri Sun. I used to do this all the time for my kids. Freeze it. Make a PB&J sandwich some chips and a piece of fruit. Let the kids carry their own lunch.

 

[GinnyEmma]

I've seen kids eating at the statue I liberty, on museum property, etc. It probably depends where they are visiting.

 

[nsmith]

Love the idea of eating a big breakfast on the train, bagel, cream cheese, fruit, drink etc. then you would only have to lug around a smaller meal for lunch. One of the big differences I saw when my husband was a BS leader and I was a GS leader. The women made it SOOO hard on themselves and made all these rules and felt guilty if we didn't teach the girls a lesson about nutrition and saving money and on, and on, and on. In boyscount the men would say "hey lets do this with the boys", and they would just reach in their wallets and pay for it. So much less stress, so much more fun.