iLunchbox Blog

The Biggest Packed Lunch - and Dinner too!
Posted by Beth Ann Bentley on Oct 10 2008
iLunchbox Blog >> Beth Ann

So I went “camping” this weekend with my family…all six of us lived in a tree house in Southern Oregon for three nights and four days, and it was a blast. For the trip I needed to pack a picnic lunch and snack for the 10 hour drive up to Oregon, lunch and dinner for the remaining days and nights and a picnic lunch and snacks for the return drive home. There was a refrigerator in our tree house and they had bbq’s and a “facilitree” where we could wash up our prep stuff and dishes. Also, they served a great breakfast each morning. So here is what the massive four day picnic looked like: 

We had a BIG breakfast before we left so we were not tempted with stops and fast food places or smoothie shops in route. I packed yogurt drinks, grapes, granola bars and water for the kids to consume in the car, but limited the munching to once in the am and once in the afternoon so that they were not uncomfortable during the ride. 

We stopped at about the half way point for a picnic in a playground I had researched in advance and played there for about 2 hours before getting back in the car. Lunch consisted of Italian Rosemary Roasted Ham, which I got at Costco, Monterey Jack Cheese, baby lettuce and a Dijon mustard-mayo mix on a soft multi grain roll that is really a hamburger bun (but the kids and my husband haven’t figured that out yet). We had apple slices, potato chips (really good ones), water and juices and everyone got a chocolate chip cookie for a dessert. After a couple of hours of feeding parakeets, exploring a butterfly house and playing in a great playground we were off again.

When we got to the tree house it was nearly 7pm and all were ready for dinner and exploring. The night before I had roasted a chicken and cut it up into pieces, put it into a container and packed in the coldest part of the cooler for the all day drive. When we got there I was able to serve dinner quickly with a Ready Pac salad kit (I really liked the cherry, almond blue cheese one we had that night) and precut carrots, broccoli and grape tomatoes with ranch dip kit and some pre-prepared Potato Salad, again from Costco (it lasted the whole weekend). We had grapes, pineapple spears and s’mores for dessert. Easy! 

The next day was go go go with trips to the Oregon Caves and zip line courses, swimming and general exploring. I had packed our favorite hotdogs, Colemans; they have no added nitrates and are all natural. So my husband grilled the dogs and we had some more of the cut raw vegetables, some chips and fruit and away the kids went again. 

By the way, the quickest way to be the most popular parent at a campfire…be the one with the marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate and the best roasting forks, oh and say yes to every child that comes up to you asking if they too can have one. I am sure I made a few moms a little mad by not asking them first…but hey, all the kids looked for me at night and waited for me to announce S’more time.

Alright back to the weekend’s menu. The next day was sort of a smorgasbord for lunch as we were all at different activities. The boys hung out with their dad by the pool and explored in the trees while the girls and I went horseback riding. There was leftover roast chicken, ham for sandwiches and the fall back PG & J. I still had plenty of fruits and vegetables to munch on. Dinner the last night was BBQ’ed chicken. I had packed frozen chicken legs and thighs in the vacuum packs along with a bottle of good BBQ sauce. We had some Potato Salad left, chips and cut up vegetables with dip. Now out of graham crackers we had roasted marshmallows and had chocolate chip cookies for dessert. That night the “tree-sort” provided entertainment of a Belly Dancing class and a fire dancer…the kids quickly forgot about the marshmallow when that woman started spinning fire. 

Our car ride home was long…it seemed longer than going. I packed a picnic of the same ham sandwiches on day one along with PB & J sandwiches. I also put the rest of the Peanut Butter into little containers for the kids to dip apple slices. We had pineapple spears for dessert. We had a picnic by the Giant Redwoods that were so magnificent that the kids really didn’t care about lunch but just wanted to race around a tree whose trunk was easily 15 feet in diameter. This was after our mid morning hike on the coast down to a secluded beach where we checked out creatures in the tidal pools, climbed rocks and collected drift wood. I made them eat because it was going to be a long time until we stopped again. Snacks in the care were simple…everyone had fresh water, granola bars, homemade trail mix and apple slices, but really after the weekends activities and all the hiking and running during the first part of the day, they all four just slept.

It was a great weekend. We are home now, the kids started summer school and swim team today. I will keep you posted on how I am keeping them fed throughout the summer and hope that I supply you with some new ideas to feed your own kids. If you have any great recipes or tips you would like to share with me or other readers, please contact me at content@ilunchbox.com.

Packing List of Food
Menu Plan
Tools I Brought Along