Lunches for the beach - no deli meat

[MinnieSweetheart]

We are going to a beach resort over the upcoming long weekend. We will not have a kitchen, but will have a mini fridge.

The resort has food available, but I'd rather not spend $10pp and have to walk the 15 minutes to the lunch bar if we can avoid it. We plan to do a big breakfast in the morning and then bring a picnic lunch onto the beach, so it doesn't need to be super filling.

We are also driving so we can easily bring or get groceries, but I can't eat cold cuts/deli meat in a cooler b/c I'm pregnant and want to avoid listeriosis. I was thinking of making some chicken salad or we could maybe do uncrustables.

What are your favorite lunches for on the beach that aren't cold cut sandwiches?

 

[verleniahall]

I would do uncrutables over chicken salad becuase of the mayo base for the salad

i would do uncrustables, some carrot and/or celery sticks, apple slices or some halos, and something to drink

maybe pick up some cupcakes for dessert

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I would do uncrutables over chicken salad becuase of the mayo base for the salad

We'll have a cooler either way, so I wasn't too worried about it, but that's definitely something to consider.

 

[lorijohnhill]

I second the cut veggies. The extra fluids they provide are great at the beach! We've done cold fried chicken, grapes, carrot and celery sticks, and lots of water. That worked out pretty well.

Have a great trip!

 

[sksjasams]

You could do cheese and crackers, some fruit, also maybe apple slices and/or carrots with peanut butter.

 

[kymom99]

hummus
string cheese
fruit

 

[Jennabeth]

We are going to a beach resort over the upcoming long weekend. We will not have a kitchen, but will have a mini fridge.

The resort has food available, but I'd rather not spend $10pp and have to walk the 15 minutes to the lunch bar if we can avoid it. We plan to do a big breakfast in the morning and then bring a picnic lunch onto the beach, so it doesn't need to be super filling.

We are also driving so we can easily bring or get groceries, but I can't eat cold cuts/deli meat in a cooler b/c I'm pregnant and want to avoid listeriosis. I was thinking of making some chicken salad or we could maybe do uncrustables.

What are your favorite lunches for on the beach that aren't cold cut sandwiches?

I love chicken salad for the beach. We put it on crackers and it's always a hit. Of course we rent a house on the beach and most of it stays in the refrigerator and we just bring a small amount in a cooler to the beach.

 

[LJSquishy]

Hummus with bell peppers, carrots, celery, etc.
Nuts, seeds, dried fruit
Cheese cut into cubes & fresh fruit
Not sure I'd want to pack it in a cooler, but one of my favorite lunches is cottage cheese with diced fresh pear.

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

Hummus with veggies
Cheese and crackers
Big container of cut up fruit
Olives
Cashews, pistachios
Brownies, peanut butter cookies
bottled peach or lemon iced tea

I agree about eating out for lunch. On vacation breakfast and dinner are my faves. We always seem to be in the middle of something around lunch.

Have fun!

 

[Disneyliscious]

I'm not too savvy on what food borne illnesses can happen from what so I wanted to ask why you couldn't eat deli meats from a cooler but chicken salad would be ok? Is there something diff about the deli meat that makes it potentially more hazardous?

As far as suggestions...

Jerky
Cheese
Crackers
Yogurt
Nuts
Bottled water

All can be eaten without paper plates or cups and if you get the yogurt sticks, you won't even need plastic spoons.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Having eaten beach food for many, many years, I'd make a few suggestions...

Sand gets in EVERYTHING, so to the extent people are going to eat, have all of their servings single-sized. Nothing worse than having a bag of chips left open and sand blown in ruining the whole thing.

And sand gets in EVERYTHING, so having very creamy/liquidy foods for them to stick to or having foods you need to portion out can be a pain. Also, having plates of food where as you eat one thing, sand blows in the rest stinks!

If it were me, I'd bring mini-babybels or cheese sticks (you can freeze these before you pack them), dried jerky and/or individual nut bags (whichever your group likes more), grapes in a baggie or individual apple slice bags, individual baby carrot bags, and individual chip bags and/or cookie packs. All things where people can grab one item as they are hungry and eat. I'd bring boatloads of small sodas and bottled waters (the 8oz kinds), so people stay hydrated and happy. It's a touch more expensive this way (although to make it cheaper, just buy 100 ziplocs and parcel out before yourself), but it's worlds better to eat and eat all day...

 

[manning]

We are going to a beach resort over the upcoming long weekend. We will not have a kitchen, but will have a mini fridge.

The resort has food available, but I'd rather not spend $10pp and have to walk the 15 minutes to the lunch bar if we can avoid it. We plan to do a big breakfast in the morning and then bring a picnic lunch onto the beach, so it doesn't need to be super filling.

We are also driving so we can easily bring or get groceries, but I can't eat cold cuts/deli meat in a cooler b/c I'm pregnant and want to avoid listeriosis. I was thinking of making some chicken salad or we could maybe do uncrustables.

What are your favorite lunches for on the beach that aren't cold cut sandwiches?

You don't have to be pregnant to avoid Listeria. That's one nasty thing too! The disease primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and newborns.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I'm not too savvy on what food borne illnesses can happen from what so I wanted to ask why you couldn't eat deli meats from a cooler but chicken salad would be ok? Is there something diff about the deli meat that makes it potentially more hazardous?

Yes it's something with nitrates in the deli meat thats also present in hot dogs until cooked to steaming. It increases the risk of listeria bacteria being present which can cause severe illness and sometimes death. Deli meats and hot dogs are still safe to heat, but should be heated to piping hot first. I just wouldn't have any way to heat up the deli meat on the beach. If I made chicken salad, I would use an already cooked rotisserie chicken.

http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/listeria/

Jerky is a great idea, I hadn't thought of.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

If it were me, I'd bring mini-babybels or cheese sticks (you can freeze these before you pack them), dried jerky and/or individual nut bags (whichever your group likes more), grapes in a baggie or individual apple slice bags, individual baby carrot bags, and individual chip bags and/or cookie packs. All things where people can grab one item as they are hungry and eat. I'd bring boatloads of small sodas and bottled waters (the 8oz kinds), so people stay hydrated and happy. It's a touch more expensive this way (although to make it cheaper, just buy 100 ziplocs and parcel out before yourself), but it's worlds better to eat and eat all day...

I was wondering about that. I'm glad you gave that suggestion because it seals the deal for me to do individual portions.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

You don't have to be pregnant to avoid Listeria. That's one nasty thing to! The disease primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and newborns.

But I must admit, I love cold prosciutto and a turkey and cheese sandwich (not warmed up) when I am not pregnant. They sell the most delicious prepared snack at the commissary, it's mozzarella wrapped with prosciutto. It's so delicious!!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We do cut up fruit, make pasta salad (like Betty Crocker's Suddenly Salad), peanut butter sandwiches and either cookies or brownies for dessert.

 

[powellrj]

Love cream cheese sandwiches or pimento cheese sandwiches! Olive cream cheese sandwiches are my favorite! Fruit bread with cream cheese is another favorite.

 

[scrhsa]

We'll have a cooler either way, so I wasn't too worried about it, but that's definitely something to consider.

If you don't want the mayo, you can mash up an avocado and use it instead. I love it!!

 

[Kogo Shuko]

I would pack lots of veggies - grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, celery, carrots, peppers. Fruit - apples, bananas, oranges, berries of all sorts. I would also pack cheese and crackers. I'd probably make "fancy" peanut butter and jam sandwiches - just add halved nuts, like cashews, to the sandwiches to give it some extra protein and crunch. I'd probably pack cookies as dessert.

 

[Kimberly9701]

Hummus. Veggies. Crackers. Cheese. Fruits.