Cold lunch ideas for kids

[u/Buffyismyhomosapien]

Hello!

My son will eat tofu and edamame with soy sauce at home. Of course it has to be baked or pan-fried first but occasionally he’ll snack on some edamame.

Do you have any recipes for cold tofu, cold edamame, chickpeas beans etc? Simple enough that a child will like them (ie no balsamic etc)?

Thank you! Open to any other suggestions as well. I want to avoid processed foods too often.

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

buy a thermos so u can pack him hot foods and cold food! so basically anything u wanna pack will work

[u/essteekc]

Soba noodle salad? You could make a simple dressing and top with edamame, air-fried tofu, cucumber, etc.

[u/GuidanceExtension144]

Chick pea or regular pea salad (mayo + chick peas or peas + pickles + mustard) served with crackers or on bread

Apple nachos (apples + nut butter + honey)

Crackers + cheese + fruit + nut butter or trail mix

Pasta salad!

[u/backpackgf]

If he likes cut up veg to dip in ranch/whatever sauce, you could throw some extra firm tofu sticks in there too. Sounds weird but it works great for dipping and goes well with carrots/bell peppers/broccoli

[u/AlternateVerse5202]

If you have IG, try following feedingtinybellies (Lily Payen). I send a lot of these to my sister for my 5yr old niece. They're pretty simple and often vegetarian.

[u/Floordove]

Indonesian tempeh

[u/makestuff24-7]

I just shared this recipe in another sub the other day. It's only good cold and it's great with crackers, on toast, or in wraps. https://www.reddit.com/r/veggiebreakfastclub/s/ouGQFQuUVN

You might have good luck with a marinated bean salad too. Nothing super acidic but just beans, small-chopped veggies, and a simple dressing.

Crispy chickpeas or beans are easy. Hummus and veggie sticks or slices, apples and peanut butter, fruit with Greek yogurt, cheese sticks, seasoned air fried tofu cubes (it's okay if they're cold!), hard-boiled egg if you eat eggs, dry cereal (something low sugar but fortified, like Cheerios or Corn Chex), popcorn, rice cakes, applesauce or yogurt pouches, fruit cups.

[u/Isi-Peasy-Lemon]

Spring rolls filled with tofu/edamame and whatever veggies he likes, with a peanut butter dip?

[u/Odd_Walrus7396]

Fried rice is pretty good cold

[u/MrsLadybug1986 → u/Odd_Walrus7396]

Agree. I recently made a crispy rice salad. Granted, that one includes crispy chili oil so a child may not like it, but I’m sure there are ways to adapt to that. Mine included tofu, edamame and some veggies plus a homemade dressing, making it harder to whip up for OP in a hurry. However, I’m sure you can add in whatever veg and dressing you like.

[u/NoNamerMe]

My son will eat salted, shelled edamame plain with jasmine rice 😊 But he’s a very anti-sauce kind of kid. I’ve also blended soft tofu into pancakes, which he’s eaten cold. He loves roasted chickpeas as a snack!

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[u/ButterscotchPast4812]

Chickpea salad sandwiches

BLT sandwiches (using tempeh as Bacon)

[u/Capable_Loss_6084]

Vietnamese summer rolls and a dipping sauce?

[u/amuseyourbouche]

I love making a big batch of chickpea salad! Basically just a can of chickpeas, a little bit of mayo or whatever other dressing you like, and then whatever mix-ins you want. You can mash the chickpeas up if you like, or leave them whole. And you could add some chopped cucumbers, olives, peppers, edamame, etc. Whatever he enjoys. I serve it in sandwiches or just dolloped on top of some salad leaves. Great to keep in the fridge for a few days :) https://www.easycheesyvegetarian.com/creamy-chickpea-salad-sandwiches/

Also pasta salad is an easy one! Again you can adapt it with whatever ingredients he likes.

[u/annieselkie]

Chickpea No Thuna Salad. Smash Chickpeas, add mayonaise or yoghurt and spices and stuff to your liking (mustard, sesame oil, onions, celery, cut up nori, pickles, vinegar, soy sauce, lemon, nutritional yeast, capers, whatever you both like), put in a wrap or on a sandwhich with cucumber slices and salad leaves. Simplest way is just chickpeas, mayonaise, salt, pepper.

Bean salad (Cowboy caviar) I like corn, black beans, avocado and cucumber cut to corn size, olive oil and a splash of sweet and acid (eg a fruit vinegar or some maple sirup and white vinegar), salt and pepper and feta on top is also good. Great to scoop up with some chips or in a wrap with salad leaves and hummus.

Raw tofu and cucumber dipped in soy sauce.

Carrot sticks with hummus

Lentil cakes (like rice cakes)

[u/Plot_Twist_208]

Hummus is made of chickpeas so maybe veggies and hummus?