Meatless Lunch or Picnic Ideas

Here's something we do a lot, perfect with kids (even better if you let them help assemble). We take pita pockets (but you could do wraps also) and fill them with cream cheese (I use the chive and onion kind, but you could do plain for littler ones) or hummus, and add shredded carrots, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, black olives, and anything else that sounds good or we have on hand.

We are vegetarian, so I have lots of tofu ideas, but I'll save those! :-) Have fun!

I am planning a picnic at the park for my daughters birthday party in a few weeks. We'll have about 20 kids there, I think. I am bringing a selection of fresh fruit & wholegrain crackers, sliced cheeses, tortilla chips and homemade re-fried bean dip, cold bottled drinks (water and coconut water) and birthday cupcakes. I might throw in some juice boxes too.

If I had a larger budget I would probably also make a large pesto pasta salad or a large shredded veggie salad with cashews and pomegranate dressing.

Good luck!

The layered taco salad always gets eaten. I don't have a recipe but it would be easy to find and can be made with beans and not meat. My family likes a cold tortellini salad with italian dressing. We have used meat tortellini but I think you could probably use cheese ones instead. Tortillas and salsa is always a hit. For something more unusual, my mom's family likes cream cheese tiny sandwiches with sliced black olives. I would not eat it but they love it, lol! I also had a really good salad once that had honeydew, cilantro and cucumbers. Sounds weird, but tasted good.

Hi C.,

I like to go to www.vegetariantimes.com and to www.eatingwell.com for GREAT recipes. Here is a link to Eating Well...they are going meatless for the month of May...http://www.eatingwell.com/community/meatless_challenge?ut.... Enjoy.

May I ask why no tofu? Just in case, I am attaching a link to info about the safety and health benefits of soy. As you will find out, much of the negative info comes from a group that does not base it's recommendation in science. Soy/tofu is an excellent source of protein. Be sure that it is organic as soy tends to be a GMO food. Minimize processed soy, just as we need to minimize or eliminate all processed foods from the diet. I can share more if you'd like to discuss this further. Here's the link: http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/soycontrover....

Be well...D.

Vegetarian sushi
layered bean dip and chips
deviled eggs
falafels
potato salad
baguette sandwich: layer sliced eggs, cucumbers, lettuce tomato mayo and cut into individual servings.

How about veggie sandwiches? You can put lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickels, onions, olives etc.

There is also meatless calzones. You can just fill it with cheese and other toppings or whatever you want.

Black bean salad: black beans, three kinds of chopped peppers (we like red, yellow and orange), grilled corn. Toss with 2 parts lime juice, 1 part olive oil- salt and pepper to taste.

Curried quinoa and cranberry salad: cook quinoa per directions, toss with dried cranberries, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste and olive oil.

Pasta salad with lots of veggies & fresh mozzarella is my favorite "summer" picnic meal!

I make a box of the corkscrew pasta and add:
- Can of diced Italian tomatoes (juices drained)
- Can of sliced black olives
- Diced cucumber
- Can of drained chickpeas
- Diced red and yellow pepper
- Fresh "cubed" mozzarella
- Small container of store-bought pesto
**Stir in balsamic dressing just before serving! Because there is no "mayo" in it, you can leave it out in the open for a while. Yum!

I've also done grilled veggie pinwheels...
- Marinate eggplant, peppers, onions, squash and anything else that looks good in balsamic vinagrette dressing for several hours
- Grill the veggies and then let them cool
- Slice veggies into thin pieces
- Using wheat wraps, put a very thin layer of flavored cream cheese and layer on the veggies and thinly sliced provolone
- Roll, slice and serve!

lots of great recipes! I'm just responding so I have a reference for future use.
:)

Egg Salad
Potato Salad
Asian Slaw
Sesame Noodles w/Veggies
Fresh fruit is always a hit
Veggies w/dip
Bean dip
Tomato, Cucumber, Feta, (onions optional) w/greek dressing

I get alot of ideas from Food Network as well

You've gotten some great ideas so far. Personally, I love salads , so I'd throw one in for myself. For the kids-there's always good old fashioned PB&J.

You've received a lot of great ideas already. One of my favorite lunches is hummus with raw veggies and pretzels or crackers. You can even take hummus and spread it on top of a pita or flatbread, pile some lettuce, olives and tomatoes on top and then roll it up and slice it to make pinwheel wraps.

One of my other favorite veggie lunches is quinoa salad. How I make it varies a lot depending on my mood at the time but what I do is cook up the quinoa according to directions (much like couscous). When done, toss in some veggies like red onion, green pepper, grated carrots, watercress (cilantro or parsley also work well), celery, olives and some Italian dressing. Chill it up and you have a pretty tasty protein and veggie-packed lunch.

I also like making veggie sandwiches with roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts, lettuce or sprouts, tomato, cucumber and whatever strikes my fancy. You can always add hummus to it or some other kind of white bean spread to increase your protein intake.

Hope this helps. I am glad you are trying out some veggie options without resorting to fake meats. I think you will be happy with how good you and your family will feel once you start including some more grain and veggie based dishes into your diet.

Best of luck.

Today my kids took homemade bean and cheese burritos for lunch. I put some refried beans on a whole wheat tortilla and sprinkle on some cheese, pop in the microwave for 50 seconds to melt the cheese, then top with lettuce and a little sour cream, roll up and cut in half to fit in container easier. They are cold at lunch time (in lunch box with ice pack) and the kids love them! They also took a few pickles a bowl of watermelon. Sometimes they just take yogurt, fruit and granola or crackers. And we all love pb & j!!