In my neighborhood, there have been few young children for my three year old daughter to play with until recently. We have a nice size yard and pool. I would like to spontaneously invite my neighbors over with their kids to use the pool. If I invite them over, I want to provide snacks at the very least if not lunch. If I am feeding my daughter lunch, how can I not offer my neighbor's kids? So what are some ideas to have on hand when you spontaneously (that day for e.g.) invite your neighbor and her kids over to use the pool?
I never seem to have enough food to offer when I don't plan to have people over. Then I would end up ordering pizza which can add up. My daughter is a picky eater when it comes to food and since she has not been in daycare this summer, all she really eats is either chicken nuggets, pizza or peanut butter on crackers or maybe fruit for lunch.
Thanks for the ideas!
Thank you everyone for your super ideas on what to feed neighbors on spontaneous play dates. I guess I like to please everyone and never like being unprepared with guests over. The funny thing is I have a planned play date this week with friends who are not neighbors and their kids. The kids are older (ages 7 & 10) and I just found out one of the ten year olds doesn't eat pizza! I was planning on ordering pizza thinking it was just easy with all kids. Guess you can't please everyone! Thanks again! A.
Well if you are ordering pizza then keep some extra frozen pizzas on hand.
I used to make grilled cheese a lot.
Well, keep your daughters favorites on hand, since she's pretty limited. Offer that.
Grilled cheese, veggies and dip, pita pocket Sammie's are also all good.
Our house is Kid Central and almost every day I've got O. or more extras for lunch AND dinner....basically, they eat what we're eating.
Cut up fruit, cheese, and a couple of kinds of sandwiches, cut up into little squares, crackers, and those yogurt tubes, and those popsicle tubes (otter pops)?
If there is a pool and other kids to play with, most toddlers wont want to sit down long to eat, but will come back and graze. You don't have to worry about something getting cold.
If kids start coming over regularly, there parents will offer to bring something. Also - the parents of picky eaters I know often bring food for them.
Have fun! I wish you were my neighbor! :) I love spontaneous play dates!
keep it simple and reasonably healthy. fruit is great! carrot sticks, broccoli and cauliflower nuggets with dip. peanut butter crackers is a good one. rather than take-out pizza, why not just keep some frozen cheese pizza on hand? you can always top it with extra fresh tomatoes or pineapple to give it a healthy boost. string cheese. yogurt. granola bars.
:) khairete
S.
I don't have a pool...can I still answer?
Lunch meats/sandwhich stuff, chips and juice boxes are always handy for an on the spot buffet.
Also, those are great times to pull out unused birthday paper plates and napkins and clear some space on your shelves!
My six kids would draw at least two kids each to my home. I always made certain to have some really easy things on hand and my food choices seemed to be healthy because it was always easy to get the kids to eat healthier in a group than individually. With than in mind I would always have a variety of summer fruits on hand, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes.
I'd shy away from peanut butter because of the kids that may have alergies.
Crackers, cheese, egg salad, tuna salad, tossed salad. lemon wedges, lime wedges to add to juice drinks or water, pasta salads with tri-colored pastas are easy to make and delicious.
We learned how to turn simple bagels into butterflies at vacation Bible school. That was fun for the kids to eat. Perhaps your daughter's eating could be less picky with other kids to encourage her and she encouraging them.
It doesn't have to cost a fortune either. Think outside the box and pick up things that are in season and on sale. I saw watermelons this weekend for $5.00 each and they were a decent size.
I believe you want last minute ideas for lunch. Like you wake up one morning and say, Lets invite the neighbors over for a swim! And you want to make sure you have stuff on hand to offer some lunch so you don't have to run out and buy anything, right?
If that is the case, these are some easy ideas you can have on hand all the time. One of our favorites is chili mac: make 2 boxes of mac and cheese, stir in 2 cans of chili, heat and eat! Everyone LOVES it! When I make it for dinner, I serve it with green beans and buscuits.
Also, keep english muffins in the freezer,frozen shredded cheese and jarred pizza sauce. You can make mini pizzas, the kids can make their own (with any other toppings you have) put in a toaster oven or on a cookie sheet and broil til heated. Keep some canned fruit cocktail and you are good to go.
Another easy favorite is tostadas. I buy the premade shells and leave in the pantry with a can or two of refried beans. Shredded cheese is already in the freezer and we always have salad so lettuce is always on hand. Add some salsa or leftover packets of hot sauce from taco bell and you are good to go!
All 3 of these the adults like too and its different than the usual pizza or hot dog party. Good luck and have fun! =)
My friend had a pool when mine were younger, All she asked is that everyone bring a packed lunch and a parent. It worked out great. No need to feed everyone!
Children eat better in groups as the other moms said.
I always have a ton of fruit in the fridge, so that would always be there.. Grapes, peaches, plums, cherries, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, Oranges, apples, blueberries.
I always had a ton of raw veggies, that I prepped when purchased.. Sliced cucumbers, carrots, celery sticks, jicama, cherry tomatoes, broccoli. Our daughter was not into Ranch dressing, but I kept a jar in the fridge for just in case visiting children. I made it with plain yogurt.. They never knew the difference.
Cheeses
Lunch meats
Eggs
Little smokies
I kept Lots of things in the freezer_
Cooked meatballs
Burger patties
grilled sausages and tortillas in the freezer so we could have sausage wraps.
Grilled hot dogs and buns frozen.
Grilled chicken legs frozen..
Grilled chicken breast and thighs for fajitas.
All of these could be thrown into the microwave to reheat really fast.
Each time we grill , I grill extras and place them in the freezer for just in case.
Things always in the pantry
Tortilla chips.
Freeze dried beans
Hot sauce
Crackers
Spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti
Rice (to make fried rice or Arroz - (Mexican rice)
Potatoes for baked potatoes
Pizza crust mix
Pancake mix
Brownie Mix
Cake mix
Honestly, most kids would be happy with chicken nuggets or peanut butter. I always have PBJ on hand and that's really all you need, unless there's a nut allergy! Hot dogs are good and easy, bagels, mac and cheese and of course fruit and veg. Honestly for lunch though, my kids don't eat a ton. They usually eat a sandwich, either PB or ham, and at least one fruit or veg and then sometimes crackers or something. It's not fancy and I don't think you need to offer more than that. Honestly, if I was playing at my neighbor's pool and they offered lunch I'd be more than happy with what they have since we're already playing!
I mean you could ask people to bring a lunch, but honestly I would just feed them and then hopefully you can have a play date over at their house sometime and they will feed you. That's how I do it.
But a bunch of hot dogs and put them in the freezer. TV dinners are good too. They don't always have to be yucky. They are also cheap cheap cheap. Keep as much as you can in the freezer and that way if you're cooking something for her there is plenty for everyone.
I keep on hand foods like burger patties turkey and beef, chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, ramen noodles (kids love the stuff), ravioli (home or canned), stuff to make homemade pizza, dips, tacos, enchiladas etc. I also keep stuff for salads good mixed lettuce, chicken, steak and dressings (moms if they like - I love em), and other easy to make foods. I do not worry too much about keeping it perfectly healthy, just balanced and general audience friendly. If I KNOW people are coming over then the menu may be different but most of those things are easy to keep in your freezer.
STRONG 2nd for 'packed lunch & parent' rule...
Otw... As a pool owner... As the kids get older you will be spending hundreds of dollars on feeding other people's kids all day long. From experience. Pool hosting is just different than regular hosting.
Not so much now but 5+ crowd? HUGE.
As for 'have on hand' chicken nuggets, tater tots, water.
Even that can get expensive.
You may want to ask the other kids to pack a lunch if you know they'll be over during a meal. I've had other moms ask this of me sometimes and I'm happy to do it since my dd is very picky too. I actually prefer to pack a lunch.
This will avoid the issue altogether.
You might provide them with snacks, watermelon or carrot sticks and maybe some type of beverage like flavored water or juice.
I would invite them over AFTER lunch and just provide some fruit for snacks.
Also, rather than worry about food, perhaps it would be a good idea to invest in some life vests of various sizes so you have those to offer. I would rather be offered a life vest for my LO so I could relax a BIT than be offered food.
