No prep, shelf-stable snacks/sides for packed lunches

[shelivesthedream]

I take my kids (5, 3, 2) to a few groups that we need to bring a packed lunch to and I am CONSTANTLY caught short by the need to bring stuff to go along with the sandwiches. I live in the UK so am looking for generic suggestions rather than "buy this exact branded product from this specific shop". I would like idea with no salt and no actual sugar (so, dried fruit fine, biscuits not). I can't eat onion, garlic or dairy and I dislike bringing something I can't partake in.

Ideally I am looking for packets I can just keep in the pantry and chuck in a bag. We do try to bring apples, bananas, satsumas, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, etc, but sometimes I just don't have anything to hand and I also think the kids just need more side calories than that.

Ideas I have come up with so far:
Dried apple slices
Raisins
Unsalted nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews)(for big 'uns only)
Snack bars (we buy the Aldi maple syrup and oat ones for emergency rations - I am quite limited in what I can buy in terms of snack bars due to no dairy)
Olives (drain jar, chuck into rucksack, enjoy!)

...help?!

[Dutch Comfort]

Do you like to bake? I make batches of oatmeal banana-bread type muffins (with nuts/raisins/apricots..... whatever I have on hand), which I freeze and put in backpacks of the kids frozen. They defrost in 1-2 hours, so ready to eat once it's snack time!

[Dutch Comfort]

Oh, and shelf-stable: my kids love rice-crackers! They come in various varieties. There might be some salt in these, but not too much.....

[seattlecyclone]

You've listed several of the things we tend to pack in our kids' lunches. The no dairy/salt/sugar restriction eliminates much of the rest, sorry. We do a fair amount of cheese, crackers, and pickles. I guess if olives aren't too salty, pickles might not be either?

[ChickenStash]

Trail mix comes to mind. It might be hard to find one on the shelf that meets the restrictions, but it's easy enough to DIY so the shelf products would be good inspiration for things to mix. Plenty of ways to combine nuts, seeds, and dried fruits to make a tasty snack.

Meat jerky of some kind also works. They are usually pretty salty but there are low sodium versions available. It's also fairly easy to DIY in bulk and there are plenty of recipes out on the interwebs to get started and give control over the ingredients to better meet (meat?) the req's.

[Cranky]

Popcorn? You don’t have to put salt on it, though I don’t know if you can buy it that way in packets.

[Dreamer40]

If you search online for “hiking snacks” you may get some ideas that fit what you’re looking for.

[Blue Skies]

We have individual cups of applesauce (the no sugar added variety) and single serve bags of Skinny Pop popcorn for quick snacks.

[mspym]

Other than the nuts, these have all been pretty low-protein choices. I know it's not shelf-stable but if you had a container of boiled eggs in the fridge, then that could be another quick grab option. Otherwise, the single-serve fruit cups are popular with my niblings and we are pro-GORP snackers.

[jeninco]

Seconding the muffins in the freezer suggestion. There are a zillion different types to make, it's easy (at least in the US) to purchase containers the size of one muffin, and they'll defrost in an hour or two.  You can play around with recipes to find one that doesn't contain too much sugar and salt, and dairy-free options abound. When you find a recipe you like, invest in a decent set of muffin tins (you want ones that will release the muffins without fighting you) and make several dozen at a time, then freeze in freezer bags. That makes it easy to grab one or two at a time.

Signed, someone who made muffins for kid snacks for 20+ years straight. (We particularly liked pumpkin-chocolate-chip)

[mspym]

Seconding the muffins in the freezer suggestion. There are a zillion different types to make, it's easy (at least in the US) to purchase containers the size of one muffin, and they'll defrost in an hour or two.  You can play around with recipes to find one that doesn't contain too much sugar and salt, and dairy-free options abound. When you find a recipe you like, invest in a decent set of muffin tins (you want ones that will release the muffins without fighting you) and make several dozen at a time, then freeze in freezer bags. That makes it easy to grab one or two at a time.

Signed, someone who made muffins for kid snacks for 20+ years straight. (We particularly liked pumpkin-chocolate-chip)

Freezer muffins were an integral part of my work-lunchboxes for 10 years.

[InterfaceLeader]

Possibly oat milk yogurt? It's possible to make this at home, though I haven't tried anything other than dairy based. I have small plastic leak-proof tubs that I divvy it up into for my lunchboxes. I also mix in favourite toppings (jam, fruit, seeds)

[mspym]

Ooo back to the shelf-stable factor - do you have little individual soy-milk boxes, a la juice boxes? I used to like the chocolate flavoured ones and I don't think they were very sweet but my memory may be faded.

[yodella]

Unsweetened applesauce cups

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Trail mix (they make plenty with dried fruit & nuts, no "candy" or anything)
-Zbars (or, something similar). Think mini protein bar, geared more for kids nutrition. Better, we make our own protein balls, and keep them in the freezer. Take out a few in advance of an outing, and they'll be defrosted & ready to go by the time folks want a snack
-Beef jerky/jerky sticks (probably exceeds the salt ratio you're looking for, though)

[reeshau]

Unsweetened applesauce cups

I don't know about the UK, but applesauce cups of any kind were amazingly unavailable in Ireland.  Applesauce was found in small, individual glass jars, usually in the kosher section, and viewed as a garnish for meats for holiday meals.  Most grocery chains only carried them as a seasonal item.  (SuperValu had it regularly; we were surprised when we first found it, because we had searched in vain) The idea of Applesauce as a snack in plastic multi-packs or pouches, or in large jars for general use did not exist.

[Freedomin5]

Individually packaged single-serve seaweed snacks, fruit leather, dried fruit, homemade granola bars.

[reeshau]

I will say, one of DS's favorite snacks, a protein bar, is stocked in the baby aisle.  He's liked it ever since he was a toddler, and it is a decent size which still fills him up and is fairly nutritious.  You asked for no names, but here's a suggestion to check out that section foe things that might work.

[Treedream]

hmm, the restrictions make this quite tough. Some ideas from a vegan struggling to find healthy snacks:

Dried fruits: Mango, apple, apricot, dates,
Trail mix: chuck in small containers, or sometimes available in portion sized packages (my Dutch Lidl sometimes has portioned bags)
Nuts: see trail mix
Naked Bars, or other cereal bars
Dark chocolate
Alpro Soy chocolate or vanilla yoghurt desserts from the cupboard isle (not from the yoghurt fridge isle). Will keep a long time.
Unsalted crisps
Apple slices with peanut butter
Small party gerkins in jars?

[gatortator]

You say uk, right?

The bbc show “eat well for less” and its associated cookbooks tackle this issue of quick, healthy snacks for kids a lot. These won’t be no prep, but they will be low prep.

In particular I am thinking of their energy bites recipe which contain oats, dates and walnuts. Blitz in a food processor, roll into balls and done.

Amazon uk preview pages used to show the recipe from one of their cookbooks. Or a local library may have it.

[AMandM]

Unsweetened breakfast cereal such as corn flakes, puffed wheat, rice crisps, oat rings (cheerios). If you have Chex in the UK they are a tidier shape than flakes of the same grain.

[NorthernIkigai]

Avocados! When my younger one was little, he basically had some avocado for lunch and some banana for dessert. No prep at all, really filling and healthy, and all you need to pack is a sharp knife as well as a tea spoon and bowl per kid.

(Nuts are great, we eat them all the time as parts of various meals. But I'd avoid bringing them indoors where there are other kids, since nut allergies can be so severe.)

[NV Teacher]

Pick up some small reusable containers, fill them with shelf stable foods, and you always have something to grab and go.  Reusable containers will eliminate a lot of packaging waste.

[MayDay]

How interesting that applesauce is not available in the UK.  What about other fruit cups/fruit pouches?  We lean heavily on fruit canned in juice and applesauce cups and pouches for my kids (teens).  Easy to keep on hand, healthy-ish, kids love it.  Alternatively I suppose you could make your own and freeze in containers, bring with and it will thaw. 

How about a jar of nut butter and a box of crackers or rice cakes?  I love the wasa crackers which are basically just wheat. Google says Tesco carries this sort of cracker. 

Popcorn is a huge hit with my kids.  Depending on how ready to go you want it, you can either buy it popped, buy microwave popcorn and pop it on the way out (we have kids that just have olive oil and salt in the US) or pop it yourself. 

We have pouches of grains here that you are supposed to microwave for 90 seconds.  I assume you could eat them cold, or microwave before leaving and eat lukewarm.  They are quite tasty IMO.  Could eat with a spoon right out of the pouch. 

[reeshau]

  I love the wasa crackers which are basically just wheat. Google says Tesco carries this sort of cracker. 

DS loves Wasa crackers.  He still gets some when we hit the local British store for seasonings and treats.