Packing a Travel Lunch: Menu Suggestions for Non-Refrigerated Items?

[Weather_Lady]

Hey, all! On our way down to WDW, we'll be flying out at 6:00am, grabbing breakfast at JFK during a layover, and arriving in Orlando right at noon and taking Magical Express to Port Orleans Riverside. We'd rather not potentially miss a bus by stopping to grab lunch at the airport, nor do we want to arrive at Port Orleans with two famished children, so the plan is to bring packed lunches with us - which will travel with us for 6 hours before being consumed - to eat on the Magical Express bus.

We need ideas that are TSA-friendly (no liquids/gels over 3 oz.), peanut-free (we are not allergic but want to be safe in case someone on the bus is), don't require refrigeration, won't be super-messy, can be eaten on the go (preferably without utensils), and won't be overly heavy or bulky for our carry-on luggage.

So far, the best we could come up with was DIY "lunchables," comprised of crackers, cured meat, Babybel cheese, frozen grapes (which will also help keep the meat/cheese cool), baby carrots and hummus, granola mix, and bottled water (which we can purchase at JFK during the layover).

Do you have any other good ideas? I was initially hoping to bring sandwiches of some kind, but once you subtract meats and peanut butter, it's hard to come up with a good sandwich combination! If there was something that ordinarily requires refrigeration but could be frozen and kept in an insulated lunch bag, we could do that, too.

 

[LuLaSue]

Nutella Sandwiches! Yum!
I would typically say Nutella and soy nut butter but, I don't know if your family likes it.

You said you were packing hummus how about some raw red peppers, you can either dip or put it all on some crusty Italian Bread.

How about cream cheese and jelly. In an insulated bag that should hold up pretty well.

Apples and oranges can certainly go without being cold. I would not do bananas, they get brown so quickly when kepted in the bag

Dried fruit?

 

[UberPlannerMom]

Yeah, taking peanut butter out makes that a nearly impossible task. Does your family eat tuna? They have those little tuna pouches, though the people on the bus might prefer you cause a peanut butter allergy! I think that I would probably just go ahead and pack things that do require refrigeration in an insulated bag without an ice pack. They should be fine long enough to be eaten on the plane. Then finish the meal with crackers or chips or cookies or granola, whatever, once you are on the bus. Just do a little noshing as you go. Does that mean you will need to eat a meal earlier in your time at MK? Yeah, but eating time is eating time.

 

[LuLaSue]

Yeah, taking peanut butter out makes that a nearly impossible task. Does your family eat tuna? They have those little tuna pouches, though the people on the bus might prefer you cause a peanut butter allergy! I think that I would probably just go ahead and pack things that do require refrigeration in an insulated bag without an ice pack. They should be fine long enough to be eaten on the plane. Then finish the meal with crackers or chips or cookies or granola, whatever, once you are on the bus. Just do a little noshing as you go. Does that mean you will need to eat a meal earlier in your time at MK? Yeah, but eating time is eating time.

Tuna is kind of stinky :ROFLOL: BUT...they do have the chicken in the pouch. That may be a less malodorous option.:shrug:

 

[murphysmom]

They don't allow eating on the Magical Express bus. You will have to eat before boarding. So you may as well just stop at Burger King in the airport, instead of lugging food with you. Or you could just eat it on the plane before you land.

 

[Spirit of 76]

I might suggest a jar of pickeled pigs feet/knuckles. They're meaty, filling and very well preserved. Perfect for traveling!:lol:

 

[tink65]

I think I would do heavy snacks and not think about a "real" meal. Things like cheese crackers, apples, granola bars, etc. These kind of things don't require any special care at all. While maybe not ideal it will solve the problem of not arriving completely famished!

 

[dave&di]

I might suggest a jar of pickeled pigs feet/knuckles. They're meaty, filling and very well preserved. Perfect for traveling!:lol:

:hurl::hurl::hurl::hurl:

 

[Hakunamatata]

You would not miss the bus by stopping to grab lunch. They que you up when you arrive. It's your return trip is scheduled.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

I don't know about eating on the Magical Express bus... but I think the best idea would be to either eat on the plane or when you land in Orlando. Though it really isn't a huge time difference from eating on the bus, and eating when you get to the resort. If it were me, I'd bring a granola bar or goldfish for a snack and just eat when I get to the resort.

 

[Weather_Lady]

They don't allow eating on the Magical Express bus. You will have to eat before boarding. So you may as well just stop at Burger King in the airport, instead of lugging food with you. Or you could just eat it on the plane before you land.

That is good to know, thank you! We'll plan on chowing down during the flight, then.

 

[pixiesteno]

Cheddar cheese does not need refrigeration, you can get quite a few hours out of those little cheese wedges or the babybells, some carrot sticks, ask on the plane for juices(apple, tomato, v8) some fresh fruit, homemade oatmeal cookies with dried fruit in them, flat bread, regular bread pre-buttered. There are so many options that you can put together a nice meal that is not necessarily a sandwich. I have to get creative due to a blood sugar issue on carrying snacks to the parks without a cool pack. Swiss cheese holds up well too.

 

[jlevis]

Eat on the plane before you land. You can get carry out at the airport after you clear TSA.

 

[radev104]

I would suggest that you just buy something after you pass through security then eat it about an hour before landing in Orlando. You can always pack some snacks in your carry ons for when you get to PORS. I took breakfast bars, go packs of cookies, a bag of animal crackers and a bag of chex mix when I went to Germany.