Cold Vegetables

[One_Girl]

I am looking for ideas for cold vegetables for dd's lunch. She has to pack cold lunch everyday and the vegetable part is difficult. She absolutely hates celery, broccilli, and peas in a pod as a cold item so putting them in is a waste. None of the items in her lunch box can require being warmed up and I am tired of sending her carrots and cucumbers. Are there other vegetables that can be eaten cold.

[LoMaH]

what about salads?
Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, olives, avocado, grated carrots, topped with grated cheese, croutons, dressings, etc..

[ollyoxenfree]

Red, orange and yellow bell peppers (favourites here)
Cauliflower florets
Radishes
Tomato (grape or cherry)

Is she tired of carrots and cucumbers? If not, I wouldn't worry about it. There are lots of other things to put your energy into. I understand you want her to eat a variety, but lunch is just one meal of the day. And there's always fruit too.

[eepster]

I want to second the vote for bell peppers (though technically a fruit ,) and add a vote for string beans. I always loved raw string beans as a kid (I hated them cooked till as an adult, I discovered that boiling them till mushy wasn't the only cooking option.)

Almost any vegetable can be eaten cold. As a child I prefered most of my vegetables in raw form (boiling till mushy was the main cooking method my parents believed in.) There are only a few that really have to be cooked (rhubarb comes to mind,) but even if you cook it, you can still send it cold. For example, though one would never eat uncooked rhubarb, one eats it cold in pies all the time. The main thing to keep in mind when serving veggies raw is to wash them very well, b/c germs won't be killed during the cooking process.

[CarrieMF]

There are only a few that really have to be cooked (rhubarb comes to mind,) but even if you cook it, you can still send it cold. For example, though one would never eat uncooked rhubarb, one eats it cold in pies all the time

We ate raw rhubarb all the time.

Something like a beet would need to either be cut up or shredded & then it's still quite crunchy but no more crunchy than a carrot.

What about squashes?

Spinach instead of lettuce. you could send in coleslaw.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by eepster

I want to second the vote for bell peppers (though technically a fruit ,)

LOL, I was going to add a comment about vegetables vs. fruits, since I suggested tomatoes too.

I recall eating rhubarb raw, dipped in sugar. And green onions, dipped in salt. I didn't think either suggestion would find favour though, so I didn't mention them. I haven't tried either in years. In some ways, I've become wimpier as I age.

You make a good point about eating veggies cold, whether raw or cooked. We like roasting vegetables (bell peppers, zucchini, mushroom, onion) and making panini sandwiches with them, with cheese, and with or without sliced meat.

My kids also eat leftover pasta for lunch, often with vegetables - basically a pasta salad.

[Zoesmama]

My dd loves the red, yellow and orange bell peppers. She'll eat the green but prefers the others when they are raw. But then I have a weird one that can't get enough broccoli. She adores her broccoli raw, cooked doesn't matter she just loves it.

I also 2nd the grape cherry tomatoes(though technically fruit as well). Greenbeans are option even if cooked they are okay when they cool. DD loves them when I cook them in Italian dressing or olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle parmesan on them. She loves them hot or leftover and still cold.

I also don't get too concerned with always having veggies every lunch. I know she eats balanced at home so I'm okay with her having only fruit with her pb and honey(her recent fav).

[lauren]

My kids love these juicy pea pods that Hannaford sells. They are not snow peas but they're not as tough as regular pea pods. They are sweet and delicious. I will try to find out what they are called.

[One_Girl]

These are all good ideas. Keep them coming. I hadn't thought about the peppers at all because they are a vegetable I don't enjoy, she may though. She loves tomatoes when I get them, green beans hot so she may like them cold, and beets from a jar (maybe she will eat them fresh). What tastes better shredded, a big beat or a little beat? She does like cabbage also, just not with anything resembling mayonnaise in it so I will have to try the coleslaw blend without adding the stuff that makes it actual coleslaw. I almost bought jicama today, but they only had the gigantic ones and we don't go through it quickly.

I do worry about the vegetables because we don't eat them in the morning and I want her to have two servings a day at least so that leaves lunch and dinner. She is happy with the carrots and not with the cucumber and I really want to offer more than carrots during the week, though she doesn't seem to care one way or another.

[eepster]

A question for all the raw rhubarb eaters....

Doesn't it give you a belly ache? Kind of similar to the one you get if you eat too many pickles?

[GuildJenn]

We do lots of raw veggies at home because I'm lazy.

Raw zucchini, mushrooms, edaname (technically probably a legume) are some.

You could also do something like a guacamole with crackers, or carrot sandwich spread (http://www.carrotrecipes.net/carrot-...ch-spread.html), cold mini pizzas with vegetables on them, muffins or biscuits with vegetables baked into them, mini quiche with veggies cold - all those kinds of things, if the serving is what you care about and not so much that it's a side dish.

ETA: I also grate zucchini into tuna salad.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by eepster

A question for all the raw rhubarb eaters....

Doesn't it give you a belly ache? Kind of similar to the one you get if you eat too many pickles?

LOL, I don't recall eating enough to get an upset stomach. It's SOUR and I think I would just suck the sugar off the end of the stalk and chew on the rhubarb a little. I'm sure I didn't eat a lot, although I think my parents did. I have this vague sensation of my teeth hurting. I'm not sure if it's some memory of the rhubarb or the sugar.

I still love stewed rhubarb, rhubarb pie, rhubarb crumbles....

[CarrieMF]

Doesn't it give you a belly ache? Kind of similar to the one you get if you eat too many pickles?

no. What would be considered eating too many pickles???

[lynsage]

Originally Posted by lauren

My kids love these juicy pea pods that Hannaford sells. They are not snow peas but they're not as tough as regular pea pods. They are sweet and delicious. I will try to find out what they are called.

Sugar snap peas! They are amazing raw and double amazing steamed!

[eepster]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF

no. What would be considered eating too many pickles???

3 whole pickles will give me a belly ache. Trust me I know, I love pickles . I now never eat more than 1 in a 24 hour period.

Just a couple of bites of raw rhubarb did the same thing to me once.

[CarrieMF]

hmm, both pickles & rhubarb are more acidic, perhaps that's why. I can eat alot of pickles(the more sour & garlicy the better).

[lauren]

Originally Posted by lynsage

Sugar snap peas! They are amazing raw and double amazing steamed!

Thanks!! I love these. They are a little expensive.

[Diane B]

Originally Posted by One_Girl

I am looking for ideas for cold vegetables for dd's lunch. She has to pack cold lunch everyday and the vegetable part is difficult. She absolutely hates celery, broccilli, and peas in a pod as a cold item so putting them in is a waste. None of the items in her lunch box can require being warmed up and I am tired of sending her carrots and cucumbers. Are there other vegetables that can be eaten cold.

As long as the lunch isn't kept in a fridge, you could put hot food in a thermos and it would be a good eating temp at lunchtime. My daughter's not super fond of cold/raw food so the thermos works great. For example, I pack vegetable soup a lot in the winter.