Our tried and true beach day tips as a real food family for over a decade!
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Born for the beach!
Beach bums. Water babies. Call them what you want…my crew was born for the beach!
Their favorite playground!
Of course, it helps living minutes from the powdery sand beaches of Lake Michigan. Their little toes were in the sand from as early as the snow melted, and the beach quickly became my girls’ favorite playground.
But…the sand!
Yep. The sand. I know. My goodness is 3 tired out little ones ready for bed by 7pm worth the sand though! I’ve got all the tips and tricks here for making the picnic part of the beach trip less fussy, after years of carting this crew up and down the dunes of the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The approach
I’m breaking this post up into 2 sections. The first is packing gear because I have found that certain packing gear just works better on the sandy beach. And second, I’ll show you some food ideas that pack well, including examples of different ways to pack food for a beach day.
Our favorite coolers for the beach
- Our Short Beach Trip Backpack Cooler. I would say this cooler gets the most use for a beach day when it is just the kids and I packing one meal, such as lunch. When it isn’t going to be a full day of food, the smaller, compact backpack cooler works, and it is super easy to carry.
- Our Favorite Ice Packs for the Smaller Cooler These super thin ice packs stay frozen surprisingly long! I use them for the backpack cooler, as well as everyday lunchbox bags for school and travel.
- Our Long Beach Day Cooler. When we are packing for both parents and kids, and for a full day of meals, this larger cooler does the trick. It rolls on the sand so good, and keeps food cold for well over a day!
- Our Favorite Ice Packs for the Big Cooler. These ice packs stay cold for well over a day, so they are perfect for a hot beach day!
Our favorite lunchboxes that travel well in a cooler for car trips
- For the littles! This is the best little travel bento box for your little ones from older babies and toddlers through 5 or 6. The lid stays attached so things don’t go missing or drop in the sand, and all of the food is in one layer, easy to pick out and eat. Leakproof, lightweight, and easy to wash by hand or dishwasher! THIS is another very thin little meal box for little ones that packs really well with a slim, lightweight profile. The lid does come off, so keep that in mind, but we used these for the beach so often when the girls were young because they line up so nicely in a cooler!
- For older kids! We love using the lighter weight non-toxic plastic versus the heavier stainless steel they use for school all year. I had such a hard time getting sand out of stainless steel hinges, that I invested in these instead! There are 2 options we have loved and used here. This box holds 1.48L, and this box holds 1.25L. They slide or stack into the coolers easy, wash up super great by hand or dishwasher, and pack the perfect amount of food for your elementary aged kiddos.
- For teens and adults! There are 2 versions in this size as well. This box holds 1.76L, and this box holds 1.65L. Both slide or stack into coolers well, and wash up in the dishwasher or by hand. It really just depends on what set up you like when picking which style!
- Specialty containers we love.
- Salad Specific Lunch Cubes! When my teens started stealing my travel salad containers, I ended up getting more just for them! I use it all summer long, as well as while chaperoning field trips, and for sports travel.
- Yogurt & Granola Combined Containers. These little containers are great for your yogurt loving kiddos!
- Snack & Dip Container. Perfect for snacky dippers like veggies and Ranch, apples and peanut butter, or crackers and hummus!
- Favorite Divided Snack Containers. These little containers will not only be helpful for the beach, but just might be the snack box you reach for all school year long for those little morning snacks the kids have to pack for the classroom snack time! We like both THIS style, and THIS style depending on what we are packing.
Lunch & Dinner Idea :: PACKING FOOD FAMILY STYLE!
If everyone is eating the same exact thing, I’m packing family style to save on the fuss! I just pack each component in storage containers – literally nothing fancy! Pack a stack of paper plates, and everyone can make a plate. I would say I do this more now that my kids are teenagers, than I did when they were little, but if the beach had a picnic table, I loved packing this way. Less lunchboxes and easy!
- Pasta Salads or salads
- Grilled chicken or burgers
- Allll the summer fruit!
- Bags of chips
- Veggie sticks and dip
Lunch & Dinner Idea – PACKING INDIVIDUALLY
The second option to pack for lunch and/or dinner is to pack individually. Sometimes it just works better for everyone to “choose their own adventure!” Especially when you have little ones who might want a more bento box style lunch than mom, using the lightweight lunchboxes that pack in coolers well (listed above), is the perfect solution. Below you will see some packed travel boxes for the kids when they were younger, as well as a mom box on the bottom right. Just think easy to eat, less mess! In fact, try making some bulk shredded chicken and check out these ideas for using it in lunchboxes here! Don’t overcomplicate – it can be whatever they like bringing to school in a lunchbox too. There’s lots of great packable lunchbox ideas in my cookbook, The Little Lunchbox Cookbook!
