On-the-go Snack and Dinner Ideas

The season of busy just keeps getting busier. I have a 4-year-old and 6-year-old and I know this is just the beginning. Balancing car line pick-up, late nights at work, ZOOM meetings to meet the teachers, and the list goes on. I know many of you are also balancing multiple sports and activity schedules. Well, this week, I am here to give you easy and on-the-go snacks and dinners. These ideas will keep you out of the drive-thru! 

First, no matter what age your child is, you must have snacks. All. The. Snacks. 

Snacks

I do think you should keep a stash of prepackaged snacks in your car. I keep a snack bag stocked that I take in and out of the car or my bag for on-the-go. I talk about my snack bag in THIS post. 

For this post, I am going to talk about snack boxes that you can make ahead of time and pull out of the fridge, pack in a cooler and go. 

I love these 4-compartment boxes to pack ahead of time and grab out of the fridge when they are needed. To pack, I try to choose a protein, a fruit and a vegetable. The 4th thing is usually something crunchy or something sweet. You can also use these containers to make your own lunch-able! Here are some ideas:

Proteins

• salami
• cheese
• pepperoni
• deli meat
• nuts
• beef stick
• beef jerky

Fruit

• grapes
• strawberries
• raspberries
• blueberries
• sliced apples
• watermelon
• pineapple
• oranges

Vegetable

• cucumbers
• carrots
• cauliflower
• broccoli
• snap peas
• cherry tomatoes
• celery

4th Option

• bagel
• popcorn
• chex mix
• trail mix
• jelly beans
• yogurt raisins
• pretzels
• peanut butter filled pretzels
• crackers
• chocolate covered pretzels
• dry cereal
• dried fruit
• goldfish
• graham crackers
• cheeze-its
• animal crackers

Now that we have packing snacks down, let’s move on to dinner. If I can keep us out of the drive-thru, no matter what the dinner is, I call it a win. We also have to change our expectations of dinner. Since when did dinner have to be a four-course meal that you spend hours in the kitchen cooking? Spoiler alert! IT DOESN’T!!! Moms, dads, whoever is reading this, LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS!!! Some nights we have oatmeal for dinner. Seriously. And I do not see that as a failure in anyway and you shouldn’t either. 

The dinners I am going to share with you can be made ahead of time, packed up and taken on the road OR they are quick weeknight meals to save you time at home if you have a small window of time before running back out the door. 

Dinners

• Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches — Cook frozen meatballs ahead of time and this makes for an easy meal. My son LOVES meatball subs. We have it on the menu this week!
• Crescent Pizza Roll-ups — These are a quick grab-and-go option. Bake them ahead of time, place them in a Tupperware container and head to the ball field!
• Corn Dog Nuggets — Just like the crescent roll pizzas, these can be made ahead of time and packed up to eat on the go. Quick & easy is the name of the game. These will appeal to all ages, too!
• Sandwiches are a great option! Don’t forget about a good PB&J, chicken salad or pimento cheese sandwich. I’ve also rounded up a few more that you might want to try!
  • Italian Sub Sandwich
  • Easy Hot Ham Sandwich
  • Breakfast-for-dinner Sandwich
  • Garden-style Club Sandwich
• Salads! Don’t forget about salads too. I love a good bagged salad. Zero prep involved. Dump it in a bowl, stir and eat. If you are one to prep, mason jar salads are a great option. Prep a few at the beginning of the week and pack in your cooler to eat on-the-go. Just make sure you bring a bowl to dump it in! I’ve rounded up a few mason jar salad recipes for you to try!
  • Mason Jar Taco Salad
  • Spinach and Bacon Mason Jar Salads
  • Mason Jar Salads 3 ways
• Pinwheels are another great grab-and-go option. I like a pinwheel as an alternative to a sandwich, too. My most shared recipe has been my pinwheel recipe!
  • Roasted Red Pepper Pinwheels
  • Italian Pepperoni Roll-ups
  • Mexican Tortilla Roll-ups
  • Salsa Roll-ups

For sides, have a fruit, veggies and dip, applesauce or yogurt and some chips. 

So, if you have only learned one thing this week, I hope you have learned to be easy on yourself. Planning dinner can sometimes be the WORST, but it doesn’t have to be! 

Enjoy your week & give yourself grace,

Angie

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