Need non-messy, portable dinners

[taximomfor4]

My kids have dance on Wednesday evenings...pretty far away. We are gone from right before dinner to well after dinner. We have been running through a drivethru for fried junk, to eat in the van on the way, but this has GOT to stop. So I need ideas on budget-friendly foods I can prepare before we leave, that the kids can eat in the van without making a huge mess. I know, sandwiches. But lunch meats are not so healthy either. Ideas? What do others eat on the fly, on activity night?

Beth

 

[Hedy]

How about healthier options at the fast food places? Grilled chicken, salads? Peanut butter (or alternative) and jelly.

 

[TurboKitty]

Bake or grill skinless chicken or turkey breasts and use those for your lunchmeat, or even just cut into strips for snacking on. Bagels with cream cheese are good, even better with a bit of broiled salmon.

My kids adore cheese, so fruit and two or three kinds of cheese they like is a perfect "car meal". Crackers are good with it too.

I bought little Ziploc containers for ranch dressing so my kids can dip raw veggies. I don't know how your kids are about dipping things, but this could also work.

 

[taximomfor4]

thanks for the ideas so far! I am heading out to the grocery store in a little while, for today's concoction -- I think the grilled chicken cut into strips is a great idea -- nothing messy or sticky about it. Maybe cut up a couple of apples. Bottled water (can't stain anything). Cheese cubes -- wonderful idea. I thought about making wraps of some sort, but those are tougher for small hands to keep rolled. I HATE letting the kids eat in the van, since I have no time to clean it out. But today, I won't be home so DH has to take the youngest ones with him for the older 2's dance class. FOUR kids eating in the van. Ugghh!

Beth

 

[noodleknitter]

We make chicken wraps for guitar lesson day. Tortillas, chicken strips, a bit of lettuce (leaf not shredded!), cheese, mayo and cilantro. We also take a piece of fruit, and some sesame sticks/or peanut butter balls. We enjoy it, and it is not bad for us!

 

[Imzadi]

Stuffed pita pockets. You can stuff them with anything, not just lunch meats.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

Is there a chance to feed them at home before going to dance?? I do that with my oldest on one of her dance nights. She has class from 5:30 to 7:30, so I generally feed her at 4:30 on that day, then give her a snack she can munch on between classes.

On another night, she has class from 4-5, the 6 to 7:30 while her sister is in class from 4-6. So I usually bring in a microwaveable meal for her to eat between classes. I have to be vigilant about my daughter's eating because she takes her anti-seizure meds with every meal, and we cannot afford to skip a dose of that.

Another one of the dance moms usually has a pizza on her daughter's long night (class from 4 to 7:30), and whenever the girls get a water break or between classes, the daughter grabs a couple of bites of pizza.

If you are truly stuck with eating in the car (something I too try to minimize), you have gotten some great suggestions. Portable and relatively low mess.

 

[mamacatnv]

How about tuna or shredded chicken in a hot dog bun - easy to hold.

Hamburgers premade - just nuke right before you walk out the door.
During baseball season when we spend more time in the car and on the field I will grill up a batch of burgers and dogs at the beginning of the week, then add the meat to a bun and nuke. Add veggies and fruit for a "decent" meal, not great but better & cheaper than fast food..

French toast sticks - buy the really thick bread and make ahead of time, slice into strips and serve in a divided dish with applesauce for dipping instead of jam.

 

[kellyg403]

Stuffed pita pockets. You can stuff them with anything, not just lunch meats.

Yes...Pita's are the greatest invention. We live on these things during the winter as well as stuffed tortillas. I bought my first NEW SUV in over 20 years this year and I swore I would never let the kids eat in it. But, Football and Marching Band season came around and that went out the window quick. We, too, ate a few too many drive thru meals before my son practically cried one day. He couldn't handle another chicken mcnugget. And he is 13.

Good Luck!

Kelly

 

[BeachBabi0]

Well, all the kids except the oldest (dd 13) are perfectly satisfied with the dinner I packed today -- turkey sandwiches, a sliced up pear, and string cheese. Also, bottles of water. When they get home they'll have cookies and milk.

They have to eat in the van, because dd13 gets home at 4 pm. We live a good 45 minutes away, and dance starts at 5, and ends at 7 (dd's are in separate classes). There isn't a microwave there. I bought chicken breast nuggets for next week. They are frozen, and if I cook them ahead just early enough to get them packed up, they'll work too. Gonna get pitas another week.

It won't usually be quite so bad -- usually the youngest 2 stay home...but I have a nursing school assignment I have to attend tonight.

Thanks, everyone! We really want to turn around our terrible eating habits EVEN on super-busy days.

PS: OOPS! Just realized I posted as dd13...this is the OP, taximomfor4. Hehe.