As my son gets older, I find myself planning dinner on the go more often. With baseball practice, basketball practice, and other evening activities throughout the year, sometimes my family can’t sit together around a table at dinnertime. Even though we can’t always be together for dinner in our own kitchen, I still like to know that we’re all eating nutritious food.

I’ve come up with several meals that can be easily eaten in the car, at a sports field, or at an office desk. The key is to prepare food ahead of time that can be served in individual containers and that doesn’t tend to get messy. Pack some fruits and vegetables along with any of the following dishes and you’ll be happy you avoided the take-out window.

Salad in a Jar

I found this recipe at Newlyweds Blog. I’ve included the link to the full and original recipe. I tweak the ingredients for my personal taste. Also, whatever veggies I happen to have on hand will determine the ingredients. http://www.newlyweds-blog.com/2011/11/08/salad-in-a-jar/

Salad:

1 cup cubed chicken
2 big handfuls mixed greens
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
4 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Layer the ingredients in the jar as follows:

Balsamic Vinaigrette
onion
peppers
mushrooms
tomatoes
chicken

 
salad greens

 

 

 

 

 

Egg and Chorizo Sramble

The great thing about this recipe is I can use whatever veggies I happen to have on hand. I’ve used tomatoes (make certain to seed them or you’ll end up with a lot of “juice”), onions, shallots, green onions, mushrooms, cilantro, and so on, and so on. The beauty of this dish is that it is limited only by your imagination, and taste buds! I posted this recipe on a prior post, here is the link: http://baseballmomrules.com/2015/03/28/packed-with-protein/

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 8 oz package of chorizo

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 medium plum tomatoes chopped (seeded)

2-3 green onions chopped (green and white parts)

1/4 sliced mushrooms

6 eggs

Cilantro to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms until onions are transparent.
Place vegetables aside in a bowl.
Wipe pan down and cook the chorizo over medium-high heat.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs.
When chorizo is almost done add vegetables back in the frying pan.
Add eggs to chorizo and vegetables. Cook until eggs are set. When eggs are almost done, add cilantro. Serve immediately with tortillas or bolillos (Mexican bread rolls). If you can’t get the bolillos any bread roll will do.

Tofu and Rice Noodle Bowl

I found this recipe on Pinterest. The recipe is great as is, but I have tweaked it a bit to suit my own personal taste.

I followed the recipe exactly as it states but made the following changes to the sauce; I doubled the amount of maple syrup, and also added an equal amount of agave. Also, I added 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, I must admit I love garlic in most dishes; but especially in my Cuban, Italian and Asian food. And last but not least, I added the zest of one small lime and it’s juice.

If you plan on taking the dish with you I recommend not adding the sauce until you’re ready to eat. This will keep the noodles and vegetables from becoming soggy. Keeping everything in the cooler should keep it all fresh and ready for you and your family. Also, for a different take on this recipe I stirfried the noodles and veggies, and served the dish warm, we enjoyed the noodle bowl both as a cold or hot dish.

Also, if you or the kids are not a tofu fan I’ve also made this recipe and replaced the tofu with shrimp.

Recipe Link: http://pinterest.com/pin/475692779367287706/

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I ran across this recipe on Rasa Malaysia Easy Delicous Recipes and have included the link below. If you are going to eat on-the-go, I recommend you build  the wrap once you are ready to eat. Otherwise you will end up with a mess.

Serves 2-3 | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 5 Minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil
1/4 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz ground chicken
1/2 cup (6 tablespoons) whole roasted cashew nuts
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 head butter lettuce

Sauce:

3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
Pinch of white sesame seeds

Method:

Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce in a small bowl, stir to combine well. Clean the butter lettuce, peel each leaf off the stem, set aside.

Heat up a wok or skillet on medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is heated, add the onion, garlic, and stir-fry until they are slightly browned. Add the ground chicken, stir continuously with the spatula, break up the lumps. Add the cashew nuts, fish sauce, and sweet soy sauce. Stir to combine well.

http://rasamalaysia.com/thai-chicken-lettuce-wraps/2

BBQ Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
favorite BBQ sauce – as much or as little as you like
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 large flour tortillas

Instructions:
Broil (or grill) chicken, 5-7 minutes per side or until juices run clear. Chop into small pieces (1/2 inch or so) and toss with warmed BBQ sauce. Warm tortillas in microwave (5-10 seconds). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, add chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and tortilla strips. Roll tightly and cut in half.

This is my sons absolute favorite meal-on-the-go, but he does not like any of the “extras”, so his wrap I make with just the bbq chicken.

I’d love to hear your suggestions about what dinners on the go you like to pack when you want to serve a healthy dinner on the road.