Extra Curricular Activities: Meals to Go

Getting back into a school routine means quite a bit of extra curricular activity, for our household, as for many.  Meals to go are necessary, not just in the realm of school lunches, but also in the time devoted to shuttling kids to soccer practice, music lessons, 4H, or any other of a multitude of activities which resume with the school year.  It's tempting to drive through at the closest fast food restaurant, and certainly, my youngsters would be thrilled.  However, we all know that it's not cost effective to constantly choose fast foods.  Therefore, we put our creative energies to work, and consider ways to trim costs, while aiming to provide healthy fare for our families on the go. 

I don't completely boycott fast food during the busy times.  However, this is a limited option, for our household.  When it comes to eating meals to go, we choose the value menu at our local burger place, and keep those costs minimal.  No supersizing, as it doesn't help young soccer players to perform very well if they are overloaded on greasy fast food.  After the value menu, however, the following are some of my favorite meals to go during the busy evenings of extra curricular activity.

Easy, and inexpensive, burritos are a top choice.  Flour tortillas are not very expensive, and I usually pick up a large (institutional size) can of refried beans at my warehouse store, which will feed my family of 10 at least 3 or 4 burrito meals.  Easy to put together assembly-line style, I make approximately 2 burritos per person and heat in the microwave, 20 to 30 seconds each.  Line a small ice chest with foil, and put each heated burrito in the container, closing tightly.  When all burritos are in the chest, a sheet of foil goes on top, and the chest stays tightly closed until it's time to eat.

For alternative burrito ingredients, consider shredded chicken, or ground beef, along with the beans.  Or, some guacamole, sour cream, and salsa in addition to the meat.  Try scrambled eggs, and heated cubed potatoes.  I buy the frozen breakfast potatoes, cut into small cubes, and heat in the microwave.  A breakfast burrito is just as good for dinner on the go, and cheaper than a fast food selection.

Sandwiches are an obvious choice for a simple meal to go, but wraps make things a little bit neater.  Tortillas, with mayo, lettuce, tomato, lunch meat, and cheese, are a great way to provide a simple cold dinner for your kiddos while you are out and about.  Minimal prep time is plus, and there is no need to maintain heat.  A couple of ice packs to keep things cool, and dinner to go is done.  In a pinch, I do peanut butter wraps, which are filling, and easy, as well.  Bring along fruit slices, string cheese, cherry tomatoes, or other finger foods to complement the meal, and make it a picnic at the soccer field.

Hot dogs are easy meals to go.  I prepare the dogs, place in buns, and individually wrap in foil.  Use the same technique as with the burritos, to keep the lot warm in a small ice chest.  Bring along small ketchup and mustard bottles.

These are some simple, easy ways to take economical meals along to soccer practices, or to eat in transit.  Combined with some finger foods to snack on, these will keep the kids fed, and limit the trips to the drive thru, as you get back into the groove of school and sports.