On-Go-Meal Ideas for Those That Have a Fridge
Sometimes we need on-the-go meals for busy days, work outside the home and outdoor activities such as our kid’s soccer game. We know it can be challenging to think of on-the-go meal ideas so we’ve complied a list here for those who have access to a fridge and those who do not. We’ve included meals with meat and meatless options. For those without a fridge, we suggest bringing a thermal bag with ice packs for some of the below mentioned meals. The meals given below would still work on-the-go without a fridge besides the leftovers or recipes that already include dressing made into the meal such as tuna salad sandwiches or chili or lasagna that require being heated to taste well. Let us know which one is your favorite meal to take with you on-the-go!
For those who have access to a fridge:
Deli sandwiches. Deli sandwiches are a great lunch idea as you can customize them to your favorite lunch meats, toppings and condiments. If you don’t want to leave or bring a mayo or mustard container with you, bring a packet with you to add to your sandwich right before you eat it. If you add your mayo or mustard when making your sandwich earlier in the day, your sandwich might be soggy by the time you get to eat it. You can also turn your ham and cheese from your deli sandwich into a hot ham and cheese sandwich if your workplace has a microwave as well.
Salads. Salads you can customize your protein, salad dressing, and toppings to your liking. We suggest waiting to add your dressing right before eating as salads can get soggy from sitting in liquid for hours. There are many variations you can use for salads such as taco salad (just wait to add the salsa right before eating) or Mediterranean salad or Caesar salad. Try out a few different recipes and see what works for you!
Tuna sandwich. Tuna Sandwiches are great to make with mayonnaise and mustard and optional toppings you prefer like lettuce and tomatoes. Or a variation of this would be a tuna pinwheel recipe using a tortilla to roll up with lettuce and other small diced up veggies.
Wraps. You can make your favorite wraps for work using tortillas or pita bread. We suggest you bring your condiments such as mayo or salad dressing in a container on the side to be added right before eating as your wrap might get soggy by the time you get to eat it. One unique wrap recipe is Granola Crunch Apple-Peanut Butter Sandwich Wrap. Or you can try the ham or chicken or tuna wraps with tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and your favorite dressing on the side to add right before eating!
We like this meatless option Quinoa Chickpea Salad recipe. Our tips with this recipe are prepare this on your meal prep day and don’t add the dressing or cheese until just before serving to obtain optimal freshness.
Cold Italian pasta salad is another meatless option. We love cooking up our favorite pasta noodles and adding dressing and veggies to this for a quick meal. After all the ingredients are combined, you can take this with you to work and enjoy cold as well!
Greek Orzo Salad Recipe is a great recipe for a meatless option! We just suggest preparing this the night before and not adding the dressing until ready to serve and eat for optimal freshness.
Another meatless option is Tahini Pasta. We just suggest not adding the tahini dressing mixture until ready to enjoy. Pour the tahini dressing over each individual portion for optimal freshness.
Spicy Sesame Noodles is another meatless option. We just suggest preparing this the night before and not adding the dressing until ready to serve and eat for optimal freshness.
Ham and cheese roll-ups are another great meal idea using tortillas, ham, cheese, cream cheese and optional veggies. There are some variations to this recipe some of which include using ranch dressing so choose the recipe that you think your tastebuds would enjoy the most.
Fruits and vegetables are a great side dish to meals. Bananas, oranges, apples and most fruit don’t need preparation and some vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and more can be served cold.
Rice cooked at home can be a great side dish just do your best not to overheat it as the rice can get crunchy when overcooked. (microwave needed)
Leftovers such as chili, lasagna, spaghetti, pizza and others that only need a microwave to reheat are good options as well. We suggest saving your leftovers for dinner to help with your busy nights but if your leftovers are about to go bad than they would make a great lunch option too! (microwave needed)
Peanut butter and jelly is always a quick meal option to enjoy from time to time. Nuts are a great on-the-go snack or side dish for those without or with a fridge.
We hope these on-the-go meal ideas help you save money and time on your grocery budget. We suggest you type out and print your favorite on-the-go meal ideas and place it in your recipe binder for quick access for your meal planning. We are referencing the recipe binder we spoke about in our blog post meal planning. If you haven’t yet started meal planning, we suggest you check out our blog post meal planning to help save you money and time on your groceries. Most of the above meals need to be prepared ahead of time to be ready to enjoy on-the-go so consider meal planning. Let us know if you have a favorite on-the-go meal that wasn’t featured in this blog post. In our next blog, this Tuesday, we will be giving freezer meal tips for turning your favorite meals into freezer meals for those busy nights. Leave a comment for what you found the most helpful and Subscribe so you never miss a blog! Stay saucy!
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