It adds up going through the drive-thru. Don’t deceive yourself thinking that you are buying something from the dollar menu. Each and every dollar adds up. You get in debt dollar by dollar, and you also get out of debt dollar by dollar. You can go buy a pack of tortillas, and a can of beans for a couple of dollars. And even though you can buy these foods pre-made, if you use these convenience foods to make burritos, it is WAY cheaper than buying a bean burrito at a fast food restaurant. You could make about 10 burritos for the cost it takes you to buy 2 or 3 in the drive-thru.
So these meals are all pretty easy to make. I’ll start with maybe the healthiest meal of them all, the Sesame Ginger Cabbage Salad. Color is where it’s at when trying to feed your family healthy. Plus cabbage is SUPER frugal and lasts a long time in the fridge (months and months sometimes, but don’t ask me how I know:).
And if we are going to port our meals, I guess I should let you in on how exactly we port the food at times. I have these great Eco Silicone Collapsible Lunch Boxes. They sell something similar at Walmart, if not the same thing. I have enough to rotate for two meals for the family.
But alas, once in a while a real bowl makes it into our car. With good reason though. Let’s say a crock-pot Chicken Burrito Bowl that doesn’t make it into one of our cute collapsible containers could end up in a real bowl. But we are careful, though. And this is so easy too, as you can break down the recipe into as little as two ingredients: chicken and salsa. But throw in the lettuce and other veggies for good measure, okay?
This next meal is the go-to of the go-tos for on-the-go times for our family. I bet we have bean burritos at least once a week if we include lunches and dinners in that poll. They are an easy family favorite. Easy Bean Burritos are like Taco Bell Bean Burritos but WAY BETTER!
Burritos are seriously a favorite, and to jazz up portable meals we added a Cilantro Lime Pesto and Black Bean Burrito to our repertoire a few years ago. Love it!
And the Super Burrito is great, especially in helping use up leftovers. Throw in your leftover rice or guac. Use those huge whole wheat burrito wraps and you’re literally good to go
And then here is a Barbecue Chicken Pizza Roll Up. Basically you can use your favorite pizza toppings on a tortilla and tote that sucker around until your tummy starts making noises at you.
And from our host, the lovely Mrs. Stacy we’ve got our Turkey, Bacon, and Guacamole Wraps. Sounds scrumptious!
And when I really want to load up my kids on lots of produce to make me feel like I’m doing a rock star job of feeding my family veggies, I load up one of those gi-huge-y tortillas with lots of lettuce and tomato and the like along with enchilada sauce for an Enchilada Wrap…
…or a ranch and chicken AND bacon for a Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap. Because everything is better with bacon.
And my favorite is the Bacon Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich. It is SOO good. I use raw milk cheese with it because I have some dairy sensitivities, and I don’t feel any affects when I use the raw milk cheese since it’s less processed. If this sounds like you, try some raw milk cheese. It’s where it’s at! Since it is more expensive, my daughter and I use the raw milk and everyone else gets the regular cheese. Once we pay off our house I’ll buy it for the whole family.
What are your favorite portable meals and foods?
Praise the Lord! I’m glad this post got you thinking. Thank you for sharing Katie.
I read your post earlier in the day, and I cannot stop reflecting on it. We do not have our children in sports teams for a few reasons (our oldest is 8). But I still find this post so challenging. Your commitment to nutrition and healthy eating in the midst of busy days is truly inspirational. It does take planning ahead and extra time and commitment. But good for you, Sonja! You are finding a way to still live your priorities in the midst of “real life.” I am amazed by what you’ve described here; I find it quite challenging in a good way.