Dinner on the Go That Won’t Bust the Family Budget

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So we were gone over the dinner hour tonight at a very long swim meet for one of our kids, which means that we needed dinner on the go.

As nice as it would be, it is not possible for us to feed a family of our size with fast food or food from the venue and stay within our budget, so it always takes some planning and creativity on my part. But, I have gotten it down to a science and am sharing it with you in case you need this, too.

Today, this is what I packed to feed our family of nine! It truly is a dinner on the go that won’t bust the budget!

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• everyone could choose between hot dogs or egg sandwiches (bagel, scrambled egg, ham, cheese) as a main course
• big bag of pretzels to divide out later
• carrot sticks to divide out later
• grapes to divide out later
• individual bags of homemade caramel corn (recipe to follow tomorrow)
• juice pouches
• water bottles

The key is to think of what can be eaten and still taste ok if it is no longer hot. I have done egg sandwiches, pizza, and hot dogs, and of course there are several things that can just be served at room temperature like sandwiches, too. I have also made my own version of lunchables with cheese and crackers for each person.

In addition to the food and drinks, I brought paper plates, napkins, and baby wipes for the meal.

I have these cool reusable snack bags for the carrots and grapes, see?!

I got them on a great deal once and I love them. I try to avoid using as many of the single serve bags as I can.

These are very similar. I like these big ones.

Generally I pack all the food stuff in an insulated cooler type bag, but space is limited at these events since the place is always packed so I wanted everything all in one bag. This is what I ended up with once everything was all loaded up.

In addition to the food I’ve got some diaper changing stuff, a few toys and books for the littles, and my basic first aid kit that goes everywhere with me – all in this one bag!

Being gone over the dinner hour, even if you will be eating in your car, does not mean that you have to eat out. Knowing a few things you can prepare to make a meal on the go will help you to feed your family a healthy meal without busting the family budget.

If you are looking for another meal on the go idea, I did write about it earlier this spring.

I also have a post about what we take to keep kids busy on the go if that interests you, too.

The next time you will be out with your family over dinner, use these great meal on the go ideas to keep within your family budget!