While summer can be a nice break from the classroom, scheduling and preparing meals can still be a hassle. Between camps, activities, and traveling, you may find your time in the kitchen is limited.

Having some portable containers like bento boxes can make having some ready-to-go meals a breeze. You can fill each segment of the box with a small portion of vegetables, carbohydrates, and proteins and then store them in the refrigerator for the week.

Here are some ideas for easy, portable meals that your kids will love:

Slider Sandwiches

If you’re taking a trip to the beach or enjoying a long day at the park, these easy-prep slider sandwiches can feed a group of hungry kids.

• Time: 10 minutes
• Ingredients: 
  • Pre-segmented packaged rolls
  • Any sandwich filling you choose (lunch meats, cheese, veggies, peanut butter & jelly, etc.

Take your rolls out of the bag and slice the entire loaf to make a single large top and bottom bun. Next, you can fill your sandwich with whatever you like by spreading the ingredients on the bottom bun. Finally, you’ll put the top bun back in place and slice the sandwich into individual sliders by cutting along the segments. For easy transport, you can wait to cut the individual sliders and place the entire sandwich back into the prepacked roll bag. When you’re ready, you can take it out, slice, and serve.

Veggie Wraps

Wraps are a quick and easy alternative to sandwiches—and they’re just as portable. If you’re pressed for time, you can build some wraps quickly with a wrap, lettuce, bell peppers, cheese, or any fresh ingredients you have. If you have some prep time, here’s a slightly more involved recipe you can prepare and freeze or refrigerate in larger batches.

• Time: 15 minutes
• Ingredients:
  • Wraps
  • Lettuce
  • Bell peppers
  • Cheese
  • Black, pinto, or garbanzo beans
  • Hummus

Lay your wraps flat and spread some hummus in the middle. Next add your vegetables, cheese, and beans to the wrap. Be sure not to overload the wrap too much. Once that’s done, fold the sides of the wrap towards the center and begin rolling the wrap together, tucking in the wrap under itself as you go. When that’s done, you can sear the wrap on the stove to seal it shut, or you can use a toothpick to hold the wrap closed. You can use any dipping sauce you choose, but these wraps are great on their own too.

Smoothie Pops (8 servings)

Smoothie pops are a versatile and easy-to-prepare dessert if you’re taking a cooler on the go.  You can substitute any of these ingredients based on allergies or preferences and prepare a large quantity ahead of time. 

• Time: 10 minutes (plus 1 1/2 hours for freezing)
• Ingredients: 
  • 1/2 cup of Blueberries
  • 1 Banana
  • 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup of strawberries
  • 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
  • Ice
  • Popsicle sticks

All you need to do is blend your desired ingredients to a mostly-smooth consistency and pour into a deep pan or freezer-safe dish. Cover your pan with plastic wrap or parchment paper and push a popsicle stick through the top. Space the popsicle sticks out in 2 inch segments and freeze. Once completely frozen, you can cut around each popsicle stick, bag them separately, and place the individual pops in your cooler.

And, speaking of summertime – Check out the Moshi playlist, Serene Summertime to keep kids cool and calm.

Frank Lanigan

I’m Frank Lanigan, a Memphis-based freelance writer with experience in journalism, copywriting, technical writing, and more. No matter the type of format, I love making connections with people, telling their stories, and providing the best possible information to my readers.