This packs beautifully and you can add whatever veggies, cooked meat that you have on hand. I put in raw veggies rather than cooked. I pack it in the boys' lunches, too.

SPICY ASIAN-STYLE PASTA SALAD

Serve this as a side dish, or add some cooked shrimp or chicken for a main course. Look for the sesame oil in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

1 pound linguine, broken in half
4 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 red bell peppers, seeded, thinly sliced
3 cups snow peas
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain very well. Transfer to large bowl.
Whisk 3 tablespoons sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne pepper in small bowl to blend. Season with salt. Mix half of dressing into pasta. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, peas and onion and sautuntil just beginning to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add vegetables to pasta. Mix in peanuts, basil and enough dressing to coat.

That sounds great! I'll definitely try it for Thursdays game! Thanks

On the go foods that fly at my house...

Hot dogs (boiled in broth and stored in a thermos until served) buns get prepared with condiments and put into ziplocks.

Pizza rollups...flour tortilla, cream cheese, pizza sauce, toppings of choice rolled like a wrap.

Celery stuffed with flavored cream cheese wrapped in to shaved ham.

Can't go wrong with cold fried chicken.

Certainly not gourmet but they do pass the kid test ;-)

That Asian salad sounds wonderful. I'm going to save that one. You can vary the ingredients according to what your kids like & you have to make it ahead:
PASTA SHISH KEBAB
One 12-16 oz pkg frozen cheese tortellini
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TBL fresh chopped parsley
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp pepper
1 sliced or cubed red bell pepper
1 sliced or cubed green pepper
1 small jar green or black pitted olives
8 oz pk cubed Mozzarella

Cook tortellini according to pkg directions. Do not overcook.
To make dressing, mix lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, garlic, oregano & pepper in a small bowl.
Immediately place hot pasta into dressing so the flavors will be absorbed. Add peppers, olives & cheese, marinate for 24 hours.
Place one of each ingredients on skewers & refrigerate until ready to serve.~~

Don't forget about chili. Everyone likes that & it can be kept hot in thermos' or in a crockpot wrapped in newspapers & put in the cooler (not with cold stuff obviously.)

Hand held little pies and "cups" are easy to bake ahead and serve at room temp. This is the kind of snack my two sons liked when they were younger - they probably wouldn't turn their nose up now at age 28 and 32.

Barbecue Cups

3/4 lb. lean ground beef
1 TB plus, chopped onion
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I use Kraft Original)
canned biscuits - 2 tubes of 10 biscuits each
grated cheddar cheese

Brown beef, drain off fat. Add onion and saute lightly. Add brown sugar and sauce, simmer a few minutes.

Press biscuits to make a larger circle. Put into regular-sized muffin tin cups. Add meat mixture, top with grated cheese. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool in pan a few minutes, then cool on a rack.

For pizza cups: add pizza sauce to the browned beef and onion, omit the sugar, top with grated mozzarella cheese.

Sausage 'n Cheese Turnovers

1 10oz. can Hungry Jack biscuits (or similar)
1/2 lb. bulk sausage, brown, drain off fat
1/4 t. Italian herbs
4 oz. can mushroom pieces, drained, pat dry
4 oz. (1 cup) grated mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
3 TB grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Roll each to a 5-inch circle. Combine sausage, herbs, mushrooms, and mozz cheese in a bowl. Spoon 3 TB of the meat mixture onto the center of the flattened biscuits. Fold over, press edges to seal Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with the Parm cheese. Put on sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp.

Tamale Pocket Sandwiches

1 lb. lean ground beef
finely chopped onion
2 t. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 t. garlic powder
8 oz. can tomato sauce
7 oz. can Mexi-corn
2 cans Hungry Jack biscuits (or similar)
sliced American Cheese

Brown beef, drain fat off. Add rest through the corn, simmer 10-15 minutes or until thick. Separate biscuits, press or roll each to a 5" circle. Spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture onto 10 dough circles. Top each with half a slice of cheese. Put other dough circle on top, press edges with a fork to seal. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

All of these will freeze just fine.

Egg 'n Bacon Crescent Sandwiches

8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled (or turkey bacon)
3 oz. or 3/4 cup grated Swiss or cheddar cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped celery
4 hard cooked eggs, chopped
3 TB mayonnaise
1 TB mustard
1 8 oz. can Pillsbury Crescent rolls

mayo to brush on top
sesame seeds

Mix bacon through mustard in a bowl. Separate dough into 4 rectangles, pressing perforations together. Cut each rectangle in half. Spoon about 1/4 c. egg mixture into center of dough squares. Pull the 4 corners of the dough square to cover the top of the filling. Pinch edges of dough to seal. Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten each slightly. Brush with a little more mayonnaise and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake at 375 ro 12-18 minutes. Do not freeze these.

If your kids like bologna, this is easy to make ahead:

Ready-to-Go Bologna Sandwiches

1 lb. bulk bologna
3/4 lb. sharp process cheese
3 (3") dill pickles or sweet pickles if you prefer
1 slice onion or 2 TB chopped green onion
1/2 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip)
1 TB prepared yellow mustard
soft butter
16 hot dog buns

Grind bologna, cheese, pickle and onion in food chopped or food processor. Stir in salad dressing and mustard.

Butter the inside of the split buns evenly, spreading to the edge. Spread with bologna mixture. Put halves together to make 16 sandwiches.

Wrap each in foil and freeze. Store 2-3 weeks. Or heat and serve as directed.

To heat not frozen sandwiches (not wrapped in foil), heat in a low oven or toaster oven at 250 to 275 for about 30 minutes.

To heat frozen sandwiches, unwrap from foil in a hot oven (400) and heat 30-45 minutes.

These are terrific ideas! This may be a stupid question, but tess tx, do you store those hot dogs in the thermos with the broth? You guys are so creative...I'm impressed!

Hi Kristin, yes, I do...straight from the pan into a heated thermos.

Great ideas!

GRILLED ORANGE CHICKEN FINGERS (serves 4)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/ 2 Tbsp, Dijon mustard
1 1/ 2 Tbs. frozen orange-juice concentrate, thawed
1 1/ 2 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/ 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Cut chicken crosswise into 3/ 4 inch wide strips. In a bowl, whisk remaining ingredients together until smooth. Add the chicken strips to the sauce and toss to combine. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare grill or preheat the broiler. Lightly oil rack or coat with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the chicken strips from the marinade, discarding any extra marinade. Grill or broil for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until no longer pink in the center. Do not over cook. Good for a picnic because they can be served hot, cold or at room temperature.

168 calories and 3 G fat per serving

CORN RICE SALAD

1 (16 oz.) can whole corn, drained
2 cups cooked rice
1/ 4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/ 4 cup chopped scallions
1/ 4 cup chopped black olives
Cherry tomatoes for garnish

3 Tbs. olive or salad oil
3 Tbs. white wine or cider vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1/ 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/ 4 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese

In medium bowl, combine corn, rice, pepper, scallions and olives In screw top jar, combine oil, vinegar, soy sauce, parsley, mustard and garlic powder. Shake and pour over corn mixture. Cover and chill several hours or overnight. To serve, stir in halved cherry tomatoes. Top with Parmesan cheese. Note: if using olive oil, let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before adding tomatoes and cheese.