By Sam Vangsness
During the summer months and well this season of our life we are spending any time we can outside working on projects. The land we have been doing projects on is about an hour’s drive from where we currently live so I know when we go there for the day a cooler needs to be packed.
There is something so nostalgic to me about packing a cooler with lunch, drinks and snacks. Growing up, if we got chores done in time on the weekends, we went to the lake for the day. We were a family of six, and the nearest town with a grocery store or fast-food chain was 30 miles in the opposite direction, so we always packed food with us. Now, when I am packing food for a day of chores or a road trip, I still think of those times, eating the ever-so-famous chip sandwich on white bread with Cloverdale Tangy Summer Sausage, Doritos, and mustard with wet, sandy hands. But a sandwich can only be enjoyed so many times.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good sandwich, but I enjoy a variety of food. Lately, I have been trying to be more creative with our tailgate lunches. These dishes have been easy to pack and full of protein, fiber and flavor! I have to apologize, I don’t have any recipes. I am not a recipe follower. But here is the gist of what I keep in mind when planning these lunches. I know it has to be a cold or warm meal that you’re okay with eating cold.
My main focus is protein. Once I decide what protein I am using, I start to build around that. What vegetables do I have in the fridge? What kind of seasoning do I want? A few weeks ago, I made an Italian pasta salad loaded with fresh vegetables and paired it with some leftover steak, this made the perfect refreshing lunch on a hot weekend. Others have been classics like beef and cheese quesadillas or fried egg, ham and cheese quesadillas.
Other things I pack for our day are electrolyte packets, a container full of fruit and veggies, chips, beef sticks and cheese. I can’t forget about the most essential part: water. Lots and lots of water is packed!
An additional tip I have learned over the past few weeks is also having a plan for supper. If you’re like us, you're hungry at the end of a long day outside and the last thing you want to do is cook. I get it. Lately the go-to has been burgers, taco bowls or sloppy joes because we usually have a pound of ground beef in the fridge. Meals like these are easy to throw together and we often have all the ingredients and additions in the fridge or pantry.
As much as I enjoy spending this time on our land working on projects that will benefit us in the future, I am looking forward to the days of packing lunch to go kayaking for an afternoon. I hope you all have a fun and memorable summer and don’t take meal planning too seriously. Planning meals should be fun and filled with things you enjoy!
Sam lives in rural Morton County with her husband. She enjoys being outside working alongside her husband, but equally enjoys being in the kitchen cooking nutritious, delicious, simple meals, and sharing tips, tricks, and recipes along the way.