The people have spoken and handheld meal ideas are what they want this time of year! If it's portable and can be eaten while driving a tractor, it qualifies!
Yes, the tractors and combines are being primed and tuned for harvest season; one of our busiest times of year.
And though many farmers would skip the act of eating altogether (after all, there's work to be done!), they still need to eat.
Because a hangry farmer is NOT a happy farmer. #amiright?
Handheld Meal Ideas
Why not have breakfast for lunch OR for dinner?
I mean, if McDonalds can serve breakfast all day long, we can too!! Think how much better a ham and cheese sandwich would taste nestled into a waffle! I love using Kodiak Pancake & Waffle mix for extra protein.
You know I love having ready to go meals in my freezer! (By the way, you should too!).
Make muffins! Easy Banana Bread Muffins, Mini Blueberry Muffins or Egg Omelet Muffins are all a good choice!
Change my Carrot Bread, or Hawaiian Banana Bread into muffins, too! Freeze the baked muffins and pull them out in the morning to thaw. They make a great take along breakfast, snack or dessert.
Other things you can make ahead of time in the breakfast department are these DIY Egg McMuffin Sandwiches chocked full of egg, your meat of choice and of course, cheese.
Then, there's a Breakfast Braid with Ham, Egg and Cheese. Make it ahead of time and pop a slice (or two) into the microwave!
Or how about these make ahead breakfast sliders or make ahead breakfast burritos?
Handheld Meal Ideas in a Wrap
I love these turkey ranch club wraps, and while you're making these, prep some extra oven baked bacon so you can make chicken avocado BLT wraps!
If you're in the mood for something international these Greek chicken & hummus wraps are perfect for a hot day. Or, you can go Asian with honey sesame chicken salad wraps.
Do you have leftover chicken in your fridge? How about using it to make Hawaiian bbq chicken wraps or lightened up buffalo chicken wraps?
Craving beef?
Roast Beef Roll Ups with Horseradish Cream Sauce are perfect for a hearty lunch or as a meal on the go! Use leftover pot roast or deli roast beef.
Check out these crispy southwest wraps or the lightened up cheeseburger wrap.
Whew, that's a lot of wraps!
Oh, and don't forget these leftover pulled pork wraps!
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Panini & Sliders as Handheld Meals
Oooooh, these are some of my all time favorites! Your panini and sliders can be made ahead of time and eaten straight from the lunchbox.
OR, you can get really fancy and have one of these warmers riding along in the tractor. Yes, we have one. Thanks Mom.
Check out these spicy baked Italian sliders or turkey and pesto panini. Even if you don't have a panini press, you can make these in a skillet and press down the sandwiches with a larger pan.
If you do happen to have access to warm food, you're gonna want to save these for later! How good do slow cooker sausage and pepper subs, hot ham & swiss croissants, or Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich sound on a chilly day?
Moving on over into the slider department, you can make batches of these, which is a total bonus in my book! Here's everyone's favorite, ham & cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls.
And of course, I have to add my chicken Parmesan sliders which our family absolutely loves!!!
Need more inspiration?
How about these Cuban pork sliders, easy pizza sliders, or French bread pizza sticks.
Plus, I found these mini taco hand pies, because I know we all have never met a taco we didn't like!
A few more handheld eats
A few last ideas before I go....These grilled spinach & tomato cheese pitas look amazing and I if you're feeding a crowd, you'll love this genius idea for sheet pan grilled cheese. Why didn't I think of that???
Homemade Pizza Pockets - Customize your own hot pockets with your choice of pizza toppings. These quick and tasty pizza pockets use crescent rolls for an easy shortcut!
And finally, pinwheel sandwich ideas can't be beat.
You can come up with a more manly name if you like, but I'm pretty sure farmers won't turn down these Italian pinwheels or cheddar bacon ranch pinwheels.
Other handheld meal ideas
- Tractor Meals – 21 Handheld Sandwiches
- Field Meals – Lunchbox Edition
- Field Friendly Meals – 7 Tractor Friendly Ideas
What's your favorite handheld meal? Let me know in the comments below!
For more ideas, be sure to check out my Table to Tailgate Cookbook, available on Amazon!
Katie says
Thanks for theese ideas they seem easy for me family and my boyfriend.
Deanne Frieders says
You're welcome! Glad to have you here.
Beth says
Mom Job Description! That’s awesome! And you sing!
You rock!
And you’re a Nurse! My hero.
Deanne says
Thanks for the comment Val! I'm making a list of these for that very reason!! ~ Deanne
Val - Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids says
Handheld meals are a must for fall harvest! Thanks for a great roundup of recipes! I always get stuck in a rut when it comes to field meals so this helps a lot.