• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
This Farm Girl Cooks
  • Field Meals
  • Shop
  • Home Life
  • Recipes
  • Podcast
  • About
    • About Deanne
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • A Farm Wife Sharing Simple Recipes
  • Simple Delicious Farm-Fresh Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • This Farm Girl Cooks Accessibility Statement
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Field Meals
  • Shop
  • Home Life
  • Recipes
  • Podcast
  • About
    • About Deanne
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • A Farm Wife Sharing Simple Recipes
  • Simple Delicious Farm-Fresh Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • This Farm Girl Cooks Accessibility Statement
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Field Meals
    • Shop
    • Home Life
    • Recipes
    • Podcast
    • About
      • About Deanne
      • Contact Me
      • Privacy Policy
    • A Farm Wife Sharing Simple Recipes
    • Simple Delicious Farm-Fresh Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • This Farm Girl Cooks Accessibility Statement
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Main Dish Recipes

    Handheld Meal Ideas for Farmers and Families on the Go!

    Published: Mar 29, 2020 · Modified: Jan 9, 2023 by Deanne Frieders · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

    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!

    breakfast braid

    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!

    chicken avocado blt wrap

    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.

    Roast Beef Roll Ups

    Check out these crispy southwest wraps or the lightened up cheeseburger wrap.

    Whew, that's a lot of wraps!

    field meals cookbook

    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!!!

    chicken parmesan sliders

    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!

    homemade pizza pockets

    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!

    made with love, Deanne

    For more ideas, be sure to check out my Table to Tailgate Cookbook, available on Amazon!

    field meals cookbook

    More Main Dish Recipes

    • Ham salad on a croissant with lettuce.
      Old Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe
    • A square casserole dish filled with tuna noodle casserole.
      Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
    • pulled pork chili
      Pulled Pork Chili Recipe (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
    • Pulled pork quesadilla wedges on a plate surrounded by chips, salsa and cilantro.
      Leftover Pulled Pork Quesadillas

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Val - Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids

      August 29, 2018 at 5:04 pm

      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.

      Reply
    2. Deanne

      September 06, 2018 at 3:08 pm

      Thanks for the comment Val! I'm making a list of these for that very reason!! ~ Deanne

      Reply
    3. Beth

      June 27, 2019 at 8:19 pm

      Mom Job Description! That’s awesome! And you sing!
      You rock!
      And you’re a Nurse! My hero.

      Reply
    4. Katie

      March 07, 2023 at 3:20 pm

      Thanks for theese ideas they seem easy for me family and my boyfriend.

      Reply
      • Deanne Frieders

        March 08, 2023 at 6:48 pm

        You're welcome! Glad to have you here.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Deanne Frieders, This Farm Girl COoks

    Welcome to This Farm Girl Cooks, my name is Deanne Frieders! This is the place I LOVE sharing recipes and ideas with busy home cooks. My focus is on simple, delicious meals your family will actually eat!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Platter of six deviled eggs topped with snipped chives.
      Instant Pot Deviled Eggs
    • A bowl of air fryer cauliflower topped with parmesan cheese.
      Air Fryer Cauliflower Parmesan
    • Ambrosia salad in a bowl with a wooden spoon topped with three cherries.
      Ambrosia Salad with Cool Whip
    • A plate filled with cooked pork ribs, green beans and mashed potatoes.
      Instant Pot Country Style Ribs

    Easter Recipes

    • marinated green beans with feta
      Marinated Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes & Feta
    • old fashioned pineapple carrot cake
      Old Fashioned Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple
    • herb crusted pork loin dinner
      Herb Crusted Pork Loin Roast
    • orange fluff jello salad
      Orange Fluff Jello Salad Recipe
    • Green Lemon Orzo Salad in a large bowl with a spoon.
      Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta
    • carrot cake cookies
      Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 This Farm Girl Cooks™