It doesn’t matter if you are ankle, knee, or neck deep in seeing your family safely through the “bleachers years.” With so many lunches and dinners spent sitting in bag chairs, you can only feed yourself and your people so many subs and garbage from the snack shack before you want to cry foul.

Because my mental health starts to short out when we have to resort to eating fast food more than once or twice a month, I try my best to pack healthy meals and snacks for us to eat while we are sitting at anywhere from five to 13 baseball games a week. This is difficult to do because the meals have to be cold and easily split and served between the five of us and, since none of us are Cliff Huxtable, Jared Fogel, or Joey Tribiani, eating sandwiches every day does not a happy family make.

Can anyone else relate?

If so, you’re going to like this new monthly feature I’m calling Fan Fare where I’ll be sharing some bleacher-friendly meal and snack ideas that you can take with you to games, practices, picnics, or wherever you’ll be out and about this spring and summer.

That’s really sweet of me, right?

WRONG.

It’s totally selfish because what I really hope is that you will tweet out or comment here or tell me on FB about your favorite cold and healthy recipes so that I can make them for my children (who will stand and bless me) and for my husband (who will shout, “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”).

**

Since “Taco Salad Without the Meat” is too clunky, we just call this meal Bean & Corn Salad. Not only is it a great meal for taking on the go, it’s also awesome for:

– College students who have limited space in their dorms to cook or store ingredients

– People who don’t like/know how to cook yet

– Families on a tight grocery budget

– Moms who decide to blog instead of go to Costco and are now wondering how dinner is going to materialize (but who always have these ingredients on hand)

What you’ll need:

1 can of rised and drained black beans

1 can of corn (or a few ears of fresh corn if it’s in season)

Romaine lettuce (or whatever you have on hand)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Salsa

Ranch dressing

What you’ll do:

DUMP IT ALL in a bowl.

The end.

Okay, for my Type A readers:

Cut up two heads of lettuce and throw ’em in a bowl with the drained corn and beans. Toss in however much cheese makes you happy (a couple of generous handfuls for me!) and scoop individual servings into tupperware containers. Throw the salsa, ranch, and chips into your cooler or bag to add to the salad once you get to where you are going. This will keep the lettuce from getting all soft and grody. So just mix in those last few ingredients to your liking and then get it in your belly. Just don’t forget to pack forks. I’ve heard this can happen.

This salad is quick, painless and surprisingly filling thanks to the black beans.

It’s also not a sandwich. Or a snack shack microwaved whatever. So there’s that.

Happy grubbin,

Kristen