This food is made for walking

With children home and out of school, I was thinking about fun foods to have on hand for them to snack on or even use as a light meal -- even better, ones they can assemble themselves if age allows.

At about the same time, I was asked by a friend if there was a food group I had never written about or used in this column. After much thought it occurred to me I don't think I have ever really written about walking dinners or walking desserts.

With these thoughts in mind, I immediately hopped onto Pinterest and looked at a myriad of walking recipes. The most popular would have to be Walking Tacos, but a close second would have to be desserts. The sky is the limit when it comes to personal sized bags of chips, crackers, cookies, cereal and much more. Open it up and add whatever you want to make a snack, light meal or dessert.

I have pulled several recipes that I think you might enjoy and children are sure to enjoy putting them together.

Walking BBQ

I like to turn the Fritos bag on its side and cut a large hole on the top side. It gives you more of an opening to get to the inside.

• Fritos chips bags, tops of bags cut off
• Pulled pork BBQ
• Your favorite BBQ sauce, warmed
• Baked beans, warmed
• Your favorite slaw

Open the bags. Spoon in the pork, sauce, beans and slaw. Grab a fork and walk around enjoying your Walking BBQ snack meal.

Walking Picnic In A Bag

• Original style potato chips in personal-sized bag
• Canned baked beans, warmed or at room temperature
• Pre-cooked hotdog
• Yellow mustard
• Ketchup
• Onion, chopped

Mix the ingredients in the bag in amounts to your liking and enjoy.

Walking Delish Fish Tacos

The variety of tuna flavors you can find in pouches is amazing. No matter what flavor profile from hot and spicy to citrusy and herby is your favorite, you'll find tuna recipes to your liking. These pouches are the perfect transport packaging for backwoods lunches and walking snacks

• Doritos (Cool Ranch is a favorite), small personal serving size bag
• Sriracha tuna in pouch
• Chopped tomatoes
• Shredded lettuce
• Shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Lime wedge (for squeezing)
• Cilantro

Open the tuna pouch and add ingredients in the amount of your preference. Use a fork and enjoy.

Walking Buffalo Chicken

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1/4 cup buffalo sauce (such as Frank's)
• 4 (1.5-ounce) bags Cool Ranch Doritos
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Make buffalo-chicken chili by melting butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and season to taste with salt and pepper. Saute until soft. Add garlic powder, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken and buffalo sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut a slit on the top of each Doritos bag, slicing vertically across the logo. Spoon the chili into each bag and sprinkle with cheddar. Serve with forks.

Walking Chicken Alfredo

• Bugles in personal size serving bags
• Canned white meat chicken, shredded
• Caramelized onion and garlic mixture
• Alfredo Sauce

Slice sweet onion and add to skillet with butter. Sautee until onion is almost tender. Add garlic and finish cooking until onion is quite soft and caramelized.

Mix the ingredients in the bag in amounts to your liking and enjoy.

Walking Seafood Delight

• Sun Chips (Original, but you choose your favorite flavor), personal serving size
• Canned Salad Shrimp, drain
• Canned Salmon, drain and remove skin and bones
• Melted Butter
• Cocktail or Tarter Sauce (optional)

Mix the ingredients in the bag in amounts to your liking and enjoy.

Walking Reuben

• Mini Pretzel Knots in personal sized serving bag
• Deli Corned Beef or Pastrami
• Sauerkraut
• Shredded Swiss Cheese
• Thousand Island Salad Dressing

Open the pretzels on the side of the bag cutting across the bag logo on the front.

Mix in the bag with amounts to your liking and enjoy.

Walking Chili Cheese Dog

You will be the star at your next tailgate with these easy to make Walking Chili Cheese Dog recipe. All the great flavors of a cheese Coney but no bun needed.

• 6 to 8 (3/4 ounce) bags Onion Flavored Rings such as Funyuns, personal serving size
• 1 (8 ounce) finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 (15 ounce) cans Chili (beans or no beans)
• 1 (10 ounce) package hot dogs or smoked sausage, fully cooked.
• 1 (4 ounce) Velveeta Cheese Sauce
• Diced onion
• Sour Cream

Add the chili, your choice of beans or no beans, to a small crock pot. Slice the hot dogs and add to the chili. Stir in a pouch of cheese sauce and cook until heated through.

To assemble: Carefully open bag of Funyuns or other onion flavored rings. Lightly crush with your hands.

Pour in two ladles of chili cheese dog mixture. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Optional: top with chopped onion and a dollop of sour cream.

Walking Salad

• 1 small bag Caesar-Style Croutons
• Sliced Jicama
• Sliced Radishes
• Chopped Celery
• Chopped Avocado
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Thick Ranch Salad Dressing

Mix the ingredients in the bag in amounts to your liking. Be creative and use any ingredients you desire and enjoy.

Walking Biscuits-N-Gravy

• Pork Rinds or chip style potato skins (TGI Fridays is a good brand), personal serving size
• Browned breakfast sausage, warmed
• Chopped scrambled eggs, warmed
• Country-Style gravy, warmed
• Shredded American cheese
• Black pepper
• Hot sauce (optional)

Mix the ingredients in the bag in amounts to your liking. Don't like sausage? Use bacon instead. Use whatever you desire. Add a fork and enjoy.

Walking Cheeseburger Snack Meal

• Original Style Potato Chips in small, personal serving size bag
• Ground beef, browned and drained
• Shredded American or Cheddar cheese or cheese blend
• Onion, chopped
• Tomato, chopped
• Dill pickle slices
• Yellow mustard
• Ketchup

Mix the ingredients with amounts to your liking in the bag.

Trekking Deutschlander

• Mini pretzel knots, in small personal size serving bag
• Grilled bratwurst, sliced into medallions
• Onions, chopped
• Dill pickle slices
• Sauerkraut
• Brown Mustard

Mix the ingredients together in the bag. The amounts are up to you, add a fork and enjoy.

Walking Tater Tot Hotdish

• Funyuns, snack chip style onion rings
• Lean ground beef, browned and drained
• Cream of mushroom soup, heated
• Shredded American cheese or cheese blend

Mix ingredients in the bag in amounts to your liking. be creative and enjoy.

Walking Ultimate BLT

• Pita Chips, plain or flavored, personal size serving bag
• Crispy fried bacon
• Reserved bacon fat, optional
• Chopped tomatoes
• Shredded lettuce
• Mayonnaise (optional)

Mix ingredients in the bag in the amounts to you desire. Walk around and enjoy.

Walking Tuna Casserole

• Ridged or Ruffles potato chips, in personal size serving bag
• Pouched tuna, unflavored
• Frozen green peas, thawed
• Mayonnaise
• Shredded Cheese

Open tuna pouch. Adjust the amounts to your liking. Mix in the bag and enjoy.

Walking Pollo Mucho Picante Lima

• Doritos (nacho cheese, or pick your favorite), single serving size
• Canned white meat chicken breast meat, shredded
• Taco sauce
• Shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Cilantro leaves
• Lime wedge, for squeezing
• Hot sauce (optional)

Open Dorito package. Mix ingredients in the bag with amounts you desire.

Walking "Say Cheese"

• Cheetos snacks, single serving size bag
• Shredded cheese blend
• Chopped canned pimentos, drained
• Queso sauce, warmed

Open Cheetos snack bag. Mix the ingredients as you desire in the bag. Add your fork and enjoy.

Walking Pineapple Upside Down Cake

• 1 box animal cracker cookies, single serving size box
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, well drained
• Squirt Redi-Whip
• Drizzle of honey

Open the box of animal crackers, and use it for the "bowl". Sprinkle crushed pineapple over the top of the crackers. Add a squirt of Reddi-wip. Drizzle honey over the top to taste. Insert spoon, mix and enjoy.

Walking Banana Pudding

Layers of creamy pudding, mini vanilla wafers, and sliced banana are served in portable snack bags as a yummy and cute dessert.

• 5.1 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2-1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces whipped topping
• 10 individually-wrapped snack-sized Nilla Wafers bags
• Optional topping: whipped cream and cherries

To a medium-sized bowl, whisk together vanilla instant pudding and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes

In a small bowl, use a handheld mixer to combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Add this mixture to the pudding. Use the mixer to whip up the pudding and cream cheese mixture for about 5 to 10 seconds or so. Then fold in the whipped topping.

Empty about 3/4 of the cookies into each of the 10 bags of wafers and place them all together in a separate bowl.

Slice the bananas and sprinkle with lemon juice or use Ball Fruit Fresh. If you don't mind slightly brown bananas, just skip this step.

To make: Add a couple of tablespoons of pudding to one bag, followed by a few slices of bananas and a few cookies. Repeat those layers again, and then do that for each bag until you've used up all the pudding, cookies, and bananas; this made 10 bags of pudding.

Serve right away or store in the fridge for a few hours if you'd like the cookies to soften. Add whipped cream and a cherry if desired right before serving. Enjoy!

7 Layer Walking Dessert

• 1 mini box Golden Grahams cereal
• 1 spoonful butterscotch baking chips
• 1 spoonful chocolate syrup
• 1 spoonful salted peanuts
• Squirt caramel syrup
• 1 spoonful coconut chips

Use the package of Golden Grahams as your bowl for this recipe. Add spoonful of butterscotch chips. Add spoonful of salted peanuts. Add spoonful of coconut chips. Add squirt of chocolate syrup and caramel syrup to taste.

Insert spoon and mix. Enjoy.

Take 5 Walking Dessert

The combo of peanuts, chocolate, caramel and pretzels is possibly one of the finest that I've come across. As a nod to the candy bar, this is a Take 5 Walking Dessert recipe that is another sweet and salty recipe. With salt on the pretzels and the peanuts, you don't need to add any more, but if you'd like the add toothiness of fresh sea salt go ahead.

• 1 snack bag of mini pretzels
• 1 spoonful of chocolate chips
• Drizzle chocolate syrup
• 1 spoonful of salted peanuts
• Drizzle caramel syrup

Using the pretzel bag as your bowl, gently crush the pretzels. Add a spoonful of chocolate chips directly to the bag. Add a spoonful of peanuts directly to the bag.

Drizzle chocolate and caramel syrups to taste. Insert spoon and mix.

Cranberry Chips Ahoy Walking Dessert

• 1 package mini Chips Ahoy cookies
• 1 pinch large crystal sea salt
• Large spoonful dried cranberries
• Squirt chocolate syrup

Open the package of mini Chips Ahoy cookies. Add a pinch of sea salt. Add a large spoonful of dried cranberries. Top with a generous squirt of chocolate syrup.

Insert spoon and mix well.

Strawberry Oreo Walking Dessert

• 1 snack package mini Oreos cookies
• Generous scoop of strawberry jelly
• 5 sliced strawberries
• Squirt Reddi-wip

Gently crush the bag of mini Oreos with your hands. Open package, and add a generous scoop of strawberry jelly. Add sliced strawberries to package. Top with a squirt of Reddi-wip. Insert spoon and mix well.

Banana Foster Mini Trifle To-Go Pack

A fun, portable snack or dessert with crunchy Mini Nilla Wafers, butterscotch Snack Pack pudding, banana slices, and a rich, buttery, caramel sauce.

• 1 Nabisco Go-Pak Mini Nilla Wafers cookies
• 1 snack pack pudding cup, butterscotch flavor
• 1 tablespoon prepared caramel sauce
• Sliced bananas
• Reddi-wip

Layer the ingredients according to your preference in the plastic Go-Pak cup. Add spoon and serve.

Peanut Butter Lovers Walking Dessert

• 1 jumbo peanut butter Grandma's Cookies
• Squeeze chocolate syrup
• Small scoop peanut butter powder
• Squirt Reddi-wip

With your hands, gently crush the cookies in their package. Open the Grandma's Cookie Package. Add chocolate syrup to taste. Add a small scoop of peanut butter powder. Top off with a squirt of Reddi-wip.

Insert spoon and mix well.

Walking Cheezit Cheddar Pie Dessert

• 1 snack bag Cheezits snack crackers
• Generous scoop apple sauce
• Squeeze caramel syrup
• 1 fresh apple in chunks
• Open snack-sized bag of Cheezits

Add a generous scoop of apple sauce directly into the bag of cheese snack crackers. Squeeze caramel sauce to taste. Top with fresh apple chunks.

Insert spoon and mix.

Walking Maple Cinnamon Ritz Dessert

• 1 package mini Ritz crackers
• 1 squeeze maple syrup
• Generous scoop dry maple oatmeal
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 generous scoop maple yogurt

Open snack size package of Ritz crackers. Squeeze maple syrup to taste. Scoop dry maple oatmeal into bag. Add a pinch of cinnamon. Top the bag off with a generous scoop of maple yogurt.

Insert spoon and mix.

Teddy Grahams Walking S'More

• Teddy Grahams package, single serving size
• Hot chocolate powder
• Marshmallow crème
• Reddi-wip

Open a snack-sized bag of Teddy Grahams. Add a scoop of hot chocolate powder. Add a spoonful of marshmallow crème. Top the bag with Reddi-wip.

Insert spoon.

Walking Golden Grahams S'Mores

• Golden Grahams cereal in small single serving size package
• Mini marshmallows
• Chocolate syrup
• Strawberries

Combine all ingredients directly inside a fun size box of Golden Grahams cereal.

Insert spoon and enjoy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Walking Taco Dessert

What you need:

• Nabisco Go-Paks! Nutter Butter Bites Sandwich Cookies
• Snack Pack Pudding Cups, chocolate
• Reddi-wip Original

Open the Go-Paks! and empty out half the cookies inside into a separate bowl (save one on the side). Open one Snack Pack Pudding Cup and scoop 1/2 of the container into the Go-Paks! on top of the cookies.

Top the pudding off with some Reddi-wip Original.

Repeat the process ending with the Reddi-wip Original and add that one cookie you saved on the side on top to share what's inside.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.