{"id":17673,"date":"2011-03-10T20:33:45","date_gmt":"2011-03-11T00:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/cooking\/?p=17673"},"modified":"2019-02-28T11:39:27","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T16:39:27","slug":"managing-meals-and-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/cooking\/managing-meals-and-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Meals and Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Organized sports and other extra curricular activities are not for every family. But for many families they are an important part of their children’s lives. This purpose of this post is not to debate the role of organized sports in the family, but rather to provide families with tips for making healthy, inexpensive meals during the busy seasons. <\/em><\/p>\n

This year (after a two year break) we have five children playing soccer. Unfortunately they are all on different teams, which means nightly practice. Thank goodness the field is right down the road, but it definitely disrupts dinner! Whether you have one child or five managing meals and after school activities can be quite challenging.<\/p>\n

While it is tempting to swing through the drive thru or order pizza those options aren’t very healthy and can break the food budget in a few days! I’ve made a list of the things that have worked for our family when it comes to sports schedules and meals.<\/p>\n

Menu Plan<\/h3>\n

If you don’t have a plan, you will not be serving dinner on a regular basis on activity nights. Usually teams have a practice schedule set up weeks in advance so you know what nights you will need to accomodate a different meal schedule. No matter what you decide to serve on these nights, having a plan sets you up for success.<\/p>\n

If you are new to menu planning read 5 Simple Ways to Menu Plan. <\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Meal Prep on the Weekends<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a scaled back version of freezer cooking. Cook any meat, chop vegetables or make bread on the weekend to serve throughout the week. Spending a few hours in the kitchen on the weekend saves time during the week since you are only putting the meals together each evening.<\/p>\n

Use Your Crock Pot<\/h3>\n

The nice thing about many crock pot meals is that people can eat at different times. If the meal is kept warm in the crock pot the kids that have practice can eat right when they get home, no need to wait for a meal to be made.<\/p>\n

Meal Ideas<\/p>\n