School/Sports/Dinner . . . .

[Bucky]

Hello -

Here's my dilemma . . . my son is on the golf team in high school.  Nobody told me when he tried out they would be meeting EVERY day (except Sundays) for eight weeks straight!!     Some days it runs until 8 p.m., then he has to come home and do homework!!  This is crazy . . . how can they expect the kids to do well in school when they are up late into the night doing homework because they've been at a school event until 8 p.m.?  Granted, I know any of the sports activities are "optional".  At our school district, if you are not involved in a sport you are required to take PE class.  I don't know what is so bad about the PE class, but NOBODY wants to take it, so the vast majority of the school is in some sort of sport.

In the past, we've usually eaten dinner around 5:30 p.m.  Now, with the daily practices and meets it varies - but most nights, the Mom Taxi is heading to the school between 5 - 6 p.m. or later.  Our son is hungry when I pick him up as he hasn't had anything to eat since lunch at 11:30 a.m.   (I have slipped some granola bars into his golf bag.)  We drive past a McDonald's on the way home - I must admit, I have driven through twice to get him a bite to eat.  By the time I get home, start dinner, it's another 30 minutes before dinner would be ready.  I can't really fix it ahead of time - it would be dried out by the time we got back home (it's a half hour round trip to the school and back home). 

I don't want to end up eating sandwiches every night for dinner.  I have a crock pot, but a meal like that after practice and eating later in the evening just doesn't appeal to us right now.  We've eaten so much pork and chicken lately - we're getting tired of that too.

Anybody have any suggestions for a later evening meal that doesn't take a long time to prepare and is something other than sandwiches?  This summer with all the heat, we've tried not to use the oven very much.  We've grilled meats - but, that takes a good amount of time, so it's not something real "quick" when we get home.   I need to replenish my ground chuck -  brown it and freeze it so I can add that to meals quickly.

To be honest, by the time I do all the running around - having to cook dinner is the last thing I want to do!!  But . . . this eating out all the time has got to stop.  High school is costing an arm and a leg already and we're only on the first week of school!!   

Thanks
Bucky

[Joe S.]

I tend to microwave everything. When we went through this with our kids, my wife and I split the duty. There were a lot of quick snacks (sandwiches) before meals when both Jan and I had things going on also.

[SLEEPY101]

That's a tough one. I would suggest that you do freeze some ground beef. Taco salads make a quick and hearty meal. Also Walmart has already cooked chicken breast strips. I buy pre packaged salad mix, add the chicken,a can of corn,black beans, chilies, and I like to add spicey ranch dressing. Walmart also sells Jalepeno bread that makes this meal complete.

I also saw a crockpot recipe that looks good. You put pre-cooked ground beef and a can of refried beens. Heat throughout the day. Take tostada shells and top with beef/bean topping add lettice and tomatoes.

On Fridays I somethings put nachos cheese in the crockpot for Nacho nite.

[Joe S.]

Salads for a growing boy??? Crock pot sloppy Joe's, Crock pot roast beef and potatos. Club (Boiled potato Dumplings) Chicken and Dumping soup with lots of dumplings.

[SLEEPY101]

That's true Joe:) That's more a dish for Mom

[Bucky]

Ha . . . heaven forbid a lettuce leaf pass over my son's lips!!     That's not gonna happen!!

My hubby is the only one who likes things that are "hot" and he is always doctoring up his food to add some zing to it. 

Hmmm . . . how many different varieties of Hamburger Helper are there??     LOL

Bucky

[Scottietottie]

Cook a lot of something at one time and then put it in the freezer in portions. Home made food is better microwaved than processed microwave food.

[Joy Cox]

   Hey Sweet Bucky I mentioned in earlier post about the possibility of you driving a school bus.... 

Now I come to find out your have become a TAXI MOM!!!.......  Oh the sweet memories I have of days gone by!           

3 kids to transport and only 2 vehicles and only 1 Mom and 1 Dad...  Our answer, carpooling with other parents... Yes, we as did other parents drive extra miles to get our/their kid home!!!

We always had two in high school at the same time for some years. As one finished the other started his/her freshman year.

I wore out 3 crock-pots during this time of our family's life together as I started to work at a school when the last one went to kindergarten.

My daughter's husband coaches, guess what, Bucky?              GOLF

She tells me she is putting the crock pot on the deck during this hot weather as they have a fenced in back yard and their dog, Lacey, stays in the house during the day. She says she puts a roast in with a cup of water and wraps up potatoes in tin foil and puts them on top of roast. And, when she come home from work, it is ready for her and elementary school kid to eat... and, then off to pick up middle schooler from soccer practice... this kid then eats... and daddy eats when he comes home from coaching GOLF practice.   

Is there any way you can put yours on your front porch during this hot weather?

My hubby still uses ours to make beef stew and we eat it throughout the weekend. Ours has a high auto setting that cooks on high for 1 hour, and then cooks on low until we get ready to eat.

I feel sure you'll have a 'blast' in no time 'flat' enjoying all the roads you travel in your next 4 years!   GO GIRL!!!

LOL, Joy

[Madderakka]

You can also use your crockpot to make mexican shredded chicken or beef to make fajitas or tacos. If you are home before you go to the school, you can put some spanish rice in a rice cooker and when you get home you have yumminess.

There are really a lot of meals to make in a crockpot. You can make casseroles, chicken parmigiana, chilli, pretty much anything. You can even make yogurt in a crockpot. I just bought a new one and they have all kinds of bells and whistles now.

[Chickpea]

Pasta was the answer in this house when we had three teenagers at home.  It's quick and filling and you can make a variety of sauces.  The sauces freeze well so the young ones can fix themselves pasta and sauce whenever they're hungry.  Grated cheese on top and chilli sauce on the side means everyone can have their choice of flavours.

You're entering the world of teenagers with hollow legs.  I'm sure he'd happily eat a few sandwiches on the journey home - could be a way of getting a little salad into him if it's disguised with tuna? - and then tuck into supper as soon as you're home.  If my boys ate a substantial snack after school around 4 p.m., then had supper at 6.30 or 7 p.m., they were ready for another 'snack' by 9.  Toasted sandwiches seemed to hit the spot, or a 'grill up' as they called it with fish fingers, veggie sausages, potato waffles.  It's an expensive time for parents!

Enjoy him and his healthy appetite.  These years pass very quickly.

Thinking of you, dearest Bucky - Chickpea