Dinner Ideas So I Dont Have to Eat Out.

I would eat dinner at 4. We used to do it all the time. My kids were hungry when they came home from school, so instead of a snack and then facing the dinner on the run situation you describe, I'd feed them dinner after school, and then when they were hungry later, they could have fruit, cereal, granola bars, etc. Hope this helps!

Make whatever you would normally make, like a pasta dish with chicken and spinach, and put it in small individual tupperware containers. Just before you leave, pop them in the microwave to heat it up, then pass out plastic forks in the car and eat on your way there. Anyone who's still hungry can have leftovers of the same thing when you get home!

You are a SAHM, right?
I am too.
My daughter has Karate in the evening.
I have the same "problem" as you. I also have a 3.5 year old at home.

What I do is this: I ALWAYS cook and prep dinner in the morning... everyday. I do this because the afternoons are too busy for me, and my eldest child is home at that time too, and they nap and we do other activities in the afternoon, with both my kids.
So, I cook in the mornings. THEN that way... by dinner time, dinner is ALREADY made... and we can eat at a decent hour. And I don't have to stress about it.

The point is: dinner does not have to be made at night in the evening. It can be made any time.

My dinner for tonight, is already made in fact! I made a huge Taco Salad.

Then, before my daughter's Karate class in the evening, I make sure she has a snack BEFORE we leave the house for her class. My son too. Then that way, she is NOT famished.... after Karate, and does not spoil her appetite for dinner, on the way home, with in the car snacks.

Then when we get home, like at 7:30pm, Dinner is already made, I just warm it up or whatever, and we eat. NO rushing, NO snacks spoiling their dinner, and much more efficient.
Or, if my Husband is home, while I am out at class with my kids... I leave a note for him in the kitchen on what to do to heat up dinner... so that it is all DONE and READY, when we come home.

That is my solution. It works.

all the best,
Susan

Here's some veggie ideas: raw veggies, baby carrots, celery, green beans, snap pea pods with: hummus, black bean dip or any other dip.
yoghurt, homemade burritos with lots of veggies, avocados either just eat with a spoon, or sliced in a wrap, loaded baked potato or sweet potato, nut butter sandwiches, Beans and rice and or cooked summer veggies in a bowl.
Trail mix is always a good fill in.

you need a slow cooker! Or if you have one, use it :)

http://www.recipezaar.com/cookbook.php?bookid=157970

This is my collection of other people's recipes for slow cooker dinners.

I'm making this one tonight (cutting the recipe in half):
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Cheesy-Hash-Browns-Casse...

Get some canned veggies, salad in a bag, already-cut-up fruit (most stores sell that)... all quick to make with the recipes.

Good luck :)

You have some excellent suggestions already.

Sandwiches, subs, burritos, soft tacos, are great. If you are concerned about them spilling the sandwich contents, leave the sandwich in a baggie as they eat it. Baked chicken, cooled, is very kid friendly. Put the chicken in a baggie so they can eat it out of the baggie to cut down on the potential mess. Some crock pots are easily transportable. Bowls can be taken with you and what you cook can be eaten at the game. You can do BBQ in a crock pot, but thats messy, or could be, in a car.

Just some ideas. Good luck to you and yours.

My son (7) loves wraps of any kind and he loves fresh veggies (every kind) so I'd suggest wraps.

I'm with the other moms who say make it early and "pack it". My oldest son plays baseball no less than three times a week, and I've got three younger children that need to come along with me. My youngest three get a picnic in the van or at the game, and my oldest gets his on the way home. Pasta salads with some type of meat and black beans, raw veggies, light casseroles, grilled chicken sandwiches, sausage and egg croissants, all are on the favorites list of my kids.

good luck!

S.

make dinner before, and feed him a huge snack before you leave and have dinner when you return, take out of fridge, heat and give it to him.
how old is your son by the way?
if less than 8 years old, feed him before you leave, then a snack before bedtime.
rice and chicken in the oven
spinach casserole
chicken pieces and mashed potatoes
anything

For a while we've been eating 4 meals. I got tired of my kids filling up at snack time and not eating their meals. We eat around 7, 11, 2, and 6. It keeps us all from having the afternoon munchies.
Meal times don't have to be at traditional times. So, maybe try a meal at 4 and light meal (smoothie or something) at 8.

That is so difficult. You can make burritos and wrap them in foil to keep them warm (in a cooler with towels really helps). You can give them cheese and crackers/water/fruit for on the way to practice and then have something more substantial when you get home. At home you can use your crockpot to have meals ready for your arrival home. Or, we have a couple of "fast food" meals that we do at home for times like this: Spaghetti and meatballs (prepared meatballs from the frozen food section with a jar of spag sauce over noodles), a green salad with pasta and cut up chicken in it (again, frozen teryaki chicken from Costco that I cook in a skillet and cut up to add to the salad), quesedillas (however you spell that!) with cheese and whatever you want to add (ham, bbq chicken, vegies, you name it!)-easy to make: 2 tortillas with the filling in the middle cooked on a skillet with a little olive oil, grilled cheese w a side. I hate fast food joints. We try not to ever eat there, but we do sometimes. I like my "fast food" so much better!!

For those nights, you can pack cold dinner ideas...

1.) antipasta plate and cheese with mustard, crackers/bread (whole wheat is better than white flour; bread can be squared, cut in 4ths), baby carrots and dressing, pickles and olives, grapes & apples.

2.) salad with baked chicken (you can bake the chicken tenders the night before)

3.) Hot dogs and buns (I buy the non-nitrite, organic kind so they're a touch healthier). Bring along your ketchup, mustard and relish. They might be a touch cool when you all finally eat them but most kids won't mind. You can add some pasta salad with vegetables to go along with them.

4.) Homemade pizzas with fresh vegetables.

I recently spent a grand total of 6 days (2 consecutive 3 day trips) on trains with a 13yo, an 8yo and a 2yo (all boys). What I did for most of the time was I had a cooler (a small, soft-sided Coleman cooler with a shoulder carry strap) that I kept a squeeze bottle of mayo, deli sliced turkey and American singles in. I also had flour tortillas. I basically made turkey "sandwich" wraps. Each kid would eat at least one and probably most often two. They were delicious and way healthier than fast food. I also had applesauce cups, fruit cups and jello cups with mandarin oranges in it to round out the meal and make it a little more balanced. We drank water and sometimes I would give them those kool-aid fun fizz things to drop in their bottle of water, or a Chrystal Light to-go pack.

My point is that this type of thing could work for you. All you would have to do is bring the cooler with you and make up the wraps during practice. Then pass them and drinks out once everyone is in the car on the way home.

Another thought is to fire up your crock-pot if you have one. You can leave your dinner cooking in your crock pot to be ready by the time you all get home.

My boys have lacrosse several times a week, so as soon as I get home from work, we get 30 minutes to be out the door. What I normally do is just make sandwiches, bagel pizza, or a frozen dinner. I bring sliced oranges that he can munch on during their water breaks.