Help with Dinner

Yowza. Can you clarify what time their activities begin? That info would certainly help. Also, are you a single mom or is there a partner at home to help out?

Every once in awhile (particularly in the winter) will throw a whole chicken into the slow cooker for the day along with some onions and carrots. Comes out REALLY tender and then there's some great stock f or chicken soup left

I use a combo of Sunday "cooking days" and crock pot cooking. I'll assemble freezer friend casseroles-lasagna, enchiladas, tater tot casserole, etc. in foil pans and pop them in the freezer. I'll take on out the morning of, leave it in the fridge to defrost a bit, and put it in the oven at dinner time. It sounds like the activities don't start until later, 6 or 7? If so I'd plan dinner for 5pm and then give them a snack before bed.

I don't have any good answers, sorry (I went through something similar and ended up opting for take out/fast food plenty of times that I shouldn't have). My kids did martial arts. But it was only twice a week, and they weren't getting home *that* late until after age 10. I'm pretty appalled that cheer and football practices last until after 8 pm for kids under age 9. Wow.
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ETA:
Thinking further, I'm going to make an assumption (probably a bad idea, but...). Your kids are 4th grade and younger. They are coming home from school for a bit, and then going to these practices? Surely they don't go straight from school (that gets out at what...3 pm?) to practices lasting 5 hours, right?

Can you feed them dinner right after school? And then just a *snack* before bed when you get back home again? I know it's hot out, and you don't want to stuff yourself before exerting yourself out in the heat. That's a sure way to be sick all over the practice field. But who says dinner has to be hot? Cold salads work for dinner. Or chilled chicken wraps. Even cold fried chicken (if you can have it not be too greasy). As long as they get a good hour to let their food digest a bit before they start running stadiums or something, they should be ok. Right?

I thought you were talking about high school kids until I read the end of your paragraph. I understand that football/cheer is such an important part of the culture in Texas but I think you might want to rethink the priorities for such young kids. This kind of schedule is tough on the whole family. Is there a way the parents could request earlier practices? The coaches should want what is in the best interest of the children. I have a 13 yr old who is into 1-3 sports per season and he never got to bed that late during the school year. At the ages you are talking about, he was probably already in bed by 8:30.

Sorry I didn't answer what you asked. It just took me by surprise when I read how little they are. What will your life be like when all 4 are in football and cheer? I'm guessing the goal is high school and college football, but is this really the only path and is it realistic? I would ask a good friend these same questions.

ETA: I tried HelloFresh. For a family of 6, it's $220 a week. It's a nice change, you get new ideas, but just too much for a family of six.
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I was ready to pop in some great recipes, then I saw that you narrowed the field considerably.

I have 4 boys. All are in a sport, theater, or other activity. We eat before we go. I will NOT eat after 9. That's just wrong. I can't go to bed with a meal in my stomach like that. I'd be up until 2AM. No thank you.

Since you have narrowed the choices:

Salads - add chicken that is sliced and/or diced.

Foil dinners - my boys love this. put each person's meal in a foil packet.Put it in the oven on low (190) before you leave and they will be done when you get home. I put in chicken, corn on the cob and baby potatoes, season and seal. I've done broccoli as well, but it has to be fresh NOT FROZEN if you do that. Sprinkle some cheese over the top of it. You can put this on the grill too. they just need to be watched.

Fried chicken. People eat it cold. I NEVER heard of waffles and chicken until I got to Georgia. Fried chicken and waffles. Oh my goodness!! YUM!! Both can be made ahead.

Crockpot meals? Make sure your meat is NOT frozen when you put it in. It dries it out.
Since you've narrowed the field, you know your choices: chicken, turkey or veggies.

Roast a turkey or whole chicken on slow during the day. REALLY LOW, as low as you can get your oven and keep it covered. Before you leave for your activites, add in your starch (rice or potatoes, I've not had success with noodles) and vegetable.

Quesadillas. Fast and easy. Add turkey or chicken.

hope this helps

well M. - you've really limited your options with no beef, pork or seafood. That leaves chicken and veggies. Which- for me? gets REALLY old after a while.

You can do BlueApron.com or HelloFresh.com - these are pre-planned meals for a family of 4 and you can increase the number - for 3 meals a week. These are NOT cheap. But they are HUGE time savers.

I find it pretty sad that young kids are out with sports until 9PM. That's just a tad over the top. Our high schoolers have football during the day and some practices at night. LaCrosse doesn't take priority so we practice from 7 to 9 and those are HIGH SCHOOLERS - not elementary age kids. Wow.

I'd personally make it a picnic and eat at the field. I think that eating after 9PM is too late to eat. Why not feed them BEFORE they go to practice? Nothing heavy.

casseroles are something you can make ahead and put in the oven on low heat to cook while you are gone.

Broccoli casserole - what you need:

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 TBspn finely chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cup crumbled cheese snack crackers
2 TBspn butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 1-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

Ensure broccoli doesn't have any excess water, place in casserole dish. Combine in soup, cheese, egg, onions, mayonniase and cayenne pepper - mix well.

Crush crackers and mix with butter - spread over mixture. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbly.

I love Mr. Food's No Peek Chicken casserole

What You'll Need:

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 envelope onion soup mix (from a 2-ounce box)
1 soup can cold water
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 chicken (3-1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
Paprika for sprinkling
What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together rice, soups, soup mix, water, garlic, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Press chicken into mixture. Sprinkle with paprika, then cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake 1-1/4 hours. Do NOT open cover (not even to peek!) during baking.

Wow - I think you're making yourself miserable with 4 kids under 9 who aren't getting to bed until 10:30. I think you're setting them up for a childhood of sleep-deprivation. I know this isn't your question, but do read up on "the over-scheduled child" and see if you agree with educators and child psychologists that this is not beneficial to them at this age. I was sure you were talking about high school kids until I got to the "under 9" revelation!

They should not be eating dinner at that hour - is that what you are saying? You want to feed them dinner at 8:45 PM? They need to eat something substantive right after school at 3 PM, or they need to eat at the field or the practice venue at 5 or 6.

1) Turkey wraps keep well - whole wheat tortilla, cheddar cheese cut in matchsticks or else thin-sliced so it rolls, mustard or hummus, some lettuce or spinach leaves, then roll and wrap in foil or secure with a toothpick.

2) Quiche or frittata (a quiche without a crust) is a good way to get eggs and a lot of veggies in a quick-microwave-reheat form. You can mix in tofu too (get the soft kind, put it in a food processor with the veggies, eggs and half & half, chop it), pour it in a pie plate that you either line with a store-bought crust or just plain (grease it with butter or a spritz of oil), bake until set about 1 hour. Then cut it in wedges like a pie and reheat or microwave.

3) Pulled chicken in a crockpot with taco seasonings - tons of recipes on recipe websites. Take it in a thermos-style container. Have a bag of plastic forks/spoons/napkins in an insulated picnic cooler that goes with you to events/practices. Older kids can manage their own servings so you aren't doling out the food.

4) Sweet & sour turkey meatballs - buy them in the frozen section (just plain ones), then heat in the crockpot or microwave in a lidded casserole with a mix of currant jelly and chili sauce (or ketchup). Microwave the sauce or heat on the stove first to melt the jelly, then stir in the chili sauce, then pour over the frozen meatballs. You can mix in some noddles at the end if you want.

5) Whole milk yogurt (not low-fat - they need the staying power of a whole product), with fruit mixed in and a separate container for granola, seeds and nuts (they make paired containers now that stick together; you can find in the plastic/picnic aisle of any supermarket and some even have a slot for the spoon).

6) Salads with sliced up grilled chicken or turkey (make your own in a batch, then freeze in smaller portions), almonds or walnuts (essential healthy fats, protein), chopped veggies of choice. You can make a simple dressing of mashed avocado and lemon juice.

7) American Chop Suey with ground turkey and whole wheat pasta, a sauce of tomato puree (I buy the big cans, and freeze what I don't use so I can pop those containers out for a quick recipe that only requires a few ounces). Add green or red peppers, or whatever veggies they will eat. This is a good place to hide chopped kale, shredded zucchini and other things that soften up easily.

8) My kid is an athlete and I always gave him a quality, balanced shake with protein and all the vitamins he needs (not just the few in a multi-vitamin tablet, which are useless). We added things like yogurt and fruit, flaxseed meal, kale and other veggies. He got very creative making them. Kids are not going to be able to perform athletically if they are not well nourished with protein and healthy fats for those muscles and the energy they need. And they need it early in the day, not late at night.

I'd stop with nutrient-deficient snacks like pretzels or snack bars if that's what they're eating in the car now. Go to high protein/healthy fat options. You can make your own granola bars with oats, almond or cashew butter, dried cranberries or currants, etc. - there are plenty of recipes on line, and the bars freeze well in individual foil or plastic wraps.

On nights that you are home for a real dinner, I'd go for a good stir fry with tofu or chicken, edamame and lots of veggies, and some cashews thrown on at the end.

Good luck!

I'd like to know what those 3 days look like (when football and cheer are scheduled). Is there a break between school and practice? Could you pack a cooler of wraps, pre-made burritos, healthy salads that contain protein like quinoa or chickpeas or chicken, and let the kids have their meal then? When you get home at 9 pm, that's not a good time for a meal - that's a good time for a glass of warm milk and a small snack of fruit.

You may just have to declare that the 3 practice days are "wraps-to-go" days, and save real dinners for the other 4 days of the week. And make sure the kids get in the habit of eating their wraps early, and enforce a much stricter bedtime.

That's crazy for kids that age. They can't be getting enough sleep. Do they come home from school for a few hours and then go to these late night activities. If so feed them early. So that leaves pasta and chicken. Crock pot lasagna, chicken in crock pot. Cook early in the day and reheat that way you can make just about anything you want.

You can search "bedtimes by age" and see that your 9 yo should be getting about 10 hours of sleep and the younger ones 10-12 hours of sleep. Just something to think about.

My quickest, easiest recipe is tostadas. Store bought shells, can of refried beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce and some hot sauce. Everyone in my family likes these and all you have to do is open a can and heat the beans then spread on the shell, sprinkle with cheese and lettuce and put some hot sauce or salsa on top.

You can also make a couple casseroles, heat them in the oven and then eat as needed throughout the week. Just put some on a plate and heat it up. Same thing for fried rice which is super easy to make. I make a huge batch and keep in the fridge. It even tastes good room temp or even cold.

It would also be helpful to know if you work full time or if you are home during the day and can do some prep work. Ideally no one should eat after 7pm. Good luck.

Could you do a prep day on Sunday? I have 2 that are 3 and 19 months. My husband either takes them while I prep lunches/dinner for the week or I do it during a nap time. And, because it is only for 5 days, everything will keep in the fridge. When we have extras I just freeze them. I also keep it super simple: Veggies, a grain, chicken, soups served over couscous, shredded chicken for tacos or sandwiches, veggie/chicken/turkey sausage lasagna, homemade pizza toppings and dough, crockpot chicken with potatoes, carrots, celery. I also agree with the other mom who said try to eat before practice, with a snack on the way home. That way when you get home you can just get them ready for bed.

Perhaps you could consider flipping your meals? Breakfast could be your main meal of the day, with substantial protein. Then lunch, snacks, and breakfast cereal for supper. Easy to digest and sleep on. All my best.

Tacos and stirfry are pretty quick. They can be prepped ahead of time and cooked quickly. "Fix-it and Forget It" has great crockpot recipes. I have a couple of their books, but I'm pretty sure they have a website, also.

Are you waiting until you get home to start dinner?

I think I would look for ways to eat before practice. I enjoy having a snack before bed, but I wouldn't want to wait that long to eat dinner.

You should try out hellofresh.com which is an online meal plan that delivers food to your house and is an affordable price that is healthy and the cooking process isn't has hectic because they give you recipes to follow. Look up routines to use to help you cope, hope all goes good. Take Care

I agree with Isnthisfun. I'd be feeding them before their activities. I do that. We have dance through dinner time, and sometimes it's a drive to hockey practices - so I pack them up more of a lunch type meal to eat in the car or before they go - even just dinner, but served early. I don't load them on it - just enough to keep them going, then they have a snack before bed.

Egg salad sandwiches, or even boiled eggs, etc. in the car with some fruit - something substantial enough to get through the sport, and then often they have cereal or something before bed.

That's a long day for a little one. Here sports and activities don't run that late - maybe you've got quite a drive.

I just got a book out from library on slow cooker meals - it's excellent. It's probably old but it's from Better Homes - huge binder. Full of options on how to change it to suit your family's tastes. For example you can add one of the following - then they give you a list of ingredients to choose from, and they do this with meat, vegetables, spices, etc.

ETA

I just wanted to take a moment and ask you to please read up on turkey. It's the highest in cholesterol of almost all foods. It's super unhealthy if you're trying to work with cholesterol numbers. I had no idea a lady from church told me she'd told her heart doc she was NOT going to start eating more Turkey. He asked why and she told him. He didn't know! She had told him something new. Now he's letting all his patients know to not eat turkey.

I'd been buying it for my husband. His numbers weren't moving even with his meds AND "healthier" foods. I cut out turkey completely and his numbers started falling very rapidly.

So Turkey isn't very healthy for the most part. Beef and pork are healthier than Turkey. But as I said, google it and see if the numbers are anything you want to eat.

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There's always salad.

I understand that you want to be more vegetarian but perhaps you can go to some vegetarian sites and look under recipes.

Google TVP. It's textured vegetable protein and you can get it flavored like taco meat, sausage, chicken, and other things. You basically add water and heat it up. Then serve it like making tacos. I get mine at Emergency Essentials. I get dehydrated beans and a few other dehydrated foods through Thrive For Life. The beans look so odd but you add the right amount of water and heat them up. I drain off a little of the water and they taste like they've been cooking and are perfect. I can slice up a few potatoes and chop some onions, fry up some potatoes while the beans are heating and hydrating. Even pop some cornbread in the oven. Full meal done in less than 30 minutes.

Our girl tumbles, dances (4 styles), acts, sings, and is in classes about 3 days per week from 5-8. I work for the studio in a clothing store to help pay for her classes so I'm there from 4-8 regardless of her being in class or hanging out changing the clothes on the mannequins, she really enjoys doing that.

When basketball season is going on, fall through Jan or Feb, she's busy practicing and playing on her off nights from the studio. She loves basketball, not very good at it but she's young and loves playing on a team and getting better. It's FUN for her. Not a college track thing at all.

She just finished up one musical and is auditioning for another in a month. She's pretty good at these things. She has had lead parts for kids. Done very well with them.

So we are busy too. We are hardly ever home before 8:30 or 9pm.

We have a good snack ready when she gets out of school. Small portions are great, not huge heavy meals. But high protein NOT high complex carbs. I mean good foods that will tide them over until dinner.

I bake things like Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars, fix her a ham and pepperoni sandwich or two, open a can of Mini Ravioli and have it warm and in a bowl that can travel without spilling easily, I fixed chicken and noodles last week and stored some of it in Rubbermaid containers and froze them, I can pop one in and thaw it then heat it while I'm getting ready for work and have it hot when she gets out of school, and sometimes I go by Little Caesar's Pizza and get her a pepperoni pizza.

Having a substantial snack right out of school can be an issue for some activities. If she's not hungry because she liked lunch that day and ate it all, she has basketball and she doesn't want to be weighted down by a heavy meal or getting to practice and having to go sit on the toilet, it's a learning process. Talk to the kids and have them help you decide what's to eat when they get in the vehicle.

I have found that chunks of watermelon are great when she's hot and in a hurry. They have tons of fluids in them and if she's not drank enough water they help. Other juicy fruits like oranges can also be a good "light" snack.

I have stuff in the freezer that I made in bulk like Spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, chicken broth, chunks of chicken, shredded chicken, cooked sausage with onions, cooked hamburger meat with taco seasoning, and more. We can have basically anything we want in half an hour.

I will say this, because I am in the same situation, that our lifestyle prohibits us from having the kids to bed any earlier than 10pm or 11pm. We have chosen to allow our kids to do after school activities that take time and effort and takes up their life outside of the classroom.

We don't have the option of coming home after school, doing homework, sitting around arguing about how much screen time they can have, getting them off the phone to join in a family thing, we don't have that life. We're on the move, getting each person where they need to be, volunteering what few moments we have extra for our kids.

What we can do is prepare ahead. I cooked 10lbs of leg quarters last week when I was home during the day. Those that work days can do this on the weekends. I froze the chicken in quart size ziplock baggies after it was de-boned. I put the broth in gallon size ziplock baggies and laid them flat.

I can make spinach lasagne and freeze individual servings, kids pop in what they want, add a salad or some garlic butter green beans, dinner is served and everyone can pretty much have what they want.

It's not hard to prepare ahead. Do you Pinterest? I have found tons of prepare ahead recipes and ideas on that page.

I also think you can search for recipes to "feed a crowd". You'll find selections that feed 20, 50, even a hundred. So getting the portion sizes down to what you need can be an adventure. BUT my point is this. Cook a recipe for a meal on the weekend when everyone is able to take time. IF, and it's sometimes a BIG IF, they like it and want it again THEN you know you can make double or even triple that amount and divide it up and freeze it.

When you come home late like our families do you just have to accept it's a different lifestyle that other families have. We have different priorities.

People often chastise me for letting our girl do so much. I tell them that I don't expect her to be a college basketball star but it's the one thing she does for fun. I tell them that she's an average student, well, above average but at the point where everyone else thinks is normal. She made A's in all but one class last year. That was a good year for her. Her best yet. I expected her to pull B's and maybe an A or two. She has never had homework, not real busy work homework. She's getting up where she will start having some though.

I hope you can start thinking of how you can take the differences that your family lives with and make time to prepare ahead and then you can have more down time when you do get home in the evenings. I know it's late and everyone is hungry and they need to do school stuff and shower. But it's your lifestyle and you need to own it. Even if they don't get in bed until later than other kids it's okay, those other kids aren't having your kids life. Those other kids are missing on the times your kids will remember til they day they die.

It's good when we can have the weekends to be a family and do stuff with friends. It is, taking time to cook a few huge meals and getting them fixed up for the week is a great feeling too.

Not sure where you live but there is a company here named Wildtree and they have services where they supply the recipes, seasonings and some even work with a local butcher so you can get local organic meat. All their seasonings are natural and their recipes are gluten free. They have crockpot options, chicken, veggie,etc as well as quick sautee meals. Super tasty and convenient. My neighbor is a rep and she gets girls together once a month to put together the meals. You pay their fee and then prep your own veggies before hand and put it all in freezer bags and then when you get together with her you put them all together in freezer bags labeled and ready to go. Hope this helps!

Scrambled eggs are good any time of the day.
They can make a great easy supper.

Additional:
Just about anything you can do with pork, beef or seafood can be done with chicken, turkey, lamb/mutton and/or tofu - and some really like venison.
Chili, stew or soup - you can always have one of those waiting for you in a crock pot.
Sandwiches, rollups/wraps - are all easy.
It doesn't take long to microwave some potatoes and put some cheese over them.
That burst of energy at the end of the day can go towards getting things ready for the next day - getting clothes laid out, lunched made, getting ready for bed, etc.

On activity nights pack burritos, wraps, sandwiches, soups, rice/noodle dishes. These are all easy to eat on the go and healthy, filling, yummy and easy to make without meat.
Even though eating in the car is not ideal I'd rather do that than wait until getting home so late.
Invest in a good small cooler and some thermoses, and remember that coolers can also be used to keep warm food warm.
As far as the burst of energy well that's what you get for choosing late night activities you know? These are choices you make as a parent, personally I wouldn't do it, I'd tell my kids no, this schedule is too late for our family and sign them up for something else.
It really is okay not to give your kids everything they want.

Many of your favorite meals can be done in the crock pot. Google crockpot lasagna, crock pot chicken (you can do a whole chicken, or just chicken breasts in your favorite marinade), veggie chili, chicken chili, potato soup, chicken with Mexican seasonings to use for tacos.

Now I'm inspired to get out my crock pot too. I don't use it often enough.

stick your favorite meat and your favorite sauce or dressing in a crockpot and dish it on the side of veggies or shred it and put it in a bun or tortilla to go! That is my favorite go to busy day meal plan. you can even stick the veggies in the crockpot on top of the meat if you want it all done in one swoop.
When there are leftovers, divide them up in individual portions and stick them in little disposable or reusable plastic containers (or bento boxes) when you have to run out of the house unexpectedly, just grab them and stick them in a bag with the water bottles!
Now that kiddos are in school and sports, there's hardly a night we get to have a sit down family dinner :'-(
Good Luck, and don't forget to let us know how it goes or if you find any spectacular recipes!

We are gone at LEAST 4 nights a week with our kids schedules (9, 11, and 13). The oldest has dance 20 minutes away that goes until 845 three nights a week. She brings her dinner with her those nights. Either it's packed in a container and she heats it up or she eats on the way to dance. Whatever she wants. If she eats on the way there, she brings a snack with her.

The boys have more time at home before they go and their practices don't go so late. If practice starts at 5, they eat when they get home. If it starts at 6, they eat before.

I have many pictures of dinner containers piled in the car in between two kids who are doing their homework. It's a crazy schedule, but it's ours and we own it.

With that being said...each kid has a wide mouth thermos that comes with a spoon. We use those nightly when the seasons are crazy (fall and spring). Really, you can bring ANYTHING with you. We've done soups, burritos, baked chicken (side and veggie), grilled steak (side and veggie), spaghetti, fajitas, sandwiches, etc. Anything at all works. It really boils down to preplanning.

When my husband worked 2 hours away, I used the crock pot ALWAYS. Now he works from home, so he often has dinner ready by the time I need to leave with the first kiddo.

I'm all about the crockpot, one of life's great inventions. Scour Pinterest for recipes your family might like. I did that long ago and have quite a "recipe book" now.

We like "The Vegan Slow Cooker". This family also has four kids and the recipes are simple and quick. My favorite is cheater's chili (her name): 5 cans of different types of beans, one large package of mixed vegetables. Drop it in the crock pot and let it cook for 90 minutes.