Budget Dinner ideas during baseball season...

[threecrazykids]

Ok sports infested parents/coaches/kids...we are just starting to get fired up for baseball/summer sports season and need some budget friendly dinner ideas! My wallet can't handle another season of eating 2-3 meals a week at the concession stand.

I do use my crockpot when we have time to eat before the game (very rare), but I'd like to plan some easy things I can pull together to either throw in a cooler, or make quick before OR after the games.

I usually make a "Baseball Bag" every year that I take to all the games to keep healthier snacks and even some candy in just to keep them away from the concession stands, but I could use some snack type ideas as well!

I know there are many of you out there who have to be going through this same ordeal...sheesh, how do you do it?

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

How about some cold Bar-b-q chicken legs and some macaroni or pasta salad. Very cheap and you won't need to heat it up when you get home, or eat it at the field.

Living in Vegas we don't like to turn on the oven during the summer, but if it's ok where you live make a Ziti ahead of time then pop it in the oven when you get home and make a green salad to go with it.

Breakfast for dinner is always a cheap fast option also.

 

[DBarber600]

We are having the same issue. I have been packing DD a sack lunch, but that still doesn't solve the problem of everyone else's dinner.

 

[dismom9761]

We spend the majority of our evenings and most weekends(tournaments so it is literally ALL weekend) at either a softball or baseball field.I have four kids so the concession stand can be extremely expensive and unhealthy.

We do alot of sanwiches,roll ups,fruit,raw veggies,goyogurt,etc.I am looking for more "real" type dinners/lunches that can travel.We get tired of sandwiches.I have made containers of salad and tossed some cold cut up chicken on top.

The evenings we have practice we leave the house by 4:30 pm and return after 8:OOpm.Sometimes I will feed everyone dinner before we leave and take a "heavy" snack for when they get hungry.

 

[Katie]

On our few nights off, we grill chicken breasts on the grill and make extras. We grill hamburgers and make enough for the next night too.

Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sandwiches are fast and easy too. Of course, Bacon somedays is expensive.

Chicken Salad works well too, especially for hot summer nights.

Tournament weekends, we eat cheaply for lunch( fast food),and then always try and eat a heathy dinner at a sit-down restaraunt. Seems like if is is really hot, the boys won't eat much anyway. They are drinkers...lol....we always have a cooler of Gaterade and Water in the Suburban!

 

[TxAnn]

Our baseball season is just winding down here, thank goodness! One thing we did this season was to do alot of bbq'ing on Sunday. Dh would fire up the pit and he'd cook burgers, hot dogs, chickens, and brisket. Then I'd plan dinners for the week using what we'd bbq: Brisket sandwiches, chicken salads, baked potatoes with chopped brisket, etc.

Very quick and yummy for weeknights.

 

[christyhud]

One other thing that has worked well for us is rotisserie chicken. I pack string cheese, carrot sticks, grapes, bananas, etc. in our ice chest and then pick up a rotisserie chicken from our local grocery store deli on our way (Or pack the one I bought the day before!) It's good hot or cold and feels more like a real meal for us.

 

[threecrazykids]

These are all great ideas! Keep them coming

 

[dec181981]

Little league is winding down here as well, but with 2 kids 2 games each and 3 practices each i feel yall's pain!

I have been doing the once a month cooking for a bout 3 months now and it has waaaaayyy cut back on fast foot and concession stands. I usually just cook and feed the kids before game/practice and dh and I will take ours to go.

The kids usually have a snack after the game and haven't complained too much about the early dinners.

Some of the family favorites are: Tandori Chicken, Garlic and Herb mini chicken burgers, Lemon Parsley Chicken, Burbon glazed salmon, and pepper shrimp.

 

[mom2my3kids]

Same here two boys in baseball, its been alot of eating at the parks or afterwards. Spending way to much money on food, thanks for the good ideas!!

 

[TexasTodds]

I know that these aren't specific recipes, but when I do make casseroles, I usually make at least 2 so that I have one for the freezer. Also, when I am cleaning up the kitchen at night, some nights I am also prepping the next nights dinner, such as loading up the crockpot, assembling a casserole, chopping vegetables to steam, sometimes even pre-cooking the pasta, or preparing the spaghetti sauce. Any shortcuts I can do at night save at least double the time the next day.

Another quick favorite of ours is the refridgerated tortelleni or ravioli with white sauce, and add a steamed vegetable, or even just a box of mac and cheese, green beans and fruit (more so for the kids). Also, we do soup and grill cheese sandwiches on busy nights. Add a side of fruit, and mild, and it is a fairly balanced meal.

 

[brymolmom]

I just figured out my favorite baseball night meal - BREAKFAST! DH makes pancakes for breakfast on Sundays and makes a bunch extra - throw them in a ziplock in the frig and pop them in the micro for about a minute (on low power). We also throw in the microwave frozen breakfast sausage and POW - dinner in about 5 minutes flat. We can get kids from sitter, get home and have dinner ready to EAT by 5:15!! You can also throw some pre-cut cantalope or strawberries or bananas - if everyone is more hungry. And it isn't bad for you either!

We'll also do scrambled eggs...a few extra minutes to whisk and then cook - but still doable in 15 minutes if you get right to it. DD doesn't really like eggs - so she'll just have yogurt and sausage and some fruit. Plenty for her!

One other idea is crockpot meatball sandwiches - I throw FROZEN meatballs in the pot with sauce in the morning before work (only takes 2 minutes or I likely usually wouldn't have time) - turn it on low and then when we get home put them onto sub rolls.

I'm interested in everyone else's responses. Great thread!

 

[dizkids]

Crockpot bbq chicken sandwiches.

I put 4 boneless chicken breasts and 1 small bottle bbq sauce in crockpot on low in moring. It easily shreds and we serve it on buns with shredded lettuce. If you want it saucy add about 1/4 cup water. If you want it sweeter/tangy add brown sugar and ketchup (1/4 cup each).

Serve the leftovers cold on salad with broken up tortilla chips and light ranch dressing (or your choice).

The snack bar is killer. I have 3 kids so if 1 is playing 2 are wanting a snack!

 

[brymolmom]

Little league is winding down here as well, but with 2 kids 2 games each and 3 practices each i feel yall's pain!

I have been doing the once a month cooking for a bout 3 months now and it has waaaaayyy cut back on fast foot and concession stands. I usually just cook and feed the kids before game/practice and dh and I will take ours to go.

The kids usually have a snack after the game and haven't complained too much about the early dinners.

Some of the family favorites are: Tandori Chicken, Garlic and Herb mini chicken burgers, Lemon Parsley Chicken, Burbon glazed salmon, and pepper shrimp.

Can I get your Tandori Chicken recipe? You make it monthly then freeze it? Or just keep it in the frig and have it within a reasonable amount of time? How long does it take to reheat it if frozen?

 

[dec181981]

Tandoori Chicken
Printer Friendly
Ingredients
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1-2 jalapeno chiles or serrano chili, seeded and minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 lbs skinless chicken legs or skinless chicken thighs
Directions
1. Stir together lime juice, yogurt, minced chiles, salt, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, and 1 tbsp of oil in a mixing bowl.
2. Cut slits across the meat of chicken and rub spice mixture all over chicken.
3. Put chicken in the marinade mixture freeze.
4. Serving Day Directions:
5. Thaw and discard marinade.
6. Preheat the last tbsp of oil in the bottom of a roasting pan and layer chicken pieces in the bottom of pan.
7. Bake 425F for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is done (you may want to check the chicken about 5-8 minutes before and it may even cook longer than the 40 min, depending on size of pieces).

 

[ImaFunMom]

We also grill a lot at one time to eat during the week. I have two playing BB and we are at the park 4 nights a week most weeks. DH will grill on Sun. afternoon - grilled fish for that night's dinner, BBQ chicken Mon. night, pork chops on Tue. night, grilled chicken on Wed., etc. We also like to have the grilled chicken on sandwiches or salads, the next. Leftover BBQ chicken makes a great pizza. We also like pulled pork sandwiches with baked beans for busy nights.

Sometimes I just cook before we go and then we reheat the food after the game. This works well for casseroles or something like baked chicken or red beans and rice. We like stir fry and that's very fast and easy. Sometimes I will just bake chicken in the oven, fix some mac. and cheese, or scalloped or mashed potatoes, green beans, etc.,and we reheat when we get home.

We like wraps - filled with ham or turkey and cheese, lettuce, tomato, mustard, etc. We love "club" wraps filled with ham, roast beef, turkey, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo. and mustard. We also like BLT sandwiches, sloppy joes, etc. I usually make potato or pasta salad to go with the meal. We eat lots of salads and fresh fruit in the summer, also.

One night a week during BB season, we often eat at Subway or Chick Fila. Both are inexpensive and fast, but have better selections than burger places.