Budget Meal Ideas for Teen Athletes

[EveDallas]

Oh my goodness. Chill. I'm sorry that your DS is self conscious about his height but teens are always self conscious about something. Height, weight, glasses, zits, hair, clothes, etc. If it's not one thing, it'll be another. And even if he is shorter, that sets him up for other sports like gymnastics and diving that bigger behemoth football-types can't do. My DD's friend was the #2 Division 2 diver in the state as a freshman and he is maybe 5'4".

I don't need to chil, thanks. Calling a kid names because they are shorter than most is mean, no matter how you slice it. If it ticks me off, I'll say something about it.

 

[SEA333]

I don't need to chil, thanks. Calling a kid names because they are shorter than most is mean, no matter how you slice it. If it ticks me off, I'll say something about it.

I don't think pp called any particular kid a name...and boys can grow until they are 21, so unless the kids in question are 21 or older, this is really nothing to start fighting about.

And, its all in the eye of the beholder anyway, because my two tall kids hate being tall, and my short kid wants to be tall, so really, it all depends on what the kid wants and does. DD would kill to be tiny so she can be a flier in cheerleading, but she's already 5 feet tall at 10 years old, so she will always be a base. DS quit soccer and started football because all of the smaller kids outran him. DS8 is not even 4 feet tall yet, only weighs 48lbs, and is the 3rd shortest in his class, and even though he wants to follow in his big brothers footsteps, he may not be able to be a football player. I'm certainly not going to be offended that some calls out that I have a short kid...it is what it is.

 

[havaneselover]

Mine are a bit younger (almost 11 and 9) but my DD swims competitively. It's been a struggle for me because she's picky. But she's in the pool five hours a week so I'm trying to get some decent fuel in her. Right now brown rice is a life saver. I'm working on getting her to eat chicken (she'll eat fried chicken and chicken strips which is a small step up from chicken nuggets). If I could get her to eat boneless chicken breast, brown rice, and vegetables a few days a week I'd be ecstatic.

I buy organic brown rice at Costco--it's about $0.15/serving. Their rotisserie chicken also lasts for a couple of meals for us. It's a steal at $5. I love Trader Joe's frozen turkey burgers ($0.75 each) but I haven't convinced my kids to try them yet.

 

[SEA333]

Mine are a bit younger (almost 11 and 9) but my DD swims competitively. It's been a struggle for me because she's picky. But she's in the pool five hours a week so I'm trying to get some decent fuel in her. Right now brown rice is a life saver. I'm working on getting her to eat chicken (she'll eat fried chicken and chicken strips which is a small step up from chicken nuggets). If I could get her to eat boneless chicken breast, brown rice, and vegetables a few days a week I'd be ecstatic.

I buy organic brown rice at Costco--it's about $0.15/serving. Their rotisserie chicken also lasts for a couple of meals for us. It's a steal at $5. I love Trader Joe's frozen turkey burgers ($0.75 each) but I haven't convinced my kids to try them yet.

We tried wild rice and they all hated it...I'll have to try brown rice.

I tried going straight to turkey from ground beef, and my family rebelled LOL So now I buy a 3 lb package of ground beef and 1-lb of ground turkey and use 1/3 of the turkey to a pound of beef when I split the packages up. They haven't noticed a difference, so I will probably start upping the turkey ratio a little more. I mainly use ground beef in spaghetti and chili, so with all of the other flavors going on, they really have not noticed the turkey.

I buy a whole chicken or a bone-in turkey breast and cook at least one of the two every couple of weekends. We usually eat what we want from it the first night, the second night we use the rest of the good meat for tacos or flautas (kind of like taco roll-ups), then I freeze the carcass and we use it the next weekend to make stock for homemade soup. 3 meals out of 1 chicken/turkey!

 

[eeyoreandtink]

We tried wild rice and they all hated it...I'll have to try brown rice.

I tried going straight to turkey from ground beef, and my family rebelled LOL So now I buy a 3 lb package of ground beef and 1-lb of ground turkey and use 1/3 of the turkey to a pound of beef when I split the packages up. They haven't noticed a difference, so I will probably start upping the turkey ratio a little more. I mainly use ground beef in spaghetti and chili, so with all of the other flavors going on, they really have not noticed the turkey.

I buy a whole chicken or a bone-in turkey breast and cook at least one of the two every couple of weekends. We usually eat what we want from it the first night, the second night we use the rest of the good meat for tacos or flautas (kind of like taco roll-ups), then I freeze the carcass and we use it the next weekend to make stock for homemade soup. 3 meals out of 1 chicken/turkey!

We use brown rice a lot with sauces. I make a green curry with brown rice and chicken that we all like. I use leftovers from a whole chicken for that a lot of the time.

 

[havaneselover]

We tried wild rice and they all hated it...I'll have to try brown rice.

I tried going straight to turkey from ground beef, and my family rebelled LOL So now I buy a 3 lb package of ground beef and 1-lb of ground turkey and use 1/3 of the turkey to a pound of beef when I split the packages up. They haven't noticed a difference, so I will probably start upping the turkey ratio a little more. I mainly use ground beef in spaghetti and chili, so with all of the other flavors going on, they really have not noticed the turkey.

I buy a whole chicken or a bone-in turkey breast and cook at least one of the two every couple of weekends. We usually eat what we want from it the first night, the second night we use the rest of the good meat for tacos or flautas (kind of like taco roll-ups), then I freeze the carcass and we use it the next weekend to make stock for homemade soup. 3 meals out of 1 chicken/turkey!

We had been doing the frozen brown rice at TJ, but I finally bought a rice cooker. I figure in the long run it will save me money. Of course I had to rearrange my cabinets in my small kitchen to find a place to store it.

My kids have never been fans of ground beef. They actually will eat a little bit of it in pasta these days. But I prefer ground turkey to ground beef. I eat so little beef anymore (I grew up on burgers, steaks, and spaghetti). I love the TJ turkey burgers because they're basically turkey and rosemary (very mild) and they're already made. I always have a few boxes in my freezer.

Ziti casserole is another decent option that isn't terribly expensive. I use lean ground beef and the barilla pasta in the yellow box which has extra protein. I buy a big block of mozzarella and shred it as needed (also use it for homemade pizzas which are budget friendly, but not terribly healthy). I try to make the crust with 50% whole wheat flour though.

 

[robinb]

Mine are a bit younger (almost 11 and 9) but my DD swims competitively. It's been a struggle for me because she's picky. But she's in the pool five hours a week so I'm trying to get some decent fuel in her. Right now brown rice is a life saver. I'm working on getting her to eat chicken (she'll eat fried chicken and chicken strips which is a small step up from chicken nuggets). If I could get her to eat boneless chicken breast, brown rice, and vegetables a few days a week I'd be ecstatic.

I feel your pain! My DD is not only "picky" but she's also a vegetarian. She eats a lot of tofu and beans for protein and prefers white rice to brown (but she'll eat the brown). Right now I am trying to get her to eat even healthier. When she's in the water 10-15 hours a week she's super muscular and lean. She tore her ACL clean off on April 1 and has not been able to exercise. She had surgery 2 weeks ago and will be able to get in the water with a pool buoy (no kicking) in a few weeks. I have stopped buying as much junk that didn't get instantly burned off.

I tried going straight to turkey from ground beef, and my family rebelled LOL So now I buy a 3 lb package of ground beef and 1-lb of ground turkey and use 1/3 of the turkey to a pound of beef when I split the packages up. They haven't noticed a difference, so I will probably start upping the turkey ratio a little more. I mainly use ground beef in spaghetti and chili, so with all of the other flavors going on, they really have not noticed the turkey.

Why the ground turkey? Lean ground beef has LESS fat than the regular ground turkey. Now, ground turkey breast is leaner but much more expensive. I would just stick to ground round.

 

[TCB in FLA]

Try places like Aldi to get the most bang for your grocery buck. And if possible, do a mom-son solo shopping trip, asking what he would like to eat. I was surprised that DS13 wanted yogurts and granola-type bars that I didn't think he liked. And he likes cold baked chicken -- who knew? We always have fruit on hand, and I do smoothies in the summer with a scoop of protein powder.

The short-tall comments can be incredibly hurtful. My DS13 is one of the tallest in his class, while DS11 is one of the shortest. Both are extremely active and eat well. Strangers (and friends who should know better) will compliment DS13 on his height, then comment to DS11 "oh and you're so tiny and cute!" I've learned to watch my words.

 

[njmom47]

DS (18, plays football and baseball, he's 6'5, 219) does protein/power drinks/shakes (before and after), pasta (spaghetti and rigatoni are his fave, I buy both whole wheat and white), brown rice, chicken, power bars, cereal and milk as his usuals.

I do make tacos as well as ground beef/ground turkey meals, with veggies and a starch.

He carries around a gallon jug of water which he sips from all day/night.

 

[puffkin]

I buy the 93/7 ground turkey. It is always cheaper than the leaner ground beefs. I can't even tell you the last time we at ground beef. We do eat steaks once a month or so and maybe 1 or 2 other meals with beef cuts but not too often.

I love kabobs and brown rice, especially this time of year on the grill. Might be a fun way to get some extra protein in plus lots of grilled veggies. Once cooked, they aren't too bad cold either...especially with different sauces. My local store's meat counter usually has them at an excellent price starting around Memorial Day. Yeah I could probably make them a little cheaper, but they are really convenient.