What do you do for dinner when your family has to eat in shifts?

[Vacation Lover]

Ugh, fall brings on so many activities that sometimes dinner is served at 3 different times! Tonight my girls have to eat at 5:00 to get to soccer by 6:00; my son will eat when he comes home from cross country at 6:00 & go to youth group by 7:00 and my DH and I will eat when DH gets home from coaching soccer at 8:00. My usual go-to meals for these times are spaghetti, chicken breasts and leftovers/salad. What do you fix that can easily be served later in the evening?

 

[hambirg]

I can sympathize.

What I usually do is something in the crockpot, a easily re-heated casserole, taco fixings, or a big pot of soup or chili.

 

[It'sOffToDisneyWeGo]

I make a crockpot meal. When it is finished cooking I just put it on warm and everyone serves themselves as they get home.

 

[PHXscuba]

I feel your pain. We seem to have a night like that every year -- for the last two years it's been Thursday, now Tuesday. Currently we have piano, dance, and marching band that night.

I usually make something microwavable or something cold. If you plan your menus out ahead you can usually have something on hand that's easy to make twice, reheat, or eat cold.

PHXscuba

 

[beansmom]

^ what they said...soup/chili is perfect. Crock pot is second best and with microwaves, almost anything can be reheated in a jiffy.

 

[Promomx2]

Spaghetti, lasagna, hamburger w/macaroni & spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes

 

[Chelley00]

We live out of crockpot August-October for soccer season. I have 4 kids going 4 different directions, and sometimes one is dipping something to eat while 2 others are leaving. I take time on the weekends to wash/cut/bag fruits and veggies so we can grab and go if we need a handy snack.

 

[SandrA9810]

Crock pots are great for setting to cook during the day, and then leaving it on warm till every one can get a bite to eat. Or a casserole dish that can be placed in the oven on low for an extra few hours. Of course most these dishes can be prepared in the crock pot as well.

Try finding a cooking blog where they have dinner menus for like a whole year. That way there's enough recipes, since there's bound to be a few you won't like. It's helped me out, because now I don't just go to my standby usuals when I cook something different.

 

[QuickRewardsBecky]

You could also just cook whatever you had planned, but make individual portions in divided microwavable dishes and leave them in the fridge or the microwave (depending how long 'til the next shift eats).

 

[AnnaS]

I remember those days.

Sausage and Peppers, Chicken cutlet parmigiana, veal or chicken marsala over rice. Stir fry chicken. Breaded chicken or veal. Meatloaf, ribs and ny pasta dish will probably work too. Really almost any dish can be reheated. I would not make a steak or burgers on those nights unless that person could make it fresh. They would also not want mushy pizza ordered (even though they have no problem re-heating the left overs that I freeze). If we ordered chinese - no problem re-heating this also.

 

[DebMcDonald]

Your life is ditto mine right now. On Monday night I made a big pot of sauce and meatballs and another big pot of Chili and our meals this week have/will be pasta and sauce, meatball subs, chili stuffed potatoes, with also did a nice chicken caesar salad. Next week again it will be lots of cooking on Sunday with casseroles and stuff that can be reheated throughout the week.

 

[runwad]

I just make dinner and put it all out on the stove. When they get home they make their plate and warm up in the microwave. Had my dinner done today at 3 chicken enchilada's and side of corn, also had some mis match vegggies that needed cooked so there was also spinach and fried cabbage, Wierd combo uh but I had it and it needed cooked.

 

[TiffanyK]

I just did a series on my blog of dealing with dinner on sports nights. Here's the post about using the slow cooker. The recipes are broken down into categories. The last category is "ready to eat with minimal sides required". These are the recipes I go to when we need to eat in shifts.

 

[Halle]

Check out Paula Deen's recipes on the Food Network, great casseroles that taste even better when reheated.

 

[Sinderelly]

Chili is great! The more time it's re-heated the better it tastes

 

[Evi]

I agree with all the crockpot stuff but you can also do salads. Often when I'm to busy I'll buy a roasted chicken and and I'll make quick sides to go with it like mashed potatoes and a salad or a pasta salad and some sauted veggies.

 

[tink_lover]

I hate chili so rarely make it. Some of my go-to dinners for those crazy nights with kids eating between swimming, football, scouts, and music lessons are lasagna, chicken enchiladas, soup (just tried a great chicken tortilla crockpot recipe which was a hit), baked ziti, home made pizza, and chicken parmesan. I can also toss a quick spinach salad with feta, walnuts and any fruit that 2 of the 3 kids will eat. Tomorrow I'm making taco pie and banana bread which should last for two meals. I find if I plan things out in advance, things go so much smoother.

 

[Pluto_fan]

I just did a series on my blog of dealing with dinner on sports nights. Here's the post about using the slow cooker. The recipes are broken down into categories. The last category is "ready to eat with minimal sides required". These are the recipes I go to when we need to eat in shifts.

Tiffany, your blog looks great! Thanks so much--I just bookmarked it.

 

[mjkacmom]

We have, at the very least, 4 activities each evening, most between 5:30 - 8. I guess that's what microwaves are for. Every few months or so, there is a night with everyone home at the same time, and we all eat together.

 

[TiffanyK]

Tiffany, your blog looks great! Thanks so much--I just bookmarked it.

Thanks! I'm glad you like it