Posted in Organization

This week brings softball tryouts for Skye. With a child on any sports team, life gets pretty hectic. First there are tryouts, then finding out if they make the team. Then they are practicing and having games five days a week, and scrimmages some weekends as well as meetings. There is a lot going on.

For those of us who are trying to lose weight, or to maintain their current weight, this can be a bad time. There are ways to combat this. One way is to walk whenever we can. Skye is trying out for softball at the high school in the next town, because our town does not have a high school. I am walking up there with her, walking while I am there, and walking back home with her. I am walking almost six miles a day.

Being gone all of the time poses time restraints on any family. Sometimes this means that we do not eat properly. Instead, we opt for slices of pizza, chips and a soda on the way home from sporting events. This is not good for any of us, and though none of us are perfect and will eat unhealthy things once in a while, we can lessen the number of times we do this throughout the week with a little planning.

Below you will find recipes and ideas that will help your family make better choices during the busy times in your life. The ideal way to go about your planning and preparation is this:

* Do grocery shopping on the weekends.

* Prepare for the coming week on Sunday by doing the following:

     ~ Prepare a few meals, snacks and other healthy alternatives.

     ~ Wash out and prepare a cooler. One of the soft side ones that you can carry easily. You may need one for each person. Start out for one day, putting any utensils, wet wipes, napkins, etc. that you will need into the side/top pocket.

     ~ Prepare enough sets of utensils, wet wipes, napkins, etc. for everyone for the entire week. Have a basket or other container available to put them all into so that you can grab the easily.

     ~ Prepare quick lunches and dinners for those busy days. Double batches of a few recipes, frozen in individual servings, are a big help. Just thaw over night and heat in the microwave or oven. Each family member can choose what they want, and heat it up when it is convenient for them. I like to do this with manicotti, shepherd's pie, lasagna and homemade soups.

     ~ Other quick alternatives to lunches and dinners are canned soups with vegetables. The best ones are more expensive, so stock up on them when they are on sale, and be on the look-out for coupons.

     ~ Make up enough salads for everyone for three or four days. Store them in individual containers in the refrigerator. If your family likes add-ons, store them individually as well. Shredded/cubed cheeses, bacon, cubed meats and dressings can all be stored in individual servings for quick access to add to any salad.

     ~ Cut up and rinse vegetables; allow to dry. Put into individual servings to be stored in the refrigerator. Do this with enough vegetables to cover snacks and meals for three or four days.

     ~ Make sure there are plenty of grab and go fruits on hand.

     ~ Make sure all water bottles are filled and put into the refrigerator. You will need to do this one every night.

     ~ Make a bunch of muffins or breads for the week. Make fruit or vegetable ones, adding real fruit or vegetables to store bought  mixes. Store these in the refrigerator for the week.

     ~ Keep sandwich needs on hand. I do not make these any earlier than the night before I will need them. I store them in the refrigerator.

     ~ A trail mix is great. I store the ones I make in snack size baggies in a big bowl.

     ~ You can store crackers and cheese or peanut butter in the refrigerator for a few days in sandwich bags.

The steps above should be a big help to any family. You have a lot of quick choices throughout the week for when you are at home or out and about. If there will be someone at home when while you are out, start a slowcooker meal so that it will be ready when you get home. Then all you have to bring with you are drinks and snack.

I also try to make sure that each child has a small bag of chips a week. Too many chips are not good for them, but their doctor recommended a bag of chips a week when they play sports. This is to replenish the salt they lose when they sweat.

Here are a few recipes to get you started. You will have to adjust them to feed your family.

Trail Mix:

Wheat Chex cereal

Corn Chex cereal

Rice Chex cereal

pretzels

nuts

dried fruit

raisins

1 or 2 treats per bag - M&M's, Jelly Beans, or something else that is fun.

* Mix everything (except the treats) together in a big bowl. Split the mix among snack size plastic baggies, and add one or two treats to each bag. Wipe out the bowl well, and store the baggies in it.

Shepherd's Pie:

Fill quart size freezer baggies with a serving as follows:

ground beef (cooked in olive oil on lower heat or boiled)

corn/other veggie

mashed potatoes

* Freeze and take out the night or morning before you need them.

Lasagna:

I cook this in the slow cooker. Layer as follows and cook on low all day.

sauce

pasta

sauce

turkey

cheese

* Continue making layers until the slowcooker is 2/3 full. Top with a little extra cheese. Freeze in quart size freezer bags in individual servings. Can be taken out of the freezer the evening or morning before needed.

The Perfect Salad Mix:

(Change to suit your family)

shredded romaine lettuce, or cut up small

shredded carrots

cut up spinach leaves

sliced cucumber

cherry/grape tomatoes

* Also prepare each of the following in individual servings:

dressings

chicken, turkey or ham cubes

cheese cubes or shredded cheeses

chopped turkey bacon

sliced or chopped pickles

*The add-ons will be easy to put on when needed. Store the salad in individual serving sizes in the refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Celery:

Stored in the refrigerator in individual servings.

Wash and cut widthwise into three os four pieces; fill with peanut butter.

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Shannon Buck is a homeschool mother of two living in a small town with her children. She spends a lot of her spare time writing to help others. You can contact her at thehsmomof2@aol.com, or visit her at http://www.thehomeschoolmomof2.com, http://www.thepampermesite.com, http://www.adventuresinorganzation.com or http://www.thelowincomewayoflife.com.