Meal Prep Hacks For The Busy Sports Mom

My Kids play hockey.  Well actually, they live, breathe, LOVE hockey. Ball Hockey in the summer, Ice Hockey in the winter and mini sticks in the basement 365 days a year.

With the Ice hockey season upon us, the thought of the crazy rink schedule pulls my stomach into a knot.  My husband and I work outside the home and 5 nights a week, we rush from our offices to collect the kids from school or their after school program to bring them to practice or a game.  That leaves very little time for meal prep or even a sit-down supper. Eating healthy and cost effectively is important to us and  I’ve cracked the code on maintaining my sanity and keeping my kids fed.  

Here are the top five meal tips  I picked up from a group of tenured hockey moms:

1. Make too much

On activity-free evenings (it’s usually a Sunday for us), we prepare a meal large enough to stretch to another night.  You will love yourself to pieces on the nights you can arrive home and quickly heat up a delicious supper. Added Tip -  Baked pastas are great options here.

 

2. Meal prep your veggies

Washing, slicing and dicing vegetables take up soooo much time.  If you plan for a stir fry, slice all your veggies on the weekend (or even the morning before heading off to work) so everything is prepped and ready to cook when you get home.  Added Tip – Prep your rice in advance as well so that you’re one step ahead.

 

3. Stock up on on-the-go snacks   

 

On days when a meeting runs late and you’re cursing all the way home because you know you’ll be late to the game,  get creative with snacks already stocked in your fridge. My emergency list includes a cheese strings, almonds, Ritz Crackers, beef jerky, frozen yogurt tube and a piece of fruit.  All combined, they give any players enough energy to last them through a practice or game.

 

4. Peanut butter (or any nut spread)

My kids love peanut butter.  If I’m in a serious pinch, I’ll slap some peanut butter onto a wrap, add a banana and voila, banana burrito.  Or, if no bananas, I’ll spread cream cheese & jam onto a wrap (a little higher in sugar)  – Obviously use the types of spread that works with your family and any allergies.

 

5. Don’t be bashful about adding a prepared meal to your weekly menu.

Honestly, prepared meals have saved my sanity. Schwan’s has an amazing selection of Skillet Suppers that require less time to heat up that it takes my son to get into his hockey gear.   The best part, if you shop Schwan's through your fundraising page (US ONLY), you'll earn 40% cash back for your fundraiser.  A no brainer, right? 

Last but not least, don’t forget to feed yourself. Taking good care of you is part of taking good care of your kids. 😉