We all know that homemade meals are best, but the life of a hockey mom can make it awfully hard to not only plan healthy meals for our family, but to just find the time to eat the healthy meals. Between on ice practice schedules and off ice schedules our evening calendars can often look like a patchwork quilt of appointments just for our hockey players. Let’s make one aspect of our evenings easier with healthy and easy meals that are perfect for long hours at the ice rink.
Create a Plan
I will be the first to admit that I am a planner. However, sticking to a meal plan is next to impossible for me. I don’t know why, but if on Sunday I plan to have chicken on Wednesday, by the time Wednesday rolls around I will want something else.
So, while I have accepted this character flaw, I knew that I still needed a plan to work off of to make sure I had the right ingredients on hand when it comes time to cook dinner.
I started out by listing out some of my family’s favorite flavors when it comes to food. Do we have those spices and flavor ingredients on hand usually? If I didn’t already, I know that I need to add those to my grocery list regularly.
Stick to a Formula
Next, I realized I could simplify recipe decisions by adapting a base selection of foods to different flavors and combinations.
This led to a meal formula that is easy to build or adapt any recipe around:
rice/carb base + protein + vegetables + optional bread
Easy. Don’t overcomplicate it. Remember that we are just trying to feed and nourish ourselves and our student athletes, not impress a dinner party.
Make It Easy To Transfer
We often find ourselves eating in the car or the viewing room at the rink, so portability is a huge factor in meal construction. This is why most of these meals are bowls.
If I can put together a bowl that includes everything needed for a well rounded meal, that makes my life so much easier for meal prep and cleanup.
At the beginning I used to try to individually package each part of the meal and then dole it out. While it technically worked. It caused a lot more headache than necessary. We had to carry plates. Moving food from container to plates could get messy. Leftovers were near impossible to handle without mixing everything together.
After a few times of eating like this, I decided the hassle wasn’t worth it and from now on we would each have our own pre-packed container with food.
5 Easy and Healthy Pack-and-Go Dinner Ideas
1. Sloppy Joe Bowl
I don’t know what it is about sloppy joe sandwiches but they are just so darn good. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way that a sloppy joe sandwich is very messy and just not an ideal eat-on-the-go option. Instead swap out the bun for a base of roasted potatoes or rice to make this easy to pre-pack and eat with minimal mess.
2. Chicken Pasta Salad Bowl
Probably my easiest and laziest meal idea ever. If you have an awesome go-to pasta salad recipe feel free to use here, but I just use a box of Suddenly Salad’s pasta salad as my base. To keep from drying out during travel, add an extra tablespoon of both oil and water to the dressing.
I like to keep a bag of frozen pre-prepped shredded chicken that I make in the Instant Pot on hand, so after thawing I had in a serving to each bowl and then top it off with some roasted vegetables(broccoli is always a go-to for me).
3. Fiesta Bowl
As you can see chicken is a go-to protein in our family’s meal repertoire. It’s just so dang easy and flexible. For your fiesta bowl, cook your chicken in a slow cooker with a jar of salsa. Layer on top of a base of rice. Add in black beans, shredded cheese, and additional salsa or pico de gallo depending on your preference.
4. Chicken Tikka Masala Bowl
Another easy slow cooker meal: slow cook your chicken with a jar of tikka masala sauce. Add to a base of rice and roasted veggie of your choice.
5. Italian Pasta Bowl
A classic meal for athletes. Cook up pasta and toss in marinara sauce. Add in meatballs or shredded chicken and a roasted veggie of your choice.
Feel free to meal prep any or all parts of these meals to make evenings even easier. Instant Pot or slow cook your chicken. Wash and chop your veggies so they are ready to throw in the oven. Measure out your rice and shred cheese. Even just doing one of these will lighten your load and also avoid having to make last minute stops at expensive and unhealthy fast food restaurants.
Help lighten your load when it comes to packing up the hockey bag and get your player involved! Sign up below to get your free printable gear checklist and bag tag template to make sure everything is packed before you leave for the rink.