Growing up my brothers and I were always busy with sports and extra curriculer activities in the evenings after school. It was important for my mom that we have healthy dinners even though we were so active. I can remember my dad bringing my dinners in the car and I would eat them on the way home from gymnastics practice. We talked while I hate and I had a healthy dinner, and for us it was “normal”.
Now that my kids are getting older, and both are becoming more active we are on the go A LOT! My oldest has soccer practice in the evenings and we don’t get home until after 8 most of the time. This is way to late for my youngest to be eating. A year ago I started packing our dinners for soccer practice. My middle child and I would sit in the car many times and eat our dinners together, while we talked, and my oldest would eat either on the way to or the way home from practice. We still get our family time together and talk about our day, but most important we are eating healthy.
The best part of this is the amount of money I am saving my family. Sometimes though I think how easy it would be to stop by a drive thru on the way to or from practice and grab dinner. But not only would my famiyl be eating a very unhealthy supper but I would be forking out so much more money! We have the same foods that we could have at a fast food restuarant. I fix chicken nuggets (all white meat) with sweet potato fries and a vegetable. I throw in some homemade mac – n – cheese when I have the time. I also make subs with veggie chips, as well as fish sticks with a couple of sides. It takes some planning on my part and a lot more work to get it all packed up, but in the end it is so worth it. I am teaching my kids so many lessons in a simple quick dinner: how to save money, how to continue with family dinners even on the go, and how to always eat healthy even with limited time! Next time you think it’s easier to stop at the closest drive – thru think about the lessons you are passing along to your kids…is it worth it?
Don’t get me wrong, we still stop at the drive – thru every now and then, but it’s more for a special occasion then for a nightly dinner. And when we do end up stopping the kids are excited about it, not just expecting it! It’s a win win for me!
