With three kids and three separate sports – soccer, volleyball/dance, and baseball respectively by age – the spring season is simply chaos. So how to manage getting everybody fed in a decent manner, especially if Eldest is a serious vegetarian?
Yes, there are nights when fast food is simply the only alternative, but there are times when the wallet and body need a break from that alternative. So yesterday was a rummage through the fridge to see what was available and the following plan ensued.
1. Yesterday: Thaw and cook a frozen turkey breast, cutting the meat off and freezing the majority while reserving some for sandwiches and soup. The turkey carcass was wrapped in plastic and saved until this morning. I also noted that there are 8" tortillas and cheese slices in the fridge along with lettuce.
2. Today: Using an easy recipe found online, toss the carcass in a large pot with a quartered onion and garlic salt and boil/simmer for about 90 minutes. Then precut all of the remaining vegetables and add the spices in a small bowl for later addition to the soup after the carcass is removed. As for vegetarian eldest, save some chopped vegetables and add to the lettuce so that the mix can be used with the cheese and tortilla to make a vegetarian wrap.
So as the various parties come and go, the food is ready for easy eating before everybody hits the door for where they have to go. It’s not pretty and the traditional sit-down family meal is blown to hell and back, but it’s cheaper and healthier than a constant diet of fries and burgers – and fish sandwiches for the vegetarian.