How do you manage your evening meal if you have 5.30 activities?

[RedskyLastNight]

Sorry dull topic!
We normally have our evening meal at 5.30/6pm in term time.
This works well as we are all in from school/work and allows time for the DC to do "immediately after school" activities and also evening activities (starting 6.30/7). We try to all sit down and eat together.

This term DS has 2 activities that start at 5.30. One is an hour, so I guess we will just all eat later that day. However the other is 2 hours, and is a sports activity so I don't think having an evening meal earlier will work and it will finish a bit late for to be eating. The only thing I can think is that DS has a snack before he goes, the rest of us eat while he's out and then reheat it when he gets back.

How do other manage awkwardly timed activities and eating?

We have scouts ending at 8.30.

They just eat when they get in.

Same as theatre trips, sports things, and nights out.

For schedules like yours, the slow cooker is your friend. Make a nice chicken stew or a casserole in it, and everyone can eat when it is suitable.

How old are the children?

My DH always got home from work quite late so I always fed the DC's earlier and ate with him later - 8 ish.

Now mine are teens we eat together when we can, but between all our activities, and the trains, we often don't. My solution is a slow cooker so everyone can just help themselves when convenient on the evenings that are really chaotic.

We eat late with the DCs having an earlier light tea around 4-5 to keep them going as school lunches are small and early.

We had Brownies during our normal dinner times so DD just had a decent snack before she went and DH and I ate something she hated during her time.

When she was back she either had a sandwich, pesto pasta, beans on toast or similar.

She now has a couple of later clubs which means 4 out of 5 evenings we will all eat after 7.30pm, it is just a matter of feeding her decently beforehand. With me not being home before 6pm anyway dinner was always late.

Make meals that people can eat as and when required - stew, Bolognese, chilli etc

Following with interest!

DS has an activity starting at 6.30 once a week and we don’t get in until 6. We make a tuna pasta salad the day before so that when we get in I just have to scoop it out and serve it up. He then has a bit of supper when he gets in afterwards. In your situation I’d be tempted to do something similar so that it’s a very quick dinner and a snack before bed.