"The Feast," by SubwayHere’s what I’m dealing with. I’ve got these 2 boys, 7 and 11 years old (yeah, yeah, just like “7-11”), and they always seem to take forever to get going in the morning. Like this morning they woke up at 7 am, and they took about 20 minutes to get dressed. I was totally annoyed. I mean, the boys took so long we didn’t even have time to let them eat their cereal in front of the TV. We basically had to rush them out the door as soon as their coats were on, which meant that - again - they’d be eating breakfast bars in the car in the way to school.
So then I go to work, and I certainly don’t have time for breakfast, but I know there’s a Mickey D’s on the way to the office, so I stop there for coffee and a McMuffin sort of thing. I know it’s not the best thing for me, but a guy’s got to eat, right? And did I mention how long those kids took to get ready in the morning?
Anyway, for lunch, the kids get whatever the school feeds them. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it can’t be that bad, right? I mean, it’s what the government thinks is best for our kids to eat for school lunch, right? I don’t know how they do it for like 80 cents per kid, but somehow they do it, and it works.
Except maybe it doesn’t work because my kids are totally starving when they get off the bus. So what am I gonna do? I’ve got to take them to football, so I give them fruit snacks in the car (I know what 
I said "No Excuses"!you’re thinking, but at least it’s fruit!), and they wash it down with whatever I was able to grab from the office. No, not coffee, who do you think I am? Sometimes it’s bottled water. But my kids love Gatorade, and they’re heading to football so I know they need the electrolytes.
Anyway, the boys race around at football for 90 minutes, and then we pile back into the car to head to hockey, which starts at 7:00. (Do you have any idea how much hockey costs for 2 kids? Let’s just say I’m glad I refinanced our house last Spring.) Do you think my kids can wait until 9:00 to eat their dinners? Some days, but I don’t think you want to be near a hungry 11 year old on his way to hockey, I’ll tell you that. Luckily, there’s a Subway on the way to the arena, so we stop there most nights for a quick sandwich. A lot of people don’t love Subway, but at least the food’s not deep fried, right? Anyway, the boys eat their sandwiches in the car, and by the time we get to hockey they’re feeling like themselves again. Thank goodness.
Hockey ends at 9:00, so that’s when we head home. We pass by a Dairy Queen, which I love, but we don’t usually get any, not unless they just played a game or something. If we head right home, we’ve got about 30 minutes to hang out before we all crash and get ready to do it all again the next day. Did I mention that my kids get up at 7 am? And that they’re really slow in the morning?
Comments
They invented chest freezers for situations like that. 2 hours of roasting pig parts can equal sandwiches for weeks. Steaming veggies in the microwave takes about 60 seconds, so there's a whole meal right there.
Feeding yourself and your family is tough if you're going to use real food, but it's doable. Think of Joel Salatin and his farm - it's management intensive, but in the end he gets his chickens to clean up after his cows who mow his lawn for him. It's easy to be a 'factory farmer' who pours chemicals all over his/her land, but once you go Salatin's way one can't imagine going back. It's the same with feeding your family. If you manage your resources and economize your time, you can produce good meals quickly (and if you like puzzles, think of it as a really big and on-going puzzle).
Granted, I'm at an age where I won't be having kids for a while (and I probably would steer them away from American football), but I usually have 5 bratty children (called professors) who I have to keep happy too!
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