Any suggestions to break eating out after church habit?

[staceyobu]

I would really like to stop eating out after church on Sundays. I am wondering if others have quick, easy, filling ideas for a Sunday lunch?

 

Part of the issue is that we are always, always, always rushing to get ready Sunday mornings. I'm usually doling out granola bars or string cheese for the kids to eat in the car on the way. I usually have nothing but coffee. By the time we mosey out the door of church after spending 30 minutes chatting and 30 minutes hunting for the kids who disappeared, we don't make it home until 1:00 or later.

 

We are all starving. It is really, really hard to resist the urge to do a fast food burger on the way home because we don't want to go home and have a measly sandwich or wait for me to fix something of substance. I'd love to be one of those fabulous moms who has something ready in the crockpot that I got up at 6am to delightfully fix, but I'm not sure I'm going to make it there.

 

Any suggestions? I'd be willing to do minimal prep on Saturday. (But, I sorta hate cooking on Saturdays too.)

 

Hmmm... Rereading my post, and I can't help but think I sound like a lazy brat. But, there you have it.

[regentrude]

Just how early do you have to leave for church??? Can you simply get up earlier and have a real breakfast?

 

Alternatively, fill a crock pot on Saturday night, switch it on Sunday before you go to church, and a warm meal will be ready when you return.

Or cook extra food with dinner on Friday or Saturday, leave in fridge, reheat for Sunday lunch. Or freeze leftovers from an earlier day.

 

[Butter]

Crockpot.  It's totally doable to fill it on Saturday or get everything ready Saturday to dump in on Sunday and set it to cook before leaving for church.  Or you could do something like nachos right after church and then make something more substantial.  Tacos are really fast to make if you have the ground beef thawed and ready to cook (or pre-cook it and pre-chop the veggies and just set it all out as soon as you get home.

[73349]

Could you make some sandwiches on Saturday, and put them in a cooler in the car Sunday morning and eat those on the way home instead to hold everybody off until you could cook at home? Something light like cucumbers and tomatoes? Then eating will feel less urgent and you can make a Proper Sunday Lunch, whatever you consider that to be, when you're home.

[busymama7]

I don't know if this will help but I make a breakfast casserole the night before. As soon as my husband is up he puts it in the oven to bake. When it's done he pulls it out and slices it and then kids can grab it and eat when they have a minute. This saved our Sunday mornings :)

 

I second the idea of filling the crockpot the night before and then you just have to plug it in in the am.

[El...]

We do that (the fast food because I didn't plan anything better).  I'd like to stop it.  The kids, of course, think chicken nuggets are a God-given part of Sunday lunch.  Sigh.

 

I'm going to work on it.  The crock pot is a good idea.

[vonfirmath]

presently, we plan to eat on Sundays. Usually at Sam's Club (their hot dogs and pizzas are CHEAP And we get some shopping done for whatever is needed while there. Its useful to know "we need peanut butter and butter. We'll get it Sunday).

 

An option for eating at home is what we had when growing up. (I get it--cooking dinner when you get home is NOT Item 1 on your list): Frozen pizzas. My mom would get Kroger's deli pizzas on Saturday. We'd cook them as soon as we walked in the door after church on Sunday. Eeasy to make. Easy to put away leftovers.

 

We had family over yesterday that had specified NOT eating out for lunch. So we cooked hamburger ahead of time and made a refrigerator salad. Finshed cooking sloppy joes when we got home from church and scooped out a watermelon for them. Then leftover ice cream for dessert

[staceyobu]

I don't know if this will help but I make a breakfast casserole the night before. As soon as my husband is up he puts it in the oven to bake. When it's done he pulls it out and slices it and then kids can grab it and eat when they have a minute. This saved our Sunday mornings :)

 

I second the idea of filling the crockpot the night before and then you just have to plug it in in the am.

Haha.

 

Yes, maybe the filling the crock pot on Saturday is the obvious answer I should have figured out myself, lol. I've tried doing crock pot stuff Sundays, but then if I wake up late, it is the first thing to go. But, if I just had to turn it on, I could probably swing that.

[Anne in CA]

We always had something I didn't cook on Sundays. I would definately institute a kids/ dh fix Sunday rule. My dh and kids used to love making pizza after church on Sundays. DH would buy the premade dough and marinara sauce at Winco and then have the kids shred cheese, chop veggies. On the Sundays that DH could not do that we got takeout Chinese. Mom's need a break from the kitchen. This was also the time we would invite people over, because the meal would be good, fun low key and I would be able to enjoy it with everyone else.

 

Another alternative would be a cheese board with salami and crackers for Sunday lunch at home. We did that on Friday nights for years and dh loved having friends over from work to eat cheese, and drink wine. Very low fuss entertaining.

[carriede]

We do leftovers. I make homemade pizza for Saturday dinner and make 2. Of course this will only work as long as we only eat 1 pizza per meal...

[Jean in Newcastle]

We take a picnic lunch to church and eat before coming home.  Sometimes we eat in a park.  Sometimes in our car.  Sometimes at church.  

[Guest]

Refuse to? Sorry, that may not be helpful. I would refuse to do that, for health and wallet reasons.

 

Apart from that, I don't know why a sandwich has to be "measley." Since you are not mentioning allergies or celiac, I would get some very good quality bread Friday, and some fixin's for a delicious panini. Or at least an A-Class sub sandwich.

[Starr]

Or Pizza Sunday?

[plansrme]

We have always eaten out after church because I do not want to cook. There is nothing wrong with that! But, even I am tired of our limited restaurant offerings, so we mix it up with an array of prepared foods from Trader Joe's or Fresh Market or even Publix deli subs. It is slightly cheaper than eating out, and we get decent leftovers if we plan well. It is essentially a version of the frozen or Kroger pizza others have mentioned.

[mamaraby]

Here's what we use for soccer days which is probably totally applicable for Sunday after church, too-

 

*Pre-prep your meal the day before. You could do this with a crockpot. You could do this with a gourmet sub sandwich bar (slice up your veggeis, make up a plate of meat/cheese/whatever). You could also have something like a casserole or lasagna or whatever so you can preheat the oven and stick the dish in to bake when you get home.

 

*Make up a snack plate with foods everyone likes to help take the edge off hunger when you get home and give you time to make a meal. Maybe save some snacks for just Sundays so that they're special. Or you can take your snacks with you like a pp suggested. The kids snack in the car and you can get a moment's peace and quiet at home. Just don't forget to pack a snack for you.

 

*Get an InstantPot or electric pressure cooker. Lots of long cooking dishes can be made super quick in a pressure cooker.

[Annie G]

We aren't crockpot people, but when the kids were little we were in the same boat- arriving home hungry. 

 

Our solution was to utilize freezer meals for Sunday. I was lazy and usually only rotated through a couple of things- spaghetti, tacos, and meatball sandwiches. I made big batches of these things and froze them in meal size portions. On Saturday I moved one from the freezer to the fridge. On Sunday I dumped one of them into the crock pot and turned it on to heat while we were gone. Came home and either cooked pasta for spaghetti, split rolls for meatball sandwiches, or shredded lettuce and cheese for tacos.   Since those were big meals, dinners on Sunday nights were easy- grilled cheese, popcorn while watching a movie, or something. 

 

But what really made this work for us was bringing a snack to eat on the way home. It took the edge off the hunger and we took super easy things like cheese and crackers,  fruit like grapes or cut apples, or slices of pepperoni and cheese sticks.  It bought me enough time to prep food without kids hanging off me whining about how hungry they were.   We usually assigned the job of Sunday snack to a kid- and she did it on Saturday afternoon so it was ready to go Sunday.  Your 10 year old can do that- slice cheese and pack crackers, or put grapes in a bowl with a lid. Super easy.  Sometimes I got lazy and bought prepackaged snacks. Yeah, I know....but it was cheaper than eating lunch out. 

[catz]

With that money, I'd go out for a nice brunch once a month.  Pack a picnic once a month.  Crock pot once a month.  YOu can put together an egg bake Saturday night and throw it in the oven when you get up Sunday (they often need to be in the fridge overnight).  We've been getting eggs in our csa and have been doing lots of egg bakes with whatever veggies, meat, cheese, potatoes we have around.  I have one in my fridge right now with kale, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cheddar.  Or make a large meal Saturday night with good leftover/warm up possibili

 

If I were going to continue to stop, I would at least stop and get decent salads or sandwiches from a deli.  Greasy fast food is so ick to be eating it that often.  Our old service last year would get out at 12:30 and we were always starving too.  We went out to a nice family meal occasionally and just did what I said above.

[Chris in VA]

I'm glad we have Coffee Hour after church on Sunday. :hurray: We eat a heavy snack there, then come home to eggs and toast (or just a regular, fix it yourself lunch, if people want).

[marbel]

We have this problem sometimes.

 

But first I want to clarify something.  Several of y'all are saying to fill the crockpot the night before and then just plug it in the next day.  You do mean fill the crockpot, put it in the fridge, and then take it out and plug it in the next day, right?   No one is leaving raw food on their counter overnight, right?  :-)

 

I sometimes make soup on Saturday and reheat it on Sunday.

 

Quesadillas.  Or stuff for "regular" grilled cheese ready to go.

 

Hummus, pita chips, veggies to hold people off till an early dinner.

 

Leftovers.

 

Stuff to make sandwiches quickly.  Cold cuts or leftover sliced meat, cheese, bread, condiments.  Doesn't take long to make them if everything is available.

 

Or the crockpot. 

 

 

 

 

[alisoncooks]

Good thread. We're in the same boat: rushing to get to church (45 minutes from home) and then not getting home until 1 or later. To be honest, if I curtail the week-night take-out, I don't mind eating out on Sunday (especially since I often make a Target run after lunch for things that aren't at my local grocery). I just appease my $$-guilt by eating super-light Sunday supper (popcorn or frozen corn dogs for the kids).

[Katy]

It's nice fall weather.  Can you pack a picnic & go eat by a lake for the next 6 weeks, then eat at home?

[Katy]

And yes, I'm sure crockpot suggestions are to fill the crockpot the night before, put the removable crock filled part in the fridge, and then take it out & set to cook in the morning.  No one's leaving raw, unfrozen meat out on the counter for hours.

[momee]

I don't know how it always works out food wise but we frequently host a large group at our home on Sundays after church.

 

We've done meatball subs, salads, mexican, brunch, potluck, all kinds of things.  It's fun for everyone to have a place to hang out after church and enjoy a leisurely afternoon.

 

It gets me 1)cooking 2)cleaning and gets everyone involved because we are all excited to see friends so lots of happy helpers make it happen.

 

Maybe you need some outside accountability?  Invite some families and share the burden ;) ?

Just what has helped us, and just a suggestion.

[gardenmom5]

crock-pot one pot meal

 

pot roast that has been started on time bake.  throw in carrots, onions, potatoes (and maybe some celery and garlic) and you're done.

 

soup that's ready to just be reheated with a salad and a loaf of HOT bread machine bread.

 

my sil did lots of baked potatoes with lots of different toppings.

 

 

eta: spaghetti sauce is always better if it's aged.  just throw in some noodles when you get home.

[Junie]

We do pasta every Sunday after church.

 

As soon as we walk in the door I put water on the stove to boil.

 

Sometimes I cook ground beef ahead of time to throw into the (jarred :leaving: ) sauce.

 

You can change it up with different pasta shapes.

 

Sometimes we have alfredo sauce.  Sometimes I make meatballs or Italian sausage ahead of time.

 

Add some microwave-steamable veggies or prepare a salad while the pasta cooks.  Canned fruit.  Done.  (About 30 minutes -- it would be shorter, but I have to boil a LARGE pot of water.)

 

Every Sunday.  This is what works for us.

[cottonmama]

It helps to have some leftovers or easy lunch materials handy.  It helps to give the kids (and perhaps their parents) a little snack to hold everyone over till you get home.  It helps to eat eggs for breakfast because they regulate your appetite. I find that hard boiled eggs travel well when we don't have time for enough breakfast at home, but leftover quiche or scrambled eggs can be eaten quickly at home.

 

It also helps to decide in advance whether you will eat out on a given Sunday, and to have your spouse's agreement to stick to the plan.  The decision only has to apply to that one Sunday -- "We might be able to go out next week, but *this* week we are going to eat at home."  

 

My family's eat-out budget only allows two meals out (or ordered in) per month, so our default is to eat at home.  The weekend has to be exceptionally stressful or busy for us to eat out.  If you can afford more, it still helps to know the limit and recognize that Sunday lunches out take away from other chances to eat out.  Or perhaps Sundays are the best time to use that restaurant money -- I know if we could spare a bit more, that would be where we would use it.

[Annie G]

Sunday lunches out were never relaxing for me- the kids were wild, I was tired...and when we brought takeout food home it was just gobbled down.  We don't eat out much so when we do spend money on prepared food, by golly, I want to enjoy it, not just unwrap a burger and scarf it down.  So that's why we worked hard to make our own food.   When the kids were doing theater we were out of the house for at least four meals a week. No way was I buying crap food to wolf down during rehearsals.  It took time to get our groove but bringing our own food was cheaper, more healthy, and tasted better. 

 

 

[ScoutTN]

We do crock pot, leftovers or soup on Sundays so that I spend minimal time cooking. Just plan ahead.

If we have a big lunch, dinner is often fend-for-yourself.

[Southern Ivy]

We are an hour from church. On our volunteer worker weeks (every other week), we tend to eat out just because it's usually 1:00 by the time we're done and then it's 2-2:30 by the time we get home. On our non-worker weeks, we have leftovers or something from the crockpot. As someone suggested, put the ingredients in the crockpot on Saturday night, then pop it onto the base and turn it on before you leave. 

[redsquirrel]

Well, we have our regular breakfast, but I am not above handing the kids a Luna bar or a cheese stick on our way to church. Then I know they can absolutely go 90 mins until they eat again, lol.

 

I usually have dh run to the store and get bagels the night before, or sometime on Saturday. They are there waiting for the boys when we get home.  Lunch is usually a bagel with cream cheese or hummus etc. They know it is there and that seems to stop the complaining.  That said, it takes us less than 10 mins to get home from church.  If it were longer I would have the bagels in the car for the drive home.

[Annie G]

We are an hour from church. On our volunteer worker weeks (every other week), we tend to eat out just because it's usually 1:00 by the time we're done and then it's 2-2:30 by the time we get home. On our non-worker weeks, we have leftovers or something from the crockpot. As someone suggested, put the ingredients in the crockpot on Saturday night, then pop it onto the base and turn it on before you leave. 

 

Oh if we arrived home at 2:30 and the kids hadn't eaten since breakfast, it would not be pretty.   Eating out totally reasonable!!!   But I still would have cranky kids because 1 was about as late as they could eat without having meltdowns. 

[chocolatechip]

I don't think sandwiches have to be measly. And given your circumstances, I'd probably go for either sandwiches or eggs and toast (super fast and easy).

 

Sandwich ideas:

Grilled cheese with any of the following: ham, tomato, bell pepper and onion, turkey. The possibilities are endless.

Bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, ham, or tomato. 

Croissants with ham and cheese under the broiler for a few minutes.

Hamburgers or fish burgers.

Fried egg sandwiches.

Egg salad sandwiches (bonus: pre-make egg salad the night before!)

Chicken caesar sandwiches: leftover roasted chicken, caesar dressing, parmesan, then broil. Add lettuce and (nontraditional) tomato. 

Pizza sandwiches under the broiler are good too. 

 

Good bread makes all the difference!!!

 

You could also do wraps with any of those filings.

[happi duck]

A couple things we liked to do:

 

Make a pot of soup Friday or Saturday. Have an adult pop it on the stove to reheat as soon as you step in the door.

 

Take a cooler full of sandwich ingredients and have a picnic either at a park or even at church. We even did this with pb and j. A picnic made "boring" better!

[marbel]

Rereading the OP... you don't sound like a lazy brat but I'm with others who say you need a real breakfast.  I am not hungry in the morning, and would prefer not to eat before church, but I have to or I'll be mad with hunger by the time we get home. During the "school year" we leave the house at 9:30 and get home about 1:00. We do have snacks at church, but I never get in line quickly enough to get any. :-)

 

Crockpot or baked oatmeal, something eggy if your kids will eat it, yogurt/fruit/nut parfait.  cheese toast, even.

 

Another thing you can do is try to incorporate the practice of not engaging in commerce on Sunday.  I don't think that is a necessity, and I don't think badly of people who shop, eat out, etc, on Sunday.  BUT making a conscious effort not to do it has helped me to make my Sundays better because I have to plan ahead - fast food is simply not an option. 

 

Yet another thing you can do is invite people over for  Sunday lunch ahead of time. Then you will be forced to have your ducks in a row to have lunch ready promptly.  I make lunch for a ministry group one Sunday a month.  I've learned to plan and prepare well thanks to that experience!  :-)

[ktgrok]

First, don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. Instead of trying for a "real" breakfast on Sunday, have some protein bars ready to go that they can eat in the car. Cliff bars are a favorite of my kids. 

 

Second, "nice" sandwhich stuff like really good rolls instead of regular bread, plus some chips or store bought potato salad? Or our grocery store has ready to go hot rotisserie chickens, and you could grab that and a bowl of mixed fruit for luch quickly..just have everyone stay in the car while one person runs in. 

 

 

[texasmama]

When I was working, I would load up the crock pot the night before with meat and veggies and put it in the fridge.  The next morning, I plugged it in and started it.  If you do this right when you wake up and put the meal on high, it should be ready when you get home.

[UCF612]

We budget for dinner out on Friday and Sunday lunch out. We both hate to cook so knowing we can still get our treat meals helps the rest of the week. I do have a severe food allergy kid so we still have to prepare him a meal at home and take it with us. My husband packs that while I'm showering.

[LucyStoner]

We weren't allowed to eat before Sunday mass when I was a kid. We usually ate doughnuts and stuff after church at the coffee hour and then my dad fixed us Sunday dinner. Sunday dinner was served at about 2-3pm and was quite commonly a roast chicken or pot roast or something. The only variations on this was when there was a lunch at the church.

 

When my husband and I were attending church regularly, we usually went out for brunch afterwards. It was just our thing and something to keep us from indulging in the darn doughnuts.

 

In your shoes, I would probably pack some snacks in the car and then pre-prep for a nice meal at home. Maybe take all that fast food money and use it on a nice sit down meal out once a month.

[Lady Marmalade]

Maybe instead of going cold turkey with quitting the eating out, take some baby steps by finding good, affordable options for getting food already prepared for you.  Stash a box of granola bars in the vehicle for right after service while the stop is made to grab lunch. 

 

We have a grocery store that sells fresh, hot ham or turkey, sliced to order on Sundays.  With each pound of sliced meat you also get a free half dozen hard rolls.  We usually buy 2 pounds of sliced ham, get the dozen rolls free, and then grab a bag of chips and a block of cheese.  Lunch is less than $15 and spectacularly delicious.  That ham is SO good!  

 

As an added bonus, we hardly need  pounds of meat and 12 rolls for lunch for 4, so then DH has some yummy lunch options to take with him to work for the week.

 

We don't do this every week, but it's a really nice option to have on hand.  Do you have any grocery stores near you with hot deli options? 

 

I also really like the option above to grab a rotisserie chicken or two.  If you have a Sam's Club nearby, I swear their rotisserie chickens are larger than other grocery options in the area (and less than $6 for one cooked chicken).  You can pick up the chicken hot and fresh on your way home Sunday OR pick one up Friday or Saturday and make a chicken salad to have ready to go for Sunday when you walk in.  Add a package of croissant or ciabatta rolls for eating the chicken salad on.  

 

The bonus here is the chicken carcass for stock and any leftover chicken that can be used for another meal.

[Carol in Cal.]

Is it really a problem?  Some people would call that a nice bonding time.

 

If so, definitely pre-shop and pre-prep so that everything comes together quickly, and make something that doesn't have a lot of cooking time, like heating up premade hearty soup or chili, or grilling (really good) spiced burgers, or sautéing chicken thigh meat or steaks, or grilling kabobs. 

 

One idea:  Mix up the salad dressing in the bottom of a salad bowl, soak cut up scallions and tiny sharp cheddar or blue cheese chunks in it, and put it in the fridge, the night before.  Have a bag of washed salad greens ready to add and toss right before serving.  Mix up the meat for burgundy burgers.  The day of, shape and sauté (takes about 10-15 minutes.)  Toast the buns that you bought the day before.  Voila!  A little special, very fast, and AT HOME. 

[HS Mom in NC]

Easier Meal Ideas

 

Meat and cheese sandwiches, chips, dip and fruit (Which I had when my dad came for lunch yesterday at 1:00.)

 

Pasta and canned pesto or spaghetti sauce with packaged salad and precooked bread. Cook the pasta the night before, cool and keep in the fridge so it can reheat easily and quickly.

 

Soup, stew or chili cooked the night before, cooled in the fridge. Make rolls or corn bread the night before too.  Reheat.

 

Frozen lasagna (or other frozen meal) placed in the oven with the kitchen timer set to start cooking so it's done when you get home. Make sure what you choose is meant to be cooked without first being thawed.

 

Ham/chicken and pasta salad served cold.

As stated up thread, find a crockpot recipe that fits your time frame and load the crockpot and put it in the fridge the night before so you only have to plug it in and turn it on.

 

Set out a buffet of meats, cheeses, nuts, fruits/veggies, nutritious crackers, hummus and such that require no cooking.  Prep them on a platter the night before and put them in the fridge.

On Saturday night put the meat in a marinade and prep the veggies that won't wilt for a salad.  On Sunday, while the meat is grilling prep the wilty veggies and mix with the prepped veggies for the salad.

 

The Root of the Problem

 

Usually people run into household management issues when they stay in a reactive mindset instead of moving to a proactive mindset. You can be spontaneous and reactive in situations where it works and reduces stress.  If what you're doing is already very stressful and isn't successful about 80% of the time, you probably need to make changes and be more proactive even if it doesn't come naturally. (Likewise there are times when being less proactive and more reactive or go-with-the-flow reduces stress.)

 

 

Things to do on Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening:

 

1. Have every outfit selected and every item needed for every person the night before.  Rigidly allow no changes on Sunday morning. They can change their minds 100 times on Saturday, but on Sunday, the outfit they laid out on Saturday night when they went to bed will be the outfit they wear Sunday morning.  Socks, shoes, accessories, Bibles, activity bags (if you do that kind of thing) coats, sweaters, shirts, pants, dresses, whatever.  Every. single item. Do it early enough that if there's a problem you have to time to fix missing buttons, launder something you thought was clean but wasn't, sew a rip on a seam, figure out it's too small now, find the belt, and that sort of thing.

 

2. Put a clock with the actual time in every bedroom, bathroom, meal area. Tell the children with a sense of time when you will wake them and what time you will walk out the door.  Explain that that means they need to be ready to walk out the door five minutes before then.

 

3. Prep every part of Sunday's lunch that you can on Saturday.  Chop veggies, put meats and cheeses on platters, etc.  Load your crockpot.  Know what frozen meal you have, what time and temp the clock on the oven has to be set to, which layer of packaging (cardboard or foil) has to be removed when you put it in the oven  when you leave, etc. 

 

4. Decide on Saturday who helps the littles on Sunday.  If it's someone in particular's job to assist a wee one, they need to be told directly what you expect them to do and when. If it isn't anyone in particular's job, it's unlikely it will be done consistently in a timely way, so assign it to someone in particular.

 

5. Do not allow idleness before they are completely ready.  If it takes them about 20 minutes at most to get ready to go and it's an hour before you have to leave, do not allow them to watch TV, read a book, play with the cat, contemplate their navels, get on the screen device, etc. before they get ready.  They must get completely ready first (with shoes on) have everything they need to take with them in the vehicle and then get your permission to do idle things.   This avoids last minute problems and allows wiggle room or margin for unforeseen problems. Same with mom and dad.  

 

Chose breakfasts carefully

 

High protein and high fiber breakfasts are more substantial.  Scrambled eggs, meat and toast; high fiber breads with nutbutters; protein bars; and the like are going to give the kids a better start to the day.  If you were taking the kids on a long hike in the morning, what would you feed them for breakfast? Feed them that or something like that on Sunday morning too. Lots of people eat around 1:00 pm, that's not an unusually late lunch time.  Consider eating breakfast after everyone gets ready so it's a little closer to lunch time.

 

Define Everyone's Responsibilities

 

Everyone should be assigned jobs for helping prep breakfast and lunch if necessary, setting and clearing the table if you decide to eat breakfast together, and cleaning up the table after it's done.  Disposable plates are a legitimate option (some brands are compostable.) Tell each family member on Saturday night and Sunday morning explicitly what you expect them to do and if necessary, have it posted on the chore rotation so no one has an excuse for not knowing. 

 

 

Can you tell I grew up on a farm with 4 kids, lots of chores and Sunday church with a semi-formal Sunday lunch at home after?

 

[Artichoke]

I've used several of the ideas mentioned earlier to make things easier for us on Sundays. We go to a church that is about forty minutes away, and someone was always starving at some point in the morning.

The first thing I did was to start getting ready for Sunday on Friday afternoon. We had a standing commitment for Saturday nights so clothes and Bibles along pens were gotten together on Friday evenings. I'd also throw together overnight French toast on Saturday evenings. Dh would man the kitchen while I would oversee the upstairs. Dividing the work really helped us.

Next, I moved onto the easy lunch options -- usually fancy sandwiches or crockpot meals. About once a month was a lunch at our favorite Irish restaurant. I think I'll start adding in the picnics that others suggested. That's such a great idea!

Finally, one of our dc asked why we couldn't take a snack for the ride. Well, duh! I should have thought of that. It took all three steps for us to start enjoying our Sundays instead of being stressed by them.
 

Edited March 10, 2017 by Artichoke

[Forget-Me-Not]

Any time I make a soup that freezes well, I make a double batch, and put a container or two away in the freezer (often a double batch can stretch to three dinners for my family). It's lovely on Sundays to throw a block of frozen soup in the crockpot and let it thaw/heat.

 

I agree that crockpot prep Saturday night can help too.

 

Taco meat browned/seasoned ahead of time, plus toppings prepped, is also easy. Reheat the meat, pull the toppings out and do nachos/tacos/burritos. Or planned leftovers from something made earlier in the week.

[EmseB]

Our church has a potluck meal every Sunday, so we all come home fed.  So my solution would be to lobby the church leadership to institute that sort of thing. :)

 

Before our current church, we would have snacks like cheese and crackers when we got home, while I cooked or fixed something more substantial.

 

Other than that, the only thing I can think of is just...don't go out.  Fast food is a temptation for me always when we are out and about, even if we have lunch stuff at home, so I know how hard it is especially if I didn't feed myself in the morning.  Sometimes I give in, but now with having three kids eating the bill adds up so I'm less tempted and just...force myself not to go even if I really, really want to.  For me, having stuff available is key, even if it isn't as appetizing as a greasy burger.  If I know the kids can slap together a sandwich or microwave a quesadilla it's much easier for me to drive past the drive thru instead of stopping.

[Tenaj]

Last year, I decided to stop fussing about our Sunday lunch.  I would get stressed out on Saturday night trying to figure out what to fix in the crockpot for Sunday lunch.  Finally, I decided that Sunday lunch is either tacos or spaghetti.  If it's tacos I get the meat ready on Saturday  and just stick it in my little crockpot on Sunday morning on low.  I get the fixin's ready either on Saturday night or on Sunday morning and it's quick and easy.  Spaghetti sauce is the same way, I just stick it in my crock pot on low before we leave in the morning and then it just takes 10 min. to cook the noodles once we get home.  Easy meals and I don't have to stress about it.  

Another trick I have is that I almost always have some sort of snack for in the van on the way home.  I sometimes grab a box of crackers, or we have some cookies about the house or some nuts and we pass them around.  We drive 30 minutes so it keeps us from starving and getting grumpy before lunch time.

[The Girls' Mom]

This is where the cheap prepared freezer food comes in handy.  We generally try to eat healthy, but Sundays are often hot dogs, frozen burritos or frozen pizza days.  Still cheaper than burgers out, and probably not much worse nutrition-wise.  Sometimes I actually cook on Sunday afternoons, but usually we just scrounge.  We never picked the eat-out on Sunday habit...lol.

[EmilyGF]

Make a bunch of freezer crock pot meals and label them (label the freezer, too). Then you can grab one, put it in the crock pot, turn it on, and go. (Just remember to plug it in first!)

 

I love when I crock pot Sundays because it makes the day restful to me, too. I find fast food restaurants very un-restful.

 

Emily

[Zinnia]

Our church has bagels out on Sunday mornings.  My kids grab one on their way out the door.  That seems to calm the worst of the hungries, and it calms our afternoon a good bit.

[KungFuPanda]

Over cook yummy things on Thurs-Sat and make Sunday your buffet day :-)

 

OR make it an appetizer bar . . . freezer stuff that everyone likes like pizza rolls, poppers, taquitos, etc with a salad or veggie platter.

 

OR a cheese/cracker/smoked meat/fruit platter

 

OR a sandwich bar with the good stuff and nice bread

 

OR crockpot soup and a big baked sub or toasted cheese bread

 

Which day holds the most of your cooking energy? Think and prep on THAT day. Sometimes having a plan partly under way is enough of a relief that 10-15 minutes of effort isn't so bad when you walk through the door. It's the uncertainty that's discouraging. For me, some Italian sausage in red sauce served over tortellini with bread and salad is MUCH more satisfying than fast food. If they're too hungry to wait for water to boil, let them start on the salad right away.

[milovany]

We do what Zinnia mentioned -- eat at church after the service.  How big is your church?  Any chance of organizing a meal to share after the service?  Doesn't have to be major (although ours tends to be a full potluck).  Bagels and cream cheese, muffins, vegies and dip, peanut butter and apples, or what have you.