How two ATs make it work: September Meal Planning

As you can imagine, being an AT in the secondary school setting is very time consuming.  Meal planning is one of the challenges that we face...especially since we are both ATs.  I know that Josh and I are not the only married couple who are both ATs so I thought that I would share a little bit of what we do to help make things work.  Now, we don't have rug-rats, so that "simplifies" things a bit.  However, we still face the challenges of home and away events as well as scheduling a few times when we can actually eat a meal together.  Many times, I will will pack 3 meals for each of us as we leave the house for the day.  Several days like that per week can be taxing on a marriage!  Most of the time, we can expect to eat dinner together (even if it is late) on Monday and Wednesday nights in the fall.  Another challenge that we face is that Josh has kidney stones and I was recently diagnosed with Celiac.  So, our dietary needs/restrictions can be very different.  Every recipe below is either GF or can easily be adapted to be GF.  

September

Now we are in a routine.  Games have started and each week’s schedule should be somewhat similar.  The only contention would be the occasional Thursday or Saturday varsity football game due to district stadium conflicts.  Since Josh and I share a district stadium, one of us will be away on Friday and the other will be home.  I usually try to cook enough on the weekends to get through the week but sometimes I have to throw in a meal on Wednesday.  Cooking on Tuesday night is hard because of the occasional volleyball game.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Lunch: Jason’s Deli (GF bread option!) Dinner: Pulled Pork	Lunch: Tuna Salad, GF crackers, Red Bell Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese, Grapes Dinner: BBQ Baked Beans & Sausage, Potato Salad	Lunch: Turkey Roll ups, Dill Pickle Spears, Strawberries Dinner: Leftover Pulled Pork	Lunch:   Double Dave's Pizza Dinner: Leftover BBQ Baked Beans & Sausage, Potato Salad	Lunch: Tuna Salad, GF crackers, Red Bell Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese, Grapes Dinner: Leftover Pulled Pork	Lunch: Away Game: Something on the way to the game Home Game: Turkey Roll ups, Dill Pickle Spears, Strawberries Dinner: Away Game: Whatever the team eats Home Game: Coach’s Social or eat out	Lunch: Chicken Spaghetti Dinner: Tailgate
Lunch: Jason’s Deli (GF bread option!) Dinner: Baked Salmon Patties & Baked French Fries	Lunch: Summer Sausage, String Cheese, Peaches Dinner: Leftover Chicken Spaghetti	Lunch: Pea Salad, Red Bell Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese, Grapes Dinner: Leftover Baked Salmon Patties & Baked French Fries	Lunch:   Double Dave’s Pizza Dinner: Leftover Chicken Spaghetti	Lunch: Summer Sausage, String Cheese, Peaches Dinner: Leftover Chicken Spaghetti	Lunch: Away Game: Something on the way to the game Home Game: Pea Salad, Red Bell Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese, Grapes Dinner: Away Game: Whatever the team eats Home Game: Coach’s Social or eat out	Lunch: Fajitaritos Dinner: Seafood Creole
Lunch: Jason’s Deli (GF bread option!) Dinner: Western Casserole	Lunch: Turkey Roll ups, Dill Pickle Spears, Strawberries Dinner: Leftover Seafood Creole	Lunch: Tuna Salad, GF crackers, Red Bell Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese, Grapes Dinner: Leftover Fajitaritos	Lunch:   Double Dave’s Pizza Dinner: Leftover Western Casserole	Lunch: Tuna Salad, GF crackers, Red Bell Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese, Grapes Dinner: Leftover Western Casserole	Lunch: Away Game: Something on the way to the game Home Game: Turkey Roll ups, Dill Pickle Spears, Strawberries Dinner: Away Game: Whatever the team eats Home Game: Coach’s Social or eat out	Lunch: Spagania Dinner: Tailgate
Lunch: Jason’s Deli (GF bread option!) Dinner: Josh’s Chili	Lunch: Pea Salad, Red Bell Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese, Grapes Dinner: Leftover Spagania	Lunch: Summer Sausage, String Cheese, Peaches Dinner: Leftover Josh’s Chili & Fritos	Lunch:   Double Dave’s Pizza Dinner: Leftover Spagania	Lunch: Summer Sausage, String Cheese, Peaches Dinner: Leftover Josh’s Chili & Fritos	Lunch: Away Game: Something on the way to the game Home Game: Pea Salad, Red Bell Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese, Grapes Dinner: Away Game: Whatever the team eats Home Game: Coach’s Social or eat out	Lunch: Last of Spagania & Chili Dinner: Red Beans & Cornbread

Notes:

• GF means Gluten Free
• I make lunches for the week on Sunday and just stack them in the refrigerator.  These are easy to grab on the way out in the mornings.  
• Josh’s Breakfast - For Josh, I make breakfast burritos (original recipe or my adaptation) and freeze them.  Josh will put a package down the night before to let it thaw. He takes them to work and will heat them up there.  
• My Breakfast - I will freeze packets with various fruit.  I will put a package down the night before to let it thaw.  Before leaving for work, I blend the fruit with coconut milk to make a smoothie.