A first-time football mama recently reached out to me for advice on how to manage dinnertime during the upcoming season: meal planning, eating somewhat healthy and avoiding constant trips through the drive-thru. As I began to respond, I realized I hadn't yet written a blog post on this. So here we are!

For those of you new to the game, football practice is often daily (Monday through Friday, two hours each day), beginning in late July or early August. That's a whole lot of time spent at the field, and not much time left for being in the kitchen.

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Are you the parent of a youth, middle school or high school football player who’s looking for more tips or resources? Check out our Parent Guide, Parents 101 course, nutritious recipes and more.

Here are my tried and tested tips for making the transition from the football field to the dinner table as seamless as possible:

1. Decide when dinner will be: Before practice or after? If you're a SAHM (stay at home mom) or a WFHM (work from home mom), eating before practice may work for your family. I work outside the home, and even though I get out at 3 p.m., it just doesn't work for us. I don't like for my boys to have anything more than a light snack within the 90 minutes to two hours before practice begins. I've seen the results of eating right before practice with my own two eyes. Yeah, not pretty! So for my family, dinner after practice (although late) works best.

2. Meal plan: This is different from actual meal prep. On Sundays, before grocery shopping, I like to plan our dinners for the week. I sit down with my planner and write down what we'll eat each day. This helps cut down on the "what am I going to make tonight" thoughts that begin to take over my mind every day at about 2:30 p.m. It also helps me change up the rotation a bit more.

3. Meal prep: For me during football season, this consists of large batches of make-ahead meals. I usually make one on Sunday and another mid-week. If I'm feeling extra ambitious, I'll make two on Sunday. Some of my favorite make-ahead meals are lasagna, spaghetti, rice and beans, and burritos. They're all great when served as leftovers and can be frozen.

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4. Use that Crockpot: My crockpot is my BFF during football season. With just a few minutes of prep the morning of or night before, you just drop it in and go. It can't get any easier than that. You'll come home to the heavenly aroma of a home-cooked meal just begging to be served. And thanks to the internet, the possibilities of what you can make are endless.

5. Keep it simple: I'm not perfect. There are times when I don't take the time to meal plan or prep and have to scramble to put dinner on the table after practice. On those days, I stick to easy 15 minute-ish meals such as tacos, sandwiches and salads. One such go-to meal is store-bought rotisserie chicken with a side of quick, steamable veggies. You know, the ones you just throw in the microwave. When all else fails, my boys will have cereal, and guess what, they're A-OK with that.

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6. Eat as a team: Coach Hubby and I host team tailgates following the last practice before every home game. Not only does it encourage team bonding, but it also gets dinner out of the way before the players even leave the field. I've written an entire blog post on how we do it, from setup to meal ideas to clean up. It's a win-win situation.

7. Drive-thru/take out: There'll be days when there's no other option. I try and head toward the “healthier” fast food joints. My favorites are Chick-fil-A, Panera, Chipotle and our local Peruvian chicken place.

I hope you found these tips helpful and that they come in handy for you.

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Vanessa Mejia is the mother of three football-playing boys, ages 14, 13 and 10, and lives in northern Virginia. Her boys also play basketball, soccer and track and field. Her husband coaches football in the Fairfax County Youth Football League. She shares Team Mom ideas, tips and tricks along with other facets of her family’s life away from the football field. Read more of her work at confessionsofasportsmama.blogspot.com