Surviving the Sports Schedule (Without Living at the Snack Shack)

Lisa Liberatore and Kachina Miller

Let’s be honest: Mayvember is rough! But here we are—juggling drop-offs, games, meetings, and somehow still expected to answer the age-old question: What’s for dinner?

As the sports schedule heats up, I’ve found myself relying less on drive-thru desperation and more on a few simple (but sanity-saving) systems. I’m not here to preach perfection. I’m just trying to make sure dinner doesn’t come from a foil wrapper every night—and if it does, it’s because I planned it that way.

My weekend ritual now includes three key steps:

1. Pulling out the meal prep worksheet – nothing fancy, just a place to map out meals, check the calendar, and figure out what needs to be prepped in advance.

2. Taking inventory of the fridge, freezer, and pantry – before I hit the store, I write down what we actually have. It helps me stop buying yet another bottle of soy sauce when we already have three.

3. Only shopping for what we need—and planning enough for leftovers – If I’m cooking, I’m making double. Leftovers mean one less night of cleanup and fewer sad snacks at the ballfield.

   
   

The biggest hack? Being realistic. As much as I might want to make shepherd’s pie on a Tuesday, if baseball drop-off is at 2:40 and we’re not home until 7:00, that’s a meal that needs to be made ahead—or saved for a slower night. I’ve learned to match my meal plan with our actual life.

And here’s where it gets even better: I’ve got a secret weapon. Watermelon Pie.

Kachina Miller, the Founder and CEO, is a force. I first met her at last year's Celebration of Entrepreneurship, and now she’s in Scratchpad Accelerator, leveling up her business in real time. She’s come such a long way in such a short time, and I get a front row seat to her success plus incredible dinner ideas. It’s not just about recipes—it’s about finding community among people who are trying to do the same thing: feed their families well, without losing their minds.

One of my favorite things they do is their Friday check-in:"We made it to Friday 🎉 Did anything go right in your kitchen this week? Or totally wrong but you tried anyway? Tell us what you made—good, bad, or just okay. Your story might help someone else feel a little better about their week too. Let’s hear it, Pie-oneers 🥧👇."

It’s the kind of grassroots wisdom you only get when people are sharing what actually works for real life. And honestly? It’s a good time to reflect on how the week went—because the next week’s meal prepping is right around the corner.

I’ve picked up all kinds of tips from Watermelon Pie users—like freezing leftover cooked rice in single portions, turning Sunday roast chicken into Tuesday quesadillas, or using a sheet pan dinner as both a weeknight lifesaver and tomorrow’s lunch.

It turns out, a little planning saves more than time. The average home-cooked meal costs about $4.50 per serving, compared to $20 or more when eating out. And it’s not just about money.

My fiancé teases me every time I make something restaurant-worthy at home—especially when I follow it with, “You know how much this would’ve cost out?”

Little changes, big difference. From doubling dinner for easy lunches, to building a grocery list off what we already have, to borrowing meal ideas from a startup that’s changing how we think about dinner—it's all about small, thoughtful moves that make life smoother.

Even if we’re eating in the car on the way to practice, at least it’s a homecooked meal. And that counts for something.