Oven baked chicken legs and thighs, bone in and skin on. Do a batch once a week. I usually put 6 pieces in a ziplock, add a few glugs of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Rub it all around and let it sit for a bit, even just on the counter while the oven pre-heats. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 mins (it may need a few extra mins depending on the size).

Keep those in the fridge. They can be eaten cold, straight out of there or heated in the microwave. Easy, quick, filling protein.

And yes to the suggestion of giving him a heads up that it's time for "evening snack" BEFORE the bedtime cutoff. So if he normally goes upstairs at 9pm, remind him at 8:15/30 that if he is hungry now is the time. After 9pm, the kitchen is closed.

You could have him make a 2nd plate at dinner and put it in the fridge for a night snack. I've always eaten cereal at night, but sounds like he might need something more substantial.

All of my male nephews (extremely active in sports) have a second dinner. They all focus on protein. It ranges from leftover steak tips from dinner, chicken, and peanut butter with milk.

I think this is a normal thing for active teens at that age.

I can't help with what to feed him but if he has a tendency to be hungry when he's supposed to be going upstairs, just tell him 30 minutes before that - hey, bedtime is in x minutes; if you want to eat, this is your last chance.

Pasta, eggs, cereal if you want to do it on the cheap.

In addition to what 23:46 posted, we’ve purchased stock in Cheerios.

—mother of a 17 year old son with 2% body fat and who I’m convinced has a hollow leg because I can’t figure out where it all goes

My 13 yr old DS ests anything not tied down. Normally it’s breskfsst, snack, lunch, large snack, dinner (usually larger also) and snack around 9 pm. At 9 pm he eats leftovers he can microwave, quesadillas, pbj sandwich, soup, cereal—basically anything that does not need the oven/stovetop.

Thanks PPs! All great suggestions. He is unstoppable, and his 10 yr old brother is clearly starting to ramp up as well. Goodbye vacation budget, hello grocery budget!

Anonymous wrote:My 15 year old has 5 full meals/ day: breakfast, lunch, after school, family dinner, late night dinner.

For after school and late night dinner, he is 100% on his own.
- Costco burritos
- Costco veggie burgers
- bowl of oatmeal
- pasta (usually leftover pasta in the refrigerator, he adds jarred pasta sauce and parmesan cheese)
- leftover anything
- scrambled eggs
- makes a sandwich (bread, lunch meat, mustard)
- apple chicken sausage

+1 This is good. Help him fill up with some protein and not carb loading (to this list I would add keeping a variety of nuts around if your kid likes them, they're easy and filling.) Hard boiled eggs, peanut butter or avocado toast are also easy.

My 15 year old has 5 full meals/ day: breakfast, lunch, after school, family dinner, late night dinner.

For after school and late night dinner, he is 100% on his own.
- Costco burritos
- Costco veggie burgers
- bowl of oatmeal
- pasta (usually leftover pasta in the refrigerator, he adds jarred pasta sauce and parmesan cheese)
- leftover anything
- scrambled eggs
- makes a sandwich (bread, lunch meat, mustard)
- apple chicken sausage

Okay.

The dcum moms of preschool girls are going to jump in soon with their carrots, kale chips and organic water drawn from mountain springs, but here goes:

Hot pockets
Carnation instant breakfast
Hard boiled eggs (cooked one dozen at a time and replenished maybe every few days to a week
Breakfast burritos, made ahead, wrapped in foil and reheated as needed
Popcorn (we prefer the real kind made in a pan but microwave is fine)
Coldcuts/sandwich
Costco mini tacos
And
Cereal with milk. Frosted flakes were my siblings go to pre bedtime meal after a day of running followed by dance lessons and soccer practice.

Yes figure out what he can make himself that you are ok with him eating. I have a kid who ate fruit non stop from dinner to bed. I have another who is all about noodles and ramen is the favorite. And I have one who eats cans of ravioli and cream soups. They can all make their own food and clean it up so I can close the kitchen for the night.

I always try to push sandwiches but my kids dont bite. If I buy frozen things to microwave they go really quick - taquitas, pancake sausage dogs, corn dogs, waffles, biscuit sandwiches, pizza, etc.

My son is tiny but takes ADHD meds which wear off so he is also hungry at bedtime. He eats cereal.

Start increasing dinner by an extra serving and he can have that extra helping. He should be capable of taking it out the fridge, nuking it, and putting his plate in the dishwasher.

12 year old boy, huge growth spurt (growing like a teen boy - started puberty early), RAVENOUS ALL THE TIME. A usual evening is dinner around 6, eats plenty, relatively low key activity after dinner, but absolutely MUST eat again before bedtime. Usually it’s when we tell him to get ready for bed that he declares “I’m hungry!”

Give me guidance on how you’ve managed these tween/teen “second dinner” events. We make a family dinner. We clean the kitchen. We get younger siblings to bed. And then he is hungry at 9pm and it’s like we’re restarting dinner all over again with “but what can I EAT?” and general rummaging around the fridge and/or pantry. I don’t want to be responsible for preparing a second dinner for him, or for cleaning it up. I don’t want him asking every night what he can eat. I just want him to self-serve, figure out something with balance, and clean up after himself. (Yes, it’s a dream.). And do it all without extending his bedtime by an hour to allow sufficient time for his additional meal.

Advice on how to manage? Food staples to keep on hand? Rules to lay down to manage this nightly carb loading fest? Experienced parents please advise!