How to Survive Back-to-School Season {Ideas for Easy Dinners, School Lunches, After School Snacks}
Oh yes, it’s that time of year! I’m guessing many of us are already swimming in the full rush of back-to-school chaos – whether it be public, charter, private or home schooling.
My three oldest kids started school earlier this week (middle school and high school); the two youngest start next week.
As crazy as the start of a new school year is, I actually kind of love abandoning the lazy summer mentality and latching on to the structure that comes with school schedules and routines. However, if I’m being totally honest, it always kind of rocks my world – even when I think I’m fully prepared for it. Early mornings! Breakfasts! Making school lunches! No time to make dinner! Lots of melting down! Lots of hiding in the pantry!
In honor of all of us in the trenches figuring this back to school season out, I wanted to offer some current tips that are helping us stay afloat as well as gather all the tips I’ve shared over the years into one place!
School Lunches
How do you manage school lunches? All five of my kids pack their own lunches before school each morning. We’ve used bento-type lunch boxes in the past (the Goodbyn ones, loved them). Currently, my oldest (10th grade) packs his lunch in a good ol’ brown paper lunch sack, the two middle schoolers use these freezable pack-it lunch boxes {aff. link} and the two elementary kids have these inexpensive (but so far, pretty durable) zipper lunch boxes {aff. link}.
We still have this school lunch checklist taped to the inside of a kitchen cupboard door. It helps the kids stay a little bit more on track…you know, with slightly healthier choices than, say, eating nutella sandwiches every day (#cantblamethem).
Even though I try to stay pretty hands off with their lunch packing endeavors, I do find it helps if I already have a lot of good, solid options (particularly fruits and veggies, but also things like hard boiled eggs and string cheeses) out on the counter before they start packing. They grab these healthier options without thinking…even though for some reason, they never go to the effort to pull the same things out of the fridge/pantry themselves leading them to end up with a lunch box stuffed full of Oreos. Again #cantblamethem.
My friend, Teri, shared with me this great method for teaching kids independence (in this case for school lunch packing):
Step #1: do it for them
Step #2: when they’re ready, help them with the task
Step #3: again, when they’re ready, watch them while they complete the task
Step #4: allow them to do it by themselves
I ignorantly launched from the 1st step to the 4th a couple years ago when it came to lunch packing. The result was pure misery for all of us. I was upset at their lunch choices, they were upset because they thought they were doing a great job and felt mortally offended at my criticism of a lunch consisting of 100% carbs, and it was just kind of a disaster. We backed up to step #2 and have gradually worked our way through the other steps. Now I’ve *mostly* backed off and let them do it on their own, and honestly, it works great and is awesome because I don’t have to spend the time packing five lunches each day.
I know most of you are probably already on board with the above method, but clearly I need all the parenting tips I can get. Haha. I thought I’d share in case it could help someone else. It applies to so many other aspects of parenting and fostering independence in kids!
After School Snacks
My kids are usually home by 3:20-ish p.m. They come home starving so snacks are not optional around here. I don’t have any magic secrets for after school snacks. We keep it pretty simple. I do a lot of over-the-shoulder reminding: feel free to cut up an apple; 16 bags of microwave popcorn probably isn’t the best choice; protein is never a bad idea. After school snacks are usually some variation on crackers and cheese, lots of fresh fruit, (yes) Oreos and cookies sometimes, and I try to keep the following on hand for grab-and-go or simple snacks:
- Protein energy bites (these go in lunches, operate as after school snacks, and keep us fueled nonstop – we love them)
- Yogurt and granola
- This snack cake or this one or this one (I will often make these, cut them into squares and freeze) or a variety of different muffins pulled out from the freezer and quickly warmed up in the microwave
Quick Dinners
The start of a new school year often means the start of a whole slew of after school activities, too. Which finds me often hiding in the pantry palming chocolate chips in my mouth wondering if we’ll ever eat dinner as a family followed up with: “how can we eat dinner together as a family if dinner isn’t getting made?”
When I finally pull myself up by the apron strings and get a grip, I go back to my standby coping skills.
Planning a menu is the sure fire way to actually get dinner on the table. If I know what I’m going to make (and I’m realistic about the afternoon/evening plans so I don’t plan a 7-course dinner on a night we aren’t home for more than 15 minutes), I can usually execute dinner. Usually. I know I harp on the menu planning thing a lot, but seriously, I’ve seen it change lives. So I’ll never stop promoting it as an awesome way to conquer dinner chaos.
If menu planning makes you feel down in the dumps, consider doing more of a fluid menu plan instead of a strict “we must eat spaghetti on Monday and tacos on Tuesday” kind of thing. Look at your week and think of 4-5 good meals your family enjoys, get the ingredients for them, and plug them in as it works best and as you go through your week. Here’s an old but still relevant post I did years ago that may help: Menu Planning 101.
Sidenote: If you haven’t yet, you might want to look into Prepear for a great (free!) meal planning system (all of my recipes are on this app and you can add other recipes across the web by copying and pasting the recipe link). I also create custom meal plans that are available on the app – all the meals are laid out for you and this particularly menu plan auto-updates with a new menu each week so you literally don’t have to do anything other than print out the generated grocery list.
I have a few handy recipes coming up over the next few weeks to help save your sanity with weeknight dinners. Some freezer meals and meal prep ideas. In the meantime here are some quick links for my favorite quick meals!
- 100+ 30-minute recipes
- 25 20-minute recipes
- 30+ Instant Pot/pressure cooker favorites
- 50+ slow cooker wonders
Ok, phew! That’s a lot of info.
Before I let you go, below are some additional posts I’ve done over the years to sum up some ideas on surviving the back-to-school chaos (and some particular resources on school lunch solutions). These links include free menu plans, a school lunch packing checklist, and much more!
I know we are all in different phases and stages and circumstances of life, but hopefully you can find some good ideas in the resources above and below! As always, I welcome your comments – any strategies that help you maintain your sanity this time of year??
I clicked on the link for a free meal planning service and it’s pulling up as 8 dollars or so. Am I going to the right place?
When this post was published years ago, Prepear offered a free subscription. Now they offer a 14 day free trial and after that, it is a paid monthly subscription ($8/mo).
I love this and I am going to make a modified lunch checklist that fits our diet/my shopping habits. Awesome idea! I do have one question – how often do you shop and how do you keep snacks around long enough to have them available for lunches all week? I have six kids and they are like locusts, they go through all the snacks and fruit in two days and then it’s slim pickings until I grocery shop again. Do you just have to buy a ton each time, or do you have snack rules? What do you do about that?
I do one big grocery shopping trip every two weeks and then pop into the store once (ok, more like twice) in the interim for things I’ve forgotten and fresh produce, stuff like that. I do buy a lot at once – I’m not sure I have firm rules other than granola bars and things like that are only for on-the-go snacks or lunches…but if they are home, they have to opt for things like string cheese, fresh fruit, etc. My kids aren’t huge snackers – they eat a bit when they get home from school but other than that during the school year, it’s mostly just dinner (we don’t do a lot of eating/snacking after dinner). Does that help at all?
That does help, thank you! That is how we do it too (1 grocery shopping trip every 2 weeks + occasional fill-in trips) but I think I just need to be more consistent about having FOOD food available and prepared so they don’t live on string cheese. Because they totally would if I let them. Also I’m thinking I could freeze the string cheese and just pull it out the night before for lunches…has anyone tried that? It goes SO FAST in my house!
String cheese freezes great! And I agree, I also need to be better at having food food and not just snacky food.
Love your stuff Mel! Hope this is helpful… So, when we were expecting our kiddos and I was nesting, I got into a huge habit of cooking large meals so that I could freeze part of it for after the babies arrived. The habit stuck! I love to cook but I honestly don’t know how (or why) people cook every night. Growing up, both of my parents worked. So, even though they are both incredible cooks, I was raised off of left overs. My husband and I love to cook together – it takes us back to when we were dating – 20 years ago. Therefore, we cook a lot together over the weekends. But, we really only cook 3-4 meals per week. For example, if we’re making spaghetti or chili, we make a huge pot. Then we eat off of it 2-3 times and freeze leftovers for an easy dinner later or super simple lasagna, etc. When I’m grilling up hamburger or ground turkey, I always cook a huge batch and put part of it in the fridge or freezer for fast tacos, spaghetti, etc. later. Feeding our family this way definitely saves or sanity! Plus, an added bonus is when your kids come home from school starving and/or have activities to get to we just let them warm up and eat dinner. We try to coordinate our cooking nights on evenings that may not be quite as hectic.
Thanks for your four tips on helping kids become more independent! I was in baby mode for so long that I did the first step for years and years and am now realizing I need to move on to the next steps. I have also tried to jump to step #4 with angst on both my and kids’ side. So I loved your tips!
Mel,
I am past the stage of getting the kids off to school. Thank God. LOL Good news though! You ARE going to survive!
School lunches – my girls did the school lunch program. I was a single mom who worked full time.
After school snacks – they mainly ate leftovers. Seriously. We always had extra (thank you, Lord!) from dinner the night or two before. Bonus: they’ve always loved leftovers!
Dinners – I menu planned. Period. I even went as far as making Monday, chicken night, Tuesday was beef night. Friday was either pizza or homemade spaghetti. You get the idea. And…I always made sure one night was an easy night, i.e. something like beans and wieners or homemade mac and cheese so I could get a break.
Thank you, thank you! These posts will save my sanity! ❤️❤️❤️
Can you make that lunch list downloadable? Would love to be able to print that out!
Here you go:
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/wp-content/uploads/School-Lunch-Checklist.pdf
Thanks again, Mel! I look forward to this post each year! It gives me hope and excitement for the new school year, rather than dread.
I need that list on the inside of your cupboard! Any chance you would share it? 😀
This is excellent, Mel. Thank you 🙂 Any ideas for packing husband lunches?
My kids (grade6 &9) pack their own lunches the night before school, but often grab whatever is fastest. This year, I had them put together several packets of snacks (crackers, dried fruit, shreddies, etc) to put in the “healthy” snack bin. Hopefully it works (we start back next week). I also make pizza roll ups (like a savoury cinnamon roll with ham and cheese etc for filling) and freeze those, as well as buns stuffed with ham and cheese before baking. It makes life easier on the busy days, which is most of them! I also advocate meal planning to keep myself sane 🙂
Mel, you seriously are the best! I love your chart to help kids pack their own healthy lunches that we can feel good about them eating. Meal planning has been the biggest help to me with us all because to school. (Almost every night comes from your site!) I’ve even made a list of meals that can be prepared and frozen so all I have to do is thaw, cook, and enjoy!
You’re awesome, Mel.
Thanks, cute Emily. 🙂
Thank you, Mel! It’s great to have all this “you got this” inspiration in one place. I’ve been re-reading my way through the old posts (and always helpful comments!) all day. I think just acknowledging that so many of us are struggling through the same transition makes me feel calmer. So many great ideas! We’ve got this. Thanks for all that you do- I appreciate the heck out of you.
Oh man, I agree with that, Rebecca! I read through old comments on those posts all the time just to feel that sense of solidarity, like, I’m not the ONLY one feeling stressed out! Hang in there! We DO have this. 🙂
I have started doubling the size of meal I need to feed my family. I put half in the fridge and we eat it the next night. So I cook 3 times a week and 3 nights a week we have leftovers. Hubby makes dinner Saturday or Sunday. It cuts down on the amount of dishes, time spent in the kitchen, and less stress during the crazy schedules between 5 children. It feels like a little gift to myself
Great idea, Brenda!
I absolutely CANNOT stand the mess sandwich- making creates in my kitchen every day. So, instead, I make sandwiches a loaf at a time (per kid- my kids are awesome like that . They can’t agree on sandwiches) and freeze them. My kids just grab a pre-made sandwich out of the freezer and throw it in their lunchbox. By the time they eat, it has thawed and they’ve never had problems.
A few tips with it: the bread softens significantly when it thaws, so to keep the bread from being gummy I put it in the fridge for a few days before I make the sandwiches to harden up. I’ve also done this with wraps and it works as well.
Make sure you put something on each slice of bread: if I make pb&j I put peanut butter on both sides and jelly in the middle. If I do ham or turkey & cheese I put mayo or mustard on each slice and then the meat and cheese in the middle. Then I slice them in half and put them in ziploc bags. SO much easier! And then the bread isn’t dry when it thaws.
I AWAYS have some of your muffins in my freezer portioned out for the kids to grab in the early mornings.
Sometimes, when I feel ambitious, when I get home from Costco I portion out all the crackers and goldfish type things so then they can just grab and go. Just like when I buy sausage and cheese for homemade lunchables, when I cut it all up I portion it out in lunch size bags. Same with fruit that doesn’t brown, I wash and portion.
Seriously, I’m lazy, but I also hate a messy house. Plus, I’ve found this way makes a huge difference in how easily we can get out of the house. Anything I can pre-portion or prepare beforehand I do once every week or two. It saves my sanity, and I tend to waste less food.
Thank you for your continual effort helping us to be better parents by simplifying the necessary things so that we can be more connected with our family! I’ve been a loyal fan since the first year you started blogging and you’ve never let me down, every one of our favorite meals comes from you.
Awesome tips, Amanda! I heard the freezing sandwiches idea a couple years ago but haven’t tried it yet – so glad it’s working for you! Also major props on portioning out crackers and such when you get home from the store. I can only dream of that ambition but it TOTALLY MAKES SENSE. I’m going to start…even just every other trip. Thanks for the ideas!
Just remember that sooner than you think you will be planning a camping trip mid week when everyone else’s kids go back to school and you’ll have Bear Lake almost all to yourself!
You deserve every minute of that, Becky!
I also prep or cook part of the meal before school is out. That way I can help with homework and don’t be stress about dinner. I used to worry about eating at 5:30! Now, we eat whenever dinner is ready 😉
My kids lunches are usually a sandwich or quesadilla with ham or chicken and a fruit. Randomly we add snacks or treats
Thanks for the post Mel, you are so amazing!
Thanks for the comment, Jocy! Love hearing what works for everyone!
My kids also want to do the brown paper bag lunch as well. How do you keep it cold for when you pack a meat sandwich, hard boiled egg, cheese sticks, or anything else that goes bad?
We haven’t had to worry about that quite yet because my one son who packs in a lunch sack doesn’t like any of those things – he sticks with PB&J, applesauce, crackers/chips, sometimes a protein drink. Things like that. But yeah, definitely something to consider – I think you’d need to stick with a cooler-type lunch bag for anything that shouldn’t warm up too much.
My High School daughter bought her a Dakine backpack as that is what she wanted. It has an insulated pocket for cold things. She didn’t want to carry around one more thing as lockers aren’t provided at our high school.
This is so useful, Mel.
Since my kids often have to be different places at different times during the week, I have a bunch of meals in my arsenal that I can make available in shifts.
I don’t feel comfortable leaving cooked meat dishes out for very long, so it makes things challenging. I try to make certain things way ahead of time that can be left at room temperature for a bit longer (like rice, cooked pasta, a salad without dressing and without cut tomatoes, roasted potatoes, etc.). Then, I’ll try to make the rest of the meal—minus the meat—soon before the first shift. Whoever eats first is responsible for placing the meat in the refrigerator to be reheated in portions for the remaining shifts.
I will also premake a casserole dish (like macaroni and cheese) and have the first shift eater(s) put it in the oven before they eat. Or I’ll half-make a dish (make the macaroni, cover it, and keep it at room temperature) then make the balance (like the cheese sauce) right before serving.
It sounds much more complicated than it is in execution. I’ve thought about writing a blog post about it, but I haven’t for 2 important reasons: 1. I have no idea at all what I would call this concept; and 2. I can’t decide if I think it would actually be helpful to anyone else—and I’m not really a meal blogger, you know?
I actually have to imagine that you often do something similar, without even realizing it. Or I’m making no sense at all and never mind.
Haha. You are making TOTAL sense. Actually what stood out to me in your comment is how well-trained your kids are to know if they are on the shift that puts the casserole back in the oven. That’s pretty impressive. Good training, mom. Also, I agree, it isn’t complicated as much as it does involve a bit of planning. I think you SHOULD do a post about it. Let’s come up with a snappy name.
Love this post, Mel! We work largely the same around here with packing lunches – it’s great to let the kids be involved with guidance (meaning mom looking over their shoulder, haha!). I love the idea of keeping dinner menus fluid – coming up with four or five meals, having the ingredients on hand, and going with the flow depending upon schedules that day/evening. That keeps us sane! Thanks for this great post!
Oh and those quick links you posted…..you’ve saved dinner time at our house! Thanks!!
Thanks, Jacqui!
My kids are always starving right after school as well. I decided to have early dinner ready right when they got home and save the snacks for if they got hungry later. So far my evenings are far less hectic and my kids eat way better at dinner… I’m never going back!
We do this too, I agree they tend to eat better and it does make things less stressful later! I do wonder sometimes how they will fare once they leave the house and have their own families and their spouses didnt grow up that way! lol
Kandis and Trish – this is an amazing concept to my frazzled mind. I think I could love this too. Is your husband home at that time, or do you eat with him later?
Kandis and Trish – someone else commented above they do this, too. Interesting! If I were motivated to use my alone afternoon hours (before they get home) to make dinner, I could probably embrace this. I’m still living in this idealistic world of trying to eat dinner as a whole family together as many nights as possible, but in reality, it doesn’t happen as often as I would like because we are divided among activities and my husband doesn’t get home from work until 6-ish. Thanks for sharing!
Most nights my husband is getting home as we have to leave for practices. I would like to eat together more often as well but it’s just harder as they are getting into more activities. Eating after practices/games are over would just be too late
Summer works out differently so we just try to go with the flow
I’ve thought of eating dinner after school and then eating a snack or dessert as a family when my husband is home. Then we still get family time and potentially less hangery meltdowns! Maybe smoothies in the evenings?
I learned the steps of teaching that Mel mentioned from the book “How to Raise An Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid For Success” by Julie Lythcott-Haims. She credits it to a friend of hers who developed a model for teaching life skills to her special needs child. Anyway, really great book if you want concrete ideas for raising competent humans who will someday move out.
I love that book!!
Thanks, Teri!
For our family, the freezer is our life saver. I make a big batch of something once a week and we eat that for dinner that night and then I freeze the rest in dinner sized portions for later. Taco meat, pulled pork, sloppy joe, shredded chicken, chili, soup, etc. Then I just pull something out and put it in the fridge before I go to bed and it’s thawed and ready to reheat for dinner. My kids are really picky about soup, so I can pull a single serving of what they like and what I might want to eat and we can have soup and grilled sammies and everyone eats and is (relatively happy). I also buy flank steak, pork tenderloin and chicken in bulk at costco and make some different marinades. Then I put the meat and the marinade in a ziplock in the freezer. As it thaws, the steak, pork, or chicken gets super flavorful and it’s ready for the grill when it’s time to throw dinner together. My other backpocket dinner is “breakfast for dinner.” Nobody can resist pancakes and a green smoothie for dinner, or an omlette or frittata. Love you, Mel! Thanks for all your inspiration!
Love this concept, Sara! Make it once, eat it twice (or three times!). I freeze a lot of leftovers or larger meals, too. Thanks for sharing!
Meal planning is the recipe for my sanity. Sometimes I will prepare dinner before the kids get home and that makes everything even easier. My two oldest do their own lunches but I think I will use your lunch sheet as a guide. Today is a half day so I let my first grader pack her own lunch, since she will be home before noon I’m not worried about it. But I did check her lunch box before we left and it was full of fruit snacks and apple juice. See what happens when kids are left to their own devices?
Haha. Oh, I hear you. Sometimes I just have to look the other way.
Hi Mel! Thanks for the lunch packing cheat sheet. I am taping it to the pantry door. I can always use some ideas when it comes to lunches. The weirdest part of school starting is that the kids are up and out the door by 7:30. It’s so early! Anyway, thanks for the ideas!
I totally agree! Such a shift to have them out of the house so early. Hope the lunch ideas help!
I’m definitely a better person when I plan meals for the week! It was also a freeing revelation to me that I didn’t have to pack lunches in the morning, or even before bed – I now pack tomorrow’s lunch (and the kids help) right after school when I’m getting dinner ready! Lunches stay in the fridge overnight and we grab and go in the morning!
Who knew such a simple change could make me feel so much better about life??
Super great idea on when to pack lunches, Bethany! I need to clean out some fridge space to make that happen!
I’m not super strict about what my kids eat at school… I’m like you, I try to encourage them to eat fruits/veggies, but the reality is that they probably won’t and I’m not there to encourage them to eat healthy. So I’m more concerned about getting them full at school and we try to have fun, healthy snacks after school-smoothies, PB banana on graham crackers. I also try to feed them well at dinner to make up for it.
I like this philosophy, Laura. I still oversee the majority of their meals, so it doesn’t pay to stress over lunch too much. Good thought.
This is helpful! We moved over the summer and our new school starts an hour earlier than our old school. So planning is key for making mornings smooth.
I took your advice of those silicone ice pop molds and putting smoothies in them to pack in lunches, what a hit that has been!
Thanks Mel!
What is this silicone ice pop molds and smoothies trick? Sound genius, I must know. 🙂
Haha Mel had it in one of her previous school lunch posts! I put leftover smoothies in these and then pack them with my kids lunch. They are frozen when I pack them but thaw to a slushy by lunchtime!
This is an amazing idea! Do they leak in their lunch box at all?
I’ve been using them most days for 2 weeks now and they haven’t leaked yet! I’m a believer!
Good luck with the planning to make mornings smooth, Christine! Glad you love those silicone molds. We still use them all the time!
This is a treasure trove of information – thank you so much, Mel! Gonna go ahead and triple-bookmark this page for continued inspiration. 🙂
Thanks, Nancy!
I find breakfast to be the biggest challenge. Kids aren’t quite ready to eat until they are in the car, on their way. They hate smoothies and eggs. What’s a mama to do?
Oh man, that’s hard! What about a healthy breakfast muffin or on the go granola bar??
I agree that meal planning is a lifesaver and a money saver. Another tip is meal prep. I look at my week and know that I need to have at least one meal ready to go and that cutting the vegetables makes it faster to get meals on the table. Sundays are my day to do that. Meal planning helps me remember what nights we need 30 minute meals and can plan the nights we are home all night I can cook a more time consuming meal.
Your skillet meals are wonderful for 30 minute dinner inspiration. Love that you have linked by time. you keep me organized and inspired.
Such a great tip, Sheila! Meal prep is key – just as much as menu planning!