Back to school is here! With this time of year comes excitement for new teachers, a new classroom and a new routine. Along with that comes anxiety for the new teachers, new classroom and an overwhelming schedule of fall sports and activities. At MOD our goal is to #helpwithlife – to help where we can to bring down that anxiety so you can enjoy this season with your family.
Planning out meals, grocery shopping and prepping for the week is a source of stress for a lot of us. You want to have healthy options for your kids to enjoy everyday. Of course you do. Here is the key to that – meal prep. Set yourself up for success and prep ahead of time (or have your MOD personal assistant do it for you!) For recipe ideas we turned to those who know best – mommy food bloggers. We put together a nice long list, tested them all and included our favorites below.
10 Breakfast Ideas for Kids
Pancake Sausage Muffins – genius. Kids love pancakes, kids love sausage – let’s combine both into a muffin that can popped in the fridge or even frozen. Serve this with some warm maple syrup and your kids will be pleased.
Chocolate Protein Muffins – we are not trying to pick favorites here but THIS IS A GOOD ONE – loved my kids and adults. Yes it’s chocolate for breakfast but its also protein so we feel good about sending our kids out the door with one or two of these.
Sheet Pan Pancakes – we were so excited to try this one after seeing it pop up on our socials. And it deserves all the hype. The pancakes turned out fluffy and really easy to warm up in the microwave. Tip: These do need maple syrup for some added sweetness.
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sliders – crowd pleaser. We expect if you have a busy household with lots of kids, this recipe will be your best friend. It’s very quick to pull together and truly delicious. If your kids prefer sausage over bacon, these are good too!
Overnight Oats – this has teen girl written all over it. Overnight oats are, after all, trending right now. For testing purposes, we chose the Strawberry Protein and Carrot Cake options. Both were delicious!
Cereal Breakfast Bars – we were super intrigued by this one! If your kids are big fans of cereal, this is a fun, new way to enjoy their favorite cereal on-the-go.
Homemade Waffles – move over Eggos, homemade is just as easy! For a household full of waffle loves, this homemade option is more delicious and just as easy to grab and go as the processed option from the grocery store.
Slow Cooker Oatmeal – because your slow cooker is NOT just for dinner. Use what you got! Oatmeal is a staple for a lot of families and it can be tempting to just buy the instant option for convenience. OR you can prepare a big batch in your slow cooker at the beginning of the week and enjoy every morning with ease.
Green Smoothie – sneak in those greens where you can. If you call it a ‘green’ smoothie and not a spinach smoothie – kids will never know! We swear by The Be Well Fab 4 principle to start all of our smoothies. You can keep it simple with those 4 ingredients or add any fruit to your heart’s desire.
10 Lunch Ideas for Back to School
Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches – ok stick with us. We know this is not revolutionary, but it is a staple for a reason! Have a little fun with it with Turkey and Cheese Sushi on a Stick or Baked Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches.
Kid-Friendly Pasta Salad – bringing the summer staple into the school year. The good thing here is the freedom to make this your own based on what your kids like. Do you love cheese and salami – include that! Is ranch dressing their absolute favorite – use that! The choices are endless.
Charcuterie Board Bento Box – another make-it-your-own option. Think: what meats, cheese, vegetables, and/or fruits do my kids like? Include those with some crackers or toast and ya got yourself a charcuterie board in bento box form.
Ham and Mac& Cheese Lunch Box Muffins – mac and cheese for lunch! What kid doesn’t love mac and cheese? These fun little muffins not only use leftovers (we love that!) but they also incorporate a protein and allow you to send your kids to school with one of their favorite meals.
Mini Corndog Muffins – another fun muffin recipe! Corn dogs happen to be a favorite for our kids, so this recipe jumped right out to us. P:lus we love any reason to bust out the mini muffin tins.
Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwiches – keep it *cute*, keep it fun. That is our secret to kids lunches. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it has to be fun. If your kids are fans of cucumbers, they will love these!
Panzanella Salad – can also be called ‘crouton salad’. Kids love croutons so we took that idea and turned to a traditional Italian salad, Panzanella. We like to keep it kid friendly without red onion and using our kids favorite vegetables.
Taco Bento Box – Taco Tuesday but make it lunch. We love all the fun options you can make with a bento lunchbox. Here we took a kids’ favorite – tacos – and turned it into a lunch. You can keep everything separate or provide tortillas for your kids to build their own soft tacos.
Deli Roll-Ups – a classic. Raise your hand if your mom made these for you when you were a kid. We loved them then and our kids will love them now. Make them your own with the deli meat and cheese that your kids like or make it fun with Ham and Pickle Roll Ups or Turkey Ranch Roll-Ups.
So what do you think? Do you feel more prepared for back to school now? We sure do! Meal prep is a staple service we provide at MOD Assistants because it checks off a lingering task in every parents head – what am I going to feed my kids? It takes one day of organization and dedication to prep your meals for the week and then you’re done. We highly suggest you give it a try!
