6 Tips for Making Back-to-School Meals
When the school year resumes, the days are busier than ever in many households. Having a plan for back-to-school meals can be helpful, especially since there are so many other aspects of each day to navigate. From establishing a day to order dinner from a favorite place, such as the Freddy’s near you, to doubling your batches of freezer-friendly meals, keep reading for easy ideas to simplify meal preparation during those first few weeks back to school and throughout the year below!
How to Simplify Back-to-School Meals
Especially after a long and hectic day, trying to come up with quick and delicious back-to-school meals may find you standing and staring into the fridge for answers. A little strategy in the kitchen can help you reduce the time required not only to figure out what to eat and ensure you have the necessary ingredients but also to actually make the dish. In addition to menu planning, here are a few other ways to simplify back-to-school meals and speed up the preparation process.
1. Make a one pot meal.
Whether on the stovetop, in a slow cooker or on a sheet pan, many dishes can be made in a single pot or pan. This approach helps reduce post-meal clean up and makes it easier to tune into any sharing about the day while getting dinner on the table. If you are looking to refresh your back-to-school meals for the new year but want to stick to the simplicity of the single pot, check out this list of more than 90 ideas from Food Network.
2. Do some weekly meal prep.
From saving you time and money to reducing stress and helping support other health goals, there are many benefits to meal prep, as discussed in this guide from The Nutrition Source. While it may take a little time to get into the habit of meal preparation, it can help simplify back-to-school meals and meals throughout the year. Even just cutting or cooking a few items ahead of time that you use each week, like carrot sticks, diced onion and garlic, or a batch of rice, can save time in the future. Curious about a kid-friendly meal prep plan to try? This one from The Kitchn focuses on colorful meals with plenty of produce!
3. Let back-to-school meals be an interactive experience.
Planning back-to-school meals like tacos or pizza that can incorporate DIY assembly to help make dinner a faster and more interactive opportunity. As shared by the Utah State University Extension, there are also numerous benefits to involving kids in food preparation. If you are wondering what’s suitable for kids of various ages, this resource also provides a guide to tasks that kids in each age group can do!
4. Curate a collection of freezer-friendly meals.
Another option for maximizing a single session of meal preparation is doubling up on the recipe when making freezer-friendly meals. That way, you have dinner tonight and maybe even another meal of leftovers for this week, as well as a meal that’s ready to go (once reheated) for another time. In the very busy first days of the new school year, being able to pull a few back-to-school meals right from the freezer can be extremely helpful. Simply Recipes offers a list of more than 25 meals that are great for this purpose!
5. Skip the cooking entirely.
While summer may be the season that you want to limit extra heat in the kitchen, no-cook meal preparation is beneficial for back-to-school meals as well. Often, they come together faster than their cooked counterparts and make use of leftover ingredients from other meals or prepared items from the store. With more than 40 different no-cook meals to choose from, this list from Taste of Home includes enough ideas to cover at least one meal a week for an entire school year!
6. Order Freddy’s combo meals for dine-in, carry-out or delivery!
That first week in particular can be an exciting yet tiring one, so let us take care of the cooking for you. We’ve also got an extra special section of our menu dedicated just for kids – our Kids Combos! The meal selections for kids include main dishes such as steakburgers, hot dogs or chicken tenders and a variety of sides and drinks or frozen treats, as well as interactive items, like puzzles or board books.
Whether you try one of these tips or several, mealtime will hopefully be a little easier during this coming school year. Additionally, for the ultimate back-to-school meal, explore the catering services at Freddy’s to help you host a Happy New (School) Year party. With catering selections like our Deluxe Burger Bar and our Create Your Own Sundae Bar, you can spend time sharing in the excitement of the new year with your loved ones instead of in the kitchen. Stop by your local Freddy’s today to learn more or order online!