Your Back to School Dinner Playbook

Plus a typical weekday lineup of meals for my family during the school year.

I’m not trying to rush summer or anything, but the truth remains that back-to-school is fast approaching. I mean, Costco has a full-on Halloween display at the moment, and Williams Sonoma is sending emails about all things pumpkin spice (tbh, I am not complaining). Even if you don’t have children, September is typically associated with the tightening up of routines, especially if your summer was indulgent and/or you spent a lot of time away from home.

I definitely find myself scrambling to figure out what’s for dinner a lot during the summer - I spent most days out with my kids, and return home just in time to start hearing my 4 year old whine, “I’m huunnggrryy!”. Then, it’s game-show style urgency to get dinner on the table before she explodes. Fun! Sound familiar?

There are a few strategies that I employ whenever I want to restore my sanity around dinner time. It’s essential to have a game plan if you want to cook a healthy dinner most nights without becoming totally overwhelmed. As always, have grace with yourself when things don’t go as planned. There are definitely times when I resort to take-out, or an assortment of random convenience foods. With a few mindset shifts and pre-planning, you can get a nutritious, homemade meal on the table most of the time, and I promise you, it will be worth the effort.

Family dinner is super important - kids who eat dinner with their family regularly go on to make healthier food choices as teens and adults, and have lower rates of obesity. Regular family dinners are also associated with lower rates of substance abuse, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, tobacco use, teen pregnancy, and higher rates of self-esteem.

Your Back to School Dinner Playbook