Back To School Starts In The Kitchen

There are certain things about getting back into the school routine that seem to catch you out every year. The early alarms, finding missing shoes, remembering sports days and the sudden realization that everyone needs to eat breakfast in the next ten minutes.

Then there are lunches to make, snacks to pack, and the inevitable question of what's for dinner when you haven't even finished your morning coffee. Makes us tired just thinking about it, so let's figure out how to make it all a bit easier for everyone!

Getting everyone back into a school routine isn't just about bedtime and alarms. Food plays a big part too. What your kids eat during the school day can affect how satisfied they feel, how much energy they have and how they feel when they get home.

The good news is that making school-day food work a little harder doesn't mean making it complicated.

Missed Part 1? If you're still trying to get everyone settled after the summer break, don't forget to check out [Part 1: Getting Your Family Back Into A School Routine]. We covered everything from getting back to earlier bedtimes to making those busy mornings feel a little more manageable. Now we're turning our attention to another big part of the school day: food! Let's look at some simple ways to make breakfast, lunches, snacks and dinner a little easier once school is back in full swing.

What Makes A Good School-Day Breakfast?

You've likely heard “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” more times than you can count. While there isn't one magic breakfast that everyone needs to eat, starting the day with something satisfying can make busy mornings easier.

This is where protein and fiber are worth thinking about.

Something like sugary cereal or plain toast can be quick and convenient. Adding a source of protein or fiber can make breakfast more filling and give it a little more staying power.

Porridge with Greek yogurt and fruit is one option. Or you could go for an egg on wholegrain toast or yogurt with berries and oats. You don't have to make breakfast every morning either. Overnight oats can be prepared the night before and fruit can be washed and ready to grab.

We're not saying there's anything wrong with cereal or toast. If that's what your child will actually eat on a Tuesday morning then that's a perfectly reasonable place to start. You could simply add some fruit or yogurt alongside it.

The aim isn't to create the perfect breakfast. It's to give everyone something that will keep them going until the next meal.

What Actually Makes A Lunch Filling?

If you've ever opened a lunchbox at the end of the day to discover that everything has come home untouched then you'll know that packing a nutritious lunch and getting someone to eat it are two very different things!

A useful thing to think about is what will actually satisfy them.

A lunch made up mostly of refined carbohydrates may not keep hunger away for very long. Adding protein, fiber and some healthy fat can make the meal more substantial. That could be chicken and salad in a wholegrain wrap. Or try some cheese with wholegrain crackers and fruit. Hummus with vegetables alongside a sandwich works too.

You don't need to count nutrients or weigh anything - just try to include a few different types of food rather than expecting one item to do all the work.

It's also worth remembering that children aren't always going to want the same things as each other. Older kids may have stronger preferences and giving them a few choices can make them more likely to eat what you've packed.

After all, the healthiest lunch in the world isn't much use if it comes home untouched or ends up in the bin!

The After-School Hunger Is Real

Anyone with teenagers will probably know that school somehow makes them permanently hungry! 

There can be a surprisingly long stretch between lunch and dinner. Add a full day at school and perhaps some sports or activities afterwards and it's no wonder they're rummaging through the kitchen the second they get home.

Rather than trying to stop them snacking (not an easy task!), it can help to think about what the snack is doing.

Something with protein or fiber is likely to be more satisfying than a snack that's mostly sugar. Fruit with yogurt, apple with nut butter, cheese and crackers or a small homemade snack can all work well.

You don't need to ban biscuits or treats either. There is room for those foods in a healthy diet too. It's more about having a variety of options available so that the easiest thing to grab isn't always the least satisfying.

And if they're still hungry after that? Well, they're growing kids. Sometimes they're just genuinely hungry!

A Little Meal Prep Can Save A Lot Of Stress

This is where a little planning really can pay off.

As Mandy mentioned in Part 1, getting things organized the night before can make mornings run more smoothly. The same applies to food.

Another member of our team, Brittany Luebke, summed it up perfectly:

“Meal prep!! You never know when ‘getting dressed’ will turn into a 20-minute battle. One less thing to worry about in the morning!”

She's not wrong.

You don't need to spend your entire Sunday preparing every meal for the week. Even a few small jobs can make a difference. Wash some fruit, chop vegetables, and prepare overnight oats. cook some chicken, or decide what lunches will look like for the next few days.

It can also help to look at the week ahead. If Wednesday is packed with sports or after-school activities then that's probably not the night to plan a complicated dinner.

Sometimes meal prep is simply knowing what's for dinner before everyone starts asking.

Make The Healthy Choice The Easy Choice

One of the simplest ways to encourage healthier eating at home is to make nutritious options easy to find.

Think about what happens when someone walks into the kitchen hungry. If the fruit is washed and sitting on the counter then it's easy to grab. If yogurt or prepared vegetables are ready in the fridge then they don't require much thought either.

This can be particularly helpful with teenagers who aren't exactly known for patiently preparing a nutritious snack when they're starving!

The same idea can work with family meals. You don't need to cook completely different meals for everyone. Having a few ingredients that can be used in different ways gives everyone some flexibility.

For example, if dinner is chicken, rice and vegetables, one person can have theirs in a wrap while another prefers a bowl. It doesn't have to turn into a war over the dinner table.

Don't Forget About Water

Food gets most of the attention when we talk about school lunches. Drinks are easy to overlook.

Children can get busy during the school day and simply forget to drink. Having a water bottle that they can take with them makes it easier to keep drinking throughout the day.

How much fluid someone needs will vary depending on their age, activity levels, the weather and other factors. There's no need to obsess over an exact number.

The simple goal is to make water readily available and encourage regular drinking. This becomes even more important on warm days or when they're doing sports and other activities.

It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect

Just like we talked about in Part 1, getting back into a routine takes time.

There will be mornings when breakfast is eaten in the car. Lunches will be forgotten on the kitchen counter. Some evenings dinner will be whatever you can pull together at the last minute. That's family life. The goal isn't to create a perfectly organized household where every lunchbox looks like it belongs on Instagram and dinner is prepared from scratch every night. 

A couple of reliable breakfasts can help and so can lunches that actually keep everyone satisfied. Having decent snacks ready for after school can save the late-afternoon panic, and a little meal prep can take some pressure off when the week gets busy.

You don't need to get every meal right. What children eat across the week is much more important than one rushed breakfast or a Friday-night takeaway. Once everyone settles back into the rhythm of school you'll probably find that the things that felt chaotic in those first few weeks start to become second nature.

The best routine isn't always the one that looks perfect. It's the one that actually works for your family.

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