Breakfasts to Grab and Go
It’s not just a cliché -- breakfast really is important, especially for kids. Eating within the first two hours after waking results in a cascade of consequences, all of them good. On school mornings, it’s just not feasible to eat a leisurely meal. A little advance planning, however, goes a long way when it comes to breakfasts that are quick, nutritious and tasty.
Make-Ahead Sandwiches Made Easy
Breakfast sandwiches are portable, customizable and substantial. What’s not to love? Oh yeah: making them. Instead of hitting up the drive-thru or buying expensive, heavily processed sammies from the freezer aisle, make your own. Bake whisked eggs in a jelly-roll pan, then cut into squares the size of your bread roll or English muffin. Add cooked bacon or a few slices of deli ham and a slice of cheese. Wrap the sandwiches individually before stashing in a big freezer bag. Take them out the night before to defrost; in the morning, pop them into a toaster oven to warm through.
Smoothies in Short Order
The same principle applies to smoothies. Prep all the ingredients except for the liquid, spoon into quart-sized zip-top bags and freeze. Then, when you want a creamy, fruity, filling shake, add your preferred milk (or juice, or kombucha or kefir) and blend. Boom. Breakfast.
Lovin’ From the Oven
Baked oatmeal is all the rage these days, and it’s easy to see why. Oats and add-ins like berries, nuts, flax meal and applesauce can be combined to make a quintessential good-and-good-for-you morning meal. Try making baked oatmeal cups, which are like the love child of comforting porridge and portable muffins. Or make serving, storing and cleanup even easier by using a casserole dish of baked oatmeal, which you’ll cut into servings after it cools. This fiber-rich breakfast can be eaten cold or warmed up, and the sky’s the limit in terms of toppings and flavors.
Expand Your Parameters
Lastly, remember that there’s nothing stopping you from eating “non-breakfast” food to begin your day. Last night’s leftover pasta, cheese and crackers with some sliced apple or pear, turkey sandwiches, even a mug of vegetable soup are all fair game. After all, the important part is getting some calories and protein into your young scholars before they embark on their long day of learning and play. It’s hard to overestimate the impact of good nutrition on children’s academic performance, social behavior and overall wellness. When you’re open to alternative breakfast options, it’s also a lot easier to choose healthy foods instead of the typical breakfast offerings of greasy bacon and eggs, sugary doughnuts or carb-laden bagels.
Lunchbox Inspo
By the time lunch rolls around, your children have been expending some pretty intense energy. They need to refuel, but just as important, they need a break from serious school subjects. A fun, appetizing lunch will tick both of these boxes and set your students up for a successful return to their studies.
Bento Boxes Are Lunches to Look Forward To
If you’re an Instagram or Pinterest user, you’ve no doubt seen snaps of adorable, elaborate bento box creations. (And if you’re like us, you have probably muttered some mild epithets -- “overachiever,” “so extra,” “show off”-- under your breath when you come across these edible works of art.) But you don’t have to create panda bears or daisies or butterflies or entire scenes from "Kiki’s Delivery Service" to compose a bento box lunch that your child will love. The tiny containers, perfect for holding a variety of nibbles, will be cute enough to capture their imagination—and maybe even convince them to eat some vegetables.
Super, Simple, Snacky Meals
Similarly, snacky meals are a fantastic, fun way to feed just about any kid. If you don’t have a bento box, simply grab some condiment cups or snack-size bags and start filling them with cheese cubes, crackers, pretzels, flatbread, slices of deli meat or chunks of cold chicken, edamame, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, grapes, hummus, salsa, ranch dressing, dried fruit, no-bake energy bites. You get the idea.
Mason-Jar Meal Makeover
For lots of folks, brown-bagging it means sandwiches, a snack-size bag of chips, a few cookies and an apple or orange. But what if we told you that hot meals aren’t off the (lunch) table? All it takes is a wide-mouth thermos container and a few minutes spent in front of the microwave each morning. Think: macaroni and cheese, pasta with meatballs and marinara, chicken noodle soup, veggie lo mein, franks and beans, burrito “bowls,” chili, or beef stew. In other words, if you didn’t serve last night’s leftover supper for breakfast, it makes an easy lunch. Don’t forget to include a fork or spoon -- or a spork.)
Have a kid who loves salad? (First, congratulations! Second, what’s your secret?) Try the mason jar salad setup. Pint jars are also an eco-friendly solution for packing cold pasta or grain-based salads, fruit and yogurt parfaits, or chia pudding.
After-School Snacktime Solutions
You got their day off to a healthy start with breakfast and helped them sidestep the midday slump with an appealing lunch. While there are countless blogs, vlogs, TikToks and listicles devoted to dinner ideas that will suit just about any home cook (or even home-microwavable-frozen-dinner preparer), it seems like after-school snacks sometimes get short shrift. Here are some ideas for easy, appealing, kid-friendly and relatively healthy mini-meals to provide the perfect afternoon pick-them-up.
- Apple “nachos” -- slice the fruit, then drizzle with warmed nut butter and top with a sprinkle of granola.
- A simple cheese quesadilla with a side of salsa. Jazz it up by spritzing the tortilla with cooking spray, then sprinkling with seasoned salt or Adobo seasoning.
- Homemade trail mix or snack mix (a great way to use up those last handfuls of pretzels, crackers, cheese curls, etc.).
- Energy bites made with nut butter, oats, dried fruit, cocoa powder, shredded coconut and any other add-in that strikes your fancy.
- English-muffin pizzas! These are a beloved after-school staple for a reason.
- Roasted ranch chickpeas. Toss cooked (or canned) chickpeas in a little coconut oil and ranch dressing mix and bake at 375 degrees until crunchy, about 40-45 minutes.
- Pick up a couple extra cans of chickpeas and try your hand at making hummus (it’s easier than you might think). Serve with pita chips, pretzels and carrot sticks for dipping.
- Cream cheese and tortilla pinwheels. Add sliced deli meat, pickles, shredded cheddar or pepper jack and cucumber or carrot for crunch.
- Homemade blueberry muffins, full of fruity goodness and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup.
- You’ve probably tried kale chips, but did you know you can chip-ify any leafy green? Try roasting whole collard leaves for an impressively huge (and sneakily healthy) snack chip!
- Delectable deviled eggs deliver a punch of protein and will fill kids up until dinner time, no doubt about it.
- “Ants on a log” made with halved bananas, nut butter and raisins or craisins (Talk about a classic childhood snack!)
- Parfaits made with Greek yogurt layered with jam or fresh berries, topped with crunchy granola. Mix in some chia, hemp or flax seeds for an extra nutrient boost.
- Pair sugar-free Jello with fluffy coconut whipped cream. This treat feels decadent, but is much more wholesome than its frozen or aerosol-spray counterparts
- Crackers, cubed cheese, and sliced pear or apple are a super after-school nosh. Make it extra fun by using small cookie cutters to make cheese flowers, stars or other shapes.
- Mini-bell pepper boats. Stuff small halved red or yellow peppers with an herbed cheese spread.
- Popcorn! Banish the boring (and so not healthy) microwave bags and start popping your own. Popcorn is inexpensive, very low in calories (especially if you use an air popper), and full of fiber. Best of all, it’s incredibly versatile. First tempt their taste buds with the more traditional flavor profiles, such as parmesan, garlic-herb, spicy Buffalo or ranch. Then check out appetizing alternatives like Szechuan, za’atar, sriracha-lime or even sushi-flavored corn. Or better yet, encourage your kids’ creativity and challenge them to think up their own tasty versions. You could even start a new back-to-school tradition. Friday-afternoon “Popcorn Party” anyone?
Hungry Yet?
Here’s hoping that these ideas for back-to-school eats have inspired you, and/or made your mouth water! Before you head into the kitchen to take inventory of potential bento components or bake up some hearty, healthy muffins, take a moment to help your fellow parents out with a suggestion or two.