August 8, 2024
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Back-to-school season is officially upon us! On one hand, this means kids are gearing up for a new school year of exciting adventures. On the other hand, this also means parents will soon be tasked with managing rushed mornings, packed lunches, and weeknight dinners. At Wesson, we understand that this means back-to-school can be a stressful time of year. So, to help you minimize stress in the kitchen, we’ve come up with four tips and tricks for mastering back-to-school meals.
1. Introducing Ingredient Prep, Your New Best Friend
We’ve all heard about meal planning, but let us introduce you to its cooler older sister: ingredient prep. This trending concept means preparing the key ingredients of your meals in advance to save time while cooking during the week and offers more flexibility compared to traditional meal planning. That means dicing your onions on Sunday night so they’re ready for Taco night on Tuesday. Ingredient prep is a game changer for busy parents, since it speeds up your mornings, is great for on-the-go lunches, and means less time in the kitchen and more time relaxing after work!
Popular ways to ingredient prep include pre-boiling eggs, marinating proteins, and batch making sauces like salsas, dips, and Wesson Basics Mayo. We also love making the Wesson Basics Pizza Dough in advance since it’s a versatile ingredient that can be used as the base for a weeknight pizza dinner or for our favorite Grilled Ratatouille Flatbread.
Chopping up fresh veggies, such as carrots and celery sticks, is a great way to prep ingredients for school lunches. Tip: store your chopped veggies in water to ensure they remain fresh for up to a week in the fridge. Just remember to change out the water every couple of days!
2. Kids in the Kitchen
Fun fact: According to medical professionals, kids eat more food when they prepare food themselves because they feel invested in the preparation process. It helps promote independence and teaches them about healthy eating and safety in the kitchen.
As a first step, we recommend getting your kid’s input into the weekly meal plan or bringing them along to go grocery shopping. These activities are an excellent way to begin a discussion about food, nutrition, and the importance of a balanced diet with your kids.
For younger children, a great way to help them feel included in the process is by offering them choices between pre-selected meals and snacks rather than having them offer menu suggestions from scratch. For older children, feel free to show them some basic kitchen practices, such as preparing ingredients and cooking simple dishes.
3. Eating the Rainbow
Whether you’re packing lunches or preparing breakfast, we love to incorporate as many colors and flavors as possible into our dishes. The American Health Association recommends more colorful plates to boost the vitamin, mineral, and nutrient content of the meals we are enjoying. This way not only will your plate look gorgeous, but it will taste delicious too!
A great way to “Eat to Rainbow” is to add a side salad to your meal. Our favorite Mediterranean Buckwheat Salad offers a colorful feast for the eyes and a tasty feast for the stomach. Bonus point: You can prepare the buckwheat in advance and this salad holds up well for packed lunches. Not a salad person? Get your daily dose of rainbow with our equally colorful Falafel Power Bowl, a satisfying mix of pickled and fresh, seasonal veggies.
4. The On-the-Go Factor
The key to mastering school lunches is keeping the on-the-go factor front of mind. We recommend packing lunches that don’t require reheating, a lot of utensils, and are simple to eat. However, this doesn’t mean your lunches can’t be nutritious, delicious and convenient! For a dish that can do it all, try our Deli Pasta Salad. This salad is make-ahead friendly and keeps well in the fridge, making it the perfect packed lunch.
Another way to keep your meals on-the-go friendly is by packing bento box lunches. The beauty of the bento box lies in its customizability. Instead of filling one container with a dish, you have several little compartments that allow you to mix and match foods depending on your kid’s preferences. For some meal inspiration, we love Eat This, Not That’s article on bento box school lunches.
With these tips and tricks on hand, you are officially ready to tackle the new school year. Happy cooking! And if you are looking for more recipe inspiration, check out Wesson’s Recipes & Ideas page!
