Simplify Your Meal Planning + Prep // Back to School Week

This blog post is part of a week-long series on getting our families and homes ready for the Back To School Season! You can start at the beginning by clicking here.

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The busyness of the school year creates a serious problem for getting dinner on the table – there simply is not enough time. At least it feels that way!

So today we’re going to talk about simple meal planning strategies to help you get food on the table, PLUS my favorite way to empower the kids to pack or make their own snacks and lunches!

Let’s start with Meal Planning, shall we?

Meal Planning Made Easy

We have an entire series on meal planning over on YouTube, so I’m just going to drop that link right here: AW Meal Planning Series You’ll find a ton of strategies + tips over there!

Today, I’m going to share my two favorite hacks for Meal Planning when I’m super busy: My AW Meal Planner + 5 Dinners 1 Hour.

I love the Meal Planner because it allows me to plan by the month and the week, AND it helps me map out my meal prep. I can use ALL of my Meal Planning Strategies with this planner, because I designed it to work for each one!!

Plus, I can use it over and over again year after year, making meal planning even easier. (Also – it’s on sale inside our Back To School Sale right now!!)

I also have really fallen in love with 5 Dinners 1 Hour! Each week you pick 5 dinners (or really, however many you want), and the website creates a grocery list for you and gives you the instructions to prep every one of those meals beforehand!

Typically, I plan my meals on Fridays, pick up my groceries on Saturday, and then find an hour sometime that weekend to prep all the meals for the week! It’s SO easy and quick, and the recipes are fantastic.

It’s perfect for those busy weeknights – all you have to do is pull out the meal you already prepped, and stick it in the oven!

Click here through my link and you’ll get $10 off your first 3 months! I have the combo plan, and it’s the best!

Lunches + Snacks

Alright let’s talk the most annoying meal of the day >> LUNCHES.

This is totally simplified with one thing: A Snack Station.

I realize that MIGHT seem less exciting than it sounds, but just you wait. Once I explain how it will revolutionize the way you pack or make school lunches, you’re going to love it too!

Whether your kids go to school or homeschool, you can set up a lunch and snack system for them to manage all on their own.

We’ve got a rolling cart in our kitchen where I’ve set up a snack station in three levels. The top level is made up of super healthy options, the middle level is pretty healthy options, and the bottom level is treat options.

Above the station, I wrote out a simple list of what they need in their lunches each day. This applies to days we leave the house or stay home – they know what to pack/make, and they can do it all themselves!

Ideas for each level:

• Top (super healthy): This is all fruit. Apples + applesauce, bananas, oranges, plums, nectarines – fruit that’s easy to pop into a lunch pail.
• Middle (pretty healthy): This is general some variety of fruit or veggie based products. Veggie sticks, yogurt covered raisins, and even the healthier versions of granola bars.
• Bottom (treats): These are the “fun” snacks, like chips, pretzels, peanut butter crackers, and yogurt covered pretzels (everybody’s favorite!)

The rules for the snack station:

• When I bring home groceries, the kids help me split up the snacks foods into individual serving sizes using these bags, and sort them into the snack station.
• When packing lunches, the kids MUST choose at least one option from the top and middle levels, and can also choose one option from the bottom level.

What about sandwiches?

• I used to prep peanut butter & jelly (or honey) sandwiches once a week, on sourdough bread. If you put peanut butter on BOTH sides of the sandwich (insides, of course!), they freeze really well and the bread doesn’t get soggy, even when they defrost. The kids grab these out of the freezer each day and put them into their lunches as well. They are completely defrosted and all ready by lunchtime!
• However, both my kids have decided they don’t like PB&J anymore, so we make some homemade lunchables at the beginning of the week – they keep in the fridge all week and are great to take on-the-go! Sliced meat, cheese, and crackers in these containers can be such a treat for your kids! Plus, you can prep them once and they can grab them each morning to put in their lunchbox, or eat at home.

Bonus: Our Meal Planning Board!

Remember the whiteboard from our Family Calendar System? It doubles as a meal planning board!

We often also use this whiteboard to keep a running tab of what’s in the fridge, what we need from the store, and what we need to make (things we have the supplies for). This list also helps our kids know what’s coming up for dinner, AND gives them some lunch options that live in the fridge, instead of the snack center.

Shifting to a system where the kids can easily pack their own lunches has revolutionized our life. Seriously. We’re ALL less stressed, we save a ton of time, and we all get out the door in significantly better moods.

Also, ALL these options work great for homeschoolers + traditional schoolers alike! Mom, you don’t need to be prepping food all day. Let your kids get their own lunches ready, and grow in responsibility!

What do you think about the Snack Station & Lunch Prep? How do you simplify lunches during the school year?

Don’t forget – our Back To School Sale is on now!! You’ll find ALL of our best Back To School Resources on sale for 30%off or more, including our AW Meal Planner!! Head here to check it out!