Get back-to-school ready with Olliffe!

Get back-to-school ready with Olliffe!

Another school year is upon us and if you’re a parent, you’re probably feeling one of two ways: sad to say goodbye to summer or thrilled to get back to your usual family routine. Remember—it’s okay if you’re feeling both of these emotions at once! We bet this is true for a lot of families.

September is a busy month for parents and kids, especially as you settle into a new school year and extracurriculars. But you’ve gotta eat, and you deserve to eat well. Here are some quick and easy meal ideas for breakfast, school lunches and weeknight meals. Have a great school year, everyone!

Breakfast

Weekend brunches at your house may involve breaking out the waffle iron or making perfect stacks of pancakes for your kids, but we all know how busy a weekday morning can be. Here are a few make-ahead recipes that deliver great taste and nutrition without too much effort in the morning.

You can also make a quick scrambled egg on toast or use an egg cooker to make perfect eggs with minimal effort. And hey, if you end up throwing a bowl of cereal at your kids because there simply isn’t enough time to make a hot meal, we don’t judge. Life is all about balance.

Lunch

Packing school lunches for your children can take a lot of effort, and you have to do it every single day. Don’t worry—we’ve got ideas to help you out. Here are some easy lunch options that taste great and travel well. They work for adults, too!

  • A classic sandwich with our high quality local deli meats, plus snacks on the side
  • A hard-boiled egg, veggies and hummus, an apple and a granola bar
  • Our delicious chicken noodle soup in a thermos (add a fresh bun or slice of buttered bread as well as some snacks—a yogurt cup and/or cheese string will do it)
  • A peameal bacon sandwich on a bun (they’re good hot or cold!) with sliced fruit
  • Leftover chicken in a wrap or on a Caesar salad
  • Sliced meat like our Genoa salami with cubed cheese, carrot and celery sticks, crackers and fresh fruit
  • Leftovers! If you have the right containers, you can send anything from soup to lasagna, pasta, casseroles and more.

Dinner

Weeknights dinners have a few simple requirements: they’ve got to be delicious, fast, and relatively easy to prepare. Here are some ideas to help get you through September.

If you have time to make meat sauce ahead of time, this can be used to make spaghetti in minutes or tossed with penne for a hearty but quick meal. You can also prep meatballs, casseroles, soups, stews, lasagna and more.

If you have additional ideas, please share them in the comments on Facebook! We’d be glad to hear from you. Thanks for shopping local and supporting regenerative food. We hope you have a fantastic start to the school year.