Back-to-school lunch and dinner ideas that are quick and easy
As the dog days of summer are coming to an end, it can be overwhelming for parents to put three square meals on the table now that school and sports are back in session.
Lifestyle expert Limor Suss shared some of her favorite meals and food hacks that are both kid- and time-friendly to help make weekdays go a little bit smoother.
"Back to school is a stressful time for everyone and the more you plan, the easier the days go by," Suss, a mother of two who lives in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
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"Meal planning is a great way to ease the stress of figuring out what to serve," she said.
It does not need to be complicated or even require much foresight.
"One of my favorite hacks is to take last night's leftovers and turn them into mason jar salads for lunch the next day," she said.
This is done by layering a dressing or sauce at the bottom of the jar and stacking the remaining foods in layers on top. The next day, the jar can be shaken or poured out into a bowl and consumed at lunchtime.
Getting children involved with meal planning – and creation, to an appropriate degree – is another way to make mealtime go smoother, Suss said.
"My son knows how to make omelets now and claims his omelets are the best, so he wants to make them all the time," she said. "It's all about getting them involved."
Meals like a taco board or taco bar – where a person can assemble their own tacos – is one way to both get dinner on the table fast and give children a certain level of independence in their food decisions.
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These taco bars "don't have to be elaborate," she said, but should include a protein filling and other toppings.
An even easier taco night variation is the "walking taco," which is made using a bag of chips as the shell of the taco.
"A quick after-school snack idea is to make walking tacos," she said. "Just grab your favorite bags of chips, add ground meat, cheese, sour cream, avocado and any of your favorite toppings."
Modifying frozen or prepared foods into another dish is a great time saver for busy nights, Suss said.
One of her favorites is something she called "DIY Chinese Takeout."
A healthier and cheaper option than ordering in, Suss' version of "takeout" uses frozen food as its base.
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"I love taking some frozen chicken nuggets and making them into a completely different meal," she said.
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This is much faster than breading and frying chicken by hand – and it comes together very quickly.