11 Back to School Meal Tips, Tricks & Hacks

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own.

It’s back to school time which means I’m mentally prepping for our new schedule and another school year.  I was JUST talking to Bern, my husband, the other day about getting back into the swing of our school schedule and meals.  Since he is a high-school teacher, I prep his meals as well. At the beginning of every single school year I have my act together like a ninja.  Fast-forward to the end of the school year and well…my ninja skills have faded. Goals for this coming year – be on top of my game the entire year!

So here goes year #5 of prepping school meals…breakfast, lunch and snacks- here we go with my tried and true tips, tricks and hacks!

11 Back to School Meal Tips, Tricks & Hacks

Tip #1 Be on top of your game

Know the week ahead, how many meals you need to prepare for.  This helps you create your meal list, grocery list and have a plan.  Sometimes there is a school lunch the kids may want to eat or a field trip…know your week ahead to prepare efficiently.

Tip #2 Give yourself grace

Yes strive to create a balanced meal…but give yourself grace on those busy weeks.  A frozen breakfast, lunch or dinner is still better than going through a drive- thru…it still saves you time and money in the end.  It’s not the end of the world…in-fact you would probably be surprised at how much the family loves this treat and wants to make it a regular habit!!

Some of our favorites are the State Fair® 100% Beef Corn Dogs for lunches or a fast dinner…or a delicious and filling Jimmy Dean® Breakfast Sandwich to grab and go on a hurried morning.  These can be snagged on my Walmart run which saves me time as well –> plus get this Shopkick offer (insert url)

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Tip #3 Plan

Make your meal plan for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner.  From there create a grocery shopping list to know exactly what you need.  In the end this saves time and money.

Trick #4 Meal prep for the entire week ahead

Choose a time that you can dedicate to doing all of your meal prep for the week.  I keep this idea in mind when I’m planning my meals for the week as well. I’ll refer to #9 (below) and choose meals/ideas that are good to eat when I make ahead of time. This saves me a ton of time throughout the week.

Hack #5 Freeze drinks to duel as ice packs

Are you sending a bottle of water or box drink?  Freeze it ahead of time and use it as the ice pack for the lunch.

Hack #6 Have a lunch packing station

Have a dedicated basket/station in your kitchen with all of the supplies you need to grab quickly for your lunch boxes for the week.  You can include: napkins, utensils, notepad/pen for sweet notes to include, fruit, snacks, sandwich/snack bags etc.

Hack #7 No more broken chips or crackers

Crushed chips or crackers are a bummer, but if you put chips in a small zipper top bag and blow it full of air before sealing, those chips will have a little air pillow to protect them.

Tip #8 Get the kids involved

Have your kids help choose meals and snack ideas…then get them in on prepping.  They can take larger size bags of snacks and divide into smaller bags (helps save money) or re-stock your packing station –> #6

Hi I’m Erin a Southern mama from South Mississippi, owner and chief editor of Sixth Bloom a blog helping mom-tographers capture their kiddos and life, talking all things home, parenting and how we navigate through life. You will find me living life to the fullest with my mister (aka husband) and our little one year old, Miss E, in our 500+ sq foot cottage as we build our dream house on our two acres!  We are blessed beyond measure, love to travel, involved in ministry at our church and in between all of that I run three successful businesses!  Follow me at: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST