Spiriteds, I have been posting back-to-school recipes on social media, and then I thought, Why in the actual what am I not posting them here on the blog? We need a round-up of go-to, low maintenance, easy-to-store, delightful-to-enjoy recipes that won’t make the family crazy and won’t break the bank. And here they are. These 10 Easy Back-to-School recipes cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. Because in our house, food is a hobby, and if it were socially acceptable to add that to our resumes, I’m pretty sure we would.
BREAKFAST
Baked Vanilla Paleo Donuts are perfect for breakfast. Because why? Because they are super delicious and are the epitome of easy back-to-school recipes. If you aren’t up for making them the morning of, then bake them the night before, tightly wrap them after they have baked and cooled, and save them for monring. We eat ours as-is or top with fresh fruit.
We eat a LOT of apples and almond butter for breakfast throughout the week. Loaded Apple Breakfast Nachos are a compilation of those two ingredients with a few bonuses. In this recipe we’ve added cinnamon, lemon juice, pecans, and shredded coconut. Easy to customize and ready in 10 minutes, this is where breakfast IS AT. And if chocolate is your thing, then check out Green Apple Breakfast Nachos for another variation!
Back-to-School Orange Grapefruit Juice is a refreshing drink just as the sun is coming up and everyone is rustling out of bed. If the kids won’t drink it, then no worries. Just save yours for later that evening, add a little rum, and sip away. Did I mention some of these easy easy back-to-school recipes are also “versatile”?
LUNCH
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. On-the-Go Strawberry Breakfast Smoothie isn’t just for breakfast. It’s an all-throughout-the-day kind of smoothie, and don’t we know it. I think this recipe might be the most frequently made recipe in our house. The girls absolutely go nuts for it. Use fresh or thawed strawberries, add the flesh of an avocado, add your favorite sweetener, and blend! It’s seriously ready in about 10 minutes. Add water as necessary OR add a cup of almond milk (or other milk of choice) for an even more filling, scrumptious smoothie. This is the recipe that keeps Toodle full throughout the school day.
For variety, try Triple Berry Power Smoothie, Blueberry Citrus Smoothie, or Dairy-Free Raspberry Almond Smoothie. You can’t go wrong!
We make Slow-Cooker Peppered Chicken Salad on the regular in our house, and everyone has their own preferred method for enjoying it. K-Hubs and I eat it as a salad, just as you see in the photo. Toodle enjoys the chicken and the lettuce separate from one another. And Twinkle rummages through, finding her favorite pieces of whatever is in her bowl. But, in the end, everyone walks away with a little something, even if the method for getting there varies by person.
DINNER
Homemade Mini Paleo Tortillas were the dark horse of my summer recipes. I thought they would be super difficult to make and even harder to enjoy. I was delightfully wrong on both counts. If you can fry an egg or flip a pancake, you have the skills necessary for Homemade Mini Paleo Tortillas. Even better? They are ready in under 30 minutes, which is perfect for crazy days and those moments when everyone is bored with ALL THE FOODS! Top with your favorite proteins, veggies, and herbs!
Gluten-free Lemon Garlic Broccoli Pasta was another dark horse in our family. It turns out, everyone in our household likes this gluten-free recipe. Although we don’t eat grains on the regular, when we do, this is often a go-to gluten-free recipe of choice. Because flavor is paramount, we added a variety of them here. Think lemon and garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil and broccoli. All of these flavors culminate in a restaurant-style quality right in the comfort of your own kitchen. It’s the meal we sit down to to discuss the day and who’s up to what. That might be another reason I kind of LOVE this recipe.
DESSERTS AND SNACKS
The very first recipe on this blog, Creamy Paleo Fudge has been with our family through thick and thin. On par with On-the-Go Strawberry Breakfast Smoothie, we make this no-bake, gluten-free chocolatey recipe several times a week. We “make and take” to birthday parties throughout the year, and we eat it for breakfast when we’re out of everything else. It’s definitely one of our favorite easy back-to-school recipes. K-Hubs has even put it in Toodle’s lunch with a cooler pack because the combination of avocado and coconut oil is super filling, which is perfect for school days.
No-Bake Paleo Chocolate Chip Coconut Bars are another go-to snack or party treat we rely on throughout the school year. Like Creamy Paleo Fudge, these ingredients are filling and are the answer to “what will Toodle eat while everyone else is enjoying cake and ice cream?” But this one isn’t just for the kiddos. Nope. K-Hubs and I, along with our friends, love on this one regular.
Olive Tapenade is what we grab when the kids are finally in bed and K-Hubs and I want to decompress on the couch for a while. Maybe we’re talking about our day or maybe we are glued to the tube, attempting to figure out just what is going on the county of Midsomer. If you like British television and cinema, you’ll likely enjoy the cast of thousands as countless familiar, friendly (and not-so-friendly) faces grace your screen.
And there you have it, Spiriteds, 10 Easy Back-to-School Recipes to keep you sane, the kiddos full, and the bank account intact.
In school year solidarity,
Morgan
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