Back to School Dinner Ideas

Here we are again, the beginning of another school year. Whether this makes you rejoice or cry, it’s here regardless.

Because we homeschool, you might think this whole back to school thing doesn’t affect us, but you would be mistaken. We follow a traditional calendar with a nice, long break in the summer. Of course, like all good homeschoolers, “we do math all summer.” Wink, wink. Sorry, but this is an inside joke for the homeschoolers.

The only real difference for us compared to those of you who send your kids off to a school outside your home, is that once we hit the books, the kids don’t leave. I don’t all of a sudden have about 6 hours a day without interruptions. (I LOVE my kids and I LOVE homeschooling, but that does sound REAL nice sometimes!) We still have all the busy-ness that comes along with back to school routines:

  • Everyone is just a little on edge, at least in the beginning
  • Structured bedtimes and wake times
  • Many hours sitting at the desk
  • More of my time devoted to working with them one-on-one (less time for my work)
  • LOTS and LOTS of activities

That last one gets me every time. Even though we really limit the number of activities in which our kids participate, the schedule still fills up, which means meal planning takes on a whole new level of finesse.

Let’s get to it, shall we? I’m going to run through some ideas for weeknight meals in several categories: super fast, slow cooker and Instant Pot.

Super Fast: Sometimes the recipes just can’t be adapted to the Instant Pot or Slow cooker and you have 30 minutes or so to get it all ready. These are meals that you can get on the table quickly, with little fuss. They may not be fancy, but they are good and nutritious.

  • Hamburger patty, roasted sweet potatoes (cut them real small for faster cooking), a green veggie sautéed on the stove.
  • Chef salad – lots of greens and veggies, deli ham or turkey or cut up rotisserie chicken, homemade dressing or a clean one from the store
  • Quick trip chicken, roasted or sautéed veggies, rice or cauliflower rice for low carb
  • Soup from your freezer (usually lots of veggies in there so you don’t need anything else)
  • Hamburger hash and side salad
  • Ground Beef stroganoff, green beans quickly sautéed in some bacon drippings, and mashed cauliflower (use your Instant Pot to make these super fast)
  • Scrambled eggs, baked bacon, sliced tomatoes, gluten free toast or biscuits (get the recipe in my ebook or here)
  • Anything you’ve made ahead! Quick Breakfast Quiche (can be right out of the freezer and heated in microwave or oven), Leftovers, Anything you would normally eat for lunch – lettuce roll-ups, sliced apples, carrots, chips. The point is to think outside the box. It doesn’t have to be a traditional “dinner” recipe. It’s just food! Your body doesn’t know that it’s night and you wouldn’t normally be eating granola.
Quick Trip Chicken, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pan fried Okra

Slow Cooker: For those days you find yourself with extra time in the morning or around the middle of the day. Think soups, stews, casserole-type meals. My favorite way to make a complete meal out of a slow cooker dish is to add a salad to the side. Have your dressing made ahead (I usually do this on Saturdays), buy pre-mixed and washed salad or just serve mixed greens without any other veggies. I know! It’s ok. You’ll most likely have other veggies in your main dish.

  • This may be untraditional, but I like to use the slow cooker as a “keep it warm” tool. I will make a dish (say the Ground Beef Stroganoff) earlier in the day, whenever I have 30 minutes and then just park it in the slow cooker. Everyone can eat it when they have time – if it’s one of those days where everyone is going in different directions.
  • You can also use your slow cooker to defrost a frozen meal – soups and stews and pasta sauces work best. Then you can cook the pasta (gluten free of course) or rice, squash noodle or other starch separately (do this ahead or at dinner time – whichever works for you).
  • Cook a bunch of chicken or pork or a beef roast – let them cook away all day and come dinner time, you can add the meat to a salad or just serve a bunch of veggies on the side. If you’re doing this, go ahead and cook extra so you have it for later in the week, for lunches or to stash in the freezer.
  • Slow Cooker/Crock Pot recipes abound, so if you want to find some new ones, check out Mix and Match Mama. She is a wiz at slow cooker meals. Just bear in mind that her recipes are mostly not paleo. You can make adjustments though. Not quite sure how to do that? Ask in the community!
  • AND – just about any of my recipes listed for the Instant Pot can be made in the slower cooker instead.
I know it’s a little hard to see under all the yummy toppings, but that’s Carne Asada that simmered all day in the IP Slow Cooker – served over roasted sweet potatoes with typical Mexican night toppings – guacamole, cheese, and cilantro

Instant Pot: Yes, the Instant Pot is great for making quick work of a dish that would normally take a long time (think pork BBQ or Pot Roast) and you can absolutely leave the house while it’s running, but we’re usually talking a one to two hour cook time, so it’s not quite as fix it and forget it as the slow cooker meals. You have usually just an hour or two to not be present. So think those nights where you have to have a kid at soccer practice from 5:30-6:30. Say you have a 20 minute drive time each way, Instant Pot to the rescue. Get the meal going before you leave (start at say 4:45 – remember the time it takes to get the pot under pressure). Your roast should be just perfect by the time you get home right before 7. I hope that makes sense! If not, this is exactly the kind of thing we’ll discuss in the new Membership.

Here are a few of my family’s top favorite Instant Pot recipes:

White Chicken Chili

I hope this is helpful!

The first step is figuring out how much time you have. I can’t emphasize this enough.

Take a real, hard look at your week and plan realistically. There’s no point in setting yourself up to fail. Then see what you have on hand that you can make into a meal. Next, gather recipes to fill in the gaps. Then head to the store with your list in hand. Now you’re ready to conquer your week!