Written By Michael Vyskocil

After lazy summer days of al fresco dining, late breakfasts and casual dinners, the start of the school year brings with it the return of bus schedules, sports practices and homework — and the daily challenge of preparing healthy food to pack in the kids’ lunch bags and make for dinner.

But back to school does not have to mean resorting to the same old brown paper-bag fare and prepared frozen dinners. With creative lunch and dinner ideas at hand, time-crunched parents can prepare meals that are both easy on the cooks and enjoyable eating.

Lunch-Bag Cuisine

Survey any youngster and you will likely find that lunch is one of the best moments of a school day. You can make the time even more special for your child by sending along one of these items in the lunch bag.

Stuffed Apple Bowl

Cut an apple in half crosswise, slicing about one-third of the way into the apple. Remove the flesh with a melon baller. Squeeze lemon juice over the cut edges of the apple to prevent browning. Fill the interior of the apple with homemade tuna salad, a fruit-filled couscous salad (recipe follows) or any type of filling your child prefers. Refrigerate in a resealable plastic container.

Tortilla Sandwiches

Create an unusual and textured sandwich with flour tortillas. They come in many flavors and are readily available in supermarkets. Tortillas can even be rolled up to create a fun finger food, such as tortilla turkey rolls (recipe follows).

A Cookie-Cutter Sandwich

Make old standbys like ham and cheese and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches fun using simple cookie cutters. Cut the sandwiches into your child’s favorite shape, such as diamonds, hearts and stars. Wrap the sandwiches in waxed paper and seal with a sticker or personal note.

Honey Tortilla Chips and Yogurt Dip

Replace prepackaged potato chips with homemade honey tortilla chips (recipe follows) and a yogurt dip for a healthy, kid-friendly lunch snack.

Fruit Caterpillar

This sweet caterpillar is a clever way to get children to eat their fruit. String green or red seedless grapes onto a long, flexible drinking straw (space the grapes slightly apart). Use a ripe red pitted cherry as the “head” of the caterpillar.

Fruit-Filled Couscous Salad

Serves 6
1 ? cups water
1 ? cups orange juice
1 box (10 ounces) quick-cooking couscous
1 cup mixed diced fruit, such as strawberries, apples, pineapples and oranges
?/? cup raisins

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the orange juice and couscous. Cover the saucepan, remove from the heat and let couscous stand until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork; transfer to large bowl and let cool completely.
  2. Gently stir in the fruit and raisins. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Tortilla Turkey Rolls

Serves 4
8 ounces deli turkey breast, finely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated
1 small carrot, finely grated
3 tablespoons yellow or honey mustard
4 six-inch plain flour or flavored tortillas

  1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the turkey breast, apple, carrot and mustard.
  2. Spread about 1/4 cup of the turkey mixture on each tortilla and roll each tortilla into a cylinder.
  3. Wrap cylinders in plastic wrap; refrigerate.

Honey Tortilla Chips

Serves 4
1 ? teaspoons sugar
? teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons honey
1 ? tablespoons hot water
2 eight-inch plain flour tortillas

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the honey and hot water. With a pastry brush, spread the honey mixture over one side of the tortillas. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Using a pastry cutter or pizza wheel, cut the tortillas into 1-inch strips. Cut diagonally into small pieces.
  3. Arrange tortilla pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tortilla pieces are lightly toasted. Remove tortilla pieces from baking sheet and let cool.

Weekday Dinners in a Pinch
Preparing weekday dinners can be a challenge for busy parents. Add in some after-school activities that require shuttling children across town and back, and it is easy to see how meal preparation can literally be relegated to the back burner. That is why busy moms need meals that can go from skillet to table. Here are a few ways to make the most of after-school cooking.
Crockery Cooking
A slow cooker takes the work out of making dinner for your famished crew. When you arrive home in the evening, the aroma of dinner ready to be served is a great “welcome home” greeting. Crockery cookers are not just for soups and stews. A variety of meats, such as beef chuck, brisket and pork shoulder roasts, are particularly suited for slow cooking. The long cooking time and low heat aid in tenderizing the meat.

Prepare Now, Refrigerate and Freeze for Later

Look to refrigerator-and freezer-friendly dishes to help put dinner on the table quickly.

Any item that can be prepared in advance is sure to win points with busy moms, like our version of macaroni and cheese (see recipe below). Make a batch of this child-approved comfort food on the weekend and refrigerate or freeze it in individual serving dishes.

One-Dish Wonders

Healthy soups, braised meat dishes and hearty casseroles are nourishing and simple to prepare when the weather turns cool. Plus, they are a virtual meal in a pot, which means fewer pots and pans to clean up at the end of the meal. Serve with a garden salad and a freshly baked loaf of bread from a local bakery for an inviting family dinner.

No-Cook, Buffet Dinners

Bring the dine-out buffet concept to your dinner table. Arrange ingredients by type on your kitchen counter or table and let your family pick and choose from the offerings. A taco buffet, for instance, can feature both hard and soft shell tacos, along with your family’s favorite condiments, such as shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, guacamole, cooked ground beef, freshly chopped herbs, grated cheeses and sour cream.

Individual Macaroni and Cheese

Making macaroni and cheese in individual custard dishes not only makes this dish easy to dole out in individual portions, but it also makes the children feel special. They get to dig into a comfort food classic fit for one.
Makes 10 six-ounce, individual servings
8 tbs. unsalted butter, plus more for buttering custard dishes
Coarse salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
5 cups milk
? cup all-purpose flour
? teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups coarsely grated orange cheddar cheese

  1. Lightly butter the insides of 10, six-ounce custard dishes or ceramic ramekins. Set aside.
  2. Fill a large saucepan with water. Add a sprinkling of salt and bring the water to a boil. Add macaroni; cook for 2 to 2 ? minutes less than package directions, or until outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is slightly underdone. (Different brands of pasta cook at different rates. Check cooking times on the packages.)
  3. Transfer macaroni to a colander and rinse under cold running water; drain well and set aside.
  4. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm milk until very hot. Do not scorch or boil the milk.
  5. In a large skillet with high sides, melt the 8 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When bubbles begin to form in the butter, whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for approximately 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the hot milk. Continue cooking and whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  6. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and 4 cups of the cheddar cheese.
  7. Add the drained macaroni into the cheese mixture. Stir gently until all of the macaroni is coated with the cheese sauce.
  8. Place equal portions of the macaroni and cheese into the prepared custard dishes or ramekins. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, up to 4 hours or until ready to serve. Alternatively, place dishes in resealable freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month.
  9. Before serving, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the top of each custard dish or ramekin with remaining cheddar cheese. Transfer the dishes to a baking pan; bake until the top turns a light golden brown, about 28 minutes. Serve hot.

Tips for Healthful After-School Snacks

When your kids come storming into the kitchen after school looking for a snack, they want something they can grab quickly. That is why it pays off if you have fresh vegetables already cut up and waiting in the refrigerator

Preparation for this healthful snack does not have to be a chore. If you have a portion of celery or extra pieces of carrot or cucumber left over from a salad or other dish you are preparing, simply slice up the remaining vegetables and store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Then let the kids pair the vegetable slices with their favorite dip.

Packing Lunches with Love

  • Work together with your children to plan and pack lunches. Your children will get the opportunity to select the food they like and learn about simple food preparation methods at the same time.
  • Keep juice boxes chilled until lunchtime by freezing them overnight. In the morning, remove the frozen juice boxes from the freezer and pack them in the lunch bags. They will help keep sandwiches and other foods cold and will be thawed and ready to drink by lunchtime.
  • Take peanut butter and jelly beyond the basic bread sandwich. Place a peeled banana in a hot dog roll. Spread peanut butter and jelly on top of the banana for an interesting twist on a familiar childhood favorite.