This post is in partnership with GIANT Food Stores. The opinions in this post are 100% mine. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
It’s back to school season! My kids are going back SO LATE this year, not until after Labor Day. I’m really dying to get our routine back. This late-summer mom I’ve become isn’t one I’m real proud of, friends. Thankfully, the start of a new school year is my reset button on bedtimes, routine, healthy meals, and generally getting my act together. I’m READY.
Last month my family met with a GIANT Food Store nutritionist and it was really eye-opening. She offered some practical tips for summertime, like how to cope with the non-stop cries of, “Mooooom, I’m hungry!” and what snack options are best to avoid head off that incessant run to the pantry. Her tips actually work for us and we’ve continued to use them.
Now GIANT nutritionists have put together some tips for getting back to school, back to some healthy balance, and just in time for my much-needed reset! Here are their top 3 suggestions below, plus how I’m incorporating them into our family life as we kick off a new school year.
Make Time to Plan
If you do nothing else, do this: make time to plan your meals and get the food you need in the house. There is nothing worse than having those 3 hours between the end of the school day and when you need to leave for soccer practice to try to figure out what to feed the kids for dinner.
The Tips
- Set a day/time every week for time-saving meal planning: Plan out all meals for the week before you go grocery shopping, take stock of what items you already have on hand and make a list of what you need. GIANT/MARTIN’S Savory, Fast, Fresh and Easy magazine and digital platform is introducing Savory Sunday on Aug. 21– easy meal ideas you can prepare in one day and enjoy the rest of the
week. - Start every day with a balanced breakfast: Help curb hunger later in the day with a piece of whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana, a hardboiled egg with a piece of fruit, an English muffin with almond butter and sliced peaches or overnight oats.
- Prep lunch ahead: For simple lunchtime salads, wash and cut veggies in bulk ahead of time or buy salad kits for easy assembly and save lean protein from dinners to top your salad.
What I’m Doing
- Meal planning, which I fully admit is really not my favorite thing to do, makes the biggest difference for me. Knowing what I’m making for dinner and actually having the food in the house brings a calm like no other. Sunday mornings we are all usually home and have a leisurely breakfast together, so while we’re eating I grab a notepad and pen and start planning dinners and make a corresponding grocery list.
- I start with the dinner planning, but once that’s done we add some other items to the list: breakfast foods, things to pack for lunch, and snacks. Sometimes lunch planning means making extra dinner. If we’re grilling chicken, I’ll have my husband make a couple of extra pieces and there’s my lunch for the week.
- GIANT Food Stores puts out Savory magazine every month and I LOVE it. It’s jam packed with coupons but my favorite part is the recipe ideas. I get a lot of foodie magazines, but this one includes all really practical, family-friendly recipes. I’ve made a bunch of them and they’re easy, fast, and the kids love them. Definitely use Savory as a resource to get out of the same-old, same-old dinner routine.
Food Groups In Meals and Snacks
The biggest tip we learned from the GIANT nutritionist we met with last month is to add protein to every meal and snack. It satisfies you longer so you’re not constantly hungry and reaching for something else.
The Tips
- Power up breakfast with protein: Eggs, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, or cheese are all good choices.
- Create a bento box: When packing lunches, use a bento lunch box. A bento box contains multiple compartments and will help you include as many food groups as possible. Put grapes in one section, sliced cucumber and a spoonful of hummus in the second section, turkey and cheese roll ups in the third section and whole grain crackers in the fourth – creating a balanced, satisfying lunch.
- Have fun and create a snack station: Clear a pantry shelf and fill with healthy snacks like low-sugar granola bars, cereal, dried fruit, nuts/seeds, dry roasted chickpeas, popcorn and whole grain crackers. Keep fruits, veggies, yogurt and string cheese on hand in the fridge too for kids to easily grab when hunger strikes.
What I’m Doing
- Once again, the important part is the have the items you need on hand, so I’m adding snack items to the grocery list and when we get them home, I make them easily accessible to the kids.
- Another REALLY helpful tip from the nutritionist: Shake up what you think a meal should look like. I have always thought of a balanced meal to be a meat, starch, and veggie. But meals, particularly lunches, can be much more creative than that. We do a lot of what I termed ‘snacky meal’, which is a cutting board full of a variety of options: smoked salmon, a sliced baguette, olives, sliced bell peppers, grapes, and cheese. They love it, I can have it ready in 10 minutes, and the clean up is a breeze.
- Along those same lines of shaking up what I think a meal should look like, I have to point out these ‘toastwiches’ (I do come up with some good names, don’t I?) that I made, inspired by recipes in Savory magazine. We had this for lunch this week, but you could honestly do this for breakfast (the peaches), dinner, or a snack. They had some meat in theirs but I went vegetarian. An open-faced BLT would be so fast and easy for dinner!
Fight the Freshman 15
I don’t have a college freshman (though I remember those days myself and the freshman 15 is a real thing!). If you are a college student, or have one, these tips might be helpful. For me, I am using them as motivation to get back on track. We’ve had a looooooot of ice cream this summer, and I really want to change the whole family’s habits as we enter a new school year.
The Tips
- Plan meals around lean protein: Some inexpensive choices are eggs, beans, natural peanut or sunflower seed butter, cheese or tuna. Also include vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and dairy.
- Make a snack: If you don’t have time for a meal break in between classes, grab an apple and cheese stick, tuna on cucumber slices, natural peanut butter on celery, hummus and baby carrots, or a nutrition bar.
- Get a good night’s sleep: Adequate sleep, for most seven to nine hours per night, recharges your brain, might reduce your stress, improve your concentration, and even keep your weight in check.
What I’m Doing
- Let’s all cheer for the return of bedtime! I know getting a full night’s sleep is key to all aspects of our health (and positive attitudes – don’t talk to me when I haven’t slept).
- Having filling snack options is key so that we’re not all constantly reaching for more and more food. And there are some really nice options available at the grocery store, ready-made. These Balanced Breaks are one of our favorites.
- We use this snack formula which seems to actually keep everyone satisfied until the next mealtime:
- fruit/veggie/or grain + protein/or healthy fat
I know so many of you are ready for this new school year, a fresh start, and some healthier habits (because summer is fun but I wasn’t the only one eating a lot of ice cream, was I?). Hope these tips are helpful to you!
Learn More
Visit the GIANT Food Stores website to access lots of Savory recipes, and be sure you pick up Savory magazine in your local store. You can find it either in the vestibule at the entrance, or at customer service. GIANT has more health and wellness tips (that are practical!), too.
The Giveaway
The generous folks at GIANT Food Stores are offering one of my readers a $25 GIANT gift card to help you start the school year on the right foot! This giveaway is open to US residents only (please make sure you live near enough to a GIANT that you can use the prize), ages 18+, and will end at 11:59pm on September 5, 2017.
Good luck!
Kris I. says
The most helpful tip is back to bedtime! I like the routine of going to bed “on time” and getting up at the same time every day! My kids need that.
Marissa M says
Preparing things in advance!
Harmony Burmeister says
Planning meals and snacks ahead of time. It’s always chaos in the am.
Kelly D says
My tip is to stick a bedtime schedule.
Jessica To says
I like the tip to prep lunches ahead of time.
Steve Weber says
Preparing things in advance!
Rosie says
Preparing and freezing some delish meals and cut up produce from summer’s bounty of vegetables and fruits!
Sarah Hall says
Prepping the lunches in advance is a great tip.
KENNETH OHL says
preparing in advance is a key I’m going to start
Nannypanpan says
The best tip is getting a good night sleep. Crabby kids and crabby mom makes for a rough day
elizabeth miller says
I love the Make Time to Plan Tip. I m horrible for each and every day saying–What am I going to make today. I end up running to the grocery almost every day wasting time and money just trying to figure it out. I would do way better if I at least set up a weekly plan.
Sharon Rooney says
The best tip for me is to prepare snacks and meals ahead of time. This sure does help make everything go smoother at dinner time.
Dan Dykstra says
Set their clothing out the night before.
jeremy mclaughlin says
Having a schedule and having everything ready the night before.
Jenn B says
Prep lunch ahead of time.
Elle says
Definitely the tip to prep lunch ahead of time!
Gina Badalaty says
Healthy snacks is a very important tip, not just for the kids, but for me too! I keep bite-sized fruit & veggies, nuts, yogurt, protein bars and more on hand to help throughout my day. The days I’m wiped out of snacks are the hardest!
Chrissy says
My best tip is to definitely take the time to prep meals for the week in advance. I find that is the first thing to let slide if we get busy or stressed and if that slides than our diet and budget both go downhill quickly!
Joseph Gersch says
Get a good night’s sleep: Adequate sleep, for most seven to nine hours per night, recharges your brain, might reduce your stress, improve your concentration, and even keep your weight in check
Tari Lawson says
For me the best tip was “•Prep lunch ahead: For simple lunchtime salads, wash and cut veggies in bulk ahead of time or buy salad kits for easy assembly and save lean protein from dinners to top your salad.
Ann Fantom says
I like the “Start every day with a balanced breakfast” tip. I think a good breakfast is very important
Ashley c says
I love the idea about changing what you think your meals should look like. I love to snack and would rather that than a traditional veggie + protein + grain meal
Adrienne Gordon says
Prepping things in advance is helpful.
Lori Walker says
I always make a list – keeps us mindful.
Patricia Cucina says
Advance lunch preparation is one way to ensure that you don’t leave out any key menu items. You don’t know how rushed you might be in the mornings. Also, it’s nice to be able to sit and share breakfast with your children.
Anne Higgins says
I like the suggestions of getting things ready ahead of time (from clothes to food) and trying to stick with a schedule.
Sherry Barnes says
I like havin everything organized ..meals bedtimes school clothes picked out n ready to go
Dolores Q. says
Preparing things in advance is a very helpful tip.
Susan Smith says
I like the tip to prep lunches ahead of time.
EMMA L HORTON says
THE RETURN OF BEDTIME…..BEING IN BED BY 8 O’CLOCK IS THE BEST….EVERYBODY GET THEIR REST AND SLEEP.
Lisa says
I get everything ready the night before so nothing is rushed and forgotten.
Lisa V. says
We get started early with bed time schedules.
Amy Deeter says
i am always preparring the night before, by laying their clothes out, getting their book bags ready , etc
Shauna says
Thanks for the great tips! My favorite is the importance of getting a good night sleep. This is very necessary!
Erica B. says
Definitely planning in advance is key.
Amity J says
..we always start our routine, bedtime etc weeks before the start of school so there are no battles..
Angela Thorpe says
Prepare meals and lunches in advance so everything is ready to go for a smooth morning.
Aaron says
My favorite tip is “Let’s all cheer for the return of bedtime!” =)
DanV says
Starting every day with a balanced breakfast is good for our back to school mornings
Jerry Marquardt says
Get ready early so when you don’t have it just right, you have more time to make it right.
Janine H says
The best tip is regarding routines for bedtime! Sleep is really important!
Trisha McKee says
I love the idea of getting things ready the night before. who wants a hectic morning? I want to relax and do bare minimum in the mornings. By getting things ready the night before, there is less of a chance of forgetting something.