A  delicious round-up of healthy, family-friendly meals and snacks sure to make feeding your family easier now that school is back in session. Here’s to a great year!

Banana chocolate chip muffins, stovetop macaroni and cheese, after school snack board, and French toast roll ups.

Back-to-School Easy Meals and Snack Ideas

My boys headed back to school yesterday and my mind immediately switched from lazy breakfasts, fun poolside snacks and late dinners to quick breakfasts, healthy after-school snacks and easy family-friendly dinners.

If I don’t have a plan for the next day (or even better, the whole week), we end up eating boxed cereal for breakfast (which is totally fine sometimes!), driving through somewhere for an after-school snack (ice cream and french fries, anyone?!) and cheese quesadillas every night for dinner (boring!).

So, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite recipes to make the weekdays a little easier yet still delicious. This year, I’m hoping to come up with a meal plan each Sunday so I’m ready for the week. A few meals that take no time to pull together and some that take a little more time, but provide for leftovers that can be eaten over a few nights or even packed in the boys’ lunchboxes.

Lunchbox Love

And speaking of lunchboxes, if you’re looking for lunchbox inspiration, be sure to check out my Fun and Healthy Lunchbox Ideas! They make packing lunches for your kids a little easier and a lot more fun!

Four fun lunchbox ideas.

You’ll find breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas here. Remember you can always prep meals on the weekend or even the night before. Think about your week ahead and plan accordingly. If we have a super busy week ahead, I’ll make a double batch of pancakes on Sunday so we have leftovers to reheat in the toaster throughout the week. I’ll also plan on a few slow cooker or casserole dinners that make a lot so we have leftovers for the next night.

I like to wash all our fruit for the week on Sunday as well as clean and cut up any veggies to make cooking meals easier. I usually buy pre-washed containers of greens and baby carrots so we have no excuses when it comes to adding veggies to our meals.

I hope some of these tips and recipes are helpful and make your back to school meal prep a little easier.

BREAKFAST RECIPES

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Made with pantry staples and some overripe bananas, you can have these delicious Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins in and out of the oven in minutes!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins by The BakerMama

Breakfast Cookies

One of my most popular recipes and rightfully so! Nutritious and delicious!

Breakfast Cookies by The BakerMama

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

So moist and fluffy! I’ll make a double batch over the weekend and store them in a resealable baggie in the refrigerator so we can just pop them in the toaster for breakfast throughout the week. A family fave!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes by The BakerMama

French Toast Roll Ups

A special breakfast treat that’s easy to make and easy to eat. Kids and adults love them!

Cinnamon sugar covered French toast roll ups surrounding a glass bowl of warmed maple syrup.

Chunky Homemade Granola

I’ll bake a batch of this granola over the weekend for us to eat with milk or put on a yogurt parfait with berries and honey. It’s great to snack on too!

Chunky Homemade Granola by The BakerMama

Bacon & Cheese Egg Bites 

A quick and easy breakfast that is oh so tasty! They can even be made ahead of time for an on-the-go breakfast.

Bacon & Cheese Egg Bites

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars

A healthy breakfast or snack you can feel great about feeding your family!

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Muffins always make the mornings better and these have all our favorite flavors combined!

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins by The BakerMama

Gingerbread Banana Muffins

Made with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt and no oil or butter. I love baking with Greek yogurt to make recipes healthier.

Gingerbread Banana Muffins

Whole Wheat Baked Banana Donuts

Because we all really just want donuts for breakfast, so why not bake them for a healthier breakfast treat?!

Whole Wheat Baked Banana Donuts with a Peanut Butter Glaze by The BakerMama

5-Ingredient Flourless Banana Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Mini Muffins

Mini Muffins that are easy, healthy, and most importantly, delicious!

5-Ingredient Flourless Banana Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Mini Muffins by The BakerMama

Easy Overnight Sweetie Rolls

Melt in your mouth cinnamon sugar pecan sweetie rolls drizzled in a simple sweet glaze. An easy make-ahead breakfast!

Sweet rolls topped with a white glaze and chopped nuts on a large white serving plate.

Family-Size Skillet Cinnamon Roll

A scrumptious and shareable twist on everyone’s favorite morning sweet treat!

Family-Size Skillet Cinnamon Roll by The BakerMama

One-Bowl Muffins (Many Ways!)

Lets you easily bake several delicious muffin variations at once. The add-in options are endless!

One-Bowl Muffins Many Ways by The BakerMama

French Toast Waffle Sticks

Two breakfast classics come together for an easy to make and fun to eat breakfast. No forks needed!

French Toast Waffle Sticks

Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Moist, chocolatey, easy-to-make Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are bite-sized perfection. With pantry staples and some overripe bananas, you can have these delicious muffins in a matter of minutes!

Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins by The BakerMama

LUNCH AND DINNER RECIPES

Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese

Easy and delicious make and cheese everyone loves!

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese by The BakerMama

Turkey Quinoa Chili

Our favorite healthy chili that makes great leftovers! I serve it with cornbread or chips and guacamole.

Turkey Quinoa Chili by The BakerMama

Quick and Simple Pizza Dough

Give your pizza aficionados a run for their money with this Quick and Simple Pizza Dough. It makes a fast, easy and delicious dinner that everyone will rave about!

Quick and Simple Pizza Dough by The BakerMama

Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Pizza Crust

A healthier pizza crust that you can top with your favorite toppings.

Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Pizza Crust

Baked Pizza Taquitos

These popular taquitos are so easy and we all love them! Serve with veggies and ranch or a big salad and dinner is done!

Baked Pizza Taquitos by The BakerMama

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

An easy spin on chicken parm that’s easy for kids to eat.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole by The BakerMama

Turkey & Black Bean Baked Tacos

Baked tacos filled with turkey, black beans and lots of melted cheese. Easy to make, simple to serve and awesome to eat!

Seven tacos in a rimmed baking dish with melted cheese on top.

Goldfish Chicken Nuggets

Your kiddos will go crazy over these and I’m not gonna lie, I love them too! 🙂

Goldfish Chicken Nuggets

Baked Corn Dogs

A healthier spin on a childhood favorite! You could even use chicken sausages in place of the hot dogs.

Baked Corn Dogs by The BakerMama

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Soup

A great and comforting way to get everyone to eat their broccoli!

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Soup by The BakerMama

Sloppy Joe Casserole

An easy twist on traditional sloppy joes for a hearty weeknight meal!

Sloppy Joe Casserole by The BakerMama

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Baked is the way to go! The boys love it when I put these in their lunchboxes too!

Baked Chicken Nuggets by The BakerMama

Baked Sweet Potato Soup

Enjoy family dinner and talk about your days over this comforting and delicious soup!

A white bowl of sweet potato soup on a white saucer with a spoon in it. The soup is topped with bacon bits, shredded yellow cheese and sliced green onion.

Hummus Pasta Salad

A light and easy dinner that makes great lunch leftovers the next day!

Hummus Pasta Salad by The BakerMama

Sweet and Spicy Stir-Fry

It’s healthier than fried rice yet still has brown rice stirred right into it. Just leave out or tone down the spice if your kiddos don’t like spicy food. A flavorful way to get those veggies in them!

Stir fry with chicken breast, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots and edamame.

Homemade Chick-fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup

A homemade take on Chick-fil-A’s chicken tortilla soup that tastes even better than the original and that you can enjoy year-round and even on Sundays!

Homemade Chick-fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup

Build-Your-Own Taco Board

Now this is taco night, done right! What better way to enjoy a meal  together than with a big board covered in colorful fillings for each person to fix their own tacos?! This is the Build-Your-Own Taco Board in my Beautiful Boards cookbook. All of the delicious details, including recipes for how to prepare the meats as well as recipes for homemade guacamole, pico de gallo and salsa, can be found on pages 122-124 in Beautiful Boards. You can order it HERE!

Build-Your-Own Taco Board by The BakerMama

This beautiful board was built on our 24″ x 18″ walnut wood board. You can browse our entire wood board collection at boardsbythebakermama.com.

Baked Fish Sticks

These are no ordinary frozen fish sticks! They’re crunchy on the outside and moist and flakey on the inside. So so yummy!

A large white serving plate with a pile of golden battered fish sticks surrounding a small glass dish of tartar sauce.

Pizza Toast

Quick and easy Pizza Toast is one of our favorite recipes to make for a busy weeknight dinner or a satisfying after-school snack. Everyone loves them!

Pizza toast with mini pepperonis on a baking sheet next to a small bowl of marinara sauce.

Grilled Cheese Roll Ups

Everyone loves these because they’re quick to make, easy to eat and fun to dip in sauce or soup.

A large white serving plate with a pile of grilled cheese roll ups and a small dish of marinara sauce.

5-Ingredient Granola Bars

These are seriously delicious and so easy to make. Oh, and did I mention they’re no-bake!

5-Ingredient Granola Bars

No-Bake Monster Cookie Balls

A fun and yummy treat that we keep stocked in the fridge.

No-Bake Monster Cookie

PB&J Snack Board

Kids and grown-ups alike will love this PB&J Snack Board that offers classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with an amazing selection of snacks to go with them. It’s an easy, fun and delicious way to serve a snack or meal.

PB&J Snack Board by The BakerMama

Susu’s Cereal Snack Mix

A salty and scrumptious snack mix treat everyone loves!

SuSu's Cereal Snack Mix

Two-Ingredient Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bites

Got overripe bananas?! Turn them into these yummy banana chocolate chip ice cream bites and keep them in the freezer for a healthier sweet treat that tastes like ice cream!

Two-Ingredient Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bites

Pantry Popcorn Mix

Toss handfuls of your favorite pantry snacks in a big bowl with fresh popped popcorn and you’ve got a quick, tasty snack mix.

Pantry Popcorn Mix

Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Pops

They make for such a great healthy snack and super fun and customizable sweet treat!

You can also find more snack and meal ideas that are sure to be just as great for the school year in my Summer Lunch and Snack Boards post.

Lunch and Snack Boards by The BakerMama

Happy Back to School! Wishing you and your kiddos a great year!

A GIFT FOR YOUR TEACHER

Looking for something more to let them know they are appreciated? Show your gratitude to your new teacher with one of these thoughtful gifts from my Teacher Gift Guide. There’s something for everyone!

Teacher Gift Guide by The BakerMama

If you make any of these Back to School Recipes, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. 😍 I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share. Enjoy!

xoxo,

Maegan's signature

About The BakerMama

Maegan is the author of her best-selling Beautiful Boards, Spectacular Spreads and Brilliant Bites cookbooks. She started blogging in 2012 and features hundreds of original recipes on The BakerMama. She truly enjoys sharing her easy, family-friendly recipes, creative meal ideas, food board creations, and entertaining spreads to encourage others to get in the kitchen and make something memorable for their loved ones to enjoy together. Learn More

Follow us on social media:

Related

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. The kids will be back to school soon. These are my new go to recipes by then. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Hi Maegan,

    Love reading your blog and seeing new ideas! I am a passionate baker and foodie too, so great to share it with everyone. Thanks for sharing 🙂