Back-to-School Backup Dinners
Trader Joe's meal ideas and tempered expectations
If you are still hanging on to the last days of August, stop reading now. Go soak up the last bits of summer and bookmark this one for next week. However, if you, like me, have been chomping at the bit for September to finally arrive, read on.
Beyond my relief that cooler weather is around the corner, I have always loved the feeling of back-to-school time. Growing up, even the nerves about new teachers, different subjects, and a change of classmates could be at least partially offset by the excitement of unused notebooks filled with perfectly stacked pages and a sense of possibility.
Though I’m not embarking on a new school year myself, September still feels like a fresh start. My kids are starting new grades and after a summer (particularly an August) with haphazard schedules of hodgepodge camps and travel, the start of school feels like a chance to get into an actual routine.
In fact, research shows that this month offers a clean slate for many people. Gretchen Rubin has often written that “September is the other January,” as the end of summer and beginning of the school year can be an inflection point to kickstart new routines. Not only does the academic calendar shift schedules, but September has been shown to be a common time to take on life changes, such as getting married, career transitions, fitness/cooking goals, and even new hairstyles.
I do feel the “other January” energy of this time. However, I’ve been through enough parenting Septembers to know that the school year kickoff is never the breath of fresh air I hope it will be. The start of a new routine means that nothing is on autopilot, from which day the bathing suits should be packed for swim lessons to when the weekly library books are due back. The mental calendar that had finally ingrained itself last year needs to be wiped clean and updated.
While I do have goals in mind, one change I want to make is cutting myself some slack on these new routines and accepting that they will take time. This year, I’m going in with more tempered expectations, a fresh stack of Post-it notes (toward my personal aim of fewer phone reminder dings) and a lot of backup plans – starting with dinner, of course.
To give myself a little margin, I am heading to the mecca of food convenience, Trader Joe’s. With help from the TJ experts in the “Trader Joe’s Meal Ideas for Busy Moms” Facebook group, I’ve compiled some three-ingredient options to have in your back pocket, fridge, and pantry:
Trader Joe’s 3-Ingredient Meal Ideas
Very Doable:
Hot Honey Salmon: salmon and broccolini (roasted or air-fried), with spicy honey sauce
Chicken Shawarma: pre-seasoned chicken shawarma and broccoli (roasted), with boxed rice pilaf
Chimichurri Bowls: frozen chimichurri rice, frozen peas, and cooked ground turkey or beef
Sheet Pan Sausage & Peppers: chicken sausage and frozen fire-roasted peppers & onions (roasted together), with frozen Spanish style rice
Chicken Teriyaki Bowls: frozen BBQ teriyaki chicken, stir fry veggie blend, and squiggly noodles
Really Easy:
Fish Tacos: frozen oven-ready breaded cod fillets, frozen fire-roasted peppers & onions, and tortillas
Brooke Forry’s Orange Chicken: frozen orange chicken, broccoli, and rice
Dumpling Soup: miso ginger broth, chicken cilantro mini wontons, and bok choy
Tofu Fried Rice: frozen vegetable fried rice, ready-to-eat baked teriyaki tofu, and eggs
Butternut Squash Chili: butternut squash soup, canned vegetarian chili, and farro/grains (warm soup & chili together, add cooked grains)
Falafel Pitas: pitas, frozen falafel, and Mediterranean-style salad kit
I Just Can’t:
Chicken Tortillas: tortillas, Hatch Valley salsa, refrigerated grilled chicken breast, and shredded cheese (heat until cheese is melted; the low effort on this one more than makes up for the extra ingredient)
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta: linguine or penne, Alfredo sauce, and sun-dried tomatoes
Pesto Pasta: pasta, frozen peas, and jarred pesto (cook peas with the pasta, stir in pesto after)
Lentil Bruschetta Salad: pre-cooked lentils, bruschetta sauce, and crumbled feta (just dump and mix one container of each)
Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup: brioche bread, cheese of choice, and tomato red pepper soup