top of page

5 Easy Back to School Meals

Updated: Sep 23, 2019



It’s August, and that means one thing (for teachers anyway)- the lazy, schedule and makeup free days of summer have come to a close. It’s time to start thinking about lesson plans, pants that have an actual waistline, the latest time you can set the alarm and still have time for hair and makeup, and back-to-school meal plans. While I can’t help you with the non-elastic pants or the hair or makeup, I’ve got you covered when it comes to feeding your family! If you’re anything like me, back-to-school week is all consuming. In the past dinner was a post-it on the fridge with instructions on where to find the milk and cereal. There may have also been a post-it next to the sink with a reminder that the dishwasher does not in fact load itself.




This is not that! I have since learned that crockpot meals are a necessity for back to school week. While most people don’t dust off the crockpot until the prime days of fall, back-to-school week is a great time to dust off the crockpot if you’re a teacher. I don’t know about you, but where I live, it will still be in the 90s when school starts, so nobody wants a steaming hot bowl of chili. Instead, I’ve compiled my five favorite anytime-of-the-year crockpot recipes that will save you a lot of time and stress for back-to-school week. I know it is soooo tempting to just drive through the drive thru; believe me, I know! But, cooking at home can save you a lot of money; it can even save you time; and it's definitely healthier! These easy crockpot meals are often my go-tos later on in the year during parent teacher conference week as well. Each of these are also budget friendly because I know we’re all anxiously awaiting that first back-to-school paycheck.



My other back to school meal plan necessity is grocery store pickup. I’m the kind of person that loves to go grocery shopping. I love planning meals and wandering the aisles looking for new things or inspiration for new ideas (especially if I’m at Trader Joe’s), but nobody’s got time for that during back-to-school week! I’m all about that grocery store pickup during back-to-school and parent teacher conference week! I’ll even save you the step of making your grocery list! You’ll find the back-to-school meals shopping list already typed up for you at the end.



Up first, one of the easiest and most versatile crockpot meals. Salsa Verde Chicken. So easy. So good. My husband often requests this one. You’ll pop the chicken in the crockpot with a few ingredients and let it work it’s magic all day while you’re away. We like to simply eat the chicken over rice. Sometimes we use it for chicken tacos, and we also like make what we call Chipotle bowls. Sometimes I get extra chicken and use it for all three of these things. How much easier does it get?! Three different dinners with one batch of Salsa Verde Chicken. I like to use chicken thighs for this recipe because 1) they are less expensive, and 2) they don’t dry out like chicken breast tenderloins tend to. For the rice, I get bags of frozen rice or frozen cauliflower rice that I can microwave quickly for the weeks that are crazy busy; otherwise, I use my rice cooker. My favorite salsa verde to use it the salsa verde from Trader Joe’s, but I’ve used all kinds of different ones I’ve found at Aldi, WalMart, and Target. They’re all good, and you really can’t go wrong!



Next up is a good ol’ BBQ platter. This is another one that we have on a pretty constant rotation and that offers a lot of variety. Sometimes I make this with chicken, and sometimes I make it with a pork roast. Both are equally delicious and easy. We eat this over a bed of coleslaw topped with red onions and our favorite BBQ sauce; sometimes we eat it over baked potatoes (you could also do sweet potatoes if you fancy); and we also enjoy it as a classic pulled pork (or chicken) sandwich. As another option, you could serve it bun-less with slaw, green beans, and fries (or tater tots) on the side. Again, make it super easy on yourself and go for the frozen green beans (or other veggie of choice) and the frozen fries or tots. If you opt to serve it over a baked potato, cook your potatoes in the microwave to save you time, or better yet, stop at the Wendy’s drive thru on your way home from school and grab some bake potatoes there! Much like the Salsa Verde Chicken, you could easily turn this into more than one night’s meal.


A newer favorite for us is a very easy, very fresh tasting pasta sauce; I’ve been making this pasta sauce on the stove but recently decided to try it as a bigger batch in the crockpot to save time. After we’ve eaten dinner, I divide all the sauce that is left and put it away in freezer bags for later. This allows me to freeze multiple bags of pasta sauce to have on hand for quick easy dinners like spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan, baked ziti, etc. Basically anything with red pasta sauce! We probably won’t buy jarred pasta sauce ever again; this one is easy, fresher than anything that comes in a jar, and you know exactly what goes in it!



Now in my world, this next recipe is 100% a year round meal; however, I suppose there could be some who would argue that it is a cold weather dish. Pot roast. I love a good pot roast; it is easily one of my favorite meals. I had this version of pot roast at my mom’s recently, and it is so simple, so easy, and super delicious!








Finally, another one of our favorites is Beef Tips with Gravy over Cauliflower Mash. Don’t freak out just because you read cauliflower mash. I have the kind of husband who calls salad “rabbit food,” but he loves this meal. It is another one that he will request often. This is a recipe I found from Healthy Little Peach, so I’ll send you over to her site for the recipe. It’s linked here! She has three different methods for you to choose from: stovetop, crockpot, or instant pot. I’ve tried them all, and we definitely prefer the crockpot method. It’s so simply and easy, and the meat is so much more tender. P.S. You don't have to brown the meat before leaving it in the slow cooker; I've tried it both ways and don't notice a difference. I have made this many many times, and I have used a variety of different cuts of meat depending on what is on sale or what I have in my freezer that I need to use. I haven’t tried it with a cut that we didn’t like; you can use stew meat, sirloin tips, or even a roast. They all turn out equally as tasty! While I will direct you to her site for the recipe, I have included the ingredients in your shopping list!



So there you have it- our favorite quick, easy, and budget friendly crockpot meals! With these meals, you’ll have plenty of food for the week for dinner (and leftovers for lunch) that you won’t even need that post-it, milk, or cereal- not for dinner anyway. Although, you could still use that dishwasher reminder post-it if you wanted! Wishing you all a wonderful back-to-school week!









Comments


bottom of page