Back to School, Back to Routine: Dinner Plans, Lunch Boxes & New Habits for whatever season of life you’re in.

Summer is a beautiful blur of late nights, last-minute dinners, and kids snacking like it’s their full-time job. But as the school year rolls back around, so does something we’ve secretly been craving: structure. Back-to-school season means earlier mornings, busier afternoons, and a chance to hit reset on the way we feed our families—and ourselves.

Here’s how to make the “back to routine” transition a little smoother (and maybe even, exciting)

Reclaim Dinner Time

Summer dinners can feel like a free-for-all—pizza one night, cereal the next. Back-to-school gives us a chance to set a dinner rhythm again. Try this simple framework:

• Theme Nights: Taco Tuesday, Pasta Wednesday, Sheet Pan Thursday—less decision fatigue, more fun. **For easy balanced recipes, search my site for any keyword like “pasta” and all my high protein and fiber, family friendly recipes will pop up.

• Prep Once, Eat Twice..or Three times: Cook extra protein early in the week and rework leftovers into wraps, bowls, or quesadillas later. I’m known for cooking 5 lbs of ground taco meat and then not cooking again for days some weeks. What will actually be sustainable for you? And don’t compare to others.

Rethink Box Lunches

School lunches don’t have to mean boring sandwiches and soggy chips. Aim for simple and balanced:

• A protein (turkey roll-ups, boiled eggs, Greek yogurt)

• A fruit or veggie (cut apples, cucumber slices, baby carrots w/ranch or hummus)

• A fun add-on (protein bar, popcorn, or a peachie baked good)

Hungry Teenager Tip: my daughter loves Greek yogurt with granola, fruit, chips, and some days a sandwich but my boys over the years with all their sports, need a more filling meal than a sandwich. The last couple years I’ve prepped them rice or pasta with rotisserie chicken or taco meat. Along with fruit and protein bars if they need a snack too. Their lunchroom has a microwave so that’s nice but a thermos and heating in the am before school can work too.

Build (or Break) Habits That Stick

Back-to-school is like New Year’s in sneakers—it’s a natural time to start fresh. Think about what worked last year, and what didn’t.

• Start: Family dinners at the table, Saturday or Sunday meal planning and grocery shopping, kids helping pack lunches.

• Break: Late-night kitchen raids, skipping breakfast, and relying on fast food or take out more often than cooking at home.

Small tweaks now can set the tone for the whole school year.

Give Yourself Grace

No mom gets every meal perfect, every day. If the drive-thru saves your sanity once in a while, or lunchboxes come home half-eaten—you’re still doing a great job.

Routine doesn’t mean rigidity—it’s just a framework that keeps everyone fed and (mostly) happy.

This season, think of “back to routine” not as losing summer freedom, but as gaining a plan—one that makes feeding your family easier, healthier, and a little less stressful. We’ve got this one week, day, meal, and thought at a time.