Quick and Easy Meals on a Back-to-School Schedule

(ARA) - The start of a new school year means increasingly busy days are here. When your schedule suddenly fills with juggling work, soccer practice, PTA and carpool, the urge to grab dinner on the fly becomes more and more enticing. A few easy tips will help you get simple, delicious and healthy homemade meals on the table in no time.

Plan Ahead.

Devote one afternoon to prep for the week’s meals. Chopping and slicing ahead of time will allow you to quickly grab what you need to cook weekday meals. Trimming the minutes it usually takes to have that delicious meal on the table will leave you feeling less hurried at dinnertime.

Create Homemade Frozen Dinners.

Instead of reaching into the freezer for another expensive, prepackaged processed meal, double your favorite healthy recipes, separate into individual portions and freeze for serving later in the week. The Reynolds Handi-Vac Vacuum Food Storage System is a handheld vacuum sealer that virtually eliminates freezer burn, making it easy to store your homemade frozen dinners. This makes for a less expensive and healthier alternative when dinnertime is tight. These good-for-you meals on the go are also perfect as an easy lunch to take to work.

Satisfy Picky Eaters.

In the mood to try that great recipe from the neighbor, but worried your picky eater won’t touch the spicy red curry? Freeze your family’s favorite dishes in individual portions -- that way you are always armed with a Plan B if the hard to please eaters won’t bite on your occasional culinary adventure.

Let Kids Help.

Packing school lunches can be a time-consuming task during the busy morning rush. Measuring snack items like pretzels, nuts and cookies into single servings ahead of time shaves valuable minutes off lunch-packing prep. Reynolds Handi-Vac is easy to use, so kids can pack and seal their own lunchtime treats. With the lunch snacks already packaged to go, kids can have fun deciding what goes in their lunch.

Enjoy Mom’s Night Off!

Make sure your family isn’t missing out on a healthy and delicious meal because you’re taking a night off from the kitchen. A ready supply of individual meals that can be reheated and are ready to eat at any time will keep your family out of the drive-thru.
Courtesy of ARAcontent