myFM: How to prepare for back to school

Moving from the imprompu-ness of the summer and the lack of routine into back to school and routine can be a jolt to the system. It’s a lot to prep for, and despite feeling ready for the early mornings, breakfast, getting the lunches made and kids out the door, the first few weeks of September can be exhausting for parents and kids. 

How to get through it:

1. Plan meals. Write down what has been a success over the summer and have a list at the ready for when your mind goes blank and you have no idea what to make. Plan the first two weeks of school breakfast and lunch and put that on rotation. 
2. Focus on protein and fat. In a world where refined, white and processed food is the go-to, having enough protein and fat in your kids meals is essential for success. That could look like a smoothie with almond or peanut butter, and protein powder. Or eggs of any kind. I’ll share my favourite overnight french toast recipe in the blog post on sproutright.com for a speedy breakfast that will last a few days depending on how many you’re feeding. 
3. Ditch the juice boxes. They’re costly, more packaging than needed and a hit of no-fibre fruit juice that your kids will come crashing down from. Get a groovy water bottle, stick a label on it and fill it with water and a splash of juice if that’s needed for taste. 
4. Grab my book Sprout Right Family Food for many lunchbox ideas like filling a mini pita with hummus and carrots, brainy fish and pickles, a rockstar Quesadilla that won’t come home uneaten, and how to build out a lunchbox on a toothpick, as in mini skewers that are a blast to eat. 

You will survive although it’s an intense time of year. Get the kids to sleep as much as possible and manage expectations remembering just how tired everyone gets as this back-to-school thing happens! 

Audio coming soon!