Simple Back-to-School Meal Prep and Snack Ideas for Kids from Curated Care
September marks a return to structure—whether it’s school schedules, busier workdays, or simply shifting out of summer mode. We caught up with Erin McConaghy—Upper East Side mom of two and co-founder of the childcare and enrichment platform Curated Care—to get the scoop on creating comforting, energizing meals and snacks that not only help make the transition smoother, but keep the whole family fed and happy. Plus, discover how to incorporate fall produce in ways littles will love and simple tips to get kids involved in the kitchen.
Easy-Prep, Lunchbox-Friendly Ideas for Kids
Let’s start by tackling one of the most dreaded tasks for back-to-school season: planning and prepping lunchboxes. “Rather than spending a ton of time and effort prepping a concerted lunch entrée, embrace what our family lovingly refers to as ‘the snack lunch,’” McConaghy suggests. Whether you pack a curated bento box or just mix and match a variety of snacks is entirely up to you. McConaghy says to plan on packing:
• Fruits and vegetables, like apple slices, celery sticks, grapes, baby carrots, pear slices, and cucumber slices.
• Healthier salty snacks, such as popcorn, Pirate’s Booty, or seaweed. Try to steer clear of fried potato chips or sugar-laden crackers, if possible!
• Dairy options, like string cheese and yogurt. Pop a cooler pack in your child’s lunch box to keep food fresh.
• Healthy, satisfying options like cut-up avocado slices. Add a few drops of lime juice and pinch of salt for extra tastiness.
• Something fun for dessert. “Coupling treats with healthy foods keeps all foods on an even playing field and avoids inspiring your kiddos to pine for ‘forbidden’ sugary goodies,” McConaghy tells us.
Time-Saving Meal-Prep Tips for Busy Parents
Not only does fall mean back-to-school for many families, it also means juggling after-school activities, multiple school drop-offs and pick-ups, shuffling childcare, and possibly more serious projects at work as colleagues come back from taking time off in the summer. How do parents fight the urge to sit back and relax (or get some sleep) after an exhausting day? McConaghy says the key is to prep and pack the night before.
“The temptation to relax and tune out in the evening after a long day is so real, but the chaotic frenzy that is the family morning routine is even more real,” McConaghy advises. “Pour a glass of wine, pop on some music in the kitchen and take a moment to prep and pack lunch and snacks the night before. Your future morning self will thank you every time.”
Go-To, Stress-Free Breakfasts
Speaking of mornings, how do you rein in the chaos around back-to-school breakfasts mixed in with bus pick-ups, school drop-offs, and traffic-filled morning commutes? “Breakfast is an opportunity to get your kids hydrated, chock full of healthy and fibrous fruits, and to get some calories in to fuel them for the morning," McConaghy says.
On that same note, she advises parents: “don’t beat yourself up if it takes a microwavable pancake or Pop-Tart to get your kids eating in the morning. A go-to they love gets them to the table and eating and then the fruit and water goes down easily with it.” Getting them (and yourself!) fueled and out the door on time is the top goal here.
Creating Simple and Balanced After-School Snacks
Once kids get home, after-school snacks are important—especially in the first few weeks of a new school year as you settle back into a routine. In this case, McConaghy focuses on moderation.
“Rather than trying to find a snack that doubles as a tasty treat and is healthy, simply give your kiddos a plate of cut-up apple slices and a tiny cup of Cheetos or potato chips,” McConaghy says. “A small to moderate amount of a ‘treat’ and a larger serving of something nutritious satisfies all boxes here.”
What to Keep Stocked for Quick, Nutritious Weeknight Dinners
So, now you’ve given the kids a hearty snack that will hopefully keep them full until dinner. Speaking of weeknight dinners, they don’t have to be overly fussy, especially considering after-school commitments, homework, and parents’ work schedules. McConaghy has a few simple tips on quick dinner options to keep at your fingertips:
• Chicken. “It’s versatile, freezes forever, can be prepped and cooked in about 15 minutes, and most kids are more than happy to eat an actual chicken breast freshly prepared instead of over-processed chicken nuggets,” McConaghy says.
• Pasta. “Boil, add a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and your kids are full and happy,” McConaghy advises. “No need for mac and cheese if you can get your hands on some good-quality, fresh pasta that’s tasty enough to satisfy your whole crew.”
• Fresh veggies. “After a long day, kids are tired, hungry, and thirsty,” McConaghy tells us. “It’s the perfect opportunity to get them to eat refreshing veggies easily—think cucumber slices, green pepper slices, snap peas, carrots, etc.”
“Build-Your-Own” Meals for Kids
Another great parenting hack for the dinnertime hustle? Get your kids involved in making dinner. McConaghy says a salad bar is perfect for letting kids participate and taking stress off parents.
“Cut up a variety of veggies with your littles and create an assembly line of salad ingredient containers in your kitchen,” McConaghy advises. “Invite your kiddos to create their own salads. Aim to have some colorful options to entice your child to add multiple ingredients. Think yellow or orange peppers, red tomatoes, orange carrots, green cucumbers, etc.”
Other Fun Ways to Get Kids Involved in the Kitchen
One more fun way to get kids involved in making dinner, lunch, snacks, or anything? McConaghy suggests creating a family “cooking show.”
“Simply set up your phone on the counter, hit record, and it’s lights, camera, action time,” McConaghy shares. “It’s a fun and silly way to engage in the kitchen and it creates a great excuse to chat about ingredients, recipes, and kitchen tips out loud with your kiddos. Plus, the footage is priceless.”
Incorporating Fall Produce Into Kids’ Meals
In addition to quick-prep strategies, how can parents turn fall produce—think rutabagas, carrots, and squash—into dishes kids will actually enjoy?
“Root vegetables are so synonymous with fall, so delectably filling, and the best part is they are incredibly easy to prepare,” says McConaghy. “Kids tend to be curious about and excited to eat foods they’ve helped prepare and fall’s bounty of root veggies is the perfect way to get kiddos in the kitchen cooking because preparing them is almost fool-proof.”
As for how to get kids engaged, McConaghy advises involving all children in rinsing veggies and letting older kids cut. Littles of all ages can take part in simple tasks like putting veggies on a baking sheet, drizzling on olive oil, and adding spices like salt, pepper, and rosemary. Then, cook for 35-50 minutes in the oven at 375 Fahrenheit.
How to Get Picky Eaters to Try New and Different Fruits and Veggies
Whether it’s trying the root vegetables mentioned above or something else, back-to-school is prime time for kids to be exposed to new foods. But, don’t be discouraged if kids give an immediate “ick.”
“It takes multiple times trying a new flavor or food for a child to determine if they like it and develop a taste for it,” McConaghy shares. “A very simple rule of thumb is to keep pressure off trying new foods.”
McConaghy adds these simple tips:
• Keep it low-key: “Have your kiddos regularly try a bite of new foods at meal time, but truly let them know if they don’t like it, they do not have to eat it,” McConaghy tells us. “Often the newness of something is enough to make a child recoil so keep the moment very low-key.”
• Stay positive: “If your child tries something and does not like it, say ‘That’s okay, no biggie—I'm just glad you tried it. It’s very cool to try new things, great job,’” McConaghy says. “If your child knows trying something new can be low-commitment and positive, they will keep doing it.”
• If at first you don’t succeed, try again: “If your child did not like something before, and you revisit it a few dinners later, you can invite them to try again to see ‘if their taste buds have changed’ and they really like it now (when really, you are just building up repetition and familiarity with a new taste),” advises McConaghy.
• Give them agency: “Children, like adults, want agency over their eating,” McConaghy tells us. “If your kiddo is leery of trying something new or wasn’t crazy about the first bite of something new, ask if they want to add a little extra salt to it to see if it’s tastier. If they do, sprinkle a tiny bit of salt into their hands and have them sprinkle it on.”
Bonus: A Secret Ingredient / Shortcut to Keep Meals Healthy and Low-Stress
As an added bonus, McConaghy shares a final tip on a food that’s fun to eat, healthy, simple to prepare, and gets the seal of approval from most kids: corn on the cob. “It only takes three to five minutes to prepare and it is a great option for the carb-portion on your kiddo's meals, rather than other frequent go-tos like rice, pasta or bread,” says McConaghy.
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