Casseroles and Hot Dishes are a great way to add extra veggies to your family meals!
For some parents, the end of August and the beginning of September means Back to school time. With all of the moving parts, having an easy dinner that is tasty and comforting can be a welcome way to end the day.
Many casseroles and hot dishes can be prepped the night before and stored in the fridge until it’s time to cook them in the oven, and some can be made in a crockpot!
Here are just a few of my favorite casseroles and hot dishes:
My kids don’t have a lunch quite this fancy, but it looks amazing!
During the school year, I take my lunch to work every day. Not only is it cheaper than getting takeout daily, but bringing food to work helps me stay “on track” with my nutrition goals.
My kids also take their lunches every day. California public schools offer free breakfast and lunch to all kids, but my kids don’t like the offerings, and that’s ok with me.
Here are my top tips for packing a tip-top lunch- a lunch that gets eaten!
Invest in an insulated lunch bag. I have this one and it’s awesome. It keeps everything at the correct temperature.
Speaking of temps- Blue ice is ok, but these flexible ice sheets are better. You can wrap them around stuff in the lunch box/bag that needs to stay cold.
We have various-sized thermoses, perfect for keeping hot food at the best temp. To really keep hot food hot, I recommend pouring boiling hot water into the thermos and putting on the lid to let the inside heat up. After 10 minutes, dump out the hot water, pour in the hot food, and screw the lid on tightly. These 10-ounce thermoses are perfect for kids lunches. Spaghetti, soup, mac n’ cheese, and leftovers of most types work really well in these containers. My daughter loves Sanrio, and she has one of these with Kuromi.
My son loves Smoothies, and to keep them cold and frosty, I use an insulated bottle like these. Much like prepping a thermos for hot food, keeping smoothies frosty, prep an insulated bottle with ice old water (with cubes)for 10-15 minutes. Dump them out, pour in the smoothie and screw the cap on. I include a boba straw with his lunch.
I like salads for lunch, and with a container like this one from Contigo, all of my salad “parts” stay fresh and the lettuce doesn’t get wilty or gross.
In case you are wondering what my kids and I have for lunch, here are just a few examples:
Boy child: Smoothie (contains fruit, greek yogurt, fairlife milk), chips or pretzels, granola bar, fruit snack, protein cookies.
Girl Child: Something hot (usually chicken noodle soup or mac n’ cheese), apple slices, chips or pretzels, cookie, fruit snack, cheese stick.
Me: Meal Prepped lunch (2 ounces meat, 4-6 ounces of veggies, 1/2 cup starch), Salad with 2 ounces of meat, or a frozen entree with at least 15 grams of protein, 2 small clementines or 1 orange cut-up, 1 cup of veggies (carrot sticks or celery), serving of guac or hummus, can of fizzy water. My morning snack is a cup of Greek yogurt and 1 cup of fruit.
Are you familiar with Canva? It’s a website where you can make all sorts of media- both print and digital!
I love it because I have made forms including inventories, visual schedules, and weekly calendars. It has been an immense help in keeping my home running more efficiently, which is definitely needed with two neurodivergent kids.
Household Management planner (Includes Chore charts, Weekly schedules, Meal Planner, and Kitchen Inventories). I have this printed and in a three-ring binder.
Q-insights is another company where I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.
They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often in San Diego County. Currently, they are recruiting for a 1.5 hour virtual webcam interview on the topic of Entertainment.
Date: Thursday, August 15th
Length: 1.5 hours
Method: Online via Discuss. You MUST do a tech check before your session.
Incentive: $150
If you’re interested in participating please fill out the survey here and a recruiter will contact you if you pre-qualify and ask additional screening questions.
10 days until school starts for us… Not that I’m counting.
I grocery shopped on Thursday and picked up a lot of staples for smoothies and mac n’ cheese- The two current food hyper focuses.
I’m trying hard to get the kids to increase their fiber and protein intake. I can tell the difference when they are filling up on both- if nothing else, it helps them sleep better.
Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.
I’ve gotten a good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same.
Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these and these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites can be found here.
Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. We eat lunch at home most days, and I pack snacks and water for us when we are out having summer adventures.
Dinner: It’s so hot here in Southern California, that I’m trying hard not to turn on the oven. We’re enjoying a lot of ready-to-eat sides (chips and fruit), so that time in the kitchen is minimized.
Sunday: Sweet and Spicy Pork, Basmati Rice, Roasted Green Beans (any leftovers will be meal-prepped for lunches for the remainder of the week)
I love good deals. I recently stumbled across a few great deals on Amazon on back-to-school essentials.
As someone who works in a school, this is my number one deal- 72 Pack Black Whiteboard Erasable Markers at 50% off with coupon code 50T375GI. (deal ends 8/9/2024 at 11:59PM PDT)
I have already ordered this one- The charging cables in my house are out of control. Electronics Organizer bag 9.45″x7.09″x3.94″. 50% off with coupon code 507ITYG2. (deal ends Aug 11, 2024 at 11:59 PM PDT)
Daily and Weekly Planners in various pastel colors 8.4’x6.4″ 40% off with coupon code 40Y873CB. (deal ends 8/13/2024 at 11:59 PM PDT)
Acrylic Paint Markers– These are awesome for painting rocks among other things. Two varieties 50% off with coupon code 50Q1I3IN. (deal ends Aug 17, 2024 at 11:59 PM PDT)
My comprehensive list can be found here if you are looking for free food resources. It is focused on San Diego County, but additional resources are outside my area.
Brightlife is a great, free resource for California families. They offer free behavior coaching for parents of children ages 0-12 years.
Kids ages 0–12 get free, expert coaching for sleep issues, worry, social skills, and more. Live, 1:1 video sessions, secure chat, on-demand content, and more.
Brightlife Kids is fully paid for by the State of California. Together, we are working to ensure all California families can find the behavioral health support they need when they need it. You qualify if you have a California zip code and a child ages 0–12.
Did you know you don’t have to be a senior citizen to join AARP?
Seriously. I’m 45 and I’ve been a member for 2 years.
Did you know that with an AARP membership, you can score discounts and deals on travel, car buying services, and even a lower price on your cell phone contract?
Perhaps my favorite deal is saving money at Denny’s. The cost of membership pays for itself when I take the kids to Denny’s twice in one year.
Taylor Research is a research company in San Diego, CA and I have done studies for them for over 20 years. I do 3 or 4 a year on various topics.
Taylor Research has a new research opportunity available for Adults with Diabetes.
• Study Topic: Diabetes Product Usability • Study Type: In-Person Interview • Study Location: San Diego, California • Target Audience: Adults diagnosed with diabetes • Available Date(s): August 13-15, 2024 • Session Duration: 4 hours • Reward Amount: $400
The research will take place at a facility in San Diego. To be considered for this study, complete the pre-screener here.
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10 days until school starts for us… Not that I’m counting.
I love good deals. I recently stumbled across a few great deals on Amazon on back-to-school essentials.
School has already started for a lot of kids, my kids have less than 2 weeks of summer break left.
Brightlife 
Hewes Family Fun 