Easy Back-to-School Dinners

September is a busy month for parents. The laid back days of summer are replaced with hectic schedules and stressed parents trying to juggle homework, after school activities, and family time.

Don't let the fear of the home cooked meal, stop you from cooking. Embrace dinner time as an opportunity for the whole family to interact and share stories of their day. Compten Management Inc. has some great tips on how to prepare quick and easy dinners this school year.
 

It's all in the recipe!

Relax, healthy meals don't have to take an hour to make! Choosing shorter recipes for weeknights will greatly help you with your goal of providing healthy, home-cooked meals. Here are a few links to quick and easy meal ideas:

• Real Simple's A Month of 20-Minute Meals
• Six Sister's 50 Quick and Easy Back to School Dinners
• Ready Set Eat's Quick Back-To-School Recipes

Prepare ahead, way ahead!

Start using your freezer more. If you have a day off and can spend some of it in the kitchen, then save yourself some weeknight stress and prepare meals to freeze. We love The Pioneer Woman's Freezer Cooking blog, it's the perfect introduction to all the possibilities freezer cooking has. In addition, we have listed a few great links for freezer friendly recipes:

• Our Best Freezer-Friendly Meals from Cooking Light
• Top 20 Freezable Recipes from Rachel Ray Everyday
• 24 Easy Freezer Recipes from Southern Living

Set it and forget it!

Your slow cooker may just become your new best friend when you see how easy it is to use. Prepare dinner before you leave for work in the morning and have it ready to eat when you get home. With dinner already done, you will have more time to focus on your family. Here are a few of our favourite slow cooker recipes:

• The Magical Slow Cooker's 20 Back to School Slow Cooker Dinners
• A Cedar Spoon's 35 Back to School Crockpot Recipes
• Funny Is Family's Back to School Crock Pot Recipes Your Kids will Actually Eat

With these simple tools, cooking a healthy meal may actually be easier than heading out to the fast food joint! When healthy, home cooked meals are made easy, you'll look forward to dinnertime.

Looking for an apartment close to schools in Toronto or Mississauga this Fall? We have lots of options for you!