Back to School Weeknight Dinner Roundup
After a summer filled with camping and BBQ’s do you find yourself scrambling to remember what you used to cook for dinner? Or maybe you’re looking to switch things up, or focusing this year on providing more balanced meals for your family. Either way, I’ve got you covered.
There are 10 recipes here, which is 2 full weeks of dinners mapped out for you to rinse and repeat, or mix in among your family’s staple favourites.
1. Sheet-Pan Salmon with Roasted Vegetables
A one-pan wonder with omega-3-rich salmon, broccoli, and peppers. Minimal prep and cleanup. I recommend serving with mashed sweet potatoes!
2. One-Pot Chicken & Vegetable Pasta
A family-friendly pasta loaded with chicken, zucchini, spinach and tomatoes. Perfect for sneaking in extra veggies.
3. Turkey Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash & Marinara
A classic that gets a nutritional upgrade with lean turkey meatballs and a simple tomato sauce. Add a big green salad on the side for extra veggies!
4. Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry
Fast, colourful and endlessly customizable. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
5. Easy Lentil & Sweet Potato Curry
A hearty plant-based option packed with fibre, plant protein and warming spices. Serve over basmati or brown rice.
6. Greek Lamb Bowls
Build a bowl with ground lamb (or chicken if lamb isn’t your thing), cucumber, tomatoes, olives, quinoa or rice, hummus and a dollop of tzatziki. Everyone can assemble their own.
7. Stuffed Bell Peppers
Fill colourful peppers with ground turkey or beef, brown rice, tomatoes and herbs, then top with a little cheese and bake. Serve a salad on the side and you’ve got a fun weeknight meal where the veggies are the bowl!
8. Chicken Pesto Flatbread Pizzas
Use whole-grain flatbreads as the base and top with pesto, rotisserie chicken, cherry tomatoes, spinach and mozzarella. Dinner is ready in about 15–20 minutes, no fuss. Serve with a caesar salad and you’re done.
9. Beef & Broccoli Rice Bowls
A homemade version of your takeout favourite. Pair lean beef and broccoli with brown rice and a simple ginger-miso sauce.
For those first cooler evenings of September, nothing beats a big pot of nourishing soup, ready in just over 30 mins! Serve with crusty sourdough, and make extra and you've got tomorrow's lunch sorted.
Bonus: Make a point of all sitting down together, screen free, like we used to. This will not only benefit your digestion, but research also shows sitting down together boosts children's academic success, self esteem and encourages life long eating habits!