Easy and Healthy Recipes for Back-to-School

Breakfast

The key to a back-to-school breakfast is convenience. You might have grand plans of having healthy recipes on the table each morning, but in reality, you're going to hit snooze a bunch and end up handing out granola bars as you're shoving the kids out the door. So, try these healthy recipes to boost the nutrition value.

1. Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to pack in on-the-go nutrition. There are a million different combinations you can try, plus it's easy to hide stuff that you don't want your kids to know about in there (like fruits and veggies). Go ahead, put some kale in there, we dare you!

Recipe: PB Banana Berry Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 large banana, ripe
• 1 cup strawberries, frozen
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter
• 1 cup almond milk

Make It:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.
2. For more healthy recipes, check out this list of 50 Healthy Green Smoothies!

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2. Breakfast Bowl Wraps

Literally anything you might throw into a breakfast bowl can be wrapped up in a flour tortilla and taken on the go. Bonus points if you prepare it in advance and pop it right out of the fridge or freezer. Check out this easy recipe for Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos:

Recipe: Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Serving size: 1 burrito

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 5 whole eggs
• 10 egg whites
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 8-ounce package fully cooked diced ham
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 10 tablespoons reduced fat mild cheddar shredded cheese
• 10 La Tortilla Factory Low Carb, High Fiber Whole-Wheat Tortillas, Original Size
• plastic wrap or freezer paper
• 2 gallon size resealable bags

Make It:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg whites. Heat a large nonstick skillet, over medium-low heat. Add ½ tablespoon of butter to the skillet. When melted, pour the eggs in and allow to set up for about 1 minute, then proceed to scramble.
2. Heat a separate large skillet over medium heat, and add the remaining ½ tablespoon of butter. Cook the peppers and onions for about 8-10 minutes, until soft. Add the spinach and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until wilted.
3. Spread the scrambled eggs on a baking sheet, and the cooked vegetables on another. Refrigerate until cool. Cooling the filling before assembly helps prevent the burritos from becoming soggy when they are microwaved.
4. While the filling is cooling, spread the ham out on a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess moisture.
5. Evenly fill each tortilla with the eggs, vegetables, ham, and 1 tablespoon cheese, then wrap like a burrito.
6. Line a baking dish with with the burritos and put them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to flash freeze them.
7. When very cold, wrap each burrito in plastic wrap individually, and then in freezer paper after that if desired.
8. To microwave them after they are frozen: unwrap the burrito from the freezer paper and plastic wrap, then loosely wrap it in a damp paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave one at a time for 2½ to 3 minutes, then allow to rest for 1 to 2 minutes before eating, being careful because contents will be hot.

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Recipe: Raspberry Parfait Wrap Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 flour tortilla (per wrap)
• 3 Tbsp Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup vanilla granola
• 1½ Tbsp raspberry preserves

Make It:

1. Using a spoon to spread the yogurt and preserves over the tortilla.
2. Sprinkle granola over the middle and wrap the tortilla up like a burrito.

Dinner

After you finally make it home from a long day of work, school, soccer practice (or whatever), now you have to hurry up and feed the kids and get them to bed so you can do the whole thing all over again tomorrow! You need easy, healthy recipes (emphasis on the easy), so here's what we're thinking….

1. English Muffin Pizzas

Easy, satisfying, and generally well-received by all. These mini pizzas are super easy and can even be made in advance and frozen to be put straight into the oven. Plus, it's pretty easy to get veggies in the kids when you hide them under cheese.

Recipe: Mini Caprese Pizzas

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 2 pizzas

Ingredients:

• 30 cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 6 light multigrain English muffins, sliced in half
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin disks
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Make It:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Line the baking sheet with the tomatoes, and evenly sprinkle the garlic powder and Italian seasoning over them.
3. Generously spray the tomatoes with nonstick cooking spray (olive oil flavor is suggested).
4. Roast in the oven until the tomato skins begin to split and wrinkle, 8-10 minutes. Take out and set aside.
5. To assemble pizzas, line a second rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place all 12 English muffin halves on the baking sheet, cut-side up.
6. Evenly divide the spinach, cheese, and tomatoes between all 12 pizzas. Layer the spinach, then cheese, then 5 tomatoes, and finally sprinkle the basil evenly over all 12 pizzas.
7. Bake the pizzas for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
8. Lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar prior to serving.

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2. Healthy Casseroles

It sounds cliche, but the casserole is king for a reason. Relatively simple ingredients that can be prepared in advance and placed in the fridge or freezer until it's time to pop them in the oven, it's simple, and that's why we like it. Also check out these 40 Healthy Dinner Under 400 Calories!

Recipe: Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Serving size: 1½ cups

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (10.5-ounce) can Campbell's Healthy Request condensed cream of chicken soup
• ⅓ cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
• ¾ cup fat-free milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (8.8-ounce) pouch read-made brown rice
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup panko bread crumbs

Make It:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is bright green. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add the chicken to the water and bring back up to a boil. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts and set on a plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken breasts with a fork.
4. Microwave the rice according to package directions.
5. In a large bowl, mix the soup, yogurt, milk, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken, broccoli, rice and ½ cup of the cheddar. Use a large spoon to stir and combine, making sure the soup mixture evenly coats all of the ingredients.
6. Transfer the chicken and rice mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining ½ cup cheddar and the panko.
7. Bake uncovered until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, about 20 minutes.

So, what are your easy, healthy back-to-school recipes? Tell us about your survival techniques in the comments below!

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