Back-to-school time is easy with these 4 no-stress dinners

"The lazier routines of summer have to be reset, so the pressure's on. Bed times change, homework has to be managed and there's a lot more laundry. If you eat as a family (and research shows you definitely should), you also have to figure out what to make for dinner after a long day that starts with packing lunches and probably also includes sports practices and other extracurricular activities."

"The best weeknight meals, then, are ones that come together with minimal prep and a fairly short cooking time. Some can be largely prepared ahead or in batches - say in a slow cooker - and simply reheated. Choosing recipes that don't have you running all around town for an unusual ingredient also helps, as does picking one-pan dishes that guarantee easy cleanup."

"These four dinners can be assembled in a half-hour or less (one cooks all day long in a slow cooker) and use everyday ingredients. They include a meaty skillet lasagna that doesn't require boiling noodles in water; homemade fish sticks coated in a crunchy mix of panko and Parmesan; a four-ingredient fettuccine dish that makes the most of frozen baby peas; and a slow cooker chicken tortilla soup that marries boneless chicken breasts with fire-ro"

Back-to-school season triggers mixed emotions for parents, combining excitement about new milestones with anxiety over disrupted routines. Summer's lazier schedules require resetting bedtimes, managing homework, and handling increased laundry and logistics. Family dinners become harder due to packed days that include packing lunches, sports practices, and extracurriculars. The most practical weeknight meals require minimal prep, short cook times, common ingredients, batchability, and easy cleanup. Strategies include making big pots of soup for multiple meals or lunches and using slow cookers or one-pan dishes. Four suggested dinners are quick to assemble, use everyday ingredients, and accommodate busy schedules.

Read at Boston Herald