We all knew it was coming: the new school year has finally arrived! As we settle into our new schedule, we are forming new routines and rituals. This is a great time to establish weeknight family meals within those routines. Here are a few tips to create simple, fun meals to be shared together.
Stock up on your kids’ new favorites
Over the course of the summer, our kids have had a chance to try new things. Through play dates, camp, traveling, and staying over with family, new flavors and types of cuisine have probably been introduced. I like to take the kids to the store or market and let them show me some of the foods they have been trying when we were away from each other — maybe even a new fruit or vegetable!
You can experiment with new recipes in the kitchen together, giving kids a sense of confidence about the exciting foods they are trying.
Take advantage of ripe September tomatoes
While canning your own tomatoes is a fantastic way to preserve the late harvest tomato bounty, few of us have the time and resources it takes to perform such a task. Another way to keep those sweet ripe tomatoes at your fingertips long after the final harvest has passed is to make soup or sauce out of it and then freeze that in quart containers for weeknight meals.
You can either quick boil (30 seconds) or roast the tomatoes on high for a few minutes to remove the tomato skins. Use the skinless tomato flesh in marinara sauce, tomato soup, or simply freeze the peeled tomatoes as they are and add them to recipes later in the year. There are few meals as satisfying on a rainy, cold fall evening as grilled cheese and tomato soup. With summer’s last sweet tomatoes sitting in your freezer, this delightful meal comes together in no time!
Create a noodle bar
Noodle bowls are a great way to please the whole family as everyone can add in whatever they like. Make a rich broth on the weekend, along with vegetable garnishes such as fresh corn cut off the cob, bok choy, and charred scallions.
If you’re using meat such as chicken or pork to create the broth, remove the meat from the broth, portion it, and keep it in the fridge for later. Just before dinnertime during the week, heat up the broth and warm the cooked vegetables and portioned meat in the broth. Once warmed up, put each garnish separately into little bowls.
Choices for quality noodles abound. Simply boil your favorite type, lightly dress with vegetable oil to avoid sticking, and put into a large serving bowl. Soft boil, poach, or fry eggs and put onto a serving platter.
At the table, let everyone customize their own bowl with broth, vegetables, meat, noodles, and eggs. Don’t forget your favorite condiments such as toasted sesame oil, chili paste, and kimchi.
These types of meals are perfect for families that have some vegetarians. Just keep the broth veggie, add tofu as a choice, and keep the meat separate or don’t serve at all.
Stock up for
the weekend
Busy back-to-school schedules may prevent us from getting a chance sit down together to share meals during the week. I like to keep the pantry stocked with ingredients for my families’ favorite brunch dishes, so we can all catch up with each other on the weekend. Whether it is pancakes (recipe follows), oatmeal, or scones, something freshly made on the weekend is extremely comforting. Round out the meal with fresh fruit and yogurt — or if you are like us, some jam and maple syrup from summer travels!
Don’t over complicate the weeknight meal
Weeknight meals should be about togetherness, connecting over food. Simplify your offerings if it means that dinner gets served and does not cause the cook anxiety. When we sit down together and share a meal, we are supporting each other and learning healthy eating habits for a lifetime!
Joanna DeVita is executive chef at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School. She loves nothing more than spending time with her family outdoors and sharing with them her love and respect for nature, good ingredients, and the joy of cooking.
Whole-wheat blueberry pancakes
Serves: 2 to 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbs maple syrup, agave syrup, honey, or granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup milk (maybe more, depending on the flour)
1 egg
4 tbs melted, lightly browned butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries or 3/4 cup cleaned, fresh blueberries
DIRECTIONS: Measure the flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar (if using) into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix lightly with a whisk and set aside.
In another mixing bowl, add: milk, egg, melted butter, vanilla, and syrup (if using).
Add the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix gently with a rubber spatula until batter just comes together. Do not over mix. Allow batter to sit for 20 minutes if you have the time. Thin the batter slightly with extra milk if needed.
Gently fold in the blueberries, taking care not to mix too much and turn the batter purple.
Griddle pancakes using fresh butter to grease the pan before every batch. Enjoy!
