Recipes for the End-of-School-Year Circus

Maycember is going strong and your family is HANGRY.

Check out these quick meal ideas to get you through the day!

Photo by Stephen Cordes on Unsplash
because like everyone else, I was trying to get out the house and get some breakfast in me before too much chaos!

Sausage & Egg Bagels

Quick and easy; perfect for those "run out the door" mornings as you can eat it on the go!

Breakfast Ingredients might include your favorite protein, cheeses, breads (I am liking protein everything bagels right now), and condiments. Cook, assemble, create, enjoy! These are freezeable too, so they can be made in advance of your chaotic week! Check out The Kitchen Magpie for a great recipe and make it your own based on your family's tastebuds!
Notes:

Time tight? Forgot to prep? Microwaveable sausages still taste great!
Sheet pan eggs (made in advance) could also contain your protein and veggies, making it super easy to create your sandwich on those busy mornings.
Add cottage cheese into eggs for extra protein.
Microwave eggs are great for last minute running late options.
While I prefer the entire sandwich toasted, sometimes the microwave melting cheese does the trick!

Meatball Subs

Meatball Subs are one of my favorite sandwiches! I don't eat them often now due to digestive issues with pasta sauces, but they certainly are yummy. Every once in a while, I get a craving!

Ingredients include: Marinara, ground meats, spices, provolone, and if you dare- onions & peppers on top of a hoagie roll.
Meatballs can be bought frozen or try a variation of Ree's Dummond's handmade recipe. Handmade doesn't take too long, as long as the meat is thawed. Granted, if you have a large family, hand rolling might take a while! If I have it, I usually prefer a mixture of beef and pork.

Cheeseburger Bowls

Skip the fastfood and grab your skillet, because this meal can be done faster than sitting in the McD's drive through line on Market Street!

Ingredients include: ground beef, sesame seeds, onions, veggies (I use a bag of broccoli slaw), garlic, and various spices. Some might put cheese, pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce on top of theirs.

Create your own sauce with mayo, ketchup, relish, vinegar, & paprika.

Stir-fry all the goodness, put into a bowl, top with whatever your heart is content with (or what you have in the house.. as I'm currently out of pickles), your secret sauce, and much away!

Add some air- fried garlic potatoes for a tad bit of carbs too. I just happened to have garlic oil, but spice will do as well. While prepping your veggies, cut up your potatoes and stick em in water for 5- 10 mins. Afterwards, pat dry, toss in oil & your favorite spices, then throw in the air fryer for around 10 mins.

Easy Chocolate Chip Bars

Chocolate chip bars & cookies are my nemesis. If I buy from the grocery store, the container is gone within 2 days.. and I don't have sneaky little fingers in my household. Just mine!

So I've stopped the storebought stuff and only make something if I reallly have a sweet tooth. Then I cut the recipe in half, so that I don't end up eating an entire tray of cookies by myself!

This small batch of chocolate chip cookie bars fits in a small pan (mine is 9 X 6, and as you can see, it didn't stretch to all of it), and is perfect for a craving in a small amount!

Check out Lifestyle of a Foodie for my favorite recipe right now. Granted, I always add extra vanilla and extra chocolate chips, because, well, those are my favorite things!

If you have a large family, of course you can always double this! But seriously, I made this with all ingredients I normally have, and it took less than 10 mins to create the batter, and around 20 to bake!

Eat what you have

We are all guilty of not eating what we have. Whether it's the craving of Chick Fil A, or the convience of Wendy's after that late night event; eating out can add up over time. If you have a family of 3 or 4 or more, that's really getting into the $$$!

I've become a fan of the "eat what we have at home" mantra for myself, and while it's hard to resist the gazillion fast food & restaurant places between work, the gym, or whatever activity I find myself at; I really can make things at home with what I have!

If you scroll socials, save those recipes. Bookmark the pages. Come back to them. There's even several social media gurus out there that show us how to make our favorite fast food at home- for way less $$ and way less fat/ calories! If you open up your freezer and wonder what the heck can you make with that; google. Something will surely pop up!

Don't Skip Breakfast

Also- y'all. Don't skip breakfast. I'm not a big breakfast eater myself, but I've found lately that I need it. I don't mean eating just a huge cinnamon roll, croissant, or cereal bar either.

Like, a real breakfast complete with protein.

The protein helps me from sugar crashing and binging later on the day. When I actually do eat breakfast & normal meals, I don't wake up at 3 am wanting to eat an entire bag of potato chips!

P.S- remember your water too! Our caffeinated selves will thank our hydrated selves later on in the day!

Cue- if you are getting a headache, yes, it could be the office staff not leaving you alone, the children's gazllion and one activities, or just the fact that you had 5 cups of coffee and no water today!

Happy end of the school year!