Back to School: Tips for a Healthy Start

Terug naar school: tips voor een gezonde start

Bye bye blissful summer vacation! With my simple tips and inspiration you can continue the good vibes of summer without any problem during busy days and get back to work in top shape!

Especially for you, I selected my favorite recipes for time- and budget-friendly cooking. Conjuring up fresh food for the whole family every day, as a mom I know all too well that this is often a challenge?! Make it nice and easy for yourself with my quick breakfasts, original lunchbox inspiration, balanced snacks, meal prep ideas and varied weekly menu full of delicious family dishes. This way you save valuable time for other fun activities... hello quality time!

Start your day with a good energy-filled breakfast

Don't waste time in the morning and start your day full of energy… how do you do that? With these recipes, you can ensure an easy-going morning routine and still enjoy a feel-good breakfast: Granola is a real favorite at home, crunchy goodness full of delicious grains and seeds that you can easily prepare in advance and with which you can enhance countless other dishes for some extra energy. Be sure to try my granola with chocolate, coconut, and oats or would you prefer my breakfast recipe with turmeric, honey, and ginger? You can also find a kids-proof version on my platform. Something for everyone! For some extra variety with granola, I recommend this yogurt bowl with seasonal fruit or these breakfast cupcakes with banana. But you can also easily prepare these oatmeal pancakes the day before and just freeze the leftovers. A delicious topping of fruit and yogurt… Thank me later!

Prefer a breakfast on-the-go? Then these overnight oats with almond milk, spinach, kiwi, banana, oats, and chia seeds are definitely for you! You prepare everything the night before, let it sit in the fridge overnight, and you have an instant breakfast in a nice jar ready to take with you. Do you have some leftover fruit or vegetables? Make a delicious smoothie with it, super easy for on the go! Or go for a royal treat with this green smoothie bowl. For both recipes, you can also endlessly vary with the ingredients!

If you're not a fan of coffee and still need a boost, here are a few fun ideas for a kick-ass start to the day:

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Inspiration to pimp your lunchbox

Time to pick up our healthy habits again after the vacation with a well-filled lunchbox! How do you ensure some extra variety without too much preparation? On my website, you can find a ton of delicious and easy recipes: bread and spreads, salads with fresh dressings to wraps, pasta salads, and quiches. I’ve got you!

No boring lunchboxes with these delicious sandwiches and spreads:

Sando sandwich with ham, cheese, pepperbell spread, and lots of veggies
Bagel with cream cheese, pesto, radishes, and Gandaham
Sandwich with frikandel, carrot salad, and goat cheese
Veggie martino
Tuna melt sandwich
Kids-proof spreads: almond butter, homemade hummus, and speculoos paste
Bread rolls with colorful veggies
Brown bread with cheddar and broccoli spread

Wraps are also super versatile as a light snack for lunch. Like this delicious sesame chicken wrap with beans or this spinach tortilla with crispy pepper and white cabbage salad. You can also freeze or bake wraps in the oven with some herbs as crackers.

Do you have some leftover vegetables? Make a nice dip or hummus with it, super tasty with some raw veggies to nibble on or in a salad with a homemade dressing:

Other lunch ideas? Be creative with leftovers from the week! A delicious quiche or pasta goes perfectly with a fresh salad: quiche with smoked salmon, goat cheese, and eggplant or a veggie quiche with broad beans and feta cheese. My absolute favorite is this cold pasta salad with roasted tomatoes, beans, tuna, and cucumber-ricotta vinaigrette.

And also an egg is always tasty! On toast with pesto and avocado or even with warm beet greens, delicious! With an omelet, you can also make a gluten-free wrap, like this colorful spinach omelet wrap with goat cheese.

Healthy and delicious snacks

A healthy snack in between meals for small hunger pangs or as an afternoon treat helps you stay full and energized throughout the day. With fruit, oatmeal, dates, stale bread, etc., you can make the most fun snacks without refined sugars, and the kids can also help in the kitchen on Wednesday afternoons:

Chocolate banana bread
Gluten-free banana bread with nuts and chocolate
No bake oatmeal date cookies
Blueberry muffins
Gingerbread with plums
Bread pudding with apples
Coconut oatmeal cookies
Easy peasy matcha energy balls

My guilty pleasure is dark chocolate, together with nuts and dates the ideal snack for a busy workweek. Here are a few delicious brain food recipes: Date bars with fondant chocolate and nuts or all the way with these chocolate jam peanut butter bars and last but not least these heavenly no bake brownies.

But you can also bake delicious things with vegetables! Try my red beet brownies or zucchini and pumpkin cake to treat your colleagues and friends!

Quick and easy family dishes for every day

Back to school, keep it cool! With my quick recipes (15 – 30 min) and varied weekly menus you can plan everything in advance and cook deliciously fresh for the whole family. This way, as a mom, I ensure that there is always fresh soup full of vitamins ready to satisfy the first hunger or serve as a full meal: chervil soup, tomato soup with meatballs or pumpkin soup with pumpkin fries.

Make it easy for yourself with my quick and easy family dishes for big and small, enjoy!