Your Complete Guide to Getting the Kids Back to School

Getting the kids back to school always feels like a mammoth effort. After the last few weeks of summer holidays, getting back into routine might feel even more daunting. So we've created this helpful guide to assist with getting the ball rolling.

Tips & Organising Ideas

Going from waking up with the sun, taking your time with breakfast and having no schedule to follow, to having school timetables to stick to, can be a shock to the system! To help you start planning out your new routine, take a look at these blogs with tips and ideas to create a smooth transition.

Keeping Lunch Boxes Fun (and Eaten)

We sourced our top picks of The Organised Housewife's lunchbox recipes!
Caprese Potato Skewers.
Zucchini & Feta Slice.

INGREDIENTS

80ml olive oil

1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped

1 cup ham, chopped

80g pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 cup self-raising flour

3 medium green zucchini, grated

4 eggs, lightly whisked

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup parmesan, shredded

100g feta, crumbled

Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C, fan forced.
  2. Grease a 12-cup mini loaf pan and set aside, or alternatively use a non-stick silicone mini loaf pan.
  3. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over a medium heat.
  4. Add onion, garlic, ham and pine nuts. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until pine nuts are toasted.
  5. Sift flour into large bowl. Add onion mixture and zucchini. Stir to combine.
  6. Meanwhile, whisk egg, milk, parmesan, feta and remaining oil together.
  7. Make well in the middle of flour mixture and add egg mixture. Stir to combine.
  8. Pour mixture into mini loaf pan.
  9. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
  10. Rest in pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely or serve warm.
Prosciutto and peach salad
Vietnamese Chicken Rice Paper Rolls

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp oil

400g Tegel Fresh Chicken Skinless Breast, sliced

12 medium rice paper wrappers

1 Lebanese cucumber, grated

2 carrots, grated

1 cup shredded lettuce

1/4 cup mint leaves

1/4 cup coriander leaves

2 spring onions, finely chopped

Dipping Sauce:

3 Tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice

1 Tbsp chopped coriander

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine the ginger, chilli and oil in a bowl. Add the Tegel Fresh Chicken Skinless Breast and mix well.
  2. Heat a non stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
  3. Place a rice paper wrapper in a bowl of hot water for about 30 seconds or until it has softened enough to roll. Pat dry and place on a flat surface.
  4. Place some of the chicken, cucumber, carrot, lettuce, mint, coriander and spring onion in a line down the centre of the rice paper wrapper, leaving about 3cm at one end. Fold up the wrapper at this end. Roll up tightly to enclose the filling, leaving the filling exposed at the top. Repeat with remaining rice paper wrappers and ingredients. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce:

  1. Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl
Strawberry Bruschetta
Homemade Strawberry Rollups Fruit Leather

INGREDIENTS

1 punnet strawberries

1 tablespoon, castor sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to lowest temperature
  2. Line a baking tray with baking paper
  3. Remove the leaves from the strawberries
  4. Place strawberries and sugar into mini chopper, and blitz until strawberries are smooth
  5. Pour strawberry puree onto baking tray
  6. Place in oven and cook for 3 hours or until the mix is dried and not sticky
  7. Chop into desired size and place in an airtight container

NOTE

One punnet of strawberries only made 6 average sized roll ups. The oven was on for 3 hours. One would say, why bother? But I think knowing what is in these snacks for the kids is a great benefit and worth the time and effort. Double the quantity, 2 baking trays in the oven to ensure you are maximising all the space you have available in the oven.

Extra Curricular

There is always something nice about the start of the school year but it is an adjustment for both parents and kids. Keep everyone on track with these helpful blogs.