It’s the most wonderful time of the year… But not always when it comes to packing lunches!
To make that morning battle easier and help set both you, and your kid, up for success throughout these initial weeks, we’ve picked out five different perfect recipes for the back-to-school season. And, to help with the cost of groceries, we’ve partnered with three select content creators across British Columbia to offer an enter-to-win gift card contest of $500 to a grocery store of your choice!
There’s a lot of concern still going on on the price of household needs and we want to help ease this burden as you settle back into a regular routine. It really is a wonderful time of the year as your child gets ready to learn, grow, and succeed both in and outside of the classroom—so we’d like to help play a small role in that!
Why #ThinkTurkey for the back-to-school season? Because it is loaded with high-quality, lean protein perfect for filling those bellies at lunchtime. Our farmers work hard every day of the year to bring you safe, quality products at your tables, proving time and again that locally-sourced is always best and fresh.
Thanks to the neutral flavour profile, turkey is ideal when combined with different spices and sauces. No matter what type of picky eater you’ve got, there’s a recipe that will appeal to their palate. The important thing is that they’re fueled up and returning to their #LocalRoots with regular routines and after-school activities.
So let’s get cooking!
Recipe 1: Grab and Go Turkey Muffins
Using turkey thighs as your cut, you can batch cook these muffins for easy lunches and snacks throughout the busy week, or the perfect breakfast booster for those hectic mornings. The best part is that while this is loaded with healthy protein, you can also sneak in quite a few essential veggies into the mix for even more nutrients. The versatility of this recipe is perfect for freezing and using across many meals this September.
Recipe 2: Everything Bagel Turkey Cheddar Crescent Rolls
This is such a fun and easy way of repurposing your turkey deli meat so that the same ingredient doesn’t bore your picky eater. Kids love this recipe because it’s got the everything bagel flavour, flaky dough, and cheesy goodness—while still retaining healthy, high-quality protein. This is an easy breakfast or lunch time snack.
Recipe 3: Big Crunch Oven Baked Turkey Tenders
Another turkey thigh recipe (buy in bulk and use up the cuts throughout the week!), the tasty, moist meat makes for the best turkey tenders… They also taste great a few days later which make them the perfect meal prep idea on the weekend. If you want to use this recipe throughout the school year, just switch up the dipping sauce for your kids’ favourite flavours: honey mustard, rand, hummus, BBQ, and more! It’s also a great snack for evenings as you bustle to sports and extracurriculars.
Recipe 4: Turkey Burger Mac N’ Cheese
It wouldn’t be a lineup of kid approved recipes without macaroni and cheese… This recipe is hearty and full of lean ground turkey, which is significantly healthier than ground beef or pork. With almost half the unhealthy fats you can rest easy knowing your little one is fueled up to succeed both in and out of the classroom with this meal.
Recipe 5: Turkey Tortilla Pie
Don’t let the image fool you, this is a super easy recipe to whip up! All you need is a spring-form pan. Loaded with whatever leftover turkey you have (ground, shredded, breast or thighs) and corn niblets, this is a super fun kid-friendly recipe that you can slice into portions same as you would a pizza or lasagna. One of our favourite parts? It freezes beautifully if you want to make more than one for future use.
Looking for even more back-to-school recipes that’ll keep your kid happy and satisfied? We’ve made a hub full of resources! Sometimes the return to regular routines and early mornings can stress us out, making our bodies susceptible to the seasonal cold. That’s why this month we’re all about wellness and food literacy—setting our children up for success with knowledge-based, healthy foods that provide us with good energy to tackle the day.
Check out our back-to-school campaign page for more information, and also how you can enter-to-win a $500 gift card to a BC grocery store of your choice!