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    Home » Tips & Tutorials

    Published: Aug 27, 2020 by Danielle · This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.

    How to Homeschool and Still Serve Dinner

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    Family around dinner table with graphic overlay
    Family doing school at home with graphic overlay

    In just 4 steps and less than an hour this practical guide will help you create a master plan based on your family’s preferred meals so you can homeschool and still get dinner on the table. Plus additional practical tips along with 10 easy weeknight dinner ideas to get you started.

    Dinner served around table with graphics
    It is so satisfying to serve a good meal to the family after a long day.
    Skip to:
    • 📖 Background
    • 🏅Master Strategy
    • 🥘 Practical Tips & Tricks
    • 🍽 10 Dinner Ideas
    • 📋 Free week-long meal plan
    • 👋 Connect with us!
    • 💬 Comments

    📖 Background

    Hi! In case you don’t know me, my name is Danielle. I spent 20 years homeschooling my five kiddos from K-12. During those years we had various seasons of sports, youth group, music lessons, co-ops, and homeschool group activities, yet we were able to homeschool all day and still serve dinner. (It wasn't always pretty though. #pb&jelly) We are a single income family so frequent eating out or paying for a service wasn’t in the budget, especially as they got older and no one was eating kids' meals anymore.

    I tell you this because I want you to know the circumstances under which this post is written. We are an average homeschooling family, but for 20 years I would homeschool and still cook dinner an average of 6 nights per week. I’m not saying that to toot my own horn, but really to say it’s possible. I promise that I do not possess any hidden superpowers. It will look different for you than it does for me, but it is possible.

    But before we pull out the helpful hints and tips there is one thing I want to say. Be kind to yourself. Homeschooling your kids, whether you have chosen it or it has been thrust upon you, is challenging. Add to that all the regular responsibilities of a family, for some working outside the home, and you have 2-3 full-time jobs happening. 

    Having said that, feeding your family dinner and homeschooling is absolutely possible. Since each family situation is unique, this master plan is completely customizable to your needs. We will break it down into actionable pieces which will help you build a plan that bridges the gap from overwhelm to manageable. 

    But, if things don’t go the way you hoped the first week, evaluate why (kindly), and try again the next week. Focus on baby steps. You don’t have to master this in one week or even one month. Just plug away and eventually you will find a balance that gives you freedom. Enough of that, let’s get to the practical bits.

    Shredded tacos, beans, and rice on plate.
    The meat, beans, and rice in this dinner can be made in large batches and frozen for up to 3 months. Then dinner is as easy as heat and eat.

    🏅Master Strategy

    This post is broken down into three parts: 1) master strategy, 2) practical tips and tricks, 3) easy dinner ideas. So grab a piece of paper, a pen, a couple highlighters, and let’s begin. (NOTE: this exact same thing can be done on a computer, tablet, or phone. Just follow the same steps.) 

    Please, please do not worry about this being pretty. It’s supposed to be practical and useful. Planning will take a little bit longer than normal the first week, but after that it will be so much faster. Don't forget: you can homeschool and serve dinner!

    1. Create a master list of your family's favorite dinner ideas. Place them in categories based on method or time (for example: slow cooker, 15 minute, weekend, etc.).  Next, highlight each of the main courses based on main ingredient. Highlight chicken in purple, beef in red, meatless in orange, etc. Repeat until all the meals have been assigned a highlight. 
    2. Decide how much time you are willing and able to spend on dinner by looking at your calendar. Be realistic. Do your kids have activities certain nights that limit your ability to spend time cooking in the evening? Maybe give that day a slow cooker meal. Do you frequently feel like you are cramming too much in on Wednesdays? Maybe you need a 15 minute hands-on sheet pan dinner those nights. Or maybe you have ground beef in the freezer that needs used on a night when you have 30 minutes to cook dinner, so you look in the category of 30 minute meals and look for one that uses ground beef. I like to call this the plop and go method. Maybe the name could use a little refining. 😉
    3. Record your meal plan on paper, using an app, etc. Once it is written down you can refer to it throughout the week. No more thinking.
    4. Make a grocery list of the items you need to accomplish your plan. My favorite way is to add the items to my grocery cart and pick them up when I am ready. It saves me so much time. But you do what works best for you.

    If this sounds good but you need a week to make it happen, sign up for our newsletter below👇🏻 and we will send you a free week-long menu plan.

    Chicken and veggies in stir-fry sauce
    Skillet meals are perfect for when you need dinner in under 30 minutes.

    🥘 Practical Tips & Tricks

    Additional Strategies

    Now that you have the basic steps down you can layer in additional strategies depending on your season of life. These will work with the master strategy above. Here are some of the ideas I used over the years.

    • Repeatable menu plan: Following the same procedure as above, but make a 3- week menu plan and repeat. This method is perfect for seasonal cooking. When the season changes make a new menu plan and repeat.
    • Once a Month cooking: This refers to blocking off a whole day once a month to prep and freeze enough meals for the whole month. This has worked on and off in different seasons of my life. Sometimes there isn't a whole day to devote to preparing meals. Sometimes I devote half a day instead and just prep as many meals as possible. My favorite cookbooks for this are Don't Panic: Dinner’s In the Freezer and Don't Panic: More Dinner's in the Freezer.
    • Batch cooking: Make double (or triple) of a recipe and use one now and freeze the rest for a later date.
    • Freeze components: Marinades, or sauces, or sides like potatoes or rice. This takes those extra steps out of your cooking later on.
    • Meal Prep: Take a couple hours and prep all the ingredients for the week. This isn’t about cooking all the ingredients but getting everything to the point that dinner can be made quickly with minimal hands-on time. 
    • Leftovers: Cook one day and eat leftovers the next. We usually ate leftovers for lunch so this is a strategy that I rarely used. However, I know a couple families who have always used this strategy and love it. 
    Chicken sheet pan dinner with potatoes and green beans on a foil-lined sheet pan.
    To keep the chicken moist, salt it before cooking and cover well with the sauce.

    Tips & Tricks

    • Set a timer on your phone for a time everyday to prep dinner. Maybe it’s the night before while everyone else is cleaning up dinner. Or during breakfast or lunch each day. I encourage you to find a time you are already in the kitchen. My motto here is work smarter not harder. While making sandwiches at lunchtime, have rice cooking for dinner. While the kids finish up breakfast, toss everything in the crockpot. Those baby steps will equal a much smoother dinnertime.
    • Find at least one night out of the week where you don’t cook. Assign it to someone else, have leftovers, everyone makes their own sandwich night, or eat out.
    • Get your kids involved. Not only will it will help them learn life skills, and give them a boost of confidence, but it will eventually work you out of a job. One of my sons has mastered hamburgers on the grill. Not only does it mean I don't have to cook dinner on hamburger night, but he gets the satisfaction of hearing the family rave about his burgers. Win! Win! 
    • This is probably my biggest tip: decide that dinner isn’t over until the kitchen has been returned to its original self. In our house that means all the dishes are cleaned and put away, counters and table wiped down, floor swept, and garbage out. Oh, what a joy! Plus, nothing will help keep the next day on track like starting with all the dishes done and a kitchen that is ready to be worked in.
    • Build in margin. There are days where the best laid plans will not work. Come up with a few emergency meals to keep on hand. Or grab a couple extra boxes of cereal and label them “dinner”. 😉
    • Ask your spouse to split or even take on the responsibility for making dinner. My husband is an amazing man but dinner is never going to be his contribution to the family. However, I know several homeschool families that operate this way with success. Again, the goal is to figure out what works for your family.
    Shredded BBQ chicken on a bun with chips and tangerines.
    Having simple meals that can be thrown together in 10 minutes, slow cooked for hours, and ready to eat when you are the answer to serving dinner after a long day of homeschool.

    🍽 10 Dinner Ideas

    Quick & easy

    Quick and Easy is the name of the game with these dinners. 25 Minute Lemon Broccoli is a winner all year. Honey Lime chicken thaws quickly for use in tacos, burritos, enchilada, or quesadillas whenever you need. These craveable Chicken Tinga Tacos can be on the dinner table in 20 minutes.

    Easy Lemon Broccoli Pasta
    This Lemon Broccoli Pasta is a fast and easy weeknight dinner that will be done in just 25 minutes! It's packed with bright, fresh lemon and creamy parmesan cheese for flavors that the whole family will love. Plus this pasta with broccoli is a low-heat meal for summer and great for entertaining.
    Get the recipe!
    Lemon broccoli pasta in a white bowl with a gray towel underneath.
    Shredded Honey Lime Chicken
    Shredded Honey Lime Chicken makes ultra-flavorful tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and more! Simply shred a moist rotisserie chicken and toss it in a quick, tasty sauce made with honey, lime, and simple seasonings. In under 15 minutes you have an easy weeknight dinner that is also great for meal prep or the freezer.
    Get the recipe!
    Overhead bowl of Shredded Honey Lime Chicken
    EASY Tinga de Pollo (Chicken Tinga Tacos with Rotisserie Chicken)
    This EASY Tinga de Pollo (Chicken Tinga Tacos with Rotisserie Chicken) is a quick and easy traditional Mexican dish made with smoky, slightly spicy chipotle tomato sauce that’s flavored with onion, garlic, and herbs. Stir in shredded chicken and you have a 20 minute dinner for busy weeknights that is wicked good!
    Get the recipe!
    Corn tortillas filled with easy tinga sauce and chicken.

    Freezer-friendly sides

    Having sides frozen and ready makes cooking dinner much faster. All you have to do is worry about the main dish and maybe a fresh salad. Rice is always a great side to freeze because it comes out just as good as fresh. Check out this post on how to freeze and reheat rice, then try these recipes.

    Toasted Coconut Rice - Instant Pot or Stovetop
    🥥🥥 Super easy, slightly sweet, and totally addictive. Toasted Coconut Rice is a side dish loved by everyone and perfect for your next asian-inspired or tropical main dish.
    Get the recipe!
    Bowl of Toasted Coconut Rice on blue plate
    Pineapple Rice (w/ Cilantro and Lime)
    This Pineapple Rice recipe is bursting with sweet pineapple, tangy lime juice, and fresh cilantro! Whether made in the Instant Pot or on the stove, it's an easy side dish that never fails to impress. Serve it with your next Hawaiian, tropical, or latin-inspired menu.
    Get the recipe!
    Bowl of pineapple rice with cilantro and lime.

    Freezer packets

    Packets of marinated or seasoned meat waiting in the freezer are my go to all year long answer to the question, "What’s for dinner?". Sweet & Zesty is a 3 ingredient wonder. Grilled Honey Chicken (un)Kabobs are a fuss free way to do kabobs. Pork Tenderloin cooks so fast on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.

    Easy 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade (w/ Italian Dressing)
    This easy 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade is made with zesty Italian, fresh lime juice, sweet honey, and your chicken of choice. It comes together in just minutes and makes tender, flavorful chicken every time. Pair with any number of sides for a simple grilled chicken dinner on a busy night.
    Get the recipe!
    Marinated and grilled chicken on a white serving platter with limes in the background.
    Grilled Honey Chicken Kabobs
    Grilled Honey Chicken Kabobs are made with yummy bites of tender marinated chicken, colorful veggies, and sweet pineapple. They can be made traditionally on skewers or, to make things extra easy, serve them off the skewer as a kabob platter. Enjoy with a side of rice for a perfect summertime meal!
    Get the recipe!
    Close view of grilled chunks of marinated chicken next to grilled veggies and pineapple.
    Easy Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin with Honey Butter Sauce
    This easy Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin is sprinkled with creole seasoning and thyme, seared to golden perfection, and coated in a sticky honey butter sauce! Bursting with flavor and wonderfully tender, this 5 ingredient pork tenderloin makes for an easy weeknight dinner or impressive company meal.
    Get the recipe!
    Sliced pork tenderloin on a white plate coated in sauce and sprinkled with fresh thyme.

    Ready to bake

    Crispy Chicken Parmesan cutlets in the freezer, ready to heat, is a dream come true. Another long time family favorite is the Baked Mac and Cheese - a freezer item we can’t live without.

    Crispy Chicken Parmesan
    This Chicken Parmesan is an oh so juicy chicken breast wrapped in a truly crispy, beautifully golden crust then smothered in marinara and mozzarella.
    Get the recipe!
    Crispy piece of Chicken Parmesan with melty cheese on top.
    Make-Ahead Mac and Cheese (Baked!)
    This Make-Ahead Mac and Cheese is the recipe of your dreams. It's ultra-creamy, irresistibly cheesy, but best of all perfect for prepping ahead! Whether you make it today, prep ahead, or freeze it for later, this baked mac and cheese will be ready for your next craving.
    Get the recipe!
    Cheesy baked mac and cheese sauce on serving spoon after baked in the oven.

    Double (or triple) and freeze

    Making large batches of this Chicken Tortilla Soup or this White Chicken Chili doesn’t take any longer than making a single batch. Store in the freezer for the days you forget to pull out dinner or life goes crazy and you need something to heat and eat.

    Chicken Tortilla Soup
    This warm, comforting Chicken Tortilla Soup is everything you want a soup to be. Easy, fast, accidentally healthy, and soul satisfying. A rich broth thickened with tortillas that is layered with deep Mexican flavors, tender bites of chicken, and a hint of spice.
    Get the recipe!
    Bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup with spoons
    White Chicken Chili
    Flavorful, smokey broth filled with tender chicken and white beans is hearty enough to satisfy, yet so easy to throw together any night of the week.
    Get the recipe!
    Bowl of white chicken chili

    📋 Free week-long meal plan

    Want a meal plan for this next week? It includes a PDF containing a sheet pan dinner, a slow cooker meal, a one pot pasta, and a weekend taco feast. If this week you want to homeschool and still cook dinner while you work on the master plan, sign up below👇🏻.

    👋 Connect with us!

    Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments below. I am so happy to use my years of cooking dinner after a long day of homeschool to help in any way that I can. We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food! To get our new recipes straight to your email, subscribe to our newsletter.

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    1. Kina says

      June 14, 2021 at 6:36 pm

      Thank you so much for this. It’s just been one of those days. I wish I could just eat a bowl of cereal and go to bed like when I was in college. 😂

      Reply
      • Danielle says

        June 14, 2021 at 7:13 pm

        Kina,
        You are so welcome! Don’t discount the fact that sometimes that is exactly what we need to do! And don’t feel bad about it…unless it’s the third day in a row. 😉 Then maybe it’s time to reevaluate. Good luck with your journey and please feel free to ask any questions.

        Reply
    2. Sally says

      October 01, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      This was very helpful. Thank you! Do you mind if I ask how you handled lunch time?

      Reply

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