In the chaos of back-to-school season, take time-consuming recipes off your plate

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“Hurry up, we’re gonna be late.” That’s the singular memory I have of getting my daughters out the door and to school on time. Everything was frantic and rushed: lost lunch boxes, soccer cleats, tutus, homework. When we finally got into the car, or they actually made the bus on time, it was a miracle if they had eaten breakfast like a yogurt container and buttered toast, or, if we were very organized, a scrambled egg on a warm tortilla. Lunch was equally problematic until the girls were old enough to prepare their own lunches, assembling leftovers or a quick sandwich. And then, at night, there was homework to do and practices and meetings to attend. The memories make my head spin. How do parents do it? Like jugglers with dozens of balls in the air.

Whether you’re cooking for school-aged kids or just getting back into the work routine after a more relaxed summer schedule, getting meals on the table that are healthy, satisfying, and not time-consuming can feel overwhelming. Here are three ideas: one each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They can all be made ahead of time (or prepped ahead of time) so that your weekdays are just a bit calmer and more organized.

For breakfast: Carrot, walnut, raisin and coconut muffins

This is a muffin that offers all the moistness and flavors of carrot cake without any fuss. Make the muffins the night before — they will keep covered and refrigerated for several days, or can be tightly wrapped individually and frozen for several weeks — and grab one as a breakfast treat or snack. Serve with butter or cream cheese, or on its own. They are delicious served at room temperature or heated in the toaster or oven. The muffins are plump with grated carrots, raisins, coconut, and toasted walnuts.

If you’re packing the muffins for a school snack or lunch, and allergies are a concern you can omit the nuts, raisins and/or coconut.

Makes 16 muffins.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable spray for the muffin pans
• ½ cup walnuts, almonds or your favorite nuts
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ packed cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ⅔ cup canola oil
• ⅔ cup milk, 2% or whole
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large carrots, about 4 ounces, peeled and grated, 1 packed cup
• ½ cup raisins or golden raisins, optional
• ⅔ cup unsweetened grated coconut

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the nuts on a cookie sheet or sheet of foil and toast for about 7 minutes, or until they smell nutty and are beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool, and coarsely chop. Set aside.
3. Coat 16 muffin cups with the vegetable spray. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs. Whisk in the oil, milk and vanilla. Pour the oil/egg mixture into the flour mixture and gently mix. Stir in the carrots, raisins, grated coconut, and toasted walnuts until just incorporated. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.
6. Bake for about 18 to 22 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are pale golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Use a table knife to loosen the muffins from the sides of the cups, gently lift them out, and place them on a cooling rack.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature with softened butter or cream cheese.

Lunch: Egg salad with pickles, capers and dill over whole-grain bread

This egg salad is full of crunchy textures and big flavors. If you’re packing it for a lunch box or to take to the office, you might want to consider a traditional sandwich between two pieces of whole-grain bread, but I love an open-faced sandwich accompanied by some pickles. Either way, enjoy. The eggs can be prepared the night before and combined just before making your sandwich. This recipe works equally well with tuna fish, drained from a can.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium eggs
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium pickle or 3 small cornichon pickles, chopped
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced, or 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
• About ¼ cup of mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 to 4 slices whole-grain or dark bread
• Pickles and chopped fresh dill/chives for serving alongside the sandwich

Instructions:

1. Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for 6 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the eggs sit in hot water for another 3 minutes.
2. Drain the eggs under cold running water. Drain and then swirl the eggs around in the pan so they touch the edges of the pan and gently crack. Fill the pot with cold water. (The cold water will help you peel the eggs.) Drain again, peel the eggs and place them in a medium bowl.
3. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the eggs. Add the celery, pickles, capers, dill and chives (or scallions). Gently mix in the mayonnaise (depending on how creamy you like it, add more or less) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Divide the egg salad onto two slices of bread and sprinkle on any dill and/or chives on top; serve open-faced or top with the remaining two slices of bread and cut in half. The egg salad will keep, refrigerated, for several hours. Serve with pickles.

 Dinner: Mapo tofu

When my daughters were young, we had this stir-fried Sichuan tofu dish on rotation week after week throughout the school year. If I served tofu straight up, they would reject it, but this combination of stir-fried beef or pork with ginger, garlic, tofu, a touch of Chinese black beans, and chili paste was a real winner.

Traditionally, mapo tofu uses Sichuan peppercorns, which add a smoky, earthy, haunting flavor, but it was too much for my kids when they were young. If you can find them, crush one or two peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and add them with the garlic and ginger.

You can make the dish as mild or spicy as you like, add cilantro or not, and make it with ground beef, pork or no meat at all. Serve with steamed rice and a cucumber salad. The whole dish relies on a hot wok (or large heavy skillet) and comes together in well under 30 minutes. The trick is to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go since this dish happens quickly over very high heat.

Serves 2 to 4 (depending on adult and child appetites).

Ingredients:

• 1½ tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• ½ pound ground beef or pork (or omit to make the dish vegetarian)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small leek and 1 small onion chopped, or 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 scallions, finely chopped (separate the white and green sections once chopped)
• About 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, low-sodium or regular  
• 1½ teaspoons dried fermented Chinese black beans, optional*
• Touch hot pepper sauce or chili paste, optional*
• 1 pound (16 ounces) silken or soft tofu, drained and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional

For garnish:

• Sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional

*Chinese dried fermented black beans and Chinese chili paste can be found at Asian specialty food shops and in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores.  

Instructions:

1. Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat. Add ½ tablespoon of the oil and heat for 10 seconds. Add the beef or pork and cook, stirring, until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a plate.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot wok or skillet and heat for 10 seconds. Add the ginger, garlic, leek, onion, and whites of the scallions, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the browned meat back to the wok or skillet and add 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Gently slip in the tofu cubes, black beans and chili paste — add just a touch to begin; you can always add more later — and another tablespoon of the soy sauce. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more chili paste if needed.
3. To serve: Place rice in the bottom of a large bowl or plate and top with some of the mapo tofu. Drizzle lightly with sesame oil and scatter some of the scallion greens on top.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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