2015-08-05

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My boys start school this week and as a full-time working mother, I need to rely heavily on meal planning to make sure the family is well nourished. Time management is key when juggling work and family and nothing saves me more time than meal planning.

I’m sharing my meal plan using some of my favorite participating Labels for Education® products!  The Labels for Education® program is a fun and easy program where families can earn stuff for their school by collecting UPCs and Beverage/Sauce Caps from over 2,500 participating products. Learn more about this awesome program by visiting the Labels for Education® website and encourage passion for education!

7 Day Back to School Meal Plan & Recipes



Easy Rotini Pasta with Garlic Bread

DAY ONE:

Appetizer: Green Salad

Entree: Easy Rotini Pasta with Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

Prego Traditional Italian Sauce

1 lb lean ground beef

1/4 diced onions

1 can whole black olives

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 cups cooked Rotini

garlic salt to taste

Italian seasoning to taste



Cook Rotini per package instructions in a large pot. Drain water but do not rinse. Return pasta to pot.

Cook ground beef in a large skillet. Once beef is cooked, add onions, olives and mushrooms salt and Italian seasoning to taste. Cook on low for 5 minutes.

Add the beef mixture to the pasta, add Prego and Parmesan cheese.

Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with fresh green salad and garlic bread.

Back to School Tip: Save even more time and double the recipe for both kid and parent lunches!

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Easy Ritoni w/ Mushrooms

Author: Michelle Stewart

Recipe type: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Cook time:
30 mins

Total time:
30 mins

Easy Ritoni Pasta with Ground Beef, Mushrooms and Olives.

Ingredients

1 large jar Prego Traditional Recipe Italian Sauce

2 cans sliced Mushrooms or 1 /2 cup fresh mushrooms

1 lb lean ground beef

¼ diced onions

1 can whole black olives

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 cups cooked Ritoni

garlic salt to taste

Italian seasoning to taste

Instructions

Cook Ritoni per package instructions in a large pot. Drain water but do not rinse. Return pasta to pot.

Cook ground beef in a large skillet.

Once beef is cooked, add onions, olives and mushrooms salt and Italian seasoning to taste.

Cook on low for 5 minutes.

Add the beef mixture to the pasta, add Prego and Parmesan cheese. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with fresh green salad and garlic bread.

3.3.3077

Easy Cheesy Chicken & Mushroom Casserole

DAY TWO:

Appetizer: Green Salad

Entree: Easy Cheesy Chicken & Mushroom Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can Swanson Chicken Breast

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup (1o 1/2 oz.)

1 cup crushed Pepperidge Farms Goldfish Crackers

1 package of Egg Noodles

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup  milk

1 1/2 cup frozen peas

2 cans sliced mushrooms

Cook Egg Noodles in a large pot per the package instructions. Once cooked, drain but do not rinse.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir, saving some of the crushed Goldfish crackers for the topping.  Transfer casserole in a buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining Goldfish on top and cover the dish with foil.

Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until peas are hot.

Serve with a fresh green salad and enjoy!

Chili Cheese Baked Potatoes

DAY THREE:

Appetizer: Green Salad

Entree: Chili Cheese Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 can Campbell’s Chili Beef & Bean Roadhouse

Large Baking Potatoes

Diced Onions

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Wash the potatoes thoroughly and prick several times with a fork.  Then wrap the potatoes in foil and cook in the crock pot for 4-5 hours. These are perfect for days your kids have practice, recitals or other extra-curricular activities.  I often place extra large potatoes in the crock pot on low before work, and they are perfect when I get home in the evening. No water needed!

Warm up the chili in the microwave or on the stove top and simply add all the ingredients to the potato. Serve with a fresh green salad. Super Easy and Cheesy!

Back to School Tip: I always keep cooked potatoes on hand so my boys can warm them up in the microwave after school. It’s the perfect snack!

DAY FOUR:

Entree: Steak Fajitas  (you can choose to either use a coffee rub per the recipe, or just cumin, salt and pepper to taste)

Dessert: Not So Fried Ice Cream

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

DAY FIVE:

Entree: Easy Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 cans Swanson Chicken Breast

1 cup of your favorite  Barbecue Sauce

Hamburger Buns

Directions:

Combine barbecue sauce and chicken breast in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 1 minute.  Spoon chicken on a hamburger bun and enjoy!

Back to School Tip: My boys also make these easy bbq sandwiches after school to hold them over until dinner time.

Dessert: Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Goldfish Cracker Crusted Cheese Balls

DAY SIX:

Appetizer: Goldfish Cracker Crusted Cheese Balls

Entree: Puff Pastry Pizza

DAY SEVEN:

Entree: Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans Swanson Chicken Breast

1/2 cup Mayo

2 tbs Relish

1/4 cup diced Onions

1/2 diced Celery

Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve on a bed of fresh greens and enjoy!

Back to School Tip: This is also great for kid lunches! Just pack the lettuce separately so it doesn’t wilt.

Dessert: Strawberry Chiffon Pie

Printable Meal Plan & Shopping List

Ready to get started? Print out the Meal Plan & Shopping List below and head on over to Target where you can find many of the participating Labels for Education products! See the whole list HERE. Be sure to save your labels and enter in the Grand Stand for Schools $1 Million Giveaway!

You can find Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers in the Snack Aisle.

Target also carries a large variety of Campbell’s and Swanson soups and broths, perfect for cooking!

Download the MEAL PLAN & SHOPPING LIST

LABELS FOR EDUCATION

What better way to combine passion for education and good food than with the Campbells’s Label for Education® program?

When I was a child, my Abuelita always emphasized the importance of finishing school and receiving a good education.  She was born in 1925 to an immigrant farmer and after her mother passed away she took care of the family. She worked from the moment she woke up at 4:30 a.m. in the morning until well into the late night. She once told me that when she was a child, she would have to wake up early to cook breakfast for the farm workers her father employed before she went to school. This included making a batch of fresh tortillas every morning and packing lunches (usually papas con chorizo burritos) for dozens of workers.  When she was in 8th grade, she had to quit school so she could help the family business. She even drove the work trucks and tractors during the war.  She later married and started her own family while working at the local olive processing plant.  She was a latin woman of passion and never did anything half way. She loved, worked (in and out of the home) and as the wife of a minister, praised God with her whole heart – day in and day out.

One of her passions was education. She always encouraged me to continue school. When I spent my summer or winter break with her, she’d help me with my school projects and always took me to the library. Of her four children, my Dad was the oldest and first in the family to attend college.  She always emphasized the importance of education to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She always said, “Stay in School!”  My Dad shared the same passion for work and always encouraged me to learn.  Through my Abuelita, I shared my Dad’s drive and passion. I since have passed down these passions to my children with the hopes that they too become great contributors to society.  I’m happy to report that they are well on their way and are full of dreams and aspirations that would make my Abuelita and my Daddy proud!

GET INVOLVED

Being involved in your child’s education is key to their academic success.  How involved are you in your child’s school? Looking for ways to be more active? Here are a few suggestions:

Promote the Labels for Education Program at Your School

Join the PTA

Volunteer as a Room Mother

Coordinate a Class Party

Volunteer to Read to the Students at Circle Time (Pre-k and Kindergarten)

Donate Books for Reading Time

Volunteer to Chaparone at School Events

Do you have any ideas on how to get more involved at your child’s school? I’d love to hear from you!

Also, don’t forget to check out more participantIng products at the Labels For Education website. I’d love to hear your favorite!

I hope my Back To School 7 Day Meal Plan, Recipes and Tips are helpful as you prepare your children for Back To School!

Thank you for visiting and Happy Cooking!

The post 7 Day Back to School Meal Plan & Recipes appeared first on Michelle's Party Plan-It.

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