As the wonderful Wisconsin summer winds down, and as the routine of the fall months creeps closer, dinners can be a challenge for parents. Gathering regularly as a family is one of the singular most important routines in raising well-adjusted and grounded young people. Homemade meals provide infinitely healthier alternatives to ultra-processed fast-food filled with chemicals and additives. Coming together consistently creates a sense of belonging and safety where daily activities can be discussed and processed, and the pace of life slows ever so briefly.

If you are the parent of school-aged children, challenge yourself to gather for dinner at least four days each week, most of the school year. This routine is far more important than sports teams or work or hobbies. Some of you are laughing out loud and some of you are simply intimidated, either because you don’t like to cook or you will struggle to find the time. Make a plan now so you will be successful once the busyness of fall kicks in.

Surprisingly, one of the most difficult challenges of meal planning is simply deciding what to have for dinner. Create a mini-cookbook of family favorites now, so you can simply turn the page to decide what to eat tomorrow. To give you a jump-start, we’ve included some of our favorite dinners that have served us well over many decades. Please note that these recipes can be made glutton free by substituting noodles and flour with glutton free alternatives, and flour tortillas with corn tortillas. We’ve also added some sweet treat options just for fun.

Birds’ Nests with Chicken and Broccoli
1 pound spaghetti noodles
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 head broccoli
4 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup grated parmigiano Cheese
Cook or grill chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized pieces
Boil broccoli for 10 minutes and cut into bite-sized pieces
Cook spaghetti noodles, drain, add butter and parmigiano and mix together

Lasagna
2 pounds ground beef
2 16-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 24-ounce package mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1 pint small curd cottage cheese
8 lasagna noodles
Brown meat and drain. Cook noodles and drain. In a 9 x 11 pan, add a layer of noodles, ½ the meet, ½ the cottage cheese, ½ the mozzarella cheese and ½ the sauce. Repeat the layer and sprinkle with parmigiano cheese. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Barbeque Pork Chop
6-8 pork chops
6-8 onions sliced
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon salt
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
¾ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
Add pork chops in roaster, with onions between pork chops. Mix other ingredients together and pour over pork chops. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 2 hours.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
1 can (10 ¾ ounces) Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
2 cups salsa
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10 flour tortillas (8-inch)
Stir the soup, sour cream, one cup salsa, and chili powder in a medium bowl. Stir one cup sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a bowl. Spread about ¼ cup chicken mixture down the center of a tortilla shell, roll up and place seam-side down in 9 x 11 pan. Repeat process with the remaining tortilla shells. Pour remaining sauce mixture over the top. Cover the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Banana Muffins
3-4 very ripe bananas (1 ½ cups)
2 eggs
¼ cup softened butter
¼ cup oil
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chocolate chips
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes

Chocolate Chip Cookies
¾ cup shortening
¼ cup softened butter
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cup flour
1 ½ cup oatmeal
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes

And let the kids help with meal prep so they can re-create this wonderful routine with their own kids.