The Ultimate Hub for a Healthy Back-to-School: How to Get Parents and Kids Ready for School

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The Ultimate Hub for a Healthy Back-to-School: How to Get Parents and Kids Ready for School

It’s your one-stop-shop for Back-to-School Well-being – the ultimate resource for a more mindful and healthy transition from summer to school. I’m sharing everything you need for both parents and kids to feel their best and calm the chaos during this season. 

Back-to-school season isn’t just about getting the kids out the door with their backpacks and lunch boxes. It’s a time to reset routines, refocus on health, and support everyone’s well-being – including caregivers.

As parents, we tend to pour energy into making sure our kids are ready – but the transition is smoother (and way more sustainable) when we’re taking care of ourselves, too.

Let’s simplify and streamline back-to-school well-being for the whole family below. 

What We’ll Cover:

  • Nutrition for the Whole Family:
    • Quick + Healthy Breakfasts – including make-ahead options!
    • Easy + Balanced School Snacks
    • Healthy Fab Four School Lunch Boxes
    • My Foolproof Meal Prep Light Method for Busy Evenings
  • Lifestyle Tips:
    • Immune-Boosting Before Sick Season – for kids and parents!
    • Getting on a Better Sleep Schedule
  • Further Resources:
    • Video Courses to Become a Pro at the Basics
    • Articles and Podcasts for Back-to-School Season

Family Nutritional Needs

I always start with food. 

We all need it. And it’s a powerful tool that helps us feel better or makes us feel worse. So let’s talk about how to use it – my goal is to help you simplify nutrition to serve your family…realistically and sustainably. 

The Fab Four — Protein, Fat, Fiber & Greens

For 10 years, I’ve been utilizing the Fab Four Formula as my most powerful tool for balancing blood sugar and optimizing nutrition — it’s a non-negotiable way to keep my kids mentally and physically feeling their best, especially during big transitions. 

The Fab Four = Protein + Fat + Fiber + Greens

Here’s why it works:

  • Brings balance to every meal – elongating the blood sugar curve and cutting cravings
  • Allows a lot of room for flexibility and food freedom
  • Simple, realistic, and sustainable
  • Fuels body and mind for sustained energy and better focus

As we dive into healthy breakfasts, school lunches, and meal prep light below, you’ll see practically what eating the Fab Four way looks like. 

School + Sugar: Addressing the Elephant in the Room

We can’t dive into all the healthy recipes and Fab Four strategies below without first touching on a real problem we’re facing in our schools: sugar. 

It’s overwhelming and everywhere, and I’m on a mission to make school environments healthier – for the sake of a brighter future for our children. 

Check out the Sweet Deal Movement to see how you can join!

If you need help navigating sugar – balance, boundaries, and sticky conversations – I have resources to get you started:

Quick + Healthy Breakfasts for Back to School

It’s the most important meal of the day. 

You’ve probably heard it. And in some ways, it’s true! Breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day: Hop on the sugar coaster and you’ll be riding the highs and lows the rest of the day. Balance blood sugar early, and enjoy sustained energy and calm. 

But back-to-school breakfast can be…tricky. 

If school breakfasts are anything, they need to be quick and easy or make ahead-friendly. Because if your weekday mornings are like mine, streamlining and simplicity are important. 

From a nutritional standpoint, we want to start the day with a high protein, balancing meal that will sharpen focus and provide stable energy for 4-6 hours – no cravings, no crashes, no snacking necessary. 

Aim to hit the Fab Four, including at least 30 g protein per adult and 15-20 g protein per kid.

Here are some examples:

  1. Fab Four Smoothie + 3 sausage links
  2. Plain/unflavored yogurt mixed with 1 scoop protein powder + topped with nuts, berries, chia seeds, and/or shredded coconut
  3. Scrambled/Fried/Poached/Hard boiled eggs + avocado + berries
  4. Grain-free bread (Base Culture Keto Bread - found on Thrive, Unbun Keto) + smashed avocado + smoked salmon
  5. “Fo’meal” aka Warm Chia Flax Pudding
  6. Birch Benders toaster waffles + breakfast meat + berries
  7. True fermented sourdough (Artisan Bakery, AWG Bakery) with grassfed butter + breakfast sausage (Teton breakfast sausage, Fork in the Road smokies) + berries
  8. Wild Rye Pancake Mix + berries + nut butter
  9. Leftovers for breakfast! The easiest and quickest way to hit your protein goals – think outside the breakfast box!

Quick and Easy Recipes:

These are my short-on-time go-to recipes for school mornings. Fifteen minutes or under from fridge to plate: 

Make Ahead-Friendly Recipes:

Make a big batch (or double) of any of recipe below for multiple days worth of grab-and-go options ready in the morning:

Be Well Breakfast Tips:

  • To round out a Fab Four breakfast, pair any of my healthier baked goods recipes with breakfast meat and berries. 
  • Use the hack I shared on IG – always add a scoop of protein powder, extra eggs, chia, flax, and/or psyllium husk to boxed mixes for increased protein and fiber content.
  • Double or triple batch your breakfast – baked goods, breakfast meats, puddings, etc. – so you only do the work once but end up with breakfast for days. 

A Deeper Dive Into Balancing Breakfasts

My article on Easy and Healthy Breakfasts provides a wide variety of ideas for nourishing breakfasts beyond processed foods. 

In How to Get 30+ Grams of Protein at Breakfast, I show you exactly how to pair and plate your breakfast foods Fab Four-style to optimize blood sugar balance and hit protein goals. 

Easy + Balanced School Snacks

Most snacks are carb heavy and nutrient-void. Practically, this looks like a quick hit of sugar/carbs (energy spike, hyper behavior, and difficulty) followed by a crash (fatigue, lethargy, and…difficulty focusing). 

I aim to incorporate healthy fats and/or protein in every snack to stay off the blood sugar roller coaster. Let’s see what it looks like…

Back to School Lunchbox Snack Ideas:

Homemade Snack Recipes & Dipping Sauces:

Healthier Packaged Snacks:

For a deeper dive into healthy snacking, check out Fab Four On the Go: Snacks for School or 18 Healthy After School Snack Ideas. 

Do Moms Need Snacks, Too?

While we’re on the snacking topic, it’s worth a visit to read this article tailored to parents on How to Quit Snacking and Stop Eating Off Your Kid’s Plate + Tips for back-to-school and busy mom season!

Truth is, most of the time, if we’re eating fully nourishing Fab Four meals and tapping into mindful eating, we probably don’t need the bites, sips, and snacks we often (mindlessly) consume. 

Healthy Fab Four School Lunch Box Ideas

A Fab Four lunch is what will keep your child’s blood sugar (and yours!) from tanking in the afternoon – important for maintaining focus, energy, and a sense of stability. 

Every time I throw together a lunch, I simply make sure I hit all the marks – whether it's for my kids or for me. The food can look different, but the effect will be the same.

Lunchbox Examples:

  1. Turkey + Hummus Roll-Ups:
    1. Sliced turkey breast rolled with hummus and spinach (protein + greens)
    2. Flax crackers or Mary’s Gone Crackers (fiber)
    3. Cucumber slices + cherry tomatoes (greens)
    4. A few olives or avocado chunks (healthy fat)
  2. Mini Meatballs + Veggie Sticks:
    1. Grass-fed beef or turkey meatballs (protein)
    2. Carrot sticks + bell pepper strips (fiber + greens)
    3. Guacamole or tzatziki for dipping (healthy fat)
    4. Side of berries (fiber)
  3. Egg Muffins + Fruit:
    1. Homemade egg muffins (protein + healthy fat)
      Apple slices + almond butter (fiber + healthy fat)
      Snap peas or mini cucumbers (greens)
      A square of dark chocolate (optional)
  4. DIY Taco Lunch:
    1. Shredded chicken (protein)
    2. Corn or grain-free tortillas, such as Siete
    3. Shredded romaine + diced tomato (fiber + greens)
    4. Cheese + guacamole (healthy fat)
  5. Sushi-Inspired Bento:
    1. ½  and ½  jasmine rice mixed with cauliflower rice (fiber)
    2. Smoked salmon (protein + healthy fat)
    3. Seaweed snacks, cucumber + carrot slices, and avocado (greens + fiber)
  6. Cheese + Crackers Snack Box:
    1. Nitrate-free turkey or ham slices, such as True Story or Applegate (protein)
    2. Whole grain or seed crackers (fiber)
    3. Celery sticks + cucumbers + hummus (greens + healthy fat)
    4. Raw almonds or sunflower seeds (healthy fat)

Lunchbox Recipes and Visuals:

The Fab Four Lunchbox Series

More inspo for body-loving lunches! And remember, a Fab Four lunch is just as important for your littles as it is for you. So take these principles and apply them to parent lunches, too! 

Meal Prep for Busy Evenings

Between scrambling to get breakfast on the table and lunches packed away, it’s easy to forget about dinner. I’m going to show you how I get healthy meals on the table every single night with a whole lot less effort. 

No massive calendar or four page grocery list. 
No rigid recipes with leftover random ingredients. 
Not rocket science. 

It’s just Meal Prep Light: My Game-Changing Strategy To Make Healthy Meal Prep Work. 

Saved by the Slow Cooker

If you’re still trying to find your school time flow, can I suggest leaning into slow cooker dinners? These allow you to prep the meal entirely while kids are at school. Regardless of after school activities, a healthy dinner will be waiting for you at home. 

A few Be Well slow cooker go-to recipes:

Even more Quick and Easy Slow Cooker Faves (including a Mississippi Pot Roast family favorite!). 

Getting Your Grocery Game Up

Getting healthy meals on the table requires getting healthy food into your home first. 

If you haven’t grabbed my Master Grocery Guide, now is the time. It includes:

  • My family’s healthy eating staples
  • Where I buy each product
  • What’s on auto-ship (and how often)
  • Tons of recipes and ideas for putting it all together

Think of it as your personal manual for streamlining and simplifying your healthy food shopping. Less effort, more effective. Less time, more automation. 

Lifestyle Tips for Back-to-School

Beyond the plate, now is a great time to take inventory of your family rhythms. What needs to shift? Sometimes, what worked in a summer season won’t serve you or your child during a more structured school season. Especially true when it comes to:

  • Immune system support
  • Sleep schedules
  • Movement and stress reduction

Immune-Boosting as Before Sick Season

With school in session, exposure to germs goes up, while natural immunity can often decline (less sleep, less time outdoors, higher sugar consumption from school offerings or at sporting activities, etc.). 

Building Your Child’s Immunity

A few mindful decisions can make all the difference in boosting immunity and building resiliency in your child:

  • Reduce sugar and processed food consumption
  • Swap out sugar sweetened beverages like soda and juice for plain water or LMNT electrolyte water
  • Encourage movement and outdoor play as much as possible outside of school hours
  • Move toward an earlier bedtime and regular sleep schedule
  • Join the Sweet Deal Movement to encourage a healthier environment for your child (and everyone else’s) at school, in sports, and beyond

If boosting your child’s immunity is an important consideration to you, take a deeper dive in these Be Well podcast episodes:

Building Adult Immunity

Adult immunity is every bit as crucial – because we all know it’s hard to keep the boat afloat when mom and dad go down. Back-to-school season is a great time to get back to the basics – the ones that keep your immune system fighting for you:

  • The same as for your kiddos: Lower sugar and processed food consumption, get outside in sunshine and fresh air daily, and move your body daily
  • Start with immune-boosting Be Well Essentials Hot Lemon Water
  • Supplement Daily: Vitamin D (I use NOW Foods D3/K2 dropper - use code KELLY), Creatine + Essential Amino Acids (if not already incorporating in your morning drink), an Omega 3 and Multivitamin
    Note: You can take a deeper dive into my own supplement regimen as well as those I suggest in my Clean Supplement Guide
    Go for 7-9 hours of high quality sleep – Magnesium has been a game-changer for me in making this possible

For further resources on building your immunity, find them here:

Getting on a Better Sleep Schedule

Back-to-school season means new routines, early mornings, and busy days – and sleep is the anchor that makes it all work. 

For kids and adults, quality rest fuels focus, learning, mood, and overall health. Let’s look at how to set (and actually keep) healthy sleep habits so the whole family can thrive this school year:

  • Shift bedtime gradually – move it earlier by 10-15 minutes every night for a smoother transition.
  • Set a consistent wake-up time – even on weekends, to keep circadian rhythms steady.
  • Create a wind-down routine – dim lights, swap screens for books, and use calming cues (like herbal tea for adults or storytime for kids).
  • Get morning light – natural sunlight within the first hour of waking helps reset the body clock. Consider breakfast on the balcony or back patio!
  • Limit heavy meals + sugar before bed – to avoid blood sugar spikes that can disrupt sleep.
  • Cool, dark, quiet bedroom – ideal temp is around 65-68°F for most people.
  • Keep devices out of the bedroom – blue light can impede melatonin production and stimulate the brain.
  • Incorporate movement during the day – physical activity supports deeper, more restorative sleep.

Sleep Extras: Non-toxic Bedrooms, Nighttime Routines, & Setting Up for Sleep Success

Even More Resources For A Better Back-to-School

I want this to be your best Back-to-School season yet – full of heart, health, and intention. 

I know it can happen if you dial back down to the basics of well-being – Fab Four-style eating, consistent movement, quality sleep, and simple routines that actually move the needle. I’m leaving you with a few final resources to make it happen! 

Video Courses – Become a pro at the basics: 

  • Fab Four Fundamentals - Nail the basics for the ultimate move in nourishing mom and family. Once you learn the easy-to-follow formula, you’ll be able to throw balancing meals on the table (or in the lunchbox) with ease.
  • Fab Four Parenting - Littles? Me, too! Let’s grow adventurous eaters! Let me give you the tools to support your child’s healthy eating habits.
  • Fab Four Smoothie Basics - Smoothies that satisfy…and then some. Quick, easy, and family friendly breakfasts that everyone’s sure to love. 

Be Well Podcast – Perfect for the car pickup line: 

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