September 1, 2027
Back-to-school recipes for the whole week
In France, la rentrée in early September means back to school and back to work. The alarm rings, the routine returns: a lunchbox for every day, 20-minute dinners, Sunday cooking for the week ahead and homemade snacks for a nice change from packaged ones.
- A lunchbox a day
- 20-minute dinners
- Budget-friendly
47 back-to-school recipes
A week of lunchboxes
A packed lunch for every day, different each day. Swap any that don't appeal.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Dinners ready in 20 minutes
For the nights you get home late (which is to say, most of them).
Cook on Sunday for the week
Dishes that keep three or four days and taste even better reheated.
Homemade after-school snacks
Muffins, cookies, madeleines and granola bars to tuck into a backpack.
Getting organized for the week
Simple habits that change everything.
Plan on Sunday
Ten minutes to choose the week's meals, and the shopping list practically writes itself.
Cook double
A bolognese for four becomes two dinners: one tonight, one in the freezer for busy days.
Keep the lunchbox cool
An ice pack in the insulated bag, and dressings on the side so the salad stays crisp.
Shopping list
Add the recipes you choose to your CookinBreak shopping list: ingredients are grouped by aisle.
All our back-to-school recipes
47 recipes, most popular first.
Your questions
What to put in a lunchbox?
A starch (pasta, rice, bread), a protein (chicken, tuna, egg, chickpeas), vegetables, and a piece of fruit or a dairy product. Mixed salads, wraps and quiches travel very well.
What's a quick weeknight dinner?
Lemon pasta, fried rice, a veggie omelet or quesadillas are ready in 20 minutes with pantry staples.
What to cook on Sunday for the week?
Lasagna, chili, bolognese, cottage pie and slow-cooked dishes keep three to four days in the fridge and freeze well.
What homemade snack for school?
Muffins, cookies, madeleines, yogurt cake and flapjacks keep several days in a tin and travel well in a backpack.
See also:BudgetMain dishesMy shopping lists
More occasions this year
Every occasion of the year, the closest first.