#AD Prepping the Fridge for Back to School

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ReimagineYourRoutine#CollectiveBias

The new school year is upon us. Here in Georgia, school officially starts on August 1st this year, so when you're reading this, I'll be up to my ears in new homeschool cirriculum and trying to be the most patient soul ever as I take our son's education into my own hands for the very first time. As the school year has approached, we've spent many weeks gathering supplies, books, activities, printables, etc... to make this year a success.

While we've been prepping the homeschool room, we've also been prepping the kitchen for the new school year as well. Since we spend so much  of our time at home, it's been even more important for us to have a well stocked pantry and freezer so that meals can be prepped super easily, and we can have more time to play, learn, read, sleep, and just have fun. 

I mentioned a couple weeks ago how I do one big menu plan for the month for our family. I plan all our meals out for the month, and then go to the store and get all the food that we need in terms of pantry items, freezer items, things that can be stored in the freezer like extra meat, bread, and veggies, and then things that can last a while in the fridge too. The goal was to minimize time and money spent at the store, and it's worked really well for us so far. We still have to run in for fresh fruits, veggies, milk, and eggs when we run out, but other than that, everything we need is right at home. 

When I make my menu plan, I plan to cook 20 meals for the month, and then write them down on a printable calendar. I then fill in a few days for leftover nights, two nights for eating out, and then three nights for easy meals. People always ask me what my favorite things to make for our "easy meals" are. Sometimes it means breakfast for dinner and Derek will whip up some pancakes, or French toast with some eggs or bacon, and sometimes it means simply microwaving  some Tyson® Chicken Nuggets or some State Fair® Classic Corn dogs, and then serving them up with a side of green beans. I love having something simple like chicken nuggets, or corn dogs on hand, especially the Tyson chicken nuggets that I get at Walmart because they have no artificial preservatives or fillers, so I always know exactly what's in them. 

When I get my freezer ready for a new month, or new school year, I always make sure to take out everything that is already in there, throw away items that may have gone bad over the last month, put all the new food in the back of the shelves, and rotate the existing items to the front so they can be used first. I also wipe everything down with a rag dipped in a solution of warm water and baking soda to keep everything in our freezer clean and fresh. Because no one likes a stinky refrigerator. 

What are some must have freezer staples for you and your family heading into the new school year?