Back to School Dinner Ideas & Menu

Family Tradition

A special ‘Back to School Dinner’ is a tradition for our family. We always have one, but it is usually after the school year has started. It seems like we are too busy enjoying our summer to think about school yet. We have to soak up every last night of summer break before our early morning alarm clocks start going off and homework sets in. I am telling you this because, I want you to know that it is not too late, if school has already started for your kids. Some years our special back to school dinner is fancy and some years it is not…but my ultimate goal is that my boys feel loved and inspired to start the school year off on the right foot.

The Theme:

Every year, my husband and I come up with a little theme. As parents we feel the responsibility to raise the kind of people we want to send out into the world to help make it a better place. We like to take every opportunity to teach our boys good things and to help direct their thoughts and focus for the new school year. A few of our past ‘Back to School Dinner’ themes were:

*Remember (who you are)

* North side Strong (Good Timbers poem)

*Be the Nice Kid (using this quote–which still hangs on our fridge)

*Be Strong and of Good Courage (Joshua 1:9)

We have been studying the Old Testament as a family this year, so we chose Psalms 46:10.

I like to have a little gift to help my family remember what we talked about. This year I found these prints on Etsy and put them in cute frames from Home Goods to sit on their bedroom desks. I liked how this print was more masculine than the one I used in the center of my table. I decided it would be a better look for my boys rooms:)

I found the prints on Etsy. The one on the table here, the one I framed for the boys desks here.

We had a great family discussion about what this scripture means to us and how to apply it to our lives.

This year I decorated each spot with a bag full of alphabet cookies and a mini package of gummy candy from Trader Joes, just for fun! Although we only have two of our five boys still at home, we were happy to have our cute daughter-in-law and grandson visiting while our son was on a fishing trip in Alaska. Lucky for us!!

The Dinner Menu:

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Chimichurri

Roasted Potatoes

Buttermilk Rolls (you can make the dough a few days ahead if you want)

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Butter

Gourmet S’mores Cookies (possibly our favorite part of the night!!)