Back-To-School Menu for BUSY Nights

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NestleSchoolDays #CollectiveBias

Menu planning is something I take seriously around here. My strategy is pretty simple. I look at our calendar of activities and I plan our meals according to what we have going on. Savannah has ballet on during the week and on those nights I whip up a fast meal that I know everyone will enjoy after a long day.

I also plan a little after school snack for the kids to bridge the gap between after school and dinner time. This very easy (perfect for Fall) treat is easy to make and it only takes about 35 minutes from start to finish. This is something I make first thing you can do first thing in the morning after the kids are in school.

I'll be using Nestlé products available at Safeway for today's menu to show you how easy, simple and helpful they are for busy back-to-school nights.

#NestleSchoolDays Sweepstakes

This my friends is Chewy Cake...

To make Chewy Cake preheat your oven to 350. Cook one box of light brown sugar and one stick of butter on low heat stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth.

Pour mixture into a bowl. Add each egg one at a time beating mixture after each egg until the egg is completely incorporated.

Add the flour and mix.

Add the vanilla.

Add the pecans and give it a good stir. The mixture should be sticky. Bake in a greased and floured 9x13 pan for 25 minutes. Do the toothpick test to make sure your cake is done. If more time is needed add one minute at a time until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Now for the caramel drizzle. Oh, yes. It gets better...

Cook 3/4 cup of butter, 2 Cups brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan and cook until butter has melted.

Bring the sugar mixture to a boil and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of vanilla and half a can of Nestlé® Carnation® Evaporated Milk. Add more to reach your desired consistency. Poke holes in the top of your cake and drizzle caramel sauce on top. You can also cut the cake into squares before drizzling like I did here.

NOTE: I make the caramel sauce while the cake is baking in the oven.

For dinner on busy nights I like feeding them something that I know for sure they will want to eat without any negotiating. Pizza is always a winner around here. We love DIGIORNO® RISING CRUST® Pizza and pizzeria!™ from DIGIORNO® Pizzas for pizza nights at home. I grew up eating DiGiorno so I have been a fan for years.

I add a tossed salad to the table to make sure they are getting some veggies too and dinner is served!

Savannah will no doubt want to take pizza with her to lunch at school the next day. So here's a little Mom hack that I find to be helpful.

I make a Hot Pocket® sandwich for her in the morning. I slice the sandwich and I place it in her bento box for lunch. Mom hack - If your child has a thermos you can use it to keep the Hot Pocket warm!

This is one of the ways I survive super busy nights during the school year. I always keep pizzas and Hot Pockets in the deep freezer because my family loves them so much and it beats loading three kids into the car to get takeout.

Take this list with you to Safeway to make this easy dinner for your family.

Safeway has tons of ideas and coupons to help Moms stock up on everything they need for their pantry and freezer for back-to-school. Visit their site to see more recipes and visit their store to grab some of these great deals. I also have to to share that during my most recent trips to Safeway I saved $40 by using the coupons from their site and my Safeway card!

I walked out of the store feeling like a MomBoss!!!

What's your favorite go-to meal for busy nights?