The ‘September Struggle’ can lighten with easy recipes, including frozen breakfast burritos

We’re catapulted directly from the leisurely days of summer and sleeping in, spontaneous road trips, and later bedtimes into a fully blocked out calendar. Even to the most organized parents, September can feel full.

We need a full 24 hours devoted to filling out permission slips and other school paperwork.

I’ve often wondered how I can alleviate the “September Struggle.” It’s not realistic to eliminate any of the to-dos. They all seem equally necessary. Instead, I’ve found that a simple mindset switch is the ingredient we all need.

When horrific headlines have littered our newsfeed, it’s essential that we reflect on how lucky we are to perform all these necessary tasks for and with our children. We are generously separated from these headlines geographically but connected as parents.

Just yesterday I was complaining about my teenage boy, who runs cross country, coming home to eat a full meal at 5pm only to eat again at 630pm, when dinner is ready. He piles his plate full of hearty Tikka Masala, and often requires seconds. In addition, there are often signs of a late night snack on the kitchen counters the following morning. “I spend most of my Saturdays preparing food they can grab out of the freezer, attempting to keep things homemade and quick is a freaking challenge.” I shared my go-to burrito recipe and method and she, thankful for the tips, went on to admit she was dealing with similarly frustrating habits. While these habits leave my grocery budget depleted and my evenings feel like a short order cook in a 24 hour diner, I regret complaining to her about this “problem.”

I don’t have to make my kids a second meal, I get to make them a second meal. I get to drive them to school in my pajamas when it rains. I get to take them to routine doctor appointments and multiple extracurricular activities.

I get to make them multiple meals and watch them gobble it up with differing levels of gratitude and manners. I get to break up sibling squabbles and stay home from work when they’re sick.

I get to lose sleep over middle-of-the night nightmares and tiredly respond to the 3,600th “mom” of the day. I get to remind them, for the millionth time, to put their dishes in the dishwasher and brush their teeth before school.

It would be unrealistic to expect this level of gratitude all the time. Parenting is hard, after all. But, as we keep losing children to these tragedies, I hope you are anchored by it.

Let the disappointment or annoyance creep in ever so slightly, but be rebounded into a hefty cushion of gratitude. And rest there as long as you can.

Because while you are stuck making the increasingly normal and ever so inconvenient second dinner, others are not.

”But First, Food” columnist Whitney Kling is a recipe developer who lives in southwest Ohio with her four kids and a cat and is developing a food memoir that’s ever-nearing completion. If she’s not playing tennis or at a yoga class, she’s in the kitchen creating something totally addictive — and usually writing about it.

Frozen Breakfast Burritos

I love making these breakfast burritos and storing them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. The kids eat them at all times of day. They’re perfect for before a 6 a.m. Cross Country meet when a sit down meal just isn’t realistic. But, my kids also make them for First Dinner, formerly known as an after school snack.

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 burritos

6 flour tortillas

1 lb cooked taco meat, prepared however your family likes

1 ½ cup shredded cheddar

6 scrambled eggs