By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Back to school” can release a floodgate of emotions for parents.

We feel all the positive anticipation that goes with embarking on new adventures — it’s thrilling to see a child begin kindergarten or enter the senior year of high school — but starting a new academic year also brings a lot of anxiety.

The lazier routines of summer have to be reset, so the pressure’s on.

Bed times change, homework has to be managed and there’s a lot more laundry. If you eat as a family (and research shows you definitely should), you also have to figure out what to make for dinner after a long day that starts with packing lunches and probably also includes sports practices and other extracurricular activities.

The best weeknight meals, then, are ones that come

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