Back to School Blues? Have a Back to School Pizza Night!

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back to school pizza night
It seems like school starts earlier and earlier every year! Not only were the kids complaining about the early start of the school year, their moms were too. Really, who wants to go back to school when it is 90 degrees? I decided to cheer the kids (and their friends) up with a Back To School Pizza Night. As I have been mentioning all summer, I use every excuse I can find to entertain on my newly redone patio. I had found Jack’s Pizza at Walmart with a sign proclaiming, “Great for grilling!” Naturally, I imagined getting the guys to do the grilling. This is my quick dinner plan for summer.

pizza on grill
Helpful Hint: Place foil on the grill for easier removal.

I wanted to get a Back to School theme going, so I asked the kids what colors reminded them of Back to School. Their answers? Red and Blue. That turned out to be no problem for setting the table. I mixed and matched some red and blue plates, along with multi-colored red and blue napkins.  I told my family all those stops at garage sales and thrift stores would pay off! They didn’t believe me, but I have the decor to prove it was worth it!  I had several star shaped tins and I filled them with Smarties, because everyone knows going back to school makes us smarties!
grilled jacks pizza

I purchased a variety of flavors to suit every taste, pepperoni, cheese and (woohoo!) a combination pizza that had half cheese and half pepperoni.  The kids were thrilled to get to chow down on pizza and I was thrilled to give them a fun evening.  For dessert, I found a genius idea while browsing pinterest.  It suggested filling jelly sized mason jars with ice cream and then let the kids create their own sundaes.  Not only did the kids get to make exactly what they wanted, but the jars could be stored in ice until needed, keeping the ice cream from melting.
simplysouthernmom

 

Do these look like kids who are unhappy for school to start? I think not!
IMG_8730

 

You can find lots of great recipes on the Nestle site to help you plan your own Back to School Pizza night.

great for grilling

 

What is your best tip to beat the back to school blues?

23 Comments

  1. Getting the kids excited for back-to-school is definitely a must and a pizza night can do that! Grilling the Jack’s Pizza is a great idea! #client

  2. Pizza is one of my favorite things to make at home for the kids. It is perfect for lunch and dinner. It can be fun to make homemade pizza too and have the kids help add the toppings.

  3. Looks like a blast! Great idea.

  4. What a nice gathering. Our family likes Jacks pizza, very tasty!

  5. I have been making homemade pizzas on the grill for almost 20 years. They’re my favorite! Never thought about trying it with a frozen pizza, though. Great idea!

  6. What a great idea for the mason jar sundaes!! That is adorable and I be the kids loved it! Also love the idea of grilling pizza on the grill.

  7. Pizza is always a favorite for our family! Also, those mason jar sundaes look so great!

  8. I love how you customized this pizza. The yummy desserts also look amazing!

  9. Great for grilling? Really? I will have to try that. I like that the Jack’s pizzas already come half and half!

  10. Those mason jar sundaes look delicious! Way to make back to school fun!

  11. Continuing the outdoor grilling is a great way to beat the back to school blues. I love grilled pizza!

  12. YUMMM I love Pizza on the Grill… we tried Jack the other day for the first time.. yeah I know..slacker.. BUT I loved it.. was really good and affordable.. OHH I love your Sunday in a glas idea…YUMMMYY… totally missed my invite 😉

  13. That pizza looks amazing. We have to split the pizza as well as my son loves black olives and the girls love cheese… Thanks for sharing your great pizza night

  14. We love grilling pizza during the summer instead of heating up the whole house! What a fun BTS party, those sundaes look delish!

  15. I keep meaning to try grilling pizza but we haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s my favorite treat!

  16. I have been meaning to try grilling a Jack’s pizza- I always hate the mess of cleaning up the grill, but this gets everyone outside and eating quick.

  17. What a fun party! That is a great tip about the foil for grilling pizza. Thank you!

  18. Ah I haven’t tried grilling pizza yet – it’s on my list. The mason jar sundaes are pretty fab too!

  19. I have never seen mason jar sundaes before. What a neat spin on using mason jars.

  20. I have to say that grilled pizza is one of my favorites. I have a pizza stone that I use to make mine and they always come out perfect. I love a crisp crust! Looks like you had a great time and the food, YUM!

  21. We are not looking forward to going back to school. I think a pizza night is just what we need!

  22. I love everything about back to school and now I want to throw a party! I laugh, since we do half-half on pizzas too – the kids always just want cheese! 😉

  23. This is a great way to lessen the sting of the most dreaded of days – back to school. I love the homemade ice cream treats for post pizza. Delicious.