Easy Back to School Meal: Dino Totchos - Southern Made Simple (2024)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine. #BTSMealSolutions #CollectiveBias

We’re officially counting down the days until our oldest daughter heads off to her very first day of pre-kindergarten, and my mind has been racing non-stop making preparations for the busy back to school season! We’ve been working our way through school supply lists, labeling clothing and accessories, planning out our teacher gifts and stocking our refrigerator and pantry with all of the staples we’ll need to make it through the upcoming few weeks. Going to big-kid school can build up quite the appetite, so I want to make sure I’m prepared with lots of simple and easy meal and snack time solutions that’ll keep my little one’s tummy full and happy!

Taralynn has had aroaringappetite lately, and she’s been chomping at the bit to help me whip up fun and yummy treats in the kitchen. She loves to help me invent new dishes by putting her own spin on things, and I love watching her creativity shine while we cook! Her latest creation is these fun Dino Totchos, which combine our beloved Tyson® Fun Nuggets with tater tots and all of our favorite traditional nacho toppings!

During our recent shopping trip at Target, we stocked up on the items we needed to make our Dino Totchos, plus a few other favorites to help us put together simple meals during the busy start to the school year.

Hover over the image above to shop these great back to school meal solutions!

I wanted to make sure I grabbed things that would be simple meal solutions across all meals during the day – breakfast included. I know there will be those days when we’re short on time in the mornings, so having things like Jimmy Dean® Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissants on hand will definitely help us out as we start our day. They’re a flavorful and savory breakfast packed with protein, and they’re a favorite of mine during the morning rush!

Tyson Fun Nuggets are a great addition to lunch boxes or to serve in a fun way at dinner time, and we really love Tyson® Crispy Chicken Strips, too! They contain no antibiotics ever, all natural* ingredients and delicious white meat chicken, so we know they’re full of yummy goodness! I like to stock up on Hillshire Farm® Ultra Thin Oven Roasted Turkey Breast as it makes lunchtime sandwiches and wraps extra tasty, and it contains no artificial preservatives or flavors and there are no nitrates added**! We also really love State Fair® 100% Beef Corn Dogs as they’re a good source or protein and are a great go-to meal when our schedule allows for less prep-time in the kitchen.

Tater tot nachos, or “totchos” are the perfect dish for little hands to help create. They’re super easy to customize, and if you have a picky eater on your hands, you can divide the sheet pan into sections to accommodate for their tastes! As if totchos weren’t already a fun twist on a classic dish, they’re madeeven morefun with dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets! My daughter has been all about dinosaurs lately, so this meal is right up her alley!

This past weekend we made our Dino Totchos for lunch after a busy morning of back to school shopping. My daughter grabbed her dinosaur hat (we called it her sous-chef hat) and helped me pick out which toppings to add to make our totchosextratasty. She had fun setting out the ingredients in small serving bowls so we could easily “decorate” our tots before putting them in the oven!

First, we baked the Tyson Fun Nuggets according to the package instructions. Next, we spread the tater tots out onto a baking sheet and cooked according to package instructions. Once they were done, we topped the tots with the fun nuggets, cheese, fresh pico de gallo, black olives, and a few other toppings and popped them back into the oven to warm thoroughly until the cheese melted. Once they came out, I let her get creative and squeeze sour cream over the totchos and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. I added a side of guac for my husband to dip his totchos into, and my daughter had hers with a little ketchup on the side!

Aside from their fun shape and delicious taste, I’m a big fan of Tyson Fun nuggets because they contain no antibiotics ever, and they have all natural* ingredients and whole grain breading. That’s certainly something to roar about!

I’m definitely filing this recipe in our “fun weeknight dinner idea” folder, as it came together in just a few minutes and the whole family absolutely loved it! Here’s our recipe if you’d like to give it a try!

If you’re gearing up for a busy back to school season and are looking for fun and simple meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, look no further than the freezer aisle at your local Target, where you can stock up on lots of essentials such as Jimmy Dean, State Fair and Tyson products to help make your meal time aroaringsuccess!

*Minimally processed; no artificial ingredients

**Except those naturally occurring in celery juice powder and sea salt