Dinner Options..

We use (almost daily) and love the book Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. Everything is simple; everything is quick; everything is affordable. My kids will eat the recipes in there every time, even the ones I've sworn they wouldn't eat. My husband raves and loves the meals. I HIGHLY recommend it.
VickiS

Martha Stewart Everyday Foods is a great magazine with simple, very flavorful recipes that use regular foods.

Good Luck!
L.

P.S. A weekly menu plan helps me a lot. I don't have to think at dinner time - I just look at the list. It relieves any "can't make a decision" issue I have at the end of the day!

Hi T., great question! One of my absolute FAVS!
First:
Weekly Menu Planning

If you fail to plan you plan to fail! Food matters.
1. Make a list of EVERYTHING you and your family like to eat (including eating out). Everything, right from eggs and toast to a 5 course family dinner.
2. Separate it into categories, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
3. Using a simple table (word or excel can set them up) create as many family menus as possible from the foods that you like to eat. Just fill in the boxes with the foods you like to eat.
4. Type them (or get the kids to type them), print them, put them in kitchen.
5. Every Sunday (or whatever you day you choose) pull out a menu, (already pre-made!!), make your grocery list and VOILA you have a weekly plan for health.

Great healthy ideas are:
Cold pasta salad,
tortilla wraps,
banana bread with jam,
cheese and crackers
nuts & granola
of course, fruits and veggies
protein bars, http://liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/isaleanbars.dhtml
protein shake http://liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/isaleanshake_new...
Whole grain rice with veggies (my kids love salsa on rice)

It is SUPER important to plan for your day. STAY AWAY FROM PACKAGED snacks. They are full of C.R.A.P. (caffeine, refined sugar, additives and preservatives)... You are in charge of the nourishment of the body. Take that job very seriously and it will be to your children's benefit for their entire life.

T., I have an ebook at www.HeyYouGetReal.com called FOOD RULES! Get it for your family, it will help.

B.
Family Success Coach

I love this question as I would like to try new recipes as well.

We do not do anything fancy but:
One of the easiest, yet delicious, things we make is Tilapia and rice:
-just defrost the tilapia in the fridge during the day (or even soaking in water it takes less than five minutes)
-we just put some creole (or any time of spicy seasoning) and cook it in pam
-then we just make a spanish rice on the side + cheese (from scratch or lipton makes a nice one)

Home made pizza is actually pretty easy too:
-I make bread in a bread maker on a timer (or you can use ready made or jiff dough)
-make the sauce the night before/morning: (1 can of tomatoes and 1 can of tomatoe paste + olive oil + spices (garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt)
-top as you would like

I can't wait to hear others.

I plan meals at the beginning of the week and I've come to rely quite a bit on my crock pot. If you can find 20 minutes before you leave for work, you can throw everything in there and go - dinner is ready when you get home. The recipes usually make enough for 2 meals, so I freeze the leftovers for another night. I just bought "The Slow Cooker Bible" and it has some great simple recipes.

Also check out www.allrecipes.com and www.recipezaar.com. You can save recipes to your profile, create grocery lists, etc. I use these two sites a lot.

I have found it helpful to use the roasted chickens that you buy at the grocery store - I just pull the chicken off the bone and throw it into recipes that call for cooking the chicken as part of it. It works for enchiladas, chicken chili, pot pies, etc.

Cooking Light 5 and 15 cookbooks. The recipes require only 5 ingredients (not counting salt, butter, flour, basics) and only 15 minutes prep/cook time. I'm not a great cook so my time is usually closer to 20 or 30 minutes but still better than an hour. :)

Define "healthy."

My favorite (husband's favorite tasting) meal that is nice and quick (20 minutes to cook) is Sausage, Rice, & Beans:

- Cook 3 cups of rice (3 cups water, 1.5 cups rice, a little salt & butter) (brown rice healthier?)
- While that cooks, sautee 1/2 an onion, 1 clove garlic, 1-2 jalepenos, and 1 lb of sausage (turkey sausage healthier?) Cook until onion is cooked (sausage is already cooked). Add some 'bean juice' (explained below) to give the pan some more liquid to cook in.
- When onion/sausage is cooked, add two cans of black whole beans (that you already opened and put some of it's juice into your skillet). Stir till beans are warm. And you're done!
- Spoon rice into bowl. Spoon sausage/beans on top. Add Tabasco if you like more spice.

My husband likes this meal the best. I like it because it's quick and only two pots/pans. My 23 month old eats every bite too. Sorry if this isn't 'healthy' enough. I agree that Rachel Ray has some strange ingredients. Like when else am I going to need mustard seed? Good luck.

Oh and my husband's second favorite meal is Chili Dogs. :)

Hi T.,

I call this one "Moroccan Chicken" -

Chicken breast, tomatoes, pitted kalamata olives, cheese, salt and pepper

Place chicken in a baking dish, salt and pepper it (can also add Parm. cheese) then top with slices of tomato and olives, including the juice from the olives. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. The chicken remains very moist and has tons of flavor from the olive juice. I usually serve with steamed broccoli.

Or you could do a steak seasoned with rosemary served with baked asparagus (drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper, bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes) Or you could do chicken or steak fajitas. All you have to do is slice the steak into strips and cook, then top off with your favorite salads. We get a cooked chicken from the store and shred it so there's even LESS work involved!

I make slightly more involved meals on the weekend and then refrigerate them until we need them during the week. For example, a veggie lasagna or a mexican 7 layer dip,sloppy joes, chicken enchiladas. None of these are hard but require slightly more time than I care to spend after a long day at work!

I do something similar to Barbilee's suggestion. We have an excel spreadhseet of meals that are in categories of prep time -quick, medium and long. Each Sunday before grocery shopping I make up a menu and then a shopping list based on the meals we choose for that week.

oh i definitelly use allrecipes.com and myrecipes.com. i also got tons of recipes by doing an email recipe exchange. here is one i like to make and it doesnt take long.

chicken breasts (boneless skinless)
take grey poupon honey dijon mustard and coat both sides of chicken.
take 1/4 cup (or more if you like - it makes a nice sauce in the pan to drizzle back over the chicken or mashed potatoes i make as a side) teriyaki sauce and pour over chicken. I pour it and then flip chicken over to make sure both sides get in the sauce at the bottom of pan.
sprinkle bacon bits over it
sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over it
bake in casserole dish in oven at 400 for 45 mins or until no longer pink

i serve with mashed potatoes and asapargus.

tastes even better next day.

no recipes to share, but I can offer tips. Your crock pot will be your best friend and you can precook or precut many items and freeze them so they are ready to go.

Precook chicken or beef (steak or ground) and put it in the freezer. Make quick spaghetti, tacos, burritos, chicken soup, etc.

Precut onions, bell peppers, celery and add to meals you plan to cook.

Freeze spaghetti sauce and add your frozen meet, in 12 minutes your pasta will be ready and you have spaghetti ready to go.

I borrowed a cookbook by Tosca Rena from a friend and LOVE it! I am going to purchase this cookbook, along with her one for families (cooking with kids!!) She talks about eating several times a day, and eating from ALL the food groups. She also focuses on eating "clean" (raw foods!)

I just made this last night, my family loves "healthy chicken parmasean": cook 4 chicken breasts (i usually boil until just done, and then transfer into skilet to brown) Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes (one with flavor is great: garlic, oregano, basil, etc or add your own). Cook until hot.
Serve on top of Healthy Harvest (wheat pasta, by far the best i've tried!!) Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
(I like to add a dash of red pepper to add flavor)

Depending on where you live, you might want to try The Dinner Station. You prepare your meals in advance in packages of 6, 8, 10 or 12 meals and they are very reasonably priced. They use very fresh ingredients and excellent cuts of meat. I go there once a month to prepare dinners for my family and it has been a lifesaver! Go to www.thedinnerstation.com to see their menu for the month.

I'm with Vicki S., www.dinnerdiva.com from Leanne Ely is a lifesaver. So is www.e-mealz.com

Both are great for quick, healthy meals and THEY plan your menu for you. I especially like e-mealz because you can select your store and they will give you the menu, the grocery list from the menu and the prices, so you have a good idea of how much that week's food will cost. I currently do dinner for 6 at WalMart and the weekly grocery bill for the menu is ~$80.

Dinner Diva has something she calls the Working Woman's Cookbook and it's twelve weeks worth of recipes, menus, and shopping lists for $20. I like that one because each week includes one crock pot recipe. For the cookbook, it's a great deal because you can always recycle the recipes you liked the best, but so far, I've enjoyed every one of them.

Best of luck!

Weight Watchers has a 5/15 series, too. I find them at WalMart in the magazine/book section from time to time. I think they put one out twice a year. I've yet to try something I didn't like.

I don't have recipes but this has really saved me: I brown 5-6 pounds of hamburger (you can use turkey) with onions and when it's cool I put it in quart size zip bags and put in the freezer. Then I use for tacos, pastas, soups, etc. It defrosts in the sauce.

Same thing for chicken: I put a bunch of boneless skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot and sprinkle taco seasoning on top and cook on low all day in the crockpot. then when cool, i chop up and use in tacos, pastas, soups, salads, sandwiches, etc.

Not recipes but I hope this helps you save some time. Good luck!!!

My husband and I use e-mealz.com. We pay $5 a month and every week we get 5 dinner recipes. The recipes are really easy to make, and different menu types are offered (i.e. vegetarian, low-fat, etc.). Also, the recipes re-use ingredients so you don't have 2/3 of a big yogurt container left at the end of the week. We love it!

I have a great steak I make and I got the idea from Giada Delaurentis Everyday Italian book.

I LOVE to cook and I have time to do the prep so I enjoy doing it a few times a week when we can all get together.

I find a recipe we would like but I add/delete items to our taste and make it ours.

Salmon in foil is hubby's fave and it can be done up to 6 hours in advance before cooking.

Another is pan seared ribeye. My hubby has not used the grill in 6 months since I started doing this. he has always been the steak king and now he says I am.

When we need the soul food, I pan fry pork chops like my grandmother from MS and it is a hit with anyone here. It is somewhat like CityChicken and great with a side dish of fried corn (canned) and cornbread.etc.

I do pot roast but only in cooler months and on top of my cooktop all day II am not a slow cooker cook), I am hands on.

email me if you are interested in anything

A favorite in our family: Chicken with Rosemary.

Brown number of chicken breasts you need for the family. (Salt and pepper them first) Add three sprigs of fresh rosemary (take leaves off stem) and sprinkle over the chicken. Add either a can of chicken broth or about a cup of white wine. (Enough liquid to fill the pan halfway.) Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve with rice and a veggie.

If you have leftover chicken, try this:

Combine a can of low-fat cream of chicken (mushroom, celery) soup, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, leftover chicken (from any recipe), salt and pepper and a 1/4 cup of milk. Put it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to warm up the veggies. Scoop in to ramikins and top with prepared pie dough (just buy the refrigerated stuff and cut out circles with the ramikins.) Put in oven at about 350 for 20 minutes or until the crust is cooked through. Instant pot pies. Freeze leftovers and serve as a quick lunch when needed.

Here are some tips that I've learned:

Buy extra meat such as chicken or fish. I put the extra meat in a freezer baggie with marinade and then freeze it. Pull it out of the freezer the night before you want to cook and as it's defrosting, it's also marinating, then bake or grill. I use McCormicks - Baja Citrus is one of my favorites. You can use Italian dressing. I also like to use Newman's own Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing and add a packet of dried Italian season mix to the bottle and use that as a marinade. There are so many options for marinades. I will usually pair it with a salad or buy the frozen vegetables that come in the steam bags and brown rice.

I think someone else said this as well, but brown lean ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken and divide into one pound servings and put in freezer bags and freeze. You could also dice up chicken breast and sautee it and freeze it. When ready to use it, add it to stir frys or casseroles. You can use fresh veggies or buy the frozen bags of veggies for stir frys which saves time in having to chop everything. I like to add Kikkoman Stir Fry sauce.

I also have a subscription to Clean Eating magazine. The May/June issue has 20 minute dinners, meals to use leftovers (which I can't wait to try), and budget meals. All of these are healthy. Good luck.