Dinner Time Meals Needed

Hi D.,
You received lots of great ideas but wanted to put it out there that this is what I do for a living - help people who are stuck in the menu rut by planning their meals and shopping lists. My web link to my menu planning page is:

http://heartofcooking.com/html/menu_planning_service.htm

Sounds like you may have enough to go on but if you are really overwhelmed and just want someone to do it for you, let me know. good luck!!!
S.

Well try Chicken enchillada's my husband loves those, Picante chicken which is super easy, cook the chicken with picante sauce on top of it (great meal if you are in a rush!), Chicken fried steak with mashed potatos and peas (my husband loves this one).... and if you are wanting something new go to allrecipes.com they have a ton of recipes and I always find something new on there from Irish, to Asain, to German.... its really great! Good luck!

The best thing I did for me and my family was join www.e-mealz.com. You can choose from different plans (I'm on the plan that gives the WW points for each meal, which makes it even nicer.), but most give a 5 day menu with a shopping list included. I love it and everything I've made has been delicious! It's made a huge difference in the meals we are eating and time saved. It's been a lifesaver!

Hi D.,

Here are a few other recipes to try:
1. Chicken pot pie -- ready crust (red box), grilled or baked chicken breast, peas, corn, cream of mushroom soup. Please one side of the pie crust into a large round pie plate. Pour in the chicken, peas,corn and cream of mushrooms soup (already mixed together in a bowl beforehand). Cover the mixture with the second pie crust and bake for 45mins to 1 hour. Take out once the crust is lightly browned.

2. Chicken catalina -- In one bowl add chicken breast cut up into chunks and sauteed in catalina dressing (enough to cover all the chicken). In a second bowl, slice yellow squash, broccoli, onions and red and green peppers and sauteed in catalina dressing. Set both covered bowls in fridge for at least 3 hours. Pour all ingredients into a large retangular baking dish and broil for 45 mins or until chicken is cooked throughout. Serve over brown rice or multigrain egg noodles.

3. Chili -- ground turkey (browned), corn, black beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes with basil and oregano, spaghetti sauce. If you have a crock pot (best method to get the best flavor), add all ingredients and simmer on low all day. If not, use a large pot on the stove and simmer on low until done. Serve plain or over brown rice.

Enjoy, D. C

I have a super easy lasagna recipe for you. Get a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, lasagna noodles, riccotta cheese, mozzerella cheese, and parasean cheese. Put enough spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan. Put one layer of uncooked lasagna noodles then a layer of ricotta then a layer of mozzerella. Add another layer of uncooked noodles, cover with spaghetti sauce. Add a layer of mozerella and then top with parmasean. I usually cook some sausage and add frozen spinach to add to the layer with the ricotta cheese.
Cover with foil and cook for 50 minutes at 350 uncover and cook for another 10 minutes. Let it cool for about 15 minutes and voila! It's a great meal when you're busy (like moms always are!) becuase it only takes about 10 minutes to assemble and then you have an hour to go about your business before dinner!

D.,

You don't need a wok, a 12 non-stick skillet works better on American stoves. Buy yourself a good, heavy skillet

I highly recommend America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. It is one of the few cookbooks that I've received that I've cooked more than one recipe from. The Pan-Seared Chicken in Vermouth Tarragon Sauce tastes like it was made in a 5-star restaurant and is very easy. I also like Chicken Picatta. The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine has the easiest recipe. I've made it so often, I don't even need to look at the recipe. If your kids are skittish about capers, just scrape off the sauce before you serve it to them. My daughter gobbles it up, but I know she'd be suspicious of the capers and onions, so I just don't put the sauce on her piece.

America's Test Kitchen also has several different sauces for pork chops; my favorite is the one with apple cider and dijon mustard in it. We also like Golden Mushroom Pork Chops. This is one of my husband's recipes, so you know it's easy. Brown the pork chops (I like to add a bit of onion for more flavor), then add a can of Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup with half a can of milk. Simmer for about 15 minutes or so. I like to dip french fries in the gravy. I always brine my pork chops before to make them very tender.

If you like tilapia, you'll love flounder. It's readily available at warehouse clubs. You can always panfry it. You might want to try shellfish like shrimp.

I buy sirloin tip steak, then cube it and freeze it. That way, all I have to do is defrost it when I want to make beef stroganoff (lots of leftovers!). My daughter loves Mongolian Beef. The recipee is so easy, I'll include it.

The Marinade

1 pound cubed meat, such as sirloin tip
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 Tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon soy sauce.
Pinch of pepper

Mix together marinade. Add beef, mix with marinade, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

To cook: add 1 Tablespoon oil to a large skillet. Add 1 clove garlic, and 1 teaspoon ginger (best before the oil is hot, so it doesn't splatter). When oil is hot, add beef and marinade. Brown beef, when almost done, add 1 Tablespoon soy sauce and one or two green onions, sliced into 2 inch pieces. Serve with rice. Better than anything made at a Chinese restaurant.

My beef stroganoff recipe comes from Betty Crocker. It's a bit too long for this venue.

I've also learned that most vegetables taste better when sauted. I saute asparagus, broccoli and squash in a bit of butter and olive oil. I saute onion with the squash and zuchinni. Yum. No more boiling for me!

Finally, my daughter loves kielbasa. I get Hillshire Farms beef kielbasa, boil it up and serve it with mashed potatoes. The world's easiest dinner, and it is a bit different. I know there are better kielbasa's out there, but Hillshire Farm is easy to come by. By the way, I make the best mashed potatoes. There is nothing healty about them, because I use buttermilk and sour cream and butter (I even add garlic for flavor, but I use a pressure cooker). But I do add about 1/2 cup cauliflower puree, so they are redeemed.

Happy Cooking!

Try chopping your raw chicken in chunks, put in saute pan with a little olive oil and fresh garlic until almost cooked through. Add sliced mushrooms and onions (if you like these, I omit for my daughter she only likes it with the mushrooms). Cook about another couple of minutes. Right before you take it out of the pan, throw a handful of your favorite cheese blend in to melt and spoon onto plates with a potatoe, pasta or couscous.....It is easy and one of our favorite.
Look on the food network website. I get tons of great recipes you can use from there.
Also try the chicken chunks with scallions, soy sauce, a splash of peanut oil and a spoon of brown sugar--add favorite veggies and ginger as well, this is a great dish with rice.

Good luck

Hi D.,
I have an easy fettucine you can make. I'll be honest though, it's not low fat.
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1/2 stick of butter or margarine
1 cup milk
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 box (1 lb.) fettucine noodles (or most any kind of noodle will work)

Cube cream cheese & add to a sauce pan on low heat stir until it starts to soften, then add the butter (make sure to stir so it doesn't stick - it will be thick. Next add your milk & continue to stir until everything is blended. Add your cheese (I always add more cheese because we love cheese). Season to taste & ta dah you have a rich cheese sauce to pour over your noodles.

What I also do is make double the cheese sauce & add sauteed shrimp or chicken or just about any meat & you have a meal.

Hi D.. I have a suggestion that has been saving my meals over the last few months! I am a consultant for Tastefully Simple. If you are not familiar, Tastefully Simple offers home taste-testing parties of simple, gourmet foods. Some of the products like soups and breads are made from boxed mixes but there are a lot of seasonings and sauces that can add variety to you meals without costing you time. I am actually having an open house on Sat. Feb. 23, from 3-6 at my house. I'll have about 15-20 different items for sampling! You are welcome to come check it out and feel free to bring a friend and/or your family to try the products, too. My address is 14068 Albert Way, Gainesville. In the mean time you should take a look at tastefullysimple.com. Hope to see you there!

D. ~
One of my favorites is Oven-Fried Parmesan Catfish. An easy, healthy dish that even young helpers can prepare, it goes well with coleslaw, oven fries, or pasta salad. Here's the recipe:

Combine in a zip-loc bag:
2 Tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

One at the time, add catfish fillets (6-8 4ounce ones)and shake in bag to coat well with cheese mixture. Place on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 3 inches from heat for 10 minutes (with electric oven door partially opened). (I prefer to bake mine at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.)Either way, fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 6-8 servings at 148 calories per serving.

If you don't like to cook every night but want to serve homemade nutritious meals to your family, your freezer can be the best helper! When you make a pot of Italian meat sauce, double your recipe and freeze half for another night's supper of spaghetti or pasta. The catfish recipe above works very well to double up on. Freeze the breaded catfish on a cookie sheet until firm (to keep the cheese mixture from rubbing off), then place in freezer bags.

There are many recipes that work well for prep and freeze. Spend a few minutes on the internet and your repretoire will increase with amazing regularity!

Good luck! C.

D.,
I'm a stay at home (student) also, and we have the same dinners weekly too! (Smile) Here are a few of our favorites: Chicken spagetti-Take chicken breast, chop in pieces and cook in pan with oil, then put into a casserole dish, add spagetti sauce on top of it and top with mozerella cheese, then put into the oven at about 350 degrees just until the cheese melts on top/turns brown. While that is cooking boil spagetti, Penne or any type of noodles you like for 10 minutes, after finished add butter to noodles and put into a bowl, cook Texas Toast or garlic bread while casserole bowl is in oven. When served put the noodles first and then top with the sauce, chicken and cheese and serve with texas toast. Pretty good. You can add garlic or any seasoning you like to the chicken while you're cooking it.
Buy a Pampered Chef cook book or a Rachael Ray cookbook. Both are great ideas for quick meals for everyone.
Buy different kinds of marinades like Lawry's etc and put your chicken breast into a ziplock bag with the marinade overnight and then bake the chicken or grill it with rice or anything you like to go with it. My kids love mashed potatoes and corn so that's just a different idea for the chicken. Marinating it overnight makes it juicy and more tender. I'll send more as I dig through my recipes. Hope this helped!

I have lots of ideas, but I will give you one for now. One favorite of my husbands that he grew up on was tator tot casserole. It is really good and a well balanced meal.

You can use ground beef, chicken, or turkey for this meal. I use ground turkey.

1 pound ground turkey
1 or 2 small bags of frozen corn or other vegetable
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 large bag of tator tots
1 pkg of sliced cheese

Heat of to 450 degrees. Brown ground turkey in a skillet, when turkey is browned mix in cream of mushroom soup. Pour turkey mixture into a 4.8 quart casserole dish, or two smaller ones. Make sure that you spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the dish. Put corn on top of turkey mixture and spread evenly. Place tator tots on top of corn. Tator tots should be placed one by one, side by side until the whole top is covered with tator tots. Bake in oven uncovered for one hour. Take out of oven and put cheese slices over the top making sure to cover all of the tator tots. Place back in oven for 5 mins or until cheese is melted. Take out of oven and serve. This should serve any where from 8-10 people. Any leftovers that you have can be stored in a container and freezed for later use.

I hope that your family enjoys this as much as mine does. If you would like more dinner ideas please email me at ____@____.com

Thanks,
B.

Hi D., try salmon it is so good for everyone and so easy to cook. You can just put some pesto on top and bake it in the oven. Try this website for great easy ideas. Here are 2 of my favourites
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4223/salmon-with-sweet...
This is another great one, very simple, and really tasty
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4008/tomato-feta-and-o...

Hope this helps!
K

Hello: Deceptively Delicious is a book by Jessica Seinfeld
that I bought on the internet especially for getting kids to
eat nutritious food without them knowing it.

Here is one of her recipes on page 83:
Beef Stew: Preparation time: 25 minutes. 5 1/2hrs. Serves:8
Shred the cooked beef with a wooden spoon and then serve the whole thing over pasta or rice. For Adults yu can leave the beef nice and chunky.
1 medium onion, quartered
2 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 pounds boneless beef stew meat cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups reduced fat-low sodium beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can chopped tomatoes with their juice.
1 large potatoe, any kind, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
(Puree some broccoli and put 1/2 cup in also)
1) Toss the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into the food processor and process until finely chopped; set aside.

2) In a large zipper-lock bag or bowl, toss the beef with the flour, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.

3) Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, then add half of the beef and brown it on all sides for 3 to 4 minute. Transfer to a large pot. Cook the rest of the beef the same way and add it to the pot.

4) Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add them to the pot.

5) Add the beef broth, tomatoes and their juice, and broccoli puree, cover, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 4 hour. Add the potatoes and cook until the meat is very tender and begins to fall apart, 4 1/2 to 5 hours total.

Enjoy, Ruthie -- ____@____.com

This is one of my fav's because it is fast and easy. Cook two cups of rice. When rice is cooked, add 1 can of mild enchalada sauce. (This can be done ahead of time). In another pan, warm 1 can of chicken breast with 1 packet of taco seasoning. In yet another pan, warm 1 can of refried beans. To serve, layer ingredients into individual bowls and to the top add tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese and some green onions. I usually only use this recipe when I am out of time and options but it is a favorite in our house anytime. I got the idea from Taco Bell.

M.

D.,

There are two places where you can go and prepare your meals to bring home -- "Let's Dish" and "My Girlfriend's Kitchen." Google them to see if they are in your area.

My friends and I were having the same dilemmea as you and decided to give it a try. Our families loved the meals and we had fun in the process. Good luck.

Hi D.,

Have you tried anything by Rachel Ray? Most of her recipes can be found online at foodtv.com, but I have 2 or 3 of her 30-minute meal recipe books. My kids have always been really good about eating fresh veggies also & almost all of the recipes have some sort of fresh vegetable in them which makes me happy. Also, I love the variety she offers in her books since I went through a period just like you where I felt like we only ate a few select things over & over again. Hope this helps!

Hi D. from D.. When my babies were small we used to make home made pizzas using canned biscuits. Using your creativity you can make these using some of the food choices mentioned above. My girls enjoyed the hands-on part of this, flattening out each biscuit with their hands and then adding what they liked on them. They were just the right size for them to hold and they were so proud of their "cooking" accomplishments. They used to tell me that I was the bestest cook. LOL! Good Cooking to You! ~Simply D.

I completely understand what it's like to have little time but need an interresting meal for family fun. We've done this meal at a girlscouts campout, and enjoyed it so much we've done it here at home since.

Tacos in a bag

individual bags of doritos (or whatever flavor you prefer)
Hamburger meat
taco seasoning
sour cream
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato

Take the meat and cook it, add taco seasoning (follow directions), drain fat. Take an individual bag of chips, crush the chips, open the bag and add into the bag the desired amount of meat, cheese, sourcream, lettuce and tomato. Presto, there's dinner.

Hi D.,

I appreciated your comment that you used to enjoy cooking, but not anymore. Have you tried cooking for your freezer? I have three kids, 8, 6 and 2, and we homeschool as well, so a lot of the disenchantment w/cooking for me comes in the "what can I do for dinner tonight at this hour" syndrome. There are a couple of cookbooks that I have found helpful in this, Frozen Assets, and Frozen Assets Light and Easy. I use several recipes from the Light and EAsy edition for my family, and they seem to like them. They are basic and seem to be in line w/the tastes you mentioned in the above recipes. AND, so as to not be overwhelmed by the idea of cooking so much, I more often than not will choose two recipes and just make triple of them w/whatever meat I have purchased. The book can be found at the library or any bookstore.

Hope this helps, A.

With the daily question of what's for dinner always on our minds, I have found the website savingdinner.com a step below the Let's Dish places but very helpful for new ideas and a menu set up for a week. Not only that, but there is a shopping list to go with it! I have two of the cookbooks and after a few years of going through them I bounce from one to another with little problem. It really is a lifesaver in the problem of what to have for dinner. It also gets my family eating healthy and different veggies that we have never tried before.

Hi D., since you like tacos, and you like fish, have you ever made fish tacos? They're super yummy - we make them with fish nuggets that we prepare and then cut into pieces. There's a special white sauce that goes on them that is half mayo, half sour cream, with your choice of salsa (just a little bit) and maybe some lime juice. Then of course you can put in your favorite beans, lettuce, rice, fresh tomato, or whatever. Hope you enjoy them!

Does your family like tofu. I have been making this for years and EVERYONE loves it.

Vegetarian Lasagne w/Tofu
9 pieces of lasagne noodles
1 container extra firm tofu (drained with cheesecloth)
1 can tomato paste
1 jar spaghetti sauce
16 oz spinach
16 oz mozarella cheese, grated
optional: sauteed veggies such as squash, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, onion, and garlic.

Boil noodles or use the ready to use ones by San Giorgio. Heat some olive oil in a pan and crumble tofu into it the same you would for ground meat. Add the tomato paste and combine together. Meanwhile, saute all the veggies that you are using. Start with the veggies that take longest to cook and add the others. To the tofu mixture add the jar of tomato sauce and season with your choice of basil, garlic oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, and salt. Layer a lasagne pan starting with the sauce, then the noodles, veggies, and cheese. With the last layer, save some sauce for the top and add cheese 5 minutes before done if you like. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until bubbling. Enjoy!

I started faithfully using the Kraft Foods Catalog and have found some really yummy recipes that have become some family favorites. I too try not to make anything from a box unless I have to. My kids (boys ages 5 years and 22 months) love their veggies, fresh if possible and steamed on the oven. Frozen if not possible and either steamed on the oven or in the microwave. If you go to kraftfoods.com you can request a free catalog, they send new ones quarterly and then you also get a bonus holiday catalog with lots of yummy desserts. Good luck!

K. - stay at home mom of two very fun, very active boys.

Hi D.. You are not alone with wondering what to make for dinner. Have you ever made quesadilles? You start with a flour tortilla in a pan with a bit of oil on low heat. You can put what you what inside like chicken, fish or meat. Then you put in some cheese. I like to use cheddar, but you can choose. Then you can put in some veggies.Put another tortilla on top and flip it like a pancake. My kids love it! They even use salsa on top. I also try to vary the pasta so if I have meat sauce this week then I make alfredo the next week. Same for the fish. I make salmon one week, cod, flounder. And change the style. Like barbeque salmon or a soya sauce rather than making it the same way every time. Hope this helps. Good luck!

you send us your recipes and we'll send ours to you (kidding). Mine enjoy black beans heated in teh microwave straight from the can and either rice or soft tortilla shells- I always either melt cheese on top of the beans or melt some between the tortillas like a quesidella-You can always hide soybeans or peas or carrots in teh beans too or place them frozen or cooked on teh sides. Enjoy- And do send YOUR recipes out to us!!

Hi here couple easy ones take hamburgy brown on top burner while doing that peel 6 potatoes cook and mash like you do for mak potatoes after both are done put hamburger in bottom cassirole put in 1 can string beans 2 cans tomatoes soups mix together then put mash potatoes on top of that then put shedded chesses on top bake 350 until 30-45 min unitl you see soup bubble up and cheese melting it is great might not sound it but try it you love it promiss

Hi D., I am the mother of 5, grandmother of 2. I know how hard it is to come up with something different for dinner. I have a meal my family really likes, I make meatballs and put them in gravy and serve them over rice or noodles, with a vegetable. Also I will get a smoked sausage cut it into pieces with some barbeque sauce and serve that over rice with a vegetable. My oldest son would love when I would make the sausage with macaroni and cheese and broccoli, (one of his all time favorites.) Another recipe is to take some ground beef brown it, use some curry, tumeric, salt, pepper, you can put green peppers, onions, let it cook down, then add some peas and serve it over rice, (it is a variation on an Pakistani dish called Kema) its very good, you can also add a little tomatoe sauce so it isn't so dry. Those are just a couple of meals I make for my family. I hope they help. Good Luck!!

Hi D.. I've started using/going to meal prep. centers like, Dinner Done (my favorite), Let's Dish, Dream Dinners, etc.. They have wonderful recipes. If you haven't heard of them, it basically works like this: go online and pick out the dishes/recipes you want to make. Then decided on a time that you can be at the center without your kids (evenings are great since dad is usually home). When you get there, they have the recipe ingredients chopped and prepped. You put them together in freezer ready containers and then take them home. What I like is that I can decide what to put in the recipe (if my husband doesn't like onions, I don't put in onions or if I want I can add extra cheese.) Most recipes are chicken/fish or beef, but there are some pasta dishes.

My son is 4 and he eats everything that I've brought home, so far. Also because we are a small family, I divide my dinners in half. It's very cost effective at about $3 a serving.

-D.

Hi,
I know how you feel and con only imagine what it will be like for me in a couple of weeks when my first arrives. You can always try variations on what you already do like beef fajitas instead of tacos. Also, I LOVE the crockpot. You can just dump stuff in there earlier in the morning and it's ready later. I usually do a pot roast...you just throw a piece of meat in there with some spices, a little red wine and potatoes, carrots and veggies and then serve with a green salad. Also, on the fish side of things, I like doing broiled/baked salmon with a medley of colored bell peppers and black beans and rice. Also, if you are willing to spend a little extra money, I would suggest subscribing to Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. It has a lot of great ideas for quick weeknight dinners that are easy and all fresh.
Good luck!!

Hi D.,
My favorite cookbook is Simple Suppers by Molly Katzen and the Moosewood Collective. It's mostly a vegetarian cookbook but things can be adapted to add meat if you'd like. The recipes are very easy. My family's favorites are red beans and coconut rice and stuffed peppers. You can even do the red beans in the slow cooker. I also agree with the recommendation to get a wok. Stir fry is fast and fun. Plus if your kids are old enough, you can get them to help with washing and cutting the veggies. You can do a really easy refried rice in a wok, too. Just stir fry some veggies in a little oil - try peas, carrots and onions - then toss in some left-over rice, stir around with some soy sauce and you are ready to go! I top with cashews but you could skip those or even add chicken or pork. Our family eats lots of roasted veggies in the winter - especially squash. I cut and prep the veggies like potatoes, carrots, and squash during nap time and then toss in olive oil, add a little rosemary and then in the oven at 450 for 40 minutes. I hope you get back to enjoying cooking again soon.

Simply mix it up ...
How about making a nice fresh alfredo sauce with grilled chicken and serving it with your favorite pasta!
Have fun!

Sometimes when I make spaghetti I use just make the sauce and noodles and put chicken pieces on it - it's a great change than regular meat spaghetti. Also - If you like tacos try making quesdillas along with them for a variety. I also get a lot of food ideas from Rachel Ray -

D.,

I found that my children enjoy making pizza. We take pizza dough or crescents for the crust and then add some sort of meat, either beef, chicken, or whatever you like, then add some diced up veggies like bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, green onion, etc.... Be creative. You can even put mixed veggies on it. Put it in the oven on 350 for about 15 minutes and you have a healthy delicious pizza the whole family will love. My kids prefer this over Pizza Hut. ha ha

You may want to try to visit a Let's Dish facility soon. I went to a Let's Dish party yesterday and came home with 8 meals. The menu changes from month to month. You go into Let's Dish and then you make the meals there. They have everything you need to make the meals there; ingredients, spices , meats, etc... Then you package the meal in a freezer bag and take it home with you to put in your freezer. They have a website if you would like to check out prices and menus. It is letsdish.com. There is also a website, allrecipes.com, which offers suggestions for dinner and different recipes to try. It is very easy to search for exactly what you want on allrecipes.com. You may also want to try the website for the food network or looking up Rachel Ray or Emeril. They both make some good recipes and don't use a lot of pre-packaged foods. It is easy to get into a rut with dinner. We do it at our house as well.

An easy one my kids LOVE is Broiled Parmesean Tilapia. It is quick and easy. You can find the recipe on www.recipezaar.com. The campbells website have some great casserole recipes. My kids also like fettucini alfredo with shrimp (or chicken). Also you could try borrowing a "kids" cookbook from the library and try recipes from them they are usually easy and fun to include the kids in the kitchen.

Try going online to the food network you can look at all kids of diffrerent ideas, and print off what you like. It is free.

Enjoy!!!
P.

Hi, you didn't say much about your family as far as the age of the children. That sometimes makes a difference when preparing meals. However, what you could do is pick 2 days out the week and call it "speciality night". On those days you can cook something totally different from what the family is use to. That way you will know if they like it or not. Hopefully by the end of a month you will have added a few other meals to your 6 routine meals.

Be blessed!

Hi there.

We love pizza which we make using whole wheat crust. I then cut up fresh peppers, broccoli, ham, pineapple, and whatever else we have and let the children add their favorite toppings! We also love doing this using whole wheat pita's.

We also love stir-fry's - anything goes...baby corn, snap peas, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, and fish, meat or just vegetarian. Sometimes I add fresh ginger to our usual low sodium soy sauce. Also add sesame oil and/or fish sauce which is delicious!

We just started making baked potatoes with beans, cheese, broccoli, etc. which is quick but good.

I make lots of homemade soups, too. Their favorites are lentil, chicken with noodles, and any kind of bean soups. Recipes can be found on-line very easily.

Last, we love chili which I make using corn, 5 kinds of beans, tomatoes, beef, and yes, some chocolate! I will be happy to share the recipe if you are interested.

Happy cooking!

How about stir fry? Quick, easy. You don't necessarily need a wok, just a large frying pan. Use any meat, any fresh veggies. You don't need a lot of oil. Use one of the bottled stir fry sauces, ar make one of your own. You can easily get recipes online.

Go out and buy a wok and start making stir fry! The combinations of meats and vegetables are endless. Look up some teriyaki sauce recipes and you are home free. My kids always loved it, plus you can service on top of Chinese noodles.

a couple easy ones that my mom always made were chicken or beef and noodles. cook either a whole young chicken, or chicken breasts (easier) with some water at the bottom of a pan, lid on, in the oven (350) for 1.5-2.5 hours. pull/cut into pieces, and use some chicken broth along w/the leftover water to boil your noodles (some extra water can be added if needed, and salt and pepper to taste) then add your chicken to the noodles and serve! put a veggie on the side and your done! Love rolls with it too, or bread and butter. same for beef chunks/beef broth, but the cooking time is a bit longer! just make sure the beef is thoroughly cooked and very tender! great for little ones if cut up well! you can also add some cream of mushroom soup and sour cream to the beef recipe for a stroganoff! good luck!

I hate cooking too. I was a working Mom who had no time to cook. I have a newborn now and it makes cooking harder to do. I enjoy watching the Food Network or going online to derive some inspiration.

Check out the website WWW.allrecipes.com, and you'll find lots to choose from.

My favorite site for menu inspiration is www.allrecipes.com - I look for the recipes that have high ratings with a lot of reviews. You can also search for recipes based on ingredients.