Need Easy Dinner Recipes!

S.,
This was one of my first semi-homemade meals that i have stuck with through out the years b/c its so yummy.
Lasagna

you will need:
1 box Lasagna noodles
1 large jar of sauce or 2 regular size jars, I use Francesco Rinaldi, our favorite.
1 lb ground beef
1 large bag Kraft shredded Mozzarella cheese (4 cup bag)
I sm container of Ricotta cheese, Sargento is the best

Boil noodles, drain and then put noodles back in pot and fill with cold water b/c you're going to need to handle them, they cool quicker this way.
Take a 9 X 13 pan and put a small amount of sauce at the bottom of pan so noodles won't stick, just enough sauce to barely cover the bottom.
Brown ground beef, (if using meat), drain, return meat to pan that you cooked it in and add the 2 jars of sauce to the meat. No need to heat the sauce it will get warmed in oven.
Now, take three noodles and lay them out on the bottom of your 9 X 13 pan overlapping a little to make them fit.
Next cheese on top of noodles, a layer of mozzarella, jsut enough to cover the noodles, but not too much will need more later.
Then Sauce on top of cheese
Then next layer, noodles, cheese, sauce
I try to do the Ricotta in the middle and if you got the small tub I use the whole tub on one layer.
Keep layering until you run out of one or the pan is full
On the top i end with sauce and then sprinkle whatever mozzarella I have left on top.
Bake 350 degrees for 35 minutes loosely covered with aluminum foil
When its done let it sit for about 5-10 mintues to thicken some. It'll still be somewhat saucey, but if you have leftovers, the leftovers are the best when reheated! YUM
This is such an easy recipe and you can change anything up as you want or change it from time to time with different flavored sauces, different cheese mixtures, with or without meat. For me the more the fillings the more yummy! Hope you enjoy
All together its about an hour for prep and cook time.
J.

1 mom found this helpful

taco's are easy to make. you can also do hamburger helper. it comes in a box with instructions and all you have to do is add the meat and other ingredients. you can make some things in the crock pot. buy a pork roast,put it in the crock pot on low. make sure it is covered with water. add some spices like garlic powder and may be a few chicken bullion cubes. let it cook for 10-12 hours on low. when it is done take it out put it on the cutting board. it should almost fall apart,then put it in a big bowl and add barbeque sauce. mix it together and then serve it on a hoagie roll or whatever bread you want to use. buy a box of bisquick there are also easy recipies on the back of the box.

1 mom found this helpful

I just saw this on the food network and made it last weekend. It was wonderful. It's also easy and looks impressive. She tells you to buy extra chicken to use for another meal, but I just bought a pound of chicken for this recipe. Good luck!

Chicken Pot Pie
, 2005, Robin Miller, All rights reserved
Show: Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller
Episode: Ready, Prepped, Go

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 boneless chicken breast halves cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes, about 4 cups
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 medium red potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
9-inch refrigerated pie crust
1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or oven-proof stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute 5 to 7 minutes, until browned on all sides. Remove 1/2 the cooked chicken for later in the week, cover and refrigerate.
In a small bowl, combine flour, thyme, salt, pepper, and paprika. Add flour mixture to the chicken and stir to coat. Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, tomatoes, chicken broth, wine, and Dijon mustard and mix well. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender.

Transfer stew to a clean 2-quart casserole dish and stir in corn.
Place pie crust on top of casserole and pinch around the edges to seal the crust to the dish. Brush the top with beaten egg and prick the surface 1 or 2 times with a sharp knife or fork to allow steam to escape during cooking.
Place casserole dish on baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes, until crust is golden.

Hi S.,

Here is a web site:

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/07/30/16-ways-to-e...

Hope this helps. D.

Okay I made this up, but it works. I called my dish Cheater Chili
1. Go to the super market, cuz' you're gonna need a few bucks.
2. Grab some chopped up onions and green peppers at the salad bar, a box of white rice, and a fresh loaf of Italian bread.
3. Drive to Wendy's order 5 large chili's, and ask for hot sauce, oh and get yourself a Frosty, you deserve it :)
4. Combine all ingredients(don't forget to add a little water for your rice) and simmer for 15 minutes. Dish out with a side of bread, don't even cut it just rip it in chunks.

FYI : I did this for at least 4 years before I finally fessed up, it may take a little bit of running but it's so easy and cheaper than buying all of the chili ingredients. enjoy!

Simple chicken
take the frozen breasts or tenderloins, you don;t even have to thaw them. Put them in a covered dish. Toss some dressing on them ( I mostly use either Italian, Newman's honey mustard, or Lawry's teriyaki). Bake for an hour at 375 when using 3 breasts or 6 tenderloins, longer if using more.

Hope you like Mexican. This is for a chicken enchilada casserole:

2 bags ready rice (or really any kind, this is just easiest), cooked
1lb chicken cut into cubes, cooked
1lb Monterrey Jack cheese (or any kind, I like pepper jack), shredded
2 can red enchilada sauce OR 1 can enchilada sauce+1 can tomato sauce (for less spice)
crushed tortilla chips

Mix all ingredients together and put in 350' oven for 5-10 minutes. Viola! Dinner. My kids love it.

If you buy the Ortega enchaladas dinner it, there's a recipe on the back for an enchalada casarole that is soooo easy and so good! Also, here's my favorite crock pot standbys:

Pork Roast
A 2 lb pork roast
1 packet of dry onion soup mix (in an envelope that you buy in the soup isle)
3 cups water

Put the water and onion soup mix in the crock pot and stir. Put the roast on top and cook for 8 hours. Result is fall apart meat that is soo good! You can even cut up potatoes and carrots and put those in the crock pot for an easy side.

Ribs
Buy as many ribs as will fit in your crock pot (usually 1 rack will fit in mine)
Cut them into 2-3 bone servings
Cover with 1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
Cook for 7-8 hours on low.
Result is fall off the bone yummy and easy ribs!
I usually serve with mashed potatoes and put the bbq "gravy" over them!

Also, if you go onto food.com, my favorite shows are sandra-lee semi homemade and rachel ray's 30 minute meals. they both have a ton of super easy recipes.

S., I use menus4moms.com
You sign up and they email you a menu for 5 nights each week, including the grocery list and average price of how much it will cost! It is great. I'm not sure if they are easy for beginner cooks, b/c I've been cooking for 10 years now, but I would say check it out. They've eliminated so much work about planning meals, making a grocery list, etc. It's all there for you. and it is sooo great. I would say, it was hard to get into the routine of doing it,but stick with it for a few weeks and you will begin to see how great it is too.
Good luck!

Do get a slow cooker and then buy the cooking light slow cooker cookbook. The recipes are good for you and EASY.

S.,

I have a few that I can share with you. Also - I am a Pampered Chef independent kitchen consultant and have almost all of their cookbooks. I can look through them for some real simple recipes. Also, if you are interested in having some of your friends over, I would love to do a cooking class party for you. I live in Middletown and also have a young one at home - 4 years old. Call me on my cell and tell me your email address so I can email you the recipes.

-L.

Hi S.,
This is my favorite dish - and it is super simple!

Chicken breasts or legs (without skin)
mushrooms
tomatoes (or any other type of veges that you like)
fresh rosemary
fresh garlic
salt & pepper to taste
cooked rice

I take large piece of aluminum foil, put 1 or 2 pieces of chicken and place it in the center of the foil. Rub both sides with mashed garlic and cut-up fresh rosemary. Add one portion of veges (mush, tom and anything else that you have). Wrap up aluminum foil so that there is "air" inside and make sure edges are tightly sealed. Place "package" into another piece of aluminum foil and seal edges. Repeat for each additional serving. Bake at 350 for 60-90 minutes. The chicken and veges will baste in their own juices and will be super yummy! Cook your rice while the chicken is baking and serve together. Comes out super delicious and healthy too!

J.

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Hi there,
I know what you mean about being a beginner cook. There are plenty of cook books out there that have like 4 ingredients. Look in Barnes and Noble in the sale books. thats were I always find mine. They have sooo many recipes that you only need 5 minutes or so prep and also all sorts of slow cooker recipes for the crock pot which takes no looking after. you just throw everything in the pot and let it sit for a few hours and then at dinner whola....its done and fantastic!!! good luck.

Crock Pots are your friend!! Start with about half a can of chicken broth in the bottom, put in a bag (the 3 lb size you can buy for $6-7)of frozen chicken breasts, sprinkle with one envelope of dry Italian (or zesty Italian) salad dressing (garlic and herb dressing works great too) pour in the rest of the can of chicken broth, put the lid on, turn the crock pot onto low and ignore it for 8 or so hours. The ckicken will be really moist, fall apart done with lots of flavor. If you like a bit of a crust the just brown off the chicken in a bit of oil or margrine right before you serve it. You can flake the left overs and make chicken salad with it, or just cut it up and toss it onto a salad! You can also freeze the left overs for "quickie" meal another day. Just make sure you let the chicken cool completely before you package it for the freezer.

Pot Roast is another easy crock pot meal. You sprinkle your roast with "California Style" garlic pepper and brown it over high heat with a couple of table spoons of oil in a big pan. While that is doing it's thing you put 1/2 a can of beef broth in the crock pot with some dried (or real) onions. When you have some nice color on both sides of your roast put it in the crock pot, add the rest of the broth, cover and cook on low for at least 8 hours. This will give you a great roast no matter what cut of meat you use...from a london broil to a chuck roast. Sure you can throw in potatoes & carrots right away or later in the day (about 2 hours before dinner) or you can cook them seperatly (my kids love them seperate because they don't like the beef flavor in them).

The best recipes you can get are ones that are not in cookbooks most of the time...they are those family one's that Mom's and grandmom's can teach you! Good luck and best wishes!!

meatloaf is super easy. Take a pound ground beef, mix in some diced onion, salt, and pepper. Crack an egg over the mixture and mix in. Then add 6-10 crushed up crackers until mixture is no longer soupy. Put in a loaf pan. Cover with ketchup or BBQ sauce. Cook for an hour at 350 degrees. You can make baked potatoes with it or parsley potatoes. Hope you get lots of recipes.

The best way to get started is baking casseroles. You can mix just about anything together into warm good dinners.

Tuna casserole is as simple as cooking a box of noodles, draining, and then pouring them in a big 9x12 baking dish. Mix with 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, 2 small cans of tuna, and lots of cheese! Bake for 20 minutes at 350. If you want, you can add French's Fried Onions on top for the last 5 minutes.

Or, cook beef fully, cook a box of noodles, mix it all in a big baking dish with lots of cheese and some spaghetti sauce. Bake same as above.

You can freeze these dinners before baking, or you can add spinach or other veggies to increase nutrition. THese are great dinners to take to other homes or parties too.

Good luck!

PS - I hate cookbooks! haha... I can never find a receipe that seems right for me, or I never have the ingredients. Ask around, family, friends, coworkers will give you easy receipes that are more user friendly than Betty Crocker! Haha!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole (but with rice)

Two breasts of chicken. Cook in Pam or other spray butter until no pink is visible. Cut into cubes.

Use a deep casserole dish with lid.

Dump one can of Cream of Celery, one can of Cream of Mushroom, one can of Green Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce, one small can of Diced Chilis and two cups of Minute Brown Rice into the casserole dish. Stir around until blended. Add chicken cubes. Stir until mixed evenly.

Bake covered at 375 for 40 minutes or until rice is soft.

You can eat it right then, or cover in cheese and bake for another 10 minutes and serve.

Hi S.,

I will first tell you about myself, I was an International Foods and Art major, but, when I became domestic I decided to figure out how to cut corners.

Pasta Roni makes a great noodle dish which is angel hair pasta tossed in garlic & olive oil. Really simple to make, just follow the box. To spruce it up, I buy, frozen cooked shrimp and either pre-thaw them or while frozen throw them in some boiling water. Add the shrimp to the pasta and toss, then serve a salad on the side. You end up with what seems like a gourmet meal in under 30 minutes.

Hi S.,

A very easy recipe that is really good is:

thawed, skinless chicken tenders (or breast, whatever you prefer)
pat dry, dip in ranch dressing
bread the chic. with ritz crackers (crumbled up)
bake at 350 until done

**you can add parm. cheese and some spices to the crackers**
**you can also dip the chicken in bbq sauce then bread them with French's Fried Onions (crumbled up)

you can find some really easy recipes on Kraft.com

Good Luck!

Try Allrecipes.com

They have a TON of free recipes with reviews and the website is very easy to navigate!

Ziti is pretty easy and freezable. You cook your ziti noodles. Brown some hamburger meat in garlic and olive oil, drain it and add a jar of marinara sauce. In a bowl mix some ricotta cheese with and egg, salt, pepper and parsley. Lay down your meat mixture in a pan, then your noodles, then riccotta mix and finally cover the top with mozzarella cheese. You cook on 350 about 40 minutes.

Many people do different layers...i just made it easy on myself with one of each. It is wonderful with italian bread and a salad :-)

here's the easiest meal and my kids love it -
ingredients:
2 Uncle Bens Ready Rice packets
1 package of Steamfresh (I use broccili)
1 can of cream of chicken soup (or broccili, celery, etc...)
milk (enough to fill the empty can of cream of chicken soup)
chicken (I use 5 tenderloins or 1 to 2 breasts), cut into bite size chunks
garlic (I use a tablespoon or so)
premade coconut curry sauce (or curry powder if you can't find the sauce) - if you pour the sauce into the casserole, just do 1 squiggly line down the length of the pan
bag of shredded cheese
regular size casserole pan (i think they are 13 by 9)

1. cook the chicken, I season it with the curry and saute it
2. cook the veggie in the microwave for 4 min.
3. mix all of the ingredients in a casserole dish (except the cheese)
4. top with cheese
5. cook in oven on 375 or 425 for about 15 min., until the cheese is melted

We LOVE this meal. When I was working, it was soooo easy. You can obviously cook your own rice and veggies instead of using the prepackaged stuff. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

To add to Stephanie's...serve that chicken with a side of spaghetti and you have chicken parmesan! Chili is simple! Brown 1lb or hamburger or ground turkey. Transfer to a big pot and add 1 chopped green pepper, 1 can kidney beans, 2 big cans of chopped tomatoes and a package of chili seasoning. Simmer for about 1/2 hour and serve! It's delicious with shredded cheese on top. This recipe also works good in the crock pot - just set on low and let it simmer while you're at work!

S.

I agree with the Crock Pot it is so easy and quick. You can even use frozen chicken or pork. Put it in first thing in the morning and it will be ready by dinner time. All check out allrecipes.com good site for all kinds of recipes.

Good Luck
K. Lawson

You'll get lots of ideas just from these moms alone! My husband can't cook (maybe won't is more appropriate), so when I have to work an evening shift I make my family this roast that is one pot, easy, and delicious.

Ingredients:
2 lb chuck roast
1 lb bag short cut carrots (the baby carrots)
3 potatoes
3 onions
1 envelope Lipton's Onion Mushroom soup mix
1/2 cup water

Put the roast in a 9 x 13 baking/roasting pan. Dump the carrots on top and spread around the pan, too. Scrub the potatoes and cut them up into chunks and dump them in. Peel the onions and cut them into chunks or wedges (whichever is easier for you) and dump them in. Sprinkle the soup mix over everything and stir it up a little to get the veggies a little coated, then pour the water on top. Cover with a big sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 3 hrs at 350 degrees. It's done!!
My family loves to eat this with a big loaf of italian bread for dipping in the juices.

There's also cookbooks that I've seen that the recipes have only 4 or 5 ingredients. Look into those, too!

Good luck, and happy cooking!

ok, very easy.....you will need
Chicken breast (I use boneless, skinless and cut them in half length wise, I like them thin...you don't have to do this, but then you have to cook a little longer)
Shredded cheddar
Minute rice
Salsa, any kind you like, I use chi-chis
a baking dish, not too big, just so your chicken fits tightly.

put your chicken in the baking dish...salt and pepper it.
pour the salsa on top of the chicken, be generous you want it covered plus some.
bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes (if your chicken is thin)
top each piece of chicken with some cheese, bake about 5 minutes till cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, make your rice as directed on the box.

serve the chicken over the rice......
the salsa keeps the chicked so moist...
ENJOY
cover the chi

QUICK ENCHILADAS:

1 pkg of 10 frozen chimichangas/burritos
2 cans red enchilada sauce
1 package Mexican shredded cheese

Bake enchiladas at 350 for 15-20 minutes
Pour sauce over top, bake for 5 minutes
Dump cheese over top evenly, bake for 5 minutes

Let cool for a few minutes and serve.

EASY CHILI:

2 lb burger (beef or turkey)
2 cans Delmonte Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 can Bush's Chili mix beans (medium heat, green can)
hot sauce, to taste
onion, small diced
Oyster crackers and/or shredded cheese to top, optional.

Brown and season burger on stove top.
Dump all ingredients into a crock pot or large stove top pot. Crock pot can be on high all day, stir occastionally. Stove pot should start with a boil and simmer low all day, stir often. You can add several squirts of hot sauce to start and add more before you eat it if needed. This can be frozen.

They also have ready to eat roasts and meat loaf that you just pop in the microwave for about 7 minutes and it's ready to eat. Just ate a can of veggies and some box potatoes and you have dinner ready in 10-15 minutes!

You can do the same with a ham steak. Just heat it in a pan, add veggies and tators and you're done.

They have stir fry veggie/pasta kits in the freezer section. Just cook and cut up chicken and add the frozen mixture in a large pan or pot and you have a stir fry.

Ground some beef, turkey or sliced sausage, add spaghetti sauce. Boil noodles, checking often. You'll want them to be "just soft", rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process then rinse with hot water. Heat some garlic bread in the microwave and you're done. This can be frozen as well. Chop an onion in the sauce and simmer if you'd like. Salad on the side is nice.

Ground beef with optional onion, add sloppy joe sauce and simmer. Bake frozen fries or tater tots. Make your sloppy joes on burger buns with a slice of cheese and a salad on the side.

Frozen burger patties for quick cheeseburgers, with frozen fries on the side.

Tuna Helper - we get the creamy tuna helper which is more like a tuna casserole. We toss in one can of tuna per box, and add frozen mixed veggies (peas & carrots and such). Simmer and let cool a bit before eating. Meat, grains and veggies in one bowl.

Johnsonville Stadium Brats - these are pre-cooked so all you're doing is heating them up. Put on a hot dog bun, add fries, chips, Bush's baked beans on the side, maybe a salad.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Start experimenting with canned, boxed and ready to eat items. As you feel more comfortable you can move on from there. This is how I taught my husband to cook, lol! It can be fun!

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat

Try kraftfoods.com. They have tons of great recipes and they are easy to make. My family has loved everything that I have made from there.

Wow, you got a ton of responses!

I too, have some wonderful, EASY ideas, but I try to cook lower fat, lower sodium, so don't use the canned/packaged products very much.

When I do use cream of mushroom soup, I buy the reduced-fat, reduced sodium version... sometimes, I'll use one can of reduced fat and one can of reduced sodium together ~

I am an independent consultant for Tastefully Simple Gourmet Foods - don't let the word "gourmet" scare you! Remember "simple!"

All our products are either open & eat or require just one or two ingredients to prepare, PLUS, the best part: dozens of easy recipe ideas for each...

For example: lay out 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pam-sprayed baking dish (use just plain chicken, no seasonings or anything, to keep the sodium level low)

Use any of our dressings, salsas or seasonings sparingly, as they're very hearty, a little goes a long way. You may want a sprinkle of cheese on top, low fat is still tasty, but not fat free! Bake at 350 for 40 mins, check to be sure it's not pink in the middle, and done! You can cook some minute rice on the side, then sprinkle in a bit of one of our pesto-sesonings, for a yummy side, and steam some frozen veggies if not fresh, as frozen don't have the high sodium that canned do - they're the next best thing to fresh.

Another easy is the steamer bags you can buy. Put one chicken breast in each, then 1/3 bag of whatever each family member's favorite frozen veggies are, then whichever seasoning, dressing or marinade is their favorite, so they are custom meals ~ keep in freezer, then pull and microwave for 10 mins.

Please let me know if you would like a catalog and a ton of recipes ~ like the Pampered Chef consultant who posted above, I offer fun parties, if you'd like to get your friends together for a Taste-Testing party... the food IS the party, no cooking or anything at the party, but I give dozens of great ideas for using all the products, everyone eats & drinks & has a great deal of fun! Even if you don't want to host, please let me give you a catalog & recipes, so whenever you're ready to cook healthy & easy & economically, I can help! ____@____.com

I just made an awsome new recipe. You take chicken breast (boneless), slice down the middle and put in roasted red peppers, mosseralla cheese and a table spoon of pesto sause. It is so easy. Put a little oil on the bottom of a baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes. Good luck. T.

Get some extra duty out of your grill this year! We grill just about all year. Chicken (marinated or plain), pork tenderloins, steak, shish kebab, etc. And buy some of the Steamfresh vegetable bags--they are awesome sides for any meal: corn on the cob, peas, broccoli, rice, etc.

Crockpot recipe:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic (I use dried minced)
1 tsp dried onions
1 c parmesan or mozzerella

Combine tomatoes and seasonings. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Top with parmesan. It should melt down in about 1/2 hour or so

Serve with buttered noodles and a salad.

Good luck! Once you get started it will be lots of fun!

This is very easy and my very picky 10 year old loves it!
Good Luck & Happy Cooking!
G.

Monterey Spaghetti

4 ounces spaghetti, broken into 2" pieces
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 can (2.8 oz) French fried onions, divided

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat egg. Add sour cream,
Parmesan and garlic powder.

Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture. Add Monterey Jack cheese,
spinach and half of the onions.

Pour into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining onions; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Serves 6 to 8.

Crockpot Monterey Spaghetti

4 oz. spaghetti, broken into pieces
1 egg
1 C. sour cream
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 t. crushed garlic
3 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and
drained
1/2 (6-oz.) can French fried onions

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain.

In a large bowl mix together sour cream, grated Parmesan cheese and minced garlic. After beating the
egg in a small bowl, transfer to the large bowl and blend together. Transfer to a greased crockpot.

Mix cooked and drained spaghetti, 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese, thawed spinach, and half of the
French fried onions and add to the crockpot. Stir contents of crockpot until just blended.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

In last 30 minutes of cooking, turn to HIGH if cooking on LOW and add remaining grated Monterey Jack cheese and French fried onions to top of casserole. Serve when cheese is melted.

Yields 8 servings.

I agree with most of the ladies - get a crock pot (perhaps a 5 qt size). SUPER easy....purchase the perdue chicken breasts that are already marinated (garlic and wine or pepper and herb). Each chicken beast is individual wrapped. Starting from FROZEN chicken - unwrap your desired amount of chicken - place inside crock pot (I usually spray mine with pam or I use a crock pot liner) then add about 1/2 cup of water. Cover and set to low and leave it for 6 - 8 hrs. Same recipe for thawed chicken...just cook for about 4-6 hrs. Add a simple rice dish and buy a bag of carrots...you are good to go!!
Moving forward - buy a cookbook and don't be afraid to experiment. Get the staple Betty Crocker cookbook. Another one that is simple and has great recipes - Southern Living.

HI S.!
There is a wonderful website that you can join for free with lots of recipes of all kinds.
Google "epicurious" and it will come up. last night I tried a very easy eggplant dish that was on the site. It was fun to read all the variations of the dishes I prepare, like moussaka and ratatouille; and the old standard "eggplant parmesan" has at least twenty variations. Call me a geek -- I read recipes for entertainment! :)
N

Do you have a crock pot? You can make alot of easy dinners in one of these!!

:) D.

Hi S.,

My daughter S. is in sports and we don't get home on some nights until 6pm. I love the envelopes of McCormick Slow Cookers. I just made the Italian Chicken the other night, I add green pepper to it with all the other ingredients and its like a chicken caccitorie(sp?). They also have a pork barbeque which was really good. I bought the chili and beef stroganoff too but haven't tried them yet. Good luck!

Di

Some of the recipes on this site are quite complicated but there are some quick and easy ones. Check it out:

foodgawker.com

Good luck!

S.,

one of the easiest that I have that is really good and flexible is Chicken Noodle Casserole.

for a basic recipe

a couple of chicken breasts or several thighs or leftover chicken or turkey.

a bag of frozen mixed vegetables

a can of chicken broth or the 1 1/2 cups of the water if you boil the chicken

a can of condensed cream of whatever soup (do NOT dilute) your families favorite

a bag of egg noodles or pasta

cook the chicken, the veggies and the noodles seperatly (I like my noodles firm so I undercook them slightly)

Mix with the soup and broth then bake for about 20-30 minutes at 350F until hot. then top with either dry stove top stuffing (a handful or two for crunch), bread crumbs, cheese, biscuits or what ever your family likes. If you use biscuits you need to cook according to the directions. for the other toppings put back in the oven for about 5 minutes. and it is done.

This is a great potluck meal and works well in a crockpot, you can use fancy mixed veggies, cream of mushroom soup and stir in a little wine in place of some of the broth for adults, or simple kids favorites for the veggies and cream of chcken soup and use wagon wheels instead of noodles.

http://vegweb.com/index.php?action=recipes
http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/quickrecipes.html

I love my crock pot for easy yummy dinners.You can get chicken thighs or legs and put them in the crockpot in the morning with either a bottle of barbque sauce, a jar of spaghetti sauce, or can of creamy soup, set it on low, let it cook all day, and at dinner time its done!The chicken gets so tender it falls off the bone.
Also try allrecipes.com. I've been using it for 5 years, and I love it. They have recipes of the day and how to articles-you can search through thousands of recipes by category, or type in what ingredients you have on hand, and it will give you recipes for it.
Have fun cooking and creating!
S.

I see you've gotten lots of responses, but many of them are for chicken or the crockpot. Since you didn't mention your eating preferences, I'll pass along a few favorites for red meat:
HAMBURGER STROGANOFF (my husband's favorite comfort food)
1/2c minced onion, 1 clove minced garlic (I use the kind from the jar - not dried), 1-2T butter or margarine, 1LB ground beef, 2T flour, 1t salt, 1/4t pepper, 1 small can sliced mushrooms - drained, 1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (I use low sodium), 1c sour cream
Saute onion and garlic in butter over medium heat. Add meat and brown. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in condensed soup. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream, cooking until heated.
I serve this over poppy seed noodles. Just follow the instructions on a bag of medium egg noodles, then drain. Add a small pat of butter and a few tablespoons of poppy seeds, heating until butter is melted.
TACO BAKES (good as is or experiment with other combinations as you gain confidence - we like imitation crab meat with mild cheese, too)
1LB ground beef, 1 packet taco seasoning mix, jalapenos (as many as you prefer - I keep a jar of the pre-cut peppers in the fridge), 8oz package crescent rolls, 4oz grated cheddar cheese, 1c sour cream, chopped tomatoes and scallions to garnish
Preheat oven to 375. Brown and drain the meat, follow the instructions on the taco seasoning package (I go easy on the water so it's not too wet). Unroll the crescents (don't separate the triangles) into four rectangles. Place two rectangle on a cookie sheet, put some peppers on them and cover with the taco meat. sprinkle with most of the cheese. Top with the other rectangles and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Top with sour cream, tomatoes and scallions.
You should also try marinating meat - there are some great pre-made ones at the store or try one of these quick ones:
SIRLOIN KEBABS (easy to do the morning or night before)
1LB sirloin, 8oz fresh mushrooms, 1/2c red wine, 1T worcestershire sauce, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2c vegetable oil, 2T ketchup, 1t sugar, 1/2t salt, 1T vinegar, 1/2t marjoram, 1/2t rosemary
Cut sirloin into cubes. Wash mushrooms. Put everything into a bowl or a bag. Stick in the fridge for 4+ hours. Load onto skewers and grill.
CARIBBEAN (best with beef but can try pork or chicked)
2T lime juice, 1/4t grated lime peel (can find dried in the spice section, but fresh is even yummier), 1/4t salt, 1/4t ground cumin, 1/4c vegetable oil
TERIYAKI (yummy with beef, pork, chicken, salmon, etc.)
1c orange or pineapple juice, 1/4c soy sauce, 1/4c honey, 1 clove minced garlic, 2t ground ginger

Since you are a beginner, I don't want to take anything for granted. Here are the abbreviations I've used -- T is for tablespoon, t is for teaspoon.
A great website for recipes is http://allrecipes.com I love it because people not only rate the recipe but add suggestions to make it easier, yummier or just different. It also has an option to search based on the ingredients you have on hand - great when you don't have time to run to the store.
Most importantly, have fun! We love to try new things and laugh when it doesn't come out just right :)

This is what we do almost every night - easy and fast.

I highly recommend you buy a grill skillet. They are not that expensive (maybe $25) - its basically a grill surface in a frying pan. I use my grill pan almost every day.

Then get chicken (breast of pattie), turkey breast, pork cutlet, any kind of meat. Sprinkle with salt/pepper (or get some McCormicks Montreal Steak seasoning-- really good) and put it in the pan. After the bottom is done, flip it. Voila, your meat is done! You don't have to heat up your oven and this is a very healthy way to cook the meat. It will be nice and juicy.

Serve with couscous (ready in 5 mins) or rice (there's an Uncle Ben's in the pouch you can microwave in 90 seconds) and any kind of vegetables (again, during the week we use pouch steam). Throw some apple sauce in and you've got a meal everyone can eat (including our 15mo old) -- basic but yummy.

I love to cook and get in to some very complex recipes, but its much harder to do that during the week (I work outside of the home). I've found that simple is best.

Crock pots are also very very convenient and easy as well.

Hi S.! I use e-mealz.com. I love it. It gives you 5 very easy recipes a week. On average I am able to prepare my meals in about a half-hour and it so easy. The website does cost a little money. I think my husband said about $4 a month. There are different plans you can chose. We chose the low fat meal for two but I find there are left-overs for lunch the next day. Good luck!

just get yourself a bag of seasoned breaded chicken tenders. what i do is put a little marinara sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, lay the tenders on that and pour more sauce on top then top it off with sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese. cover it with aluminum foil and pop it in the oven at 350' for about an hour and a half. i've made this numerous times for my family (we have 5 kids) and they all love it.
hope that helps!
i've got more ideas if you need them..let me know

S.,
my advice to you w/b to start out with crock pot meals. You can find a plethera of them on line, at your local library, or even in the frozen foods section of the grocery store.
Also, you can never go wrong with pasta. You can follow the directions on the package.
When you feel confident enough, purchase "the joy of cooking" This will teach you how to do everything you need or want to do in the kitchen in an easy to do format.

I made a really nice and simple dinner the other night that my hubby really liked.

I put chicken and cubed potatoes in a glass baking dish with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom (you can use veg oil.) and put my seasonings on both sides of the chicken. I used seasoned salt, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, italian seasoning and rosemary.

I put it in the oven and let it cook at 400 until the chicken was done. The potatoes were seasoned from the chicken, and the chicken was juicy and tender. It was a nice put it in the oven and go work out kind of meal.

Also chicken cordon bleu.

Just put rice on the bottom of the glass baking dish. Follow instructions on bag for how much rice and water etc.
Place your chicken on top. I cut slits in the chicken and put cheese slices and placed ham on top. Again, put it in the oven and go. I also added a little butter to the rice to give it a nice flavor.

D.

S. L. I have been eating this dish since I was a kid and I love it and make it for my own grown kids who also love it. my mother called it poor mans chili. she brown ground meat in a big skillet add pork and beans and served it over mashed potatoes with a salad or another veggie.

I also make a mock sheppards pie which is very easy. brown the meat in a large skillet drain the fat and put back in skillet add some frozen mixed veggies, a can of cream of mushroom soup add half the soup can of milk, salt and pepper to taste. mix well when heated up put all into a 13 x 9 baking pan mix in some grated cheddar cheese add mashed potatoes on top and bake for 20 mins. at 350 degrees. another favorite of my families.

To make lasagne even easier then the recipe below. I do not boil the noodles first but you have to bake it for an hour to an hour and a half.

and easy really good garlic bread. take a loaf of italian bread cut in half length wise. butter both halfs of the bread top with ricotta cheese add garlic powder top with sliced tomatoes and top that with grated mozzarella cheese. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 to 20 min or unitl cheese is melted. this will go good with any italian dish. I use italian dinner rolls also then you dont have to cut the bread a lot less messy.

Left over italian bread and rolls leave out in air over night then put them in food processor to make your own bread crumbs you can add any kind of seasoning you like.

Meat Loaf instead of making one big one that takes so long to cook make individual small ones and bake for about 20 minutes. the more you put into the meat mixture the better they come out. I add dried soup mix, tomato sauce, (sometimes instead of the sauce I put ketsup or bbque sauce) bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, I love oregano in my meat loaf. I put in everything and anything but the kitchen sink. My husband and kids really enjoy it.

When I look at a recipe I improvise anyway you dont have to follow them exact. add your own ideas.

I find one pan dishes are simple and so good.

Well good luck and have fun and be creative.

This is the recipe I use when I have to have dinner on the table in 20 min. or less...it's really easy, and I never measure anything...It's pretty hard to mess this one up.

PASTA WITH SPINACH (or broccoli or any other veggie you want)

1 lb. (a box) of any pasta
1/2 bag of frozen chopped spinach not thawed
2 cloves of fresh garlic sliced in half
salt and pepper to taste
Extra Virgin olive oil (about 1/4 cup-give or take)

-Begin the water for the pasta then go to the next step to begin cooking spinach. When water boils as you're cooking the spinach, add salt to the water then the pasta. Cook according to the box.
-Put olive oil in skillet on medium heat.
-Add garlic and saute for a minute or so. Don't let garlic get brown. Turn down heat if necessary.
-Add frozen spinach (or other veggie). Chop up with a spoon as it thaws in the pan. After it is thawed, cook for a few minutes. Stir occasionally and turn down heat if it is sputtering.
-Season spinach with salt and pepper. I taste the spinach to check for flavor and tenderness. It should be really tasty. If too bland, add more salt. If it's too hard to chew, cook it longer.
-Remove the halved garlic cloves and discard, then turn spinach off while pasta finishes.
-Drain the finished pasta then pour it directly into the spinach skillet.
-Stir and serve with grated cheese. (Locatelli Romano is wonderful! You may have to grate it yourself. Some parts of the country don't carry it though.)