Need Some Recipes

I have a cookbook called "Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer". It is full of recipes that you can make ahead (and in bulk if you like) and then freeze the portions that you need. There are several others out there like that as well that are perfect for the kind of cooking that you're asking about. Hope this helps, good luck!

Very easy 20 minute soup

2-3 chicken breasts cooked and cubed (I even sometimes buy the precooked fajita chicken)
1 can black beans
1 can corn
2 cans chicken stock or 1 box
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can rotelle tomatoes
1 can green chilis
simmer all above ingredients for about 10 minutes to blend flavors then add 1/2 cup rice (instant only takes 5 minutes) If you use regular rice, put it in at start of simmer time. Simmer 5 -10 more minutes or until rice is tender.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and diced avacadoes.

I'm another slow-cooker fan here, but I wanted to say that you can quickly cook a lot of the things you would normally fix for dinner if you do the prep before you leave for work. If your veggies are already washed and peeled and sliced, and your meat is thawed, and your salad greens are clean and in a plastic bag with a paper towel in there (to soak up extra water), it won't take more than 20 minutes or so to cook rice or noodles to go with stir-fried/sauteed/broiled meat, steamed/sauteed/stir-fried veggies, and a salad. You can be cooking crescent rolls in the oven at the same time and have dinner very quickly. Just think of the way TV chefs have their ingredients all ready for them, and plan your meal the same way. Much as I love my crockpot and the occasional casserole, I like for my meals to have "separate" ingredients sometimes.

If you really want a "pop in the oven" solution, one idea is food packets. Fish cooked in parchment is a classic, but you can cook a thin (pounded fairly flat) chicken breast the same way. Put your fish or chicken on a large piece of parchment paper or foil, add some julienned veggies, salt, pepper, a tiny sprinkle of whatever herbs you might like, a teaspoon or two of water, broth, or white wine, and fold the edges tightly to keep the liquid inside. Bake at 425 for about 20-30 minutes. You can fix the packets in the morning before you leave and all you have to do is heat up the oven and pop them in when you get home.

By the way, if your son is 8, he could help you plan and prepare the meal, and that would be fun for both of you! I hope this helps.

Hi E.!

www.recipezaar.com has been a life saver for me. You can find recipes by ingridients, preparation method and many other categories (the above mentioned are the ones I always use since I use crockpot a lot and sometimes have to figure out how to utilize some weird stuff I discover in my pantry). The best part, the site is free (unless you want some special features).

Good luck with your job!

Weight Watchers has a magazine with 5 ingredient, 15 minute recipes. Taste of Home has a magazine with slow cooker recipes. Both of these can be found in the magazine section of most large bookstores, and also in some grocery stores.

wwww.menus4moms has weekly menus and recipes that may be helpful.

Good luck in your new job!

I don't have any off the top of my head but savingdinner.com has ebooks you can purchase very inexpensively and people rave about the meals. She's associated with flylady (www.flylady.net).

It's at
http://www.savingdinner.com/about/dinner_freezer_recipes....

Good luck!

A wonderful recipe book called Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes is filled with great crock pot recipes that really aren't like any you've ever had before. They are a little more prep time than the usual crock pot recipes but you can still cook these on weekends and warm up during the week. This book has everything from Breakfast to soups to casseroles to desserts and they are so good and doesn't use the typical processed foods alot of crockpot recipes use.

Hi, E.. You may have already heard about Homemade Gourmet, but just in case you haven't....I am a Distributor and our main focus is helping busy families (substitute the word "MOM") get dinner on the table with a minimum of stress and time spent in the kitchen. We help you prepare delicious, quick meals that your family will love. It's not fast food, it's good food, fast!
If you are interested in learning more you can go to my website www.homemadegourmet.com/BETTY2212
or shoot me an email and I will mail you a catalog and our quarterly magazine. Both are filled with great recipes and ideas to get dinner on the table.
B. Dunn ____@____.com

The companies that I use to keep dinner on the table is www.30-daygourmet.com and Homemade Gourmet. My freezer stays full and there is very little to due on when cooking because all of the prep work is done for you.

Homemade Gourmet has a preferred customer plan that might be good for you. My HG Consultant is:

Christine Morales - Jones
###-###-####
www.homemadegourmet.com/christine1766

I hope this helps

Jenny

I buy frozen vegetables and steam them when I need them. Marinate chicken wings with honey and vinegar with dried rosemary. Bake them the day before, and then put them in the fridge, not freezer. Put them back in the oven for 10 minutes before you need them the next day.
Fried rice is easy. Cook the rice and when cooked and cool, put it in the fridge. Never fry rice when it is warm. Stir fry scrambled eggs, peas, mixed vegetables, onions or whatever vegetables. Then put the rice in to stir fry. Add some soy sauce. And continue to stir fry. Sometimes I add in ketchup for more flavoring. It takes about half-hour to cook it. Sometimes I add left over grilled chicken, or any other meat. Just make sure that the meat is not too big. You can add shrimp. Just make sure that you add the rice last. If you want more taste, add salt before you add the rice. (By the way, I am Chinese and I love homemade sushi.)

Here are a few of my favorites that are easy and you can prepare ahead of time.

Chicken and rice
Melt a stick of butter in a pyrax pan
once butter is melted add 2 cups of rice
2 packages of lipton oinon soup mix and 2 cups of water
Stir this around until it is mixed up with the butter. Place 3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the mixture and cover with foil. Cook at 400 for 30 minutes. You can prep everthing the night before.

I also love using the crock pot while at work.

Mexican Chicken.
Spray crock pot with pam
Add one can of chicken broth
and one packet of taco seasoning.
mix it up and then place 3 of 4 chicken breast in mixture.
Cook on low all day. When you get home use a fork to shread the chicken. You can use the chicken for soft tacos, nachos, enchiladas, taco salad. It is so yummy and if you want you could double it and freeze some for the next time.

Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller is my new favorite cookbook! She also has a show on Food Network. She has lots of cook-ahead meals that are more than just lasagna and casserole. In case you don't want to get the book, here's a tip that helps me - always make a double batch of things like rice and pasta and pop the other in a Ziploc in the freezer. Then stick it in the fridge the night before you want to eat it so you can just microwave it come dinnertime. Good luck with your transition!

Mix up homemade spaghetti sauce (freeze/refrigerate). It only takes 10 minutes to cook noodles. During that time you can fix some bread and salad.

Fry 1 lb. ground beef with chopped onion and/or chopped garlic cloves (to taste). Strain off grease.

Add 1 tsp. oregano, 1 T. parsley, pinch of basil, 1 bay leave. I also add crushed red peppers to taste. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add 1 can diced/chopped/stewed tomatoes (15-16 oz), 1 small can tomato sauce (8-12 oz) and stir. If it needs more sauce, add small can of tomato paste. Stir until bubbles, then lower heat and cover to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally. When done just pour over cooked noodles.

Optional: add sausage to fry with ground beef, or add sliced pepperoni towards end of cooking, or add mushrooms, or add black olives, or add slices of chicken. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, romano cheese, etc.

Ihave a virtual cookbook with loys of healthy foods
www.K.-robinson.com

Here's a great easy slow cooker recipe! Enjoy C.

CRANBERRY PORK ROAST


1 can (16 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 medium onion chopped
1 can (5.5 oz) apricot nectar
½ C sugar
½ C coarsely chopped dried apricots
1 tsp cider or distilled white vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
2-½ lb boneless pork loin roast (well trimmed)There's a 3 pack at costco for about $16 that is perf for this. Just open and plop it in!

Mix all ingredients except pork in a 3 quart or larger slow cooker. Add pork, spoon some of the cranberry mixture over the top. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or until pork is tender. Remove pork to cutting board and slice. Spoon fat off sauce, serve sauce with pork.

There is also something called "super suppers" - http://www.supersuppers.com - they have locations everywhere. I've never used them, but I was looking into them when we first moved to the area. You cook the meals yourself, or pick them up in their "to go" area. They also have kid days if you want to make it a family affair. There's a lot of info on their site. Good luck!

Easy, Easy,Easy

Chicken, Noodles w/sauce and asparagus....
you will need:
Chicken Breast (boneless and skinless) # depending on the # that will be eating
Jar of Sauce (alfredo etc)
bag of egg noodles
parm cheese (if you like)
Olive oil
asparagus
salt
pepper

In a pan saute 3 boneless chicken breast (season the way you like: salt, pepper, etc)
once the chicken in done remove and drain.

while the chicken is cooking boil a bag of "egg noodles" and drain

in the same pan you cooked the chicken in, pour a jar of your favorite sauce (alfredo etc)
add in some mushrooms and or olives if you wish and cover for about 8 minutes (just enough for the mushrooms to cook a tad).

once the sauce has had a chance to heat up put the chicken into the skillet with sauce, parm cheese, and cover for another few minutes.

while the chicken is in the sauce, use a flat cooking sheet to put asparagus on. drizzle them with salt, pepper and olive oil (any kind) put in a pre-heated oven on 350 for a few minutes (about 8)

once the asparagus is finished, so is your meal- you are ready to plate up :)

put the noodles on the plate, cover with the sauce and top with a chicken breast. On the side, put your asparagus and you are done! A nice healthy meal that all can enjoy.

My son who's eight LOVES the noodles- they Rock (especially with the sauce)

Tip: you can use any skinless piece of the chicken you'd like- (I happen to like the breast)

happy eating- and good luck going back to work- you CAN do it.

about me- Single Mother of an 8 (almost 9) yr old. I am writing this at 1 in the morning, while on vacation in Oregon (so excuse any mistakes) :)

WOuld love to see the ideas that you receive
J.

Broccoli, Cheese, Chicken Casserole

1 pkg. frozen broccoli (or fresh), cooked and drained
1 can Cr. Mushroom Soup
1/3 cup milk
1-2 lbs. cooked chicken, cubed (I use about 4 ck. breasts)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (or more if you love cheese)

Arrange cooked broccoli in pyrex dish. Blend soup, milk, and chicken. Pour over broccoli; Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 for 15-20 mins. until cheese melts.

Another easy meal is Taco Salads:

Just brown your ground beef, add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions. Add black beans (washed and drained), corn, or whatever else you'd like. Place on top of a bed of lettuce, sprinkle with cheese and enjoy with your favorite dressing and/or salsa!

E., I too am returning to work full time after 8 yrs!
I'm excited to receive recipes from this post but do not have any to contribute myself.
I do think it will make things easier if you do prep work on Sat or Sun. Things like: pre cook chicken and beef. Wash and cut all the vegetables and fruit and anything else that can be done ahead of time. That way when you get home, all you have to do is assemble and warm. Betty Crocker and Kraft foods have websites that have make ahead recipes I plan to check out as well.
Anyone else with ideas?

Hi! E.,
Many people share your problem and as a solution The Pampered Chef has created the 29 minutes to dinner cookbook. We also have a new cooking show concept called the Power Cooking show, that is where I can teach you and your guests the advantages of "power cooking" once a week for a couple of hours and having great meals in the freezer all week. If you hosted one of these shows, not only would you get the other terrific host benefits from The Pampered Chef of free, half price and discounted products based on your shows sales, but you would be left with some great recipes and 2 meals in your freezer for another night...Contact me if you would like to hear more about this, or just order the book.
C. Stigler
Ind. Sales Director for
The Pampered Chef
###-###-####
____@____.com
www.pamperedchef.biz/cheristigler
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