What's for Dinner?

I too am burnt out on what to make so I will check back-here are 2 quick recipes

Take a box of salloped potatoes and prepare as directed-bake then 5-15 minutes before it is done add cubed ham/spam and a can of peas/or any veg and bake another 5-10 minutes till heated-My kids love this.

A bag of egg noodles-cook as directed-mix with cream of whatever soup-we use chicken and then boil a bag of mixed vegetables drain and mix with noodles and soup-top with cheese of your choice bake another 5-10 minutes to melt cheese and enjoy.My kids also love this.

i can't wait to see new recipes. L.:)

*adding this: since you have a picky eater... ie: your Hubby, maybe he can cook sometimes? My Hubby cooks sometimes, and it's relaxing for him and a good break for me!

Sometimes, we have breakfast for dinner!
I make omelets, bacon and biscuits. The family likes it, and it's so easy.

Or, Eggplant Parmesean...
Using, 2-3 large round eggplants sliced into 1/4" and place them on a baking pan on paper towels, sprinkle with salt & let stand for about 1/2 hour to get the water out of the eggplant, then in a baking dish (1) layer the eggplant slices in a single layer, then pour on some bottled spaghetti or marinara sauce just to evenly cover the slices (2) sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese (3) layer the remaining eggplant slices on top of that (4) pour on more of the bottled spaghetti sauce (5) sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese... and repeat until you've used up all the eggplant slices, and with the mozzarella cheese as the last layer.
Then, bake uncovered in the oven at 350 degrees until the top is browned and bubbly.
So, you need just 3 ingredients: jar spaghetti sauce/marinara sauce, 3 round eggplants, 1 or 2 packages of shredded mozzarella cheese.
It's real good, easy and my family likes it.

Or, what I do many times is using any kind of meat (ie: chicken, beef or pork), (1) I marinate the meat in a ziplock bag in any kind of store bought bottled Teriyaki or Asian sauce for about 6 or more hours... (2) then, I cut the meat into cubes, put it onto skewer sticks, alternating it with any kind of veggie I have on hand like bell peppers, onions, zuccinni, or pineapple...then I simply BBQ it on our grill outside. It's real yummy and super easy. I serve it with rice, or potatoes, or pilaf (boxed kind super easy to make), or Uncle Ben's wild rice. My family also loves this when I make it.

Good luck,
Susan

Turkey Chili

Salmon with steamed veggies

Steaks (On sale at vons) with steamed broccoli

Spaghetti and salad (don't forget the salad)

Lentil/vegie Soup (Yum!)

Cobb salad and Steamed spinach and hard-boiled eggs with toast for the young ones.

Seasoned Beef Meatballs with bean and rice

Taco Salad

Chicken Noodle Soup

These are dishes that I rotate on a weekely basis. I pick out recipes ahead of time, shop for the week since I know what I"m goign to make and then make it! Have your kids get involved by having them pick out recipes that have pictures. 7 and 8 can help wash, chop and stir. Number one can play with toys and 35 can wash dishes. Meals are a family affair!

Need more?
Check out:
epicurious.com
Better Homes and Gardens website
Vegetarian Times
Parenting
Food Network

There are lots of online 30-60min meals that with a little prep help, can have a happy family outcome!

You can do it!

It seems that us moms are all on the same quest! I bought some of those little cookbooks from the check out lines ~ you know the ones? Meals in 30, Meals in one pan, meals your kids will eat...there are alot of them, and I get one every now and then since they have picturse, then I take them home and let each of the kids pick out two or three pictures they like and we plan our meals! My kids are 9,4,3! Some of them are HORRID, and many have turned into new family staples, but what ever the case, the kids and I enjoyed picking new items, and also making them, and then the nights we had to eat Mac N cheese since what we made was so bad LOL!
One of the new staples is one kabasa styly sausage, bow tie noodles, broccoli, peas, shredded carrots, and olives all tossed with olive oil and parm cheese! This was fun and the kids like the bow tie noodles, but you can use whatever noodles you want, the other kind of noodles that are a big hit are the wagon wheels. I have two picky eaters at my house, so meal planning is hard, but I refuse to make more then one choice, but I make sure there is something on the table that each person likes so I know there is something that they will eat. If I think of any others, or hear of anything I will let you know, please let me know if you come up with any new ideas/recipes ~ I think we would all be interested in them =}

I'm on the same quest as you per my hubby's request so I'm going to check back to see what ideas you get. My picky eater is 35!

Tonight I am making a homemade cream of chicken soup recipe I found on yahoo and serving it in breadbowls from Vons.

Get a crockpot and crockpot cookbook. So many good and simple eats. A favorite crockpot recipe of ours is chicken breast covered with salsa then shred for tacos.

I also take ham steaks and saute in a pan with brown sugar and pineapple juice.

I like recipes that utilize store bought items for easier cooking. You might want to check out "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee." She has lots of easy recipes with everyday items.

This is silly but my daughter just got The Gourmet Chef Nintendo DS game for Christmas and it has 70 recipes on it. She's going to pick out some that sound good and is excited to help cook them.

And the rule to happy dinner times at our house is that whoever cooks, doesn't clean! Happy cooking.

Stir Fry is one of my son's favorites!

I get the packaged Tyson preseasoned meats, either beef or chicken and it's usually really wells seasoned and follow the directions on the back.

It's really just broccoli, peas, greans beans, carrots and sometimes a bell pepper if I have it on hand. Cook the veggies in oil and broth, you can add Stir Fry or Soy Sauce if you like.

I use two bags of meat for the whole family...party of five. You can use frozen veggies for variety or get the bagged 'fresh' veggies in the produce section.

Also, my son loves casserole...I don't know why, but one day I was making rice and just threw a bunch of stuff in the pot. Browned some ground Turkey, with green onion and then added it to a box of rice (my son loves Ralph's brand pilaf) with some veggies and it's a whole meal in itself. We usually do pita bread or tortillas depending on the mood.

I love experimenting with whatever's in the kitchen!

Good Luck! And, have fun!

Breaded honey chicken is one of our favorites. I usually defrost chicken in milk and italian dressing. Once defrosted, I coat with bread crumbs and then drizzle with honey. I bake the chick in the oven. Depending on the size of the breast- usually 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve with rice and steamed veggie. The chicken is a family hit because it is moist and sweet. Good luck!

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