Archive for the ‘Quick and Easy’ Category
Good dinners don’t have to take hours to prepare or cost a fortune. Here are some quick and easy meals that anyone can prepare in around thirty minutes.
1. Manicotti is an easy dinner that looks like you spent hours cooking. Mix together a 12 oz container of ricotta cheese, two eggs, a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder (you can also add any precooked veggies you might have like spinach, mushrooms, or roasted red bell peppers – finely chopped). Spoon the mixture into uncooked manicotti shells, and then place the stuffed shells in a casserole dish that has a thin layer of spaghetti sauce already in the bottom. Cover the shells with the remaining spaghetti sauce and top the whole dish with shredded mozzarella cheese and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the shells are tender (about 35 minutes).
2. Soft tacos with fresh produce make for a fun dinner. This is an easy meal to throw together is you brown your ground beef and keep it frozen. Just thaw the meat in the microwave, add some taco seasoning, and heat for five minutes. While that is cooking, chop your fresh roma tomatoes, lettuce (use a plastic knife because the metal will make the lettuce turn brown) and shred your cheese (or open the bag). Let each member take a soft flour tortilla and create their own masterpiece. If you don’t want the tortilla, then put your taco meat on a bed of lettuce and enjoy a fresh, warm taco salad.
3. Peanut butter noodles can be a surprising dinner treat for everyone. You’ll need some dried noodles (thin spaghetti works well), 1/2 tsp sesame oil (if you have it), 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce. Cook the noodles as directed. In a separate bowl beat together the rest of the ingredients. Thin the sauce with water until it is the consistency of heavy cream. Pour over the noodles and serve.
4. Have breakfast for dinner. Most meals of eggs, biscuits (from the can or now the freezer section), and bacon can be whipped up in well under 30 minutes. Save on the cleaning time by using the left over bacon grease to make some gravy. Just add an equal amount of flour to the grease in the pan. Let it start to bubble. Season the flour with pepper, salt, and garlic or onion powder to taste. Slowly whisk in some milk until the gravy is the consistency your family prefers.
Make it easy, make it quick, and make sure that clean up will be a breeze as well. Dinner doesn’t have to take all day to be enjoyed by everyone.
It is important for me – as a stay at home mom – to put something on the table for dinner every night that I have cooked myself. Most days it isn’t a problem. I remember to take the meat out of the freezer, I start prep work on time, and I put it in the oven at just the right moment so that it will be fresh and ready when daddy gets home. On days when it doesn’t work out that way, it is extremely valuable to have a well stocked pantry.
1. Canned chicken can be a life saver. If you forget to defrost or if you simple don’t have the chicken that you thought you did, then this canned variety can make good chicken salad, chicken and dumplings, or even chicken pot pie.
2. Instant potatoes are a quick and tasty side. They may not be as good as homemade, but with a little seasoning, sour cream, bacon bits, and some shredded cheese, you have a side dish that looks like you spent all day preparing.
3. Canned raviolis (or lasagna, spagettios, etc) are a dinner even the kids can put together. Add a healthy tough with a remade salad and it’s almost as good as mom can make.
4. Condensed soups make great soup starters. Add your favorite veggies and some broth for a perfect winter meal.
5. Muffin packets are great for pancakes, muffins, or breads. You can even add some canned fruit to make it more of a dessert.
The pantry is your friend. With just a few staple items in your cabinet, you make meals in minutes for those days that are too hectic for reason.
“I can bring home the bacon – fry it up in the pan . . . ” but should I really have to? It seems that when you choose to work from home, most people (often including your spouse) don’t get the concept that you are actually working. They expect you to continue to run the household as a full time job even though you are working full time. This seems especially true when it comes to meals – it’s easier for you to do the cooking since you are already at home.
Trying to manage three meals a day and squeezing in work use to stress me out. Then my oven died. That pushed me into complete panic, for about a day. I was forced to re-discover my crock-pot, microwave, and toaster oven. It was one of the best bad things that has ever happened to our home. Not only did I get a new oven, but I got some stress free recipes that help me balance home and work.
Now, many of my more hectic morning start with dinner prep. I pour everything into a crock-pot (with a liner for easy clean up) and set it on low. At the end of the day, dinner is on the table and the mess cleaned up before the whining can even start.
There are still those days when things get out of control and we end up eating sandwiches (or the kids’ favorite, cereal) for dinner. For the most part, the crock pot has made me the greatest work at home chef in the world – to quote my oldest son.
Cooking quick and easy is important for me since I’m a work at home, homeschooling, mother of three boys. I want to get the house clean, do my work, and have dinner on the table when the hubby gets home – and not have two more hours worth of cleaning to face.
Most of the quick cook meals that I have run across (like the 30 minute meals that are so popular right now) only take into account the preparation time and the cook time. Few people consider the time involved with the clean up. After a long day, the last thing I want to have to look forward to is washing a lot of pots and pans.
The crock pot is one way I avoid this task. Not only is it easy to clean up after cooking (especially if you get some of the crock pot liners that are now sold), but if I’ve had a rough day I don’t have to worry about fixing dinner. It’s been fixing itself all day.
I also enjoy one pot or one dish meals. Lasagna is a favorite in our house. It may take longer than 30 minutes (since I don’t precook the noodles) but I only have the one dish to clean when it is all said and done. It’s even easier if I use a disposable tin pan. I just throw it in the garbage after we are finished.
Quick meals are a definite blessing for a busy family. It’s even better when the clean up is just as quick.
Cooking dinner for a house full of males can be a daunting task under any circumstances. Trying to start a full time writing career, maintain the house, homeschool the kids, AND put a fresh made meal on the table seems impossible on some days. I’ve found that quick and easy meals are the answer to this dilemma.
1. Pasta is a great, quick meal. You can make a pasta salad, with a little drizzle of Italian salad dressing. It can be spaghetti, with the addition of some marinara sauce. Or coat it with cheese and call it Alfredo. Pasta is easy, inexpensive, and fun for the whole family.
2. Burgers are a quick fix. I keep patties in the freezer that I seasoned, patted out, and froze individual. A healthy dinner can be on the table quicker that my husband can get to the drive through.
3. Flour tortillas can be used for any meal. Wrap up some eggs, sausage, and cheese for breakfast. For lunch, make it sandwich meat and lettuce. Dinner is some taco meat and cheese. (This is also an easy clean up)
4. Leftovers can be remade in a short amount of time. Instead of reheating them in the microwave, recreate them in the skillet. Add some cream and cheese for a quick sauce and some frozen vegetables to hamburger helper leftovers and you have a brand new meal.
5. When I’m in a pinch, I just make breakfast. Scrambled eggs, pancakes, or even French toast are all quick and easy to put together.
Cooking great meals doesn’t have to take all day. There are thousands of quick and easy recipes on the internet and hundreds of books all dedicated to the art of quick fix. Instead of ordering out, treat yourself and your family to one of these fun and timely choices.