Easy Dinner recipes...help!

Chilli relleno caserole:

10 eggs beaten, 2 cups shreded colby jack (or what ever yellow cheese you like) one can evaoporated milk (can use low-no fat) 2 large cans chopped green chillis, salt- peper to taste. Put it in a greesed caserole or pyrex dish, bake at 375 for 55 minutes or until knife comes out clean in center. Serve with tortillas and a bag salad.

M.

I love my crock pot and can "dump" meals in and walk away :) I like using the 5 ingredient cook book too. Can't wait to see recipes!

Pulled pork (from all-recipes - 12 servings)
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
3 pounds boneless pork ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce

Directions
Pour can of beef broth into slow cooker, and add boneless pork ribs. Cook on High heat for 4 hours, or until meat shreds easily. Remove meat, and shred with two forks. It will seem that it's not working right away, but it will.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Transfer the shredded pork to a cooking pan, and stir in barbeque sauce.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Unlike you I do not like to cook, nor am I up for the challenge. I made this last week and was excited at the ease and taste.

I look forward to the recipes too :)

This is a list of quick, easy recipes I posted a little while ago that all take between 5-20 minutes from prep to finish:

Bon Appetite, and don't forget to sit down while prepping! Or even better, assign chopping/ prep work to one of the other 5. They're eating, they can durn well help!! :) :) :) ((And you can guilt them by knowing my 7yo is my "prep-cook")) I also don't want to hear that you are the one doing the dishes. Either the healthy people can do the dishes, or the paper plates can go in the compost.

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Here's a week's worth:

Pene Alfredo w Chicken & Broccoli (15-20 minutes)
GrownUp Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup (20 min)
Killer French Dip (5 min) + steak fries (15min) + watermelon slices
Chili Cornbread Bake (15 - 30 min)
Pesto Pasta (11-15 minutes)
BBQ Chicken Quesodillas (15-20 min)
Breakfast for Dinner (mmmm.... pancakes)

Pene Alfredo w Chicken & Broccoli (15-20 minutes)
(or sub any kind of shrimp)

- Box of pene noodles boiled until al dente (about 11 minutes)
- couple heads of broccoli blanched (about 2 minutes, aka bright green)
- rotisserie chicken from the store, or any other form of chicken (baked, grilled, foreman'd, whatever you like), chopped into bite sized pieces
- Your favorite jarred alfredo sauce
- chopped tomatoes to sprinkle on top
- big pinches or scoops from goatcheese log IF you feel like it

In a big saute pan or the pot you boiled the noodles in combine noodles, broccoli, chicken, and alfredo sauce and heat on medlow until everything is warm (about 3-5 mintes). Dish. Sprinkle over tomatoes. Finis.
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GrownUp Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup (20 min)

- baguette sliced up
- your fav cheese(s) ... (pepperjack, jarlsburg, smokey blue, mozz whatever)
- olive oil
- Can(s) o' campbells tomato soup
- Milk
- Can of chopped tomatoes (plain, fire roasted, italian, whatever looks yummy)
- Minced Basil (fresh is better, but dried is okay)
- Optional : Pinch of garam masala

Tomato soup ((I always do up 2 pans if I'm making grownup soup. One plain for the kids and one this way)):
- 2 cans of soup : 1 can of milk : 1 can of chopped tomatoes : big pinch of minced basil
- Heat soup on med low so the milk doesn't burn

While the soup is heating... make the sammies:

You've got 2 options on the grilled cheese. A) is a panini press. B) is a cookie sheet or baking dish and your broiler

Pour some olive oil in a dish. Dunk one side of each baguette slice in the olive oil, just enough to get it "wet", not soaked. Layer your cheese on the non-oiled side and place another slice on top (I find with baguette, most adults like between 3-5 of the sammies). Put the built sandwiches in the press or on a sheet under the broiler. Cook until cheese starts melting out the sides and the baguette is crispy. About 2 minutes under the broiler or 4-5 minutes in the press. When they come out, grind some fresh pepper on the top.

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Killer French Dip (5 min) + steak fries (15min) + watermelon slices

Make French Dip the way you ordinarily would... but use Arugula Mayo (handful of peppery arugula lettuce chopped up and swirled into small bowl of mayo), and thick crusty bread instead of rolls.

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Chili Cornbread Bake (15 - 30 min)

- Your favorite Chili
- Your favorite Cornbread BATTER
- A glass baking dish

Fill baking dish (any size, your choice) 2/3s full with chilli. Then pour cornbread batter over the top of it in one big smooth layer. Bake until cornbread is done (typically about 1/2 the time the recipe calls for, because it's a thinner layer). It's done when a toothpick comes out with only chili on it and no batter.

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Pesto Pasta (11-15 minutes)

- Angelhair pasta
- Small jar of pesto
- protein if you like

Cook pasta until done. Pour out most of the cooking water, but save a bit. Add a few big globs of pesto. Stir until coated. If you're on the carnivorous side of omnivory... this is a great way to use up leftovers (like chicken or a roast or grilled shrimp (ha, who has those left over, I would like to know?), or whatever. Just put a few slices over the top of the pasta and serve.
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BBQ Chicken Quesodillas (10-20 min)

- Tortillas
- BBQ sauce
- Shredded Cheese (like a bag'o'mexi 3 cheese)
- Rotisseri Chicken (or any other kind of chicken cut up)
- Green Onions
- Cillantro

Turn your broiler on high. On a baking sheet line up as many tortillas as you can make fit. Dollop and swirl bbq sauce on 1/2 of tortilla. Smother that same half with cheese. Add chicken slices. Sprinkle green onion and cillantro. Pop under the broiler for about 60 seconds. Pull out when cheese is ooey gooey. Fold tortilla in half. Use pizza wheel to cut into 3 triangles.

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Breakfast for dinner.

Self explanatory. From pancakes to waffles, "toad in a hole" to fried eggs, biscuts and jam to omlettes. Whatever you love for brunch.

My easiest go to recipe is taking chicken drumsticks and thighs and coating them with olive oil and sprinkling salt, pepper, garlic and taragon on them, and then roasting them in the oven. In a separate pan, I'll also roast some potato wedges, carrots, cauliflower and onion (also coated in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and tarragon). Makes pretty much a complete meal but you can always add some kind of dinner roll or rice if you want.

I hope that you are able to get your meds straightened out (if I am understanding correctly that is the problem) and that you are back to your old self very soon.

My digital pressure cooker is my best friend! I do roasts, pork, and LOTS of chicken dishes in it. You can get one for less than $100. It's dump and go cooking and one pot clean up. If you have one or decide to get one, message me and I'll send you some of my easy recipes.

A few of my quick family favorites use Knorr sauce packets. Take one pkg. of Knorr leek soup mix, prepare according to the pkg. directions (takes water and milk). It only takes 5 minutes to prepare. Then I take chicken breasts (I cut them into chunks because I have little ones, but you could leave them whole) and put them in a pan or large pot that has a lid and add all the leek soup along with 8 oz. of canned mushrooms and cover with the lid. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes (longer if chicken breasts aren't cut into chunks). My family loves this dish! I use lots of frozen veggie packets as side dishes.

I also keep lots of 5 minute side dishes in the cabinet, like couscous and Lipton rice packets. I also keep a bag of potatoes and do baked potatoes in the microwave. Wash potatoes, use a fork to poke a few holes in the potato, then cover completely w/saran wrap and microwave for several minutes, depending on the size of the potato. You can put more than one potato in at a time, just check potatoes by squeezing them to see if they are soft yet. If you do them too long, they get tough again.

Two other faves in our house use Knorr pesto packets. I use 3 packets of regular pesto (you have to add extra virgin olive oil) or creamy pesto (add milk). Cook pesto (takes 5 minutes). Take chicken breasts (I cut them into chunks and do the same thing as the above recipe) and put them in a large pot or pan with a lid and add about 1/3 of the pesto mix to the pan and cook, covered for 10-15 minutes on medium heat. You can add a can of mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, or any other pasta add-in your family likes. Cook your favorite pasta, then pour the remaining pesto over the pasta and mix. Top with chicken. My family loves the creamy pesto with orzo. Cooking the chicken in the sauce with the lid makes it really tender.

Good luck with your illness. I hope you can get some relief soon.

Chicken Currey Casserole: (I use a 6qt casserole dish, so if you've got a big one, use it and it'll feed a lot of people)

3-4 broccoli crowns (boiled slightly - 3-4 minutes, then broken up and layered in bottom of dish)
bite sized pieces of chicken breast (about 2lbs. worth), browned and tossed on top of broccoli
Cream sauce (2 regular cans cream of chicken soup, 1 c. mayo, 2-3 tbsp lemon juice, as much currey powder as you want - I use tons) layered over chicken and broccoli
grated sharp cheddar cheese layered over all

Cover and bake in oven at 350 for 1 1/2 hrs. remove lid for last 10 miutes to brown cheese

while the casserole is baking, cook up several servings of rice in a rice cooker/veggie steamer

Serve casserole over rice. Voila! (this is my all-time favorite recipe) I really like this because there is a long period between prep and serving, so I get a chance to sit down and relax while I let the oven and rice cooker do the work.

If you don't have a rice cooker/veggie steamer yet, GET ONE! It'll save you so much time and you can cook a whole meal in it all at once, especially if you're doing a beans and rice type thing. It couldn't be easier, truly!

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing - it's easy and tasty!
1. Brown 6 pork chops in skillet
2. Prepare 1 package stuffing mix
3. Grease 9x13 dish, spoon some Apple Pie Filling with Cinnamon (from a 21oz can) in the bottom, place chops on top.
4. Spoon remaining apples over chops and top with stuffing
5. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes, uncover and bake 10 minutes more or until chops are done.

Here is a recipe for a Beef or Lamb Marinade that is DELICIOUS! You can make a bunch and it keeps forever in a well-sealed container in the fridge - whenever you want steak or whatever just pour some marinade over the meat and let it sit 8 hours or overnight. This tenderizes the meat nicely, then you can grill, pan fry or broil!

Combine in a blender and mix well:
2/3 C salad oil
1/2 C wine vinegar
1 clove garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 C soy sauce
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T dry mustard

T.,

I have a whole word doc file of easy recipes that I often send to my friends who are in need of some recipes of ease. Just message me if you'd like it. :)
Some recipes in it - Easy Chili Rellenos, Goulash, Taco soup, Chicken tortilla soup, Stove top chicken casserole...

A couple are "freezer friendly", too, and you could make it once and freeze it for 2 (or more) times.

R.

We do a lot of grilling. I can marinate chicken, or thaw steaks, pork roast/chops, fish and throw it on the grill. It cooks in 10-20 minutes. During that time I throw on some rice or potaoes, steam a veggie, make a salad from pre washed and torn greens and voila! Healthy and quick. I like to make up things in advance...a bunch of white or brown rice, then I can scoop out a few cups and add flavor or veggies or sauted onions and peppers to it to give it pizazz. You can also steam-bake potatoes in a plastic sack in the microwave and they come out like baked. Very quick. We do gormet sandwiches and salads too. I can chop and seperate on the weekend, keep everything in tupperware veggie keepers and just put it out on the table with meat and cheese and let them make their own. My husband used to balk at salad, but since I have shown him that you can put any meat on it...Salad nights are a favorite. We get very creative. Sandwiches are easy too. I get the 6 pack of wheat hoagie rolls at Sam's (they are like Subway's) and everyone loves that. I keep lots of veggies on hand to put on them and they are yummy.

Hot Chicken Salad is one of our favorites--it is baked in a casserole dish and is great leftover and you can vary it with what you have on hand.

Swedish Meatballs over egg noodles, also easy, filling, yummy.

Kids' Delight (hamburger, elbow mac, tomato and cheesey casserole)

Fettucine Alfredo is very fast, very easy (thought not quite as healthy, so nice for once in a while).

Our pizza crust recipe is easy and fast and we love homemade pizza.

If any sound good you can send me a message so I don't type out a bunch you wouldn't like. I hope you get some more energy soon.

honey dijon chicken_( i love passing this recipe on because it's so easy to make.) get some boneless skinless chicken breast( med sized). then take 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon ground mustard and 1 tablespoon honey. mix the three ingredients together then spread on both sides of the chicken and pop in the oven at 375 and cook for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear. make some wuick sides like a salad and brown rice and there you go. i have also used honey dijon mustard for this recipe and i like to sometimes freeze the chicken with the sauce on it so the flavor goes all the way through the chicken because it can get a bland towards the middle of the chicken. I hope you try it and enjoy it. i got this recipe off healthyeating.com or some health site so it's low in salt, fat and calories.

I get a lot of recipes from here:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

My favorite thing to do right now is make baked potato's and then get a bunch of different toppings. Served with soup or a salad it's a whole cheapo meal.

TAKE FROZEN CHICKEN BREASTS PUT THEM IN A 13x9 PAN , DUMP A BOTTLE OF MILD OR MEDIUM HOT SAUCE ON THEM..BAKE AT 375 FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR TIL DONE, YOU CAN THEN SPRINKLE THE TOP WITH CHEESE IF WANTED, SERVE WITH PACKAGED SPANISH RICE AND TORTILLAS..SO JUICY AND FLAVORFUL, YET VERY EASY.

T.,

I waited to respond to this until i had a chance to think about my response and look up a few things.

You need to talk to your doctor right away and ask for a dietician consult!

I went to both the American Association of Kidney Patients www.aakp.org and the Iga Nephropathy support group sites, www.igansupport.org and it confirmed what I had been thinking as an RN when I first read your questions and some of the posts. Your diet (as you describe it) really seams to be meat heavy. And the suggestions, and please I mean NO disrespect to anyone, really suggest a lot of packaged processed foods.

Packaged/processed foods, canned soups, packaged sauces all are high in sodium and usually contain a fair amount of MSG. The increase sodium intake causes stress on the kidneys as does the meat. And now if you are having heart issues too. . . . You really, really need to speak to a dietician.

I'm sorry this doesn't answer your question. And again, I really mean no offense to anyone. But when I first read your question my nursing brain started flashing and when I read some of the suggestions I worried about how your health would continue.

Lori Krause, RN, BSN
www.YourKitchenCoach.net

Just thought I'd give you a quick and easy meal that I believe I got off here and made tonight for the first time and it was wonderful. I know nothing about your conditions, so it might not be appropriate, but it is yummy.

Cream Cheese Jalapeno Pork Tenderloin

Start by gently cutting the tenderloin down the center lengthwise. Cut it as much as you can without breaking it in half. Then, cut those halves down the center, lengthwise also. That way you can lay the pork out flat.

Spread cream cheese over it...as much or little as you want. About a quarter to half a tub of cream cheese.

Remove the seeds and chop up your jalepenos really fine. Sprinkle them over the cream cheese.

Roll it up as best as you can, using toothpicks to secure if necessary. Then roll bacon around it. Put it in an oiled or sprayed pan and bake the tenderloin uncovered at 400 degrees for 65-70 minutes. When the bacon is done the pork is done. I also temp mine with a cooking thermometer, it says on the pork packaging what temp it should be. I did a quick broil once it is done to crisp up the bacon.

I made this with fresh roasted (or use canned) green chilis instead of jalapenos too, so that it would be milder for my son. Next time I plan to use both green chilis and jalapenos and just leave a couple inches jalapeno-free for him. If you buy tenderloin that comes 2 to a package, you can prep them both, then wrap the second one in saran wrap and then a freezer bag or they make freezer Press N Seal now too. Then you have a second one for later with no extra prep. I'd say this only took like 10 minutes of prep time for me. I served it with rice and veggies.

T.,
Try cooking in batches then freezing. Buy your ground meat/chicken breasts in bulk (you know how Acme & Redners offer 5 packages for $20?). Cook all at once: brown your ground meat with Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic and Onion Onion and a dash of Seasoned Salt. Divide into freezer bags & freeze. I'm guessing you'd divide that batch into 3 bags since you're feeding a family of 6 -- then all you have to do is thaw that bag & turn into a meal - warm with gravy & sour cream & serve over noodles for stroganoff, warm with a little Fiesta Party Dip Mix to make tacos, burritos or a mexican casserole... lots of great ways to use that!
Same goes for your chicken breasts: a sprinkle of Seasoned Salt, then bake, cool, freeze in batches. You could thaw & slice over a nice Caesar Salad, slice & toss with a bag of stir fry vegetables and a quarter bottle of Honey Teryiaki Sauce, microwave with Vidalia Onion Dressing or Corn, Black Bean Salsa topped with a little shredded cheddar...
If you don't have someone to order your TS products from, you can connect with me. The products are VERY economical, as they're so flavorful, a little goes a long way. There are thousands of recipes online. You can even type in a keyword in the ingredients bar, such as GRILL or SLOW COOKER to narrow the search by how you want to cook.
I have hundreds of easy, family-friendly recipes archived in my computer as well, if you need more.
Best wishes to you in your medical healing and family care.

Oh, I just thought of one more idea I share at my parties:

When you buy your boneless/skinless chicken breasts in bulk, come home & divide into those microwavable bags - one portion per family member (for example, my hubby would get 2 pieces in his bag), THEN add a cup/cup and a half of that family member's favorite frozen vegetables (one child might just want broccoli, another just corn, I'd like a mixture...whatever each likes), THEN sprinkle that person's favorite seasoning (or blend; example, I like Garlic Garlic and Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix) in there... just a dash, as they are very potent. Shake around so the seasonings get on the chicken & veggies, seal, use a sharpie to write the family member's name & today's date on it, and freeze. When you're ready to serve, thaw & microwave! It takes less than 10 minutes for personalized, healthy & delish!!

I agree, you need a nutritionist to give you some ideas about what you should/shouldn't be eating.

One easy dish I do is to saute some chopped leeks and garlic in a little olive oil. Boil some whole-wheat pasta (16 oz), drain and set aside. Add thawed frozen corn and 1/2 cup white whine to leek mixture to deglaze the pan, then add one cup light cream (maybe try half and half, if your doctor recommends), 2 cups fresh or frozen corn (or more), and the cooked pasta. Finish with 2 cups arugula and some pecorino cheese. Makes 6 servings....

My favorite easy recipe is made with Ramen noodles, frozen vegetables, and meat, fresh or left over.

I put 2 pkgs. Ramen noodles in enough water to cook them. When water comes to a boil, I add 1 pkg frozen veggies. I prefer mixed veggies. If I have left over meat I cut it up into bite sized pieces. If not, I brown hamburger, keeping it in small chunks, drain, and add it to the noodles and veggies. I sprinkle in one packet of Ramen seasoning. I use only 1 pkg to reduce the amount of sodium and it has enough flavor for my family.

I use either chicken or beef flavors for chicken, turkey, beef meat. I use shrimp flavored with frozen shrimp.

I have a cook book titled, 101 Things to Do with Ramen Noodles by Toni Patrick. I thought this recipe was in it but it's not so I can't give you exact amounts. I ad lib a lot anyway.

If you don't already have a crock pot, you will find it will be your best friend.