Easy Recipes for Weeks Hubby Travels

We do breakfast for dinner a lot! either scrambled or hard boiled eggs and "fake" bacon or soy based sausage which takes a minute or two in the microwave (we are vegetarian and vegan family). I like Morningstar brand best! Pasta meals are generally quick and easy to reheat. Healthy cereal and/or oatmeal with some fruit. Keeping it simple is my motto! But these meals I just mentioned are always a hit for my picky eater... and I enjoy them too! Hang in there!

Shake and Bake Chicken Nuggets....you can make a chicken breast for yourself and cut up nuggets for your 3 yo. I serve it with instant mashed potatoes and corn....yum!

We also do taco Tuesdays and make pizza sometimes with a premade crust.

My husband isn't home for dinner Monday - Thursday and I have a 2 yo and a 3yo, so I feel your pain. I never make 2 meals....always the same for me and the kiddos. It means that I eat a lot of "kid" meals, but I try to make it good for all of us.

Good luck and thanks for posting this....I am always looking for new ideas too.

What about spaghetti & meatballs? I love the pre-made frozen turkey meatballs from Trader Joe's. Just thaw for 3 min in the microwave, serve over pasta and tomato sauce.

I also use a great pork and cranberry recipe that I found in Parents magazine. They have some great, easy, kid-friendly recipes on their website. Most take less than 30 min to make, including prep. This recipe uses an onion, pork loin, a can of whole cranberries, orange juice, salt and pepper, and is really easy to prepare. Serve over rice or couscous.

We make pizza with Trader Joes Pizza Dough and Tortilla Pizzas (using soy shredded cheese). I try to lay out assemble your food meals, I find when they are involved in making it they tend to eat it. The other day we had Fish Taco Bar, I cooked up Trader Joes Tilapia with Chili Lime something, heated up tortilla's in the toaster oven, my son made guacamole, put the following into bowls: prewashed salad, shredded cheese, cherry tomatoes and opened a can of olives, ta-da instant dinner.

Trader Joes has a lot of fast, healthy family friendly food that makes dinners here much easier.

If your 3 year old is eating zucchini you are doing something right. Give yourself a lot of credit.

Also, I cook 1 or 2 nights a week, the rest is reheat and serve.

Good Luck!

Potato Chip Chicken Nuggets (baked)

Preheat oven to 350
Dice chicken into cubes.
Dip in egg wash (egg plus 1 T water)
Roll into crushed potato chips
Place on greased baking sheet
Bake 15-20 minutes

Delish!!! Try some more easy recipes here http://www.captaincooksblog.com/free-recipes.com

How about some good soups in the crock pot?? I have 2 that I make on a fairly regular basis, both of which are nice & easy.

The first is an Italian Sausage & veggie soup. For that one I take 1 pound of Ital. sausage out of the casing & brown it while breaking it up with a chopped onion. I toss it in the crock pot & add a brick of frozen spinach that's been thawed in the microwave, several cans of tomatoes with whatever seasoning in them you like, or just plain tomatoes if you prefer, a can of white beans drained & rinsed, a can of kidney beans drained & rinsed & a box of chicken stock. Let it go all day & then when you're ready to eat cook some pasta like ditalini or whatever small pasta you like. Put some pasta in the bottom of a soup bowl & ladel the soup over.

The 2nd is a Mexican chicken soup. For this one I usually get a rotisserie chicken, but if you have leftovers or even canned chicken which I usually find vile would work in this recipe, too. Toss chicken chunks in the crock pot & add 2 cans any flavor Ro-Tel, a can cream of chicken soup to help thicken it, a can of corn, a couple cans of beans (any kind, I usually use chick peas & kidney beans), some fresh lime juice and chicken stock. Let it go all day, or even just until it's hot, then crush some tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, ladel soup over, add sour cream, or shredded cheese, or cilantro, or more lime juice, or whatever else makes you happy!