Looking for Quick Dinner Ideas

my aunt has abusiness wereyou can buy already hot homemade meals.If intrested let me know and I can give you the information.My e-mail is ____@____.com its in new braunfels.thx

Suzanne Somers has a wonderful recipe book for quick meals, and they are all healthy. I've fed my kids by her weight loss methods most of their lives, and they are very healthy, even though only mommy actually NEEDS to lose weight!

She teaches healthy carbs, fruits, lots of veggies and healthy proteins.

I think her website is: www.suzannesomers.com

You can see her selection of cookbooks and get the name of the quick meals one and then I'd go to Ebay! :-)

Try cooking in a crock pot. You can throw something together before you go to work and when you get home, its done.

I do think that cooking in a crock pot will help you a lot. Also pre-planning what you will eat will help you b/c then you won't be thinking each day, "What am I having today?" Plus you can plan to eat healthy.

As far as healthy recipes, everyone has their own opinion, but if you want to eat healthy AND lose weight w/o having to cut calories, these are my suggestions: do NOT eat processed food (no canned, frozen, or pre-packaged foods), do NOT eat sugar--this is a BIGGY--if you do this, you will lose weight! If you eat processed foods, there are so many chemicals in there, it wreaks havoc on your body, not only cant you not lose weight, you end up having other health issues in the long run. Also, be careful, sugar(high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, lactose, etc.) is in EVERYthing, even lunch meat!

Eat a low glycemic diet. When you are hungry, eat whole healthy foods like vegetables. All are good, except white potatoes. Avoid them!! Also avoid white flour, white rice and cow dairy products! You WILL see results and you will feel better! I lost 35 pounds w/o trying. I had to change our diet for health reasons, asthma, allergies, eczema,etc. At first, you will have withdrawals from the sugar b/c it is ADDICTIVE and just as difficult as smoking to quit. You will feel irritable too. But in the end you will feel better and be smaller!

Sugar substitutes:xylitol, honey, maple syrup, stevia. Try to stay away from sucralose/splenda b/c it is another chemical in your body. We eat fruit for dessert. Also, your taste buds will change. And the sweet things you thought were good will no longer taste so good to you. I have a couple of books to reccommend if you are interested, let me know. They also have recipes in the back of the book.

We eat a lot of beans, soak the night before, cook in the morning. You could do this in a crock pot and eat when you get home. Breakfasts: eggs, corn grits, brown rice w/frozen fruit added and coconut milk (YUMMY!), occassionally oatmeal(NOT the quick cooking kind or the ones in packets=SUGAR). LUNCHES: cashew or almond butter on Ezekiel bread, tortilla chips and salsa, beans, vegetables like avocadoes,carrots, celery,bell pepper, etc. Snacks: popcorn (organic)and flavor w/nutritional yeast, vegetables (sweet potatoes can be made into french fries)

Let me know if you need any more ideas. I will be glad to help you.

Blessings,
M.
Mom to 5 Wonderful kids
www.4MyChildrenSake.com
MOMs helping MOMs Work from Home

Attitudes are contagious;is yours worth catching?

Hello My name is T. Shepherd I sell Pampered Chef and we have a great cookbook this is Dinner in 29 minutes or less.
You can check out my website www.pamperedchef.biz/tinaskitchen
and contact me that way. We also have Spin on Salads. All of our cookbooks tell you the nutritional value.

T.

I love the crock pot. It is my life saver. I got this book called "Fix it and Forget about it". It even has recipes you can just throw the meat in while it is frozen. My favorite is pot roast.
just add a boneless roast that is a size right for your family. Sprinkle with Lipton Onion soup mix. Pour 1/4 -1/2 cup water over. Add baby carrots, chopped celery, and cubed potatoes and cook on low 6-8 hours or until meat falls apart when poked with a fork.

Check out Studio Kitchen. I, too, am a working mother and have little time to prepare, much less fix, a hot, healthy meal every night. At Studio Kitchen you can either go in and assist in preparing the entrees (saves a little money) or you can have Studio Kitchen prepare them and simply pick it up. All I have to worry about is getting sides together. This is the best solution I have found so far. Hope this helps, and good luck.

A couple of my favorites which are easy and quick.

#1- Soup Stew
In a crock pot put frozen or partially frozen stew meat. Dump on top of it a can of cream of Onion and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Add a half can of milk. No need to stir or mix up. Cover and cook on low till you get home. It will be so flavorful and tender you won't believe it. **Optional--The last half hour of cooking (after you get home)pour in some frozen mixed veggies and stir in well. Serve over rice, mashed potatos or noodles.

#2-- Cheater Chicken Parmeasan
Spray a pan with Pam or place a bit of cooking oil in the bottom of a pan. Heat till hot and brown 2-4 skinless boneless chicken breast on both sides.(Only need to brown, chicken will finish cooking in the oven.) Place in a baking dish. After browning all chicken breast pour into the pan a can or jar of Four Cheese spagetti sauce. Heat all the way through loosening all the chicken bits and drippings. Pour over the chicken breast and top with mozzerella cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with pasta of your choice.

Hope these dinner ideas help. Enjoy!

recipes.com is a great place to find recipes.

Kraft Foods .com or the kraft website. You can google it. You can order a FREE cooking recipe magazine. The recipes are EASY and fast. Go online and order it. My whole family loves the magazine. I REALLY cannot believe that it is FREE!!!!

Also there is a magazine called Taste of Home simple and delicious. The recipes usually have only a few ingredients and are easy and quick to prepare. I too have the same problem. I would like to work out, but I have four children. I teach all day, come home to cook, baths, reading, homework, etc. I use this sight and magazine regularly.

Crock pots are the best invention. I put a roast in. I add two cans of Campbells Golden Mushroom soup. I dry package of onion soup mix. And one package of Ranch dry dressing mix. It sounds gross. I did it by accident one time. It turned out even better than I had made it before. I add carrots and raw potatoes. My family loves it when I make this. Good luck!
Hope this helps

Chicken breasts w/ rib meat. Put a few tablespoons of lemon juice (or water) in a slow cooker (crock pot). Season chicken (salt & pepper) and place in slow cooker. Turn on LOW. The chicken will be fully cooked in about 5 hours and ready when you get home. (longer than 5 hours and the chicken will begin to harden on the edges...but just cut that off if it happens.) You can place the chicken in frozen, which will take longer to cook thoroughly. When you get home, all you need is a side dish or 2. Hint: when I worked full time, I would plug the slow cooker into a timer (like for lamps when you're out of town). The timer would turn the cooker on and off as I set it. For your schedule, you could put the chicken in frozen to defrost on its own. Set the timer for about 1:00p.m. and off at 6:00p.m. Now, they have cookers that have built in timers. I don't have one yet.

You can do this with Roast as well. I put gravy seasoning (dry) over the roast. I also add new potatoes, raw. You could add carrots, etc. Your whole meal will be ready for you when you come home. I can't remember how long to cook it, but the longer, the better (it will just fall apart tender). You can cook from frozen as well. The gravy seasoning will turn to gravy with the meat juices and the potatoes will taste great.

Consider a pasta night each week and vary the pasta. (spaghetti, etc.)

Precooked sliced ham is always my standby when I'm in a pinch. And, it will last my family of 5 for a few meals.

I buy frozen veggies and therefore always have a side dish ready in minutes.

My sister sets up her week by Pasta night, Pizza night, One-dish night, soup night, Mexican night, chicken night, beef night, etc. It helps her plan easily. All you need is 2 or 3 dishes for each category and then just rotate. She says the kids don't get bored with it because it rotates. I haven't gotten that organized yet, but I would if I were working full time.

I don't know how healthy you're talking about, but I love hamburger helper when I'm super busy or sick. It's so easy, with so many choices, and my kids love it. I don't cook it often, but it is one of those quick meals that you don't have to do much prep work (unless you forget to defrost the meat, then you have to work a little!). And you don't have to stand over it, you can do something else with your daughter and check on it a few times. Just keep a few boxes and a few pounds of meat (beef or turkey) on hand. You can also cook the meat ahead of time and freeze it ready to go!

This is easy to make the night before and throw in the oven when you come home and you can change up the seasonings or add mushrooms or peppers whenever you cook the sausage to liven it up: Breakfast Casserole

1 LB. bulk sausage
4 slices of bread, cut into 1/2" cubes (just rip up french bread loaf)
6 to 8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Crumble sausage in a medium skillet, cook over medium heat until brown, stirring occassionaly. Drain well. Spread bread cubes in a buttered 12 X 8 X 2" baking dish top with sausage and cheese. Combine eggs, milk, seasonings, beat well and pour over cheese, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until set. Yield: 6-8 servings

go to www.kraftfoods.com we eat recipes off there and they are great and quick and easy

Same Boat, get home at 6PM and want to maximize my evening. Fast ideas:
Low Fat Hot Dogs wrapped in Low Fat Cresant Rolls.
Side with Salad or Mac and Cheese for the kids.
2) Sloppy Joes
3) Teriyaki Chicken Grilled. If you have a indoor Forman Grill it is really fast. Buy Teriyaki Sauce, measure 1/3 cup, poor into freezer bag. Sprinkle Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning in, half a tsp. Place two chick breasts into baggy, seal and let marinate for no less than 15 minutes. Pre-heat grill. Place chick on grill. Serve with any side you like. Veggies, Rice.... Fast easy healthy and my 4 year old even likes it!
I also make tacos. Those all pretty fast. Hope that helps.

Quick & easy and delicious:
Beef Taco Bake
1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup milk
8 corn tortillas, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup shredded cheese

In skillet over medium high heat, cook beef til browned, stirring to separate meat. Pour off fat. Add soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese. Spoon into 2 qt shallow baking dish, cover. Bake at 400 30 minutes or til hot, sprinkle with remaining cheese.

A.,

I always go to either food network or epicurious to get recipes. You can browse for quick and nutritious meals. When I was in your shoes, I would plan a weekly menu in advance and make one trip to the grocery store to get what I needed. You'll be surprised at how much stress this takes off your back!!

Betty

Tilapia filets are super easy to cook, and are quick and healthy, and yummy. Then just put it with a side of veggies and brown rice. My family loves them and can be picky with other 'healthy' stuff. I do some yummy soups in the crockpot also. Let me know you you'd like soup ideas.

Hi A.,

I have the greatest answer to your dilemma. Log onto e-mealz.com. On this site, you can choose a meal plan that best suites you and your family. Each week you will get a new weekly meal plan that will last between 5-7 days. Like, our meal plans come on Sunday's, and give us enough recipies for 7 days. At the bottom of the recipie list, they send us the shopping list for the week, what items are on sale at Krogers, and how much our weekly meals will costs us. Everything is wonderful, and it takes the guess work out of "what in the world are we going to have for dinner toinght?" You can also choose which grocery store you'd like meal plans from. So, whether you like to shop at Kroger's or Walmart, it will be specifically planned for you. There is a cost, but it's minimal. It's $15 every 3 months. I can't recommend this enough. It has saved us from eating out, and now we're eating healthier every night, and my kids are happy that Mommy is cooking. Good luck, and let me know if you need any help, or would like some guidance navagating the site. Eat Well!

Have you tried the Bird's Eye Voila meals. They have helped my family so much. Right now HEB has a coupon for $1.50 off the complete meals. The meals include a meat, pasta or rice, and plenty of vegetables that are nice and crisp even my husband will eat them and he despises vegetables.

I don't know where you live but here in Beaumont we have a studio kitchen called Main Dish. They have studio kitchens in Houston and in most major cities. Check into them and see what you think. They are a huge help for busy families.

www.yourmaindish.com

Hi A.,
We do not eat meat, only fish sometimes. We do eat eggs and dairy.
One of my favorite quick recipes which can even go into a school lunch box is tortalini salad. Boil one package of cheese tortalini, then chill. Chop a head of broccoli, shread some carrots, and add grape or cherry tomatoes. Mix veggies with the tortalini. Add grated cheese and lettuce. We like to top it with Breanna's Blush wine vinegarette dressing. Prep time is only about 10 minutes. The chill time for the tortalini is about an hour in the fridge, so make it ahead of time. The kids love it!
We also like to use the crock pot. Beans, a can of kidney beans, can of black beans, can of butter beans, can of vegetarian baked beans, and whatever other beans you like. Chop a whole onion, a few cloves of garlic (to taste), 1/2 cup mustard, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tbs vinegar. Mix in crockpot and cook! Tastes great with shreaded cheese and or sour cream on top!
You can also make pizza. One Baboli pizza crust, add toppings, sauce, veggies, cheese, meat, whatever you like. Your daughter may also like to help you spread the sauce and add the cheese. This can cook in about 15 minutes.
Hope this helps some. If you want some more recipes, let me know!

I always enjoyed preparing crock pot meals when I was teaching full time. Sometimes I would cut stuff up the night before, and then have it ready to go into the crockpot the following morning. Another idea is to cut up everything needed the night before, or early the morning of the day you need it. Then you can just throw everything in the oven in the evening, so it can cook while you're playing with your child.

if you have a crock pot when you leave for work put a fryer,with the skin off,get a bag of onion soup mix,pour it all over the chicken put the lid and leave it on low.till you get home then all you need is your side dish. hope i was helpful....

How old is you daughter? How many people do you have in you have in your family? What kinds of things does your family like to eat?
I like to take one night a month to shop, chop, and freeze. I love the Kraft website. You can point and click on the dishes that you like and it will print out the recipes and a SHOPPING LIST! Then I shop, cut the meat and veggies and onions and peppers and freeze. If the meat is cut up, then you don't have to set it out to thaw. I also make wraps for my daughter. You can put meat, cheese, and veggie all together and wrap in cling wrap. They are a great "grab and go" great for picnics, lunches or dinners.
If you can answer these questions, I’d be happy to help you come up with a monthly calendar. I'm not a dietitian, but I had to I had to get organized for my meal plans for my daycare.

A good book/website to use is the Kraft Food & Family. Several quick, easy recipies (most lack salt & pepper so add to your taste). Another idea is something like Super Suppers. There are several places like this depending on where you live. You can go in and prepare meals for the freezer and they have all ingredients ready and they clean up. Or you can buy ones already prepared. JUst put them in the freezer and when you are ready follow the instructions given for that dish. Let me know if you have any questions. I can tell you the name of more places like this. You have a very tight schedule so this would probably come in handy!

Hi A., I am a mom of four...ages 11 down to eight months. I am also elf employed and help my husband with his business. So I am constantly running in different directions! I got a post card in the mail the other day but it is called Mom's Meals, you can go to the web-site at www.momsmealsforamonth.com

I have not used their services yet, but I have heard good things and the prices are reasonable too!

Good Luck!

sounds like it's just you and your daughter, for me it's just me and my husband. how about making large meals that provide several days worth of dinners for the two of you? that's what I do sometimes. Like a big pot of homemade soup? Some pasta with Whole wheat noodles (just make salad each day to go with), I make homemade barracho beans and a pot of brown rice (rice and beans) it takes a while to make a big pot of something but you have cooked for days when it's done! you can also freeze two servings packages if you don't want to eat it a few days in a row, we don't mind, but I know some people do. You can also do a big fry pan of chicken breast seasoned to your likings and a pot of brown rice, then each day just heat it up with a salad or frozen vegetable (The hard part is done and it's just a veg to warm with your leftovers). hope this helps, it takes me out of the kitchen for days and sometimes we eat seperately and it works well for that too!

Hey A.,

Have you tried doing what's called Power Cooking? (There's lots of names for it (freezer meals), that's how I've heard it mentioned around here.) Basically, you take an hour or so on a weekend and "pre-make" a bunch of dinners, bag them in ziptop bags in family portions, and freeze them. You pull one out the night before you want it, let it thaw all day in your fridge, and you could put it on the stove/oven to cook while you're working out. The prep is usually what takes the longest in making dinner -chopping your vegetables and whatever.

Some options if you want to try:
1. There are books you check out of the library with recipes if you want to try that. The books take you through the whole process, but you need to read the recipes fairly critically with your family's tastes in mind.

2. Cooking Light has a section in their magazine and cookbooks called "SuperFast;" for me, it's kind of like the freezer cookbooks with it not always being to my taste.

3. I'm a Pampered Chef consultant, and Power Cooking/Fill Your Freezer is one of the shows I do. The moms that I've done it for loved how easy it was - we made five or six meals that were either chicken or ground beef, chopped all the vegetables, etc. and they had dinner for those super-busy nights. The recipes have gotten really good reviews.

4. Super Suppers or Village Table or Diet Gourmet (couple in the Houston area that I can remember off the top of my head) have this idea done in a storefront where you go, fix your food, and take it home to freeze. You're paying for someone else to do your prep and clean up from it, but you still cook it. (This wasn't a good option for me, pre-Pampered Chef, because I'm really picky about wanting good cuts of lean meat, and their bulk buying didn't always meet my expectation.)

5. You could hire a personal chef. It's a service business, *very* tailored to your needs and preferences, but it is the more expensive of your options.

Hope this helps you out! Feel free to email me off the list if you have questions.

There's two places by my house that will cook the meal for you or gather and pre measure the ingredients for you then you go by and pick up the meals for that night or for that week its up to you. One is called the Family table and the other is Super Suppers. What I mainly do is cook like three main meals on Saturday and Sunday and buy those freezer cartons and freeze it. I even do individual servings when my family got older because of sports everyone can grab what they want to microwave as we're rushing back out the door. My kids also like macaroni and cheese with spaghetti sauce and meat, they also do this and they like tike it I'll take hamburger patties and lay it on a sheet of foil with potatoes a carrots shopped I put a slice of onions on the pattie wrap it in foil and bake in the oven till for 30 to to 40 minutes and when they were small I'd take the onion out without them seeing it. One of my daughters still mashes her carrots up with her potatoes and eats it. Anyway while its in the oven we're able to get their homework done.

I absolutely love Rachel Ray 30 minute meals.. I have 3 of her cookbooks. You can also go to foodnetwork.com and look at her recipes, and then print them for free. My whole family always enjoys her food, and it's healthy. You also might want to invest in a good crockpot and a Crockpot Cookbook. I made Beef Stroganoff this week in it. I came home, boiled noodles for 8 minutes and dinner was ready. Also, every Saturday morning, I get my cookbooks out and plan all of my meals for the week. I write them down and post them on the fridge. Then I write all of the ingredients down I need for the grocery store--then get them on Sat. afternoons. So everyday I come home, I look at my menu and know what I'm cooking that evening. Good luck with finding new recipes for your family. I love to cook and always on the lookout for wonderful foods!!

I "try" and plan our meals for the week. So I know ahead of time what I'll be cooking that night.

Mostly, I cook chicken and pork chops in the oven, a cold pasta I cook ahead of time and throw in the fridge and steamed veggies.

Another quick thing I make (18 minutes and 1 skillet) is Grandpa's veggies.

Add a half stick of butter to skillet. Peel and chop couple potatoes. Turn while chopping onions. Add to potatoes. Turn while slicing sausage. Add to potatoe mixture. Turn and brown for another 10 minutes, totalling 18-20 minutes until sausage is cooked. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Eat up!

PS: this is grandpa's recipe so when hubby isnt around, I add diced carrots, zucchini, and sliced yellow squash.

I just bought the book the one armed cook (cooking w/ a baby on your hip) and I love it. The recipes are fast and easy, and nothing unusual that can be hard to find. So far everything I have made in there my husband has loved.

I do a lot of spaghetti dinners (home-made sauce, not bottled). I also do a quick can chicken casserole and hamburger pie. Fish is always quick too and thaws out fast in a sink of water. I probably spend about 1/2 hour fixing dinner at night and because I work at home and am a single mom to three kids, we eat early and are done by 6 pm, so we have lots of quality time.

Good luck.

J.
www.livetotalwellness.com/janislanz

If you would like any of my recipes, just let me know at ____@____.com.

Well, for starters, you ought to do as much prep work as you can when you have time, then make use of freezer space. A friend of mine got me in the habit of buying a 5 lb log of ground beef (but you could do this with ground turkey as well), and crumbling/cooking it all at once in a large skillet, draining, letting it cool a little, and putting it in containers and freezing it. About 1.5 - 2 cups equals a pound of ground beef. I'll usually add chopped onion to it when I'm doing this, because I'll usually add onion anyway. Then all I have to do when I want to make meat spaghetti sauce, or hamburger helper, or whatever, is take it and put it in the microwave for a few minutes until it's heated through, then add it to whatever I'm making. The same can be done with vegetables, so if there's something you add to food a lot (onion, celery, bell pepper), chop it on the weekend when you have some time, then you just cut your prep time on weeknights down a LOT.

These are a few of our weeknight staples:

EASY SPAGHETTI
Take one of your containers of ground beef, heated through, and add it to prepared spaghetti sauce. Serve over spaghetti or some other pasta. Serve it with a salad.

SPICY CHEESEBURGER HELPER
Fix 1 box of the cheeseburger hamburger helper according to the package instructions, using the pre-cooked hamburger and skim milk. When it comes time to cover and simmer, stir in a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilis. Simmer until the pasta is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Serve with salad.

CAN'T SCREW IT UP CATFISH
In a shallow baking dish, melt about 1/4 cup of butter or margerine while the oven preheats to 450 degrees. Take the dish out of the oven and coat 3 catfish filets with the butter on both sides, then have the catfish lighter-side-up in the dish. Sprinkle with pepper, a little of Tony's creole seasoning and bread crumbs. Fold thin edges under. Bake in the oven until it flakes easily with a fork. I usually serve it with macaroni and cheese and broccoli.

HONEY DIJON SALMON
Preheat oven to 400. Melt 1/4 cup butter or margerine, and combine it with 3 TBSP dijon mustard and 2 TBSP honey. In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 tsp parsley or dill weed (depending on your preference -- I like either.) Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray and put down four salmon filets. Brush with the honey mustard sauce, sprinkle with the bread crumbs mixture. Bake until it flakes easily with a fork.

I also keep chicken tenders (not pre-breaded, just the smaller tenders instead of larger chicken breasts) and a variety of Lowry's 30-minute marinades on hand. Our favorites are the Teriyaki or the Italian Garlic Steak varieties. Since the flavor gets better the longer you marinade it, I usually put the chicken in a freezer/storage bag with enough of the marinade to cover it well, then place the bag on a plate and refrigerate it, overnight, or in the morning before leaving the house. Then when I'm fixing dinner, I only need to spray a pan, pour the entire thing in there, and cook it on the stovetop, turning occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.

I also usually stick with frozen, not fresh or canned, vegetables, simply because they're healthier than canned and easier than fresh to fix. Plus, it allows me a little more flexibility, since I don't have to use it up before it goes bad in a few days.

Hi A.,
My newest favorite is "taco beanie". Brown a pound of ground turkey or beef, adding taco seasoning to taste. Drain. Back to the stovetop, add a container of black bean pico, stir til heated up. That's it, done! I get the pico at Kroger's (I live in Texas) It's got a combination of black beans, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, and corn. Hang in there, the schedule gets easier the older they get, but the praying gets increased.
Blessings,
C.

Have you tried a Dream Dinners or a Super Suppers in your area? They have been a HUGE lifesaver for my family. I usually go on a Saturday morning for 2 1/2 to 3 hours and assemble about 12 meals then throw them in my freezer when I get home. When I'm ready to fix one, I just pull it out of the freezer and follow a few quick directions and dinner is served. Check it out if you haven't already!

I have found that if I plan my meals for the week on the weeked, I can plan my grocery shopping and then just stick to my menu as close as possible. Some of my short-cut recipe ideas are to always have chicken breast and ground beef ready in the freezer. Freeze them in zip-lock bags with the exact portions for each meal. Then you can just thaw it out the morning before you leave to work. Ex. I get 2 thawed chx breast, I cut them into chunks them, boil some pasta, mix in some Prego add some mozz. cheese let it cook together for about 10 minutes....30 minutes or less you have a great bake! Also, grill the chx breast, cut into slices, and add to a salad mix (boil eggs ahead of time) and make it a Healthy salad (no bacon). With this salad I sometimes put their add on's in a plate on the center of the table for them to build their own salad. Such as cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, broc, etc. Good luck! Check out Rachel Ray's books!

The perfect time saver is a Slow Cooker Crock Pot. My day sounds like yours so when I invested in a crock Pot I got some time back. You can cook just about anything in it - even Ribs - you will not regret it and it will be one kitchen appliance that will not collect dust.

I have a family of 6 including 4 very active boys and getting healthy dinners on the table is a priority but can be difficulT. Here's a few of my easy favorites.

turkey quesadillas- brown some lean ground turkey, add taco seasoning mix, then stir in a can of fat free refried beans. Put it on a whole wheat tortilla top with cheese, and put another tortilla on top, grill like grilled cheese. I usually serve this with rice and fruit. Sometimes some carrots and celery with ranch.
* variation- if you have leftover meat or chicken from another dish, make the same thing with that.

Barbeque chicken- Take some boneless skinless chicken breasts and rub them with a barbeque seasoning rub(you can find this in the spice isle) then bake until fully cooked. Top with jarred barbeque sauce and let cook just a little bit longer until the sauce is warm and forms a glaze over the chicken. Serve with baked sweet potatoes and a can of green beans

Make your own baked potato.- Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Take some large potatoes-enough for each member of your family to have one. Bake in oven for about 1 hour. After they've baked for around 45 minutes and their not quite done, roast some broccoli on a pan. Just put some broccoli florets on a sheet pan top with a little olive oil and salt and pepper then roast for 10 minutes or so. You can also heat up a can of turkey chili, and then just have each person top theirs with chili, cheese, broccoli etc. If the kids don't like it mixed then just put all the toppings on the side and cut up the potato in pieces. All of this can bake while you get your workout in!

Good luck, I hope this helped!

HI A..

I'm a meal planner with Homemade Gourmet and I know you could benefit from our 4 meals in 4 minutes collection! It includes all the seasonings you need, a meal planner, a grocery list and ideas for what to make with your left overs.

I keep my freezer full of easy meals that can be grilled, baked, or put in the crockpot. I just thaw a bag over night, put in over when I get home, and make a quick side like salads or veggies. Then I can help my duaghter with her homework while the entree is cooking. No need for fast food, Homemade Gourmet gives you healthy, tasty and fast meals!!

Let me know if you would more information, I'm happy to help.

www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

This may sound weird but it is really, really good. 1 pound of the leanest ground meat, 1 can of stewed tomatoes, 1 can of cut green beans drained, 1/2 cup of brown rice. I make the rice seperate and then add it later. Brown meat, add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp pepper. Stir in all ingridents. This makes so fast and is good. I serve it with crescent rolls.

On another note, when I use to work I use to make a menue for the week and then buy all the stuff I needed. That way I already knew what I was going to cook and I knew I already had all the ingridents I needed too. This really saves a lot of time! You may also try to make some things a head of time and freeze it or have it ready for the next day. For example, after you get your baby to bed you could brown your meat and even make your rice for the next day. That way all you have to do is put it together. Happy eating-S.

Sometimes it is worth the trouble to set up your slow cooker and putting in a roast, vegetables and spices the night before and then turn it on before you go to work. By the time you get home. It will be done,tender and delicious.

It doesn't have to be a roast either, it could be chicken, or pork chops, or even cheap steaks (that turn out tender). This way you don't have to do anything but serve up a good meal when you get home.

Rachael Ray has several cookbooks out that you can make quick, tasty, and balanced meals. Some in as little time as 15 to 30 minutes, from start to serving. She uses some pre-cooked foods, and dicing things like potatoes into smaller pieces so they cook faster. She is not opposed to using frozen veggies either. Check these out. I know where you are coming from, as I worked and had a husband and 2 kids(all grown and husband is now ex. Good luck and I know you will enjoy these recipes.

sit down and made weekly menu's, shop for the meals. you have all ingredience on hand. while you are preparing monday's evening meal, be preparing one menu item for the next meal.( example; make jello or boil potatoes for potato salad). planning ahead will give you and your family a healthy meal and quality time eating at home together.
good luck

I usually put a roast in the slow cooker before I go to work. Put carrots, potatoes, green beans, and celery on top. By the time you get home, it should be tender and tasty!
Another idea is to saute' some garlic and green onion in some olive oil, and boil some noodles. (any kind of noodles) Then toss the pasta with the olive oil. You could add shrimp, or chicken to the pasta. And have brocolii on the side, or even add it too.

hi! Everyone gave you really great tips and advice on cooking, but I have some advice on getting your daughter involved...depending on her age! I used to put my daughter in a backpack from the time she was about 14 months old til she was about 20 or 22 months old...she would just chill and watch me and we'd talk about what I was doing. Now she is almost 29 mos old...way to big for the back pack (it holds up to 30 or 35 lbs) plus she is bored with it. I let her stand on the step stool and watch me cut veggies and now she will play with lettuce and a bowl or whatever I have laying around. I let her stir too....that would be good bonding time for you and your daughter while cooking. They love to help! If you daughter is older than toddler age, then I don't really know what to tell you, but I think girls always like to help mommy in the kitchen.

I know just how you feel! I had these same issues until I discovered Homemade Gourmet. It is a company that specializes in quick, healthy meals to your table fast. After using this for several months, I became a distributor and am now a Personal Meal Planner. I would love to help you with this issue. You are welcome to email me ____@____.com or visit my website at www.easytopreparemeals.com.
K. Sharp

Try menumailer.net. They have a program that you purchase by the month, something like $10/ mo and up, that sets up your weekly menus gives you the recipes and shopping lists. It's something I bought my mom and dad and they really enjoyed it.
Good luck
S.

I'd lov e to hear the answer to that one!! If I had money I would look at BistroMD...

I have a wonderful lady who will help you plan meals. Mary Lou G, www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

I am a working mom with three teenagers living at home that are involved in all sorts of activities and cannot always help get dinner going. One thing that I have found that helps us immensely is to make a menu, then do my grocery shopping off the menu. I keep the menu on the fridge, that way if the kids do make it home before us, they know what to get started. Some of the easier meals we do are breakfast items for dinner - breakfast burritos are super easy, pancakes or french toast on the griddle. We don't have time for big breakfasts in the morning, so this is a fun way to enjoy that as a family. Also, if you have a Sam's Club or Costco, check out their healthier selections of pre-packaged meals such as orange chicken or vegetarian lasagna. Hope this helps!

I know how hard it is to try and jugle a job that keeps you late and have kids to care for. I have tried planning a weekly meal plan, but really who has the time for that with 3 kids. If you do have time, Kraftfoods.com has a free meal planner and all the recipes for them plus a printable shopping list. You can choose from hundreds of options and is easy to use. Also, I have changed my workout to a at-home workout when you don't have time to go to the gym. Either make it a together time with your daughter or do it after she is in bed. Hope this helps, good luck.

http://savingdinner.com/

They have some freebies too.

A.,
Yahoo has the following site:

http://food.yahoo.com/everyday/dinner/

Click on this and see their quick & easy recipes for the week.

Hope this helps.

K.

A.,
I am a mother of four kids (1,2,4,6) so I know what cutting down time in the kitchen means for a family!
Have you tried Pampered Chef? PC has kitchen tools that seriously cut down prep time in half and they also have 29 minutes to dinner cookbooks and healthy cookbooks. If you are interested in having a PC cooking class at your house let me know. I would love to help you get the knowledge and things you need to help you cut time in the kitchen! My e-mail is ____@____.com
Check out my mom owned business page!
Hope this helps!

Use your crock pot! If you don't have one, get one, they are wonderful! You can search online for recipes. You can do your shopping over the weekend for the next week's meal and you will have them all planned. Put the food in before you go to work and when you come home your house will smell yummy and your dinner will be all ready to go!

When my daughter, soon to be 14, is hungry all the time. Especailly when she was a baby. I pretty much had to have dinner done as soon as we got home. The crock pot became my best friend. Try this: Put a FROZEN medium sized beef roast in the crock pot with two large cans of cream of mushroom soup and one packet of Liptons beefy onion soup. Leave the crock pot on high all day while you are at work. When you get home turn it off, add sour cream. The only think you have to cook when you get home is a package of egg noodles and a frozen or canned vegetable on the side. There you have beef stroganoff. I often put frozen meat(boneless chicken breast, pork roast, stew meat, etc.)in the crock pot in the mornings that way when I get home the hard part is done. Enjoy.

Hi A.
You can save yourself a lot of time and trouble by signing up (for free) to ArcaMax 7-day Meal Planner - ____@____.com
They will send you your weekly Meal Planner which includes recipes and your shopping list plus all the instructions!
Enjoy!!
Kind regards
Jewel

Look on the internet for "Dinner in the Freezer" I went to the workshop and included in the fee was the cook book. What you do is spend all week-end or 2 week-ends and make 6 months of meals ahead of time. You save alot of money about 1/2 on grocery bills and the meals are ready when you are. I do not know if they still give workshops but it would be worth going if not get the book.

The Kraft web site is great. They give you a weekly meal plan, plus the shopping list you need.

There are a bunch of great meal planning websites out there. They take all the guess work out of it and even have shopping lists. Women's Day magazine also does monthly calendars and most of the things are easy to make.
http://www.womansday.com/food/11713/month-of-menus.html

One of my favorites when the kids were growing up - and still is - is a quicky chicken and rice made with a store brand version of Rice a Roni and canned chicken breast. Just make the rice-a-roni according to directions and add canned chicken breast with the juice. While it is cooking, you can whip up a quick salad. It is easy, quick, good and nutritious.
COOKING TIP: On weekends I used to purchase large quantities (approx 5 lbs or more) of ground beef at Sams Club. I would cook it in advance and divide the cooked beef into zip lock bags containing about 1.5 lbs of beef each, and then throw in the freezer. During the week when we were in a hurry for dinner, i could quickly thaw the cooked beef (it thaws much faster than raw beef) and throw it into some type of hamburger helper recipe. *** Rice a roni also has a great beef flavored rice mix that you can add the beef to for a meal similar to the chicken version listed above.
About Me: i am now 53 and have always been a working mom and Girl Scout leader - so had many quick cooking tips!

Rachael Ray's magazine has a meal planner and shopping list for the week. Easy Recipes for each night of the week and the shopping list is printed for you.

There is also a food network show (cant remember the ladies name, but sure you can find it on the food network web site) that cooks once for multiple easy meals throughout the week. Robin Miller, I think?

Good luck. I dont know how you do it. Can you afford to do those super suppers or something of the like? I know there is a lady in Cedar Park who cooks healthy meals and delivers to your door. This would be great for you if you can afford it.

Hi A.,
Check out www.wildtree.com. I have a couple of friends that sell it. It's the kind of products that are sold at at-home parties. I don't usually go to these things but my best friend, who sells it, begged me to have a party for her. I did and I love the stuff. It is mixes, pre-mixed seasonings, slow-cooker mixes, grapeseed oils - all of which are so easy to make and are all natural, with no preservatives and are a lot healthier than the stuff you buy in the stores. You just add the meat and/or vegetables. The great thing is that it's fast & healthy but tasty and my kids eat most of what I make with it. And you don't have to have or attend a party to buy the products. My friend's website is www.leahcrawford.mywildtree.com. I hope this helps.

For some really simple and majorly healthy meals (30 minutes or less) see Rachel Rays 30 minute meals. They are life savers. A little bit of organization and less than 30 minutes you have a meal on the table. Little kids can even help.

Hi A.,
My stapels in the kitchen are a crock pot and a rice cooker. I will put the wild rice, raw chicken and brocolli (season as desired) in my rice cooker at one time, turn it on and within 30 minutes you have a one pot meal. The crock pot is wonderful for pot roast, pork roast ect...
Have a great day.
M.