Need Ideas

Have you heard of these?

http://www.supersuppersfranklin.com/

http://www.supperthymeusa.com

Just a thought....

Try looking at the Campbell's Soup Website. They have a multitude of "2-step" recipes. On an average they take 30 minutes or so to complete. Also, don't discount the benefit of slow-cooking in a crock pot. When I had small children and worked outside the home, I used mine frequently

Happy Cooking!

One other idea about the crock pot... the kind that I have is 2 separate pieces. The base is the part that plugs in; the "pot" itself is separate and sits on top of the base. This is great b/c you can actually fill the pot with whatever you want to cook at NIGHT, and the next morning, take the pot out of the fridge and put it on the base... plug in the base... and you're done! No need to put the meal together during the busy morning rush. There are several "one pot" crock pot cook books at the book store. Also, those Gerber Graduates are great for your son's age... my daughters ate them forever! There are some in a little pot, and some on a tray with several different foods per meal. Good luck!
N.

Check out my Health web site, we have a lot of different vitamins, supplements, drinks and snacks especially for kids

www.cneeley.qhealthzone.com

Hey J. - I know this feeling. What I have found works really well for us is to do a bunch of meals on the weekends to either freeze or start using on Monday. Here's a few ideas. You can make an enormous pot of spaghetti sauce and then divide it up in freezer bowls and put in the freezer. You can set a bowl in the fridge to defrost thru the day and then it only takes about 9 minutes to do some spaghetti noodles in the microwave and then warm up the sauce in the microwave. Also, you can make extra sauce and then do two large pans of lasagna. I go ahead and cook both pans and then divide it up in freezer containers. In one cooking session I can usually get at least three dinners of spaghetti and 6 dinners of lasagna. All of it goes into the freezer until I need it. This also works really well with vegetable soup and chili. Most of the time I do all of one Saturday morning. In about 3 hours I can have both the spaghetti and lasagna dinners AND at least 3 dinners of chili (great with shredded cheese and some sour cream on top) and 3-4 dinners of vegetable soup. Add some bread and/or a quick salad and you have multiple great meals... all for about 3 hours of work. Chicken casserole is another good freezer item... lots of receipe on the web. We've started to do chicken or vegetable quesadillas at home too. I have one of those blue Tupperware cutter/processors... the one you turn by hand. Works great when I throw some chicken in the microwave with some seasoning and then when done use the Tupperware item to shred the chicken up. Throw a bunch of quartered veggies in the Tupperware to cut up and then do a quick sautee on the stove and throw the lot into a tortilla. Add some salsa and sour cream and you are good to go. Also, we do large salads for dinner a good bit... letteuce, mushrooms, carrots, some zucchini sometimes, coutons, and then some shredded chicken or tilipia that I do in the microwave. Get some cheese bread for the oven and you have a really satisfying supper - quick and relatively healthy considering all the veggies. We get those Pasta-Roni box pastas or the Bertolli dry pasta in the bags (the ravioli) and do those in the microwave. Throw some chicken or shrimp in there with it and add a quick salad... Hope some of this helps...... C.

J.,
One idea might be to invest in a crock pot. There are tons of things you can make in it. Put the food in the night before and keep it in the fridge overnight or put it in in the morning before you leave for work. Put it on low before you leave for work and when you get home it's all done and ready to eat. I know there are crock pot cookbooks to give ideas - but it can be as easy as putting some meat in it, a starch like potatoes or rice (noodles might get mushy being in it that long), and fresh veggies. If you use canned or frozen veggies instead, they only take a few minutes in the microwave and make a fast addition to your crock potted meal. Crock Pots also work great for soups!

Try the tri-color rotini pasta with either garlic butter sauce or pasta sauce. The rotini has veggies in it but my kids don't know it.

I also used to give my kids the Gerber Graduates ravioli with spinach. You can get other flavors that have a meat and veggie both in them. It doesn't have sauce so it is not messy. It takes 30 seconds in the microwave to warm up.

Make spaghetti. Add pureed veggies such as zucchini, carrots, etc. to the sauce. You can even use a store bought sauce and fix it up a bit. I have several friends who have tried this and it works great.

Try adding pureed carrots to mac 'n cheese. I haven't tried this but I have been meaning to.

Kraft has some good recipes. They have a free magazine you can sign up for that has great recipe ideas. I think it is www.kraft.com

Good luck.

J.,
I am a chef and am so excited to see a parent who recognizes that chicken nuggets and french fries or mac and cheese every night are not good dietary habits. Some easy things to do on your day off that don't require alot of attending to are roasting a sweet potato, place a scrubbed sweet potato directly on the rack of your preheated 400 degree oven and bake anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour or until its soft to the touch or a knife can easily pierce it. My daughter loves it and a large sweet potaote can last a week just slice off 2 or 3 rounds and cut into cubes ( you might like it also) place the remaining sweet potato in a zip lock and put in the fridge. Frozen peas are an excelent way to make a quick veggie in the microwave also frozen corn way way better than canned in flavor especially for peas. Hard boiled eggs are a perfect source of protein and you can do a lot and keep them in the fridge and just slice and serve or make egg salad with mayo, I always try to sneek in some lettuce or sprouts into my daughters sandwich and she rarely notices. Now this might be too ambious but I swear it's sooo simple roast a whole chicken and have available for the week night.
1st rinse chix and take out the neck and bag of goods in the middle.
2nd pat as dry as possible with paper towels
3rd VERY IMPORTANT season inside of chix with salt and pepper and herbs of choice I like a store bought blend of herbs de provence but basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary would work dried of course.
4th prick a whole lemon and stuff into cavity of chix and tie legs together with string
5th rub some oilve oil or veg on skin, not too much, and sprinkle salt, pepper and herbs on its breast and legs. put in a glass or metal roasting pan, doesn't have to be huge just enought to fit chix comfortably, maybe even disposible one.
Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes turn down heat to 350 for 80 minutes. Take out and let rest for at least 15 minutes with foil on it and cut it up. Ava will hunt it out on her plate and devour it. Don't be afraid of that recipe and you can watch a movie with your baby while it cooks. Roasts in general may give you at least 2 or 3 weeknights with out fast food. Please contact me if you want further advice and epicurious.com is a great website for recipes. good luck M.

Hi J.,

Try www.allrecipes.com, www.simpleanddelicious.com, www.tasteofhome.com

these are some of my favorites.

jen

I'm a single mother and my time in the kitchen is very limited too. One idea is to cook a big meal on the weekend and then eat the leftovers during the week.......or if you haven't ever tried a slow cooker, it can be your best friend. Cut up the meat and vegetables at night before you go to bed, put the crock pot in the fridge....before you leave for work the next morning, plug it in and put it on low....and when you get home your house will smell like someone has been cooking a delicious meal for hours. There are even special cookbooks just for slow cookers....AC Moore has some. good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

My 2 favorite web sites are kraftfoods.com and bettycrocker.com you'll find great recipes and a lot of them can be done in 30 min or less.
A.

Get that Crock Pot out...there are several healthy slow cooker books on the market. I loved coming home to a meal almost done! And it usually only takes a tiny few miutes in the morning.

J. Ü

Have you ever used a crockpot/slow cooker? It's more work in the mornings, I know, but you have a whole meal, or at least most of it, ready when you get home. And there are literally thousands of recipes online. My favorite site is allrecipes.com. So many casseroles, stews, soups, and main dish suggestions.
Hope this helps - good luck!
J.

Hi, actually at that age a full course meal is not required. You can keep it simple, be sure to have protein, fruit/veg in diet. Example:
Meal 1: peanut butter & jelly , milk and a fruit cup/applesause
Meal 2: mac & cheese and 100% juice
meal 3: Beanie Weenie (pork & beans w/hotdogs) fruit cup/applesause, milk

At restaurant- order chicken strips, baked potato applesause milk.

Fast food- chicken nuggets w/fruit cup choc. milk

In addition, if you have prepared a meal at home you don't have to prepare a separate meal just give him a grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwhich or whatever you prepared that he can eat just substitutute what he can't don't worry about meats right now.

I hope this was helpful.
RB

kraftfoods.com has wonderful ideas on there. I love that site.

I cook casseroles on the weekend, 2 or 3 usually, and freeze them to eat later. Plus, there are lots of family sized frozen meals at the store you can get and pop them in the microwave when you get home. Much healthier than drive thru.

I know how you feel. I find myself in the driveup window alot since i started working weekends. I don't plan on changing that very much. I sust try to order healthly things when I pull up to order another home cooked meal. ( smile )

Crockpots are a wonderful solution and getting one meal ahead. One evening cook for the next evening......then that night cook for the next, so on and so forth....you not only save time since you don't have to wait on the time table of the server, but you save money, have quality food and time with your family.......create a tradition that will not only help your family, but your marriage. The peace of the home beats the noise of your money leaving the wallett and the surrounding noise stealing quality time from your son as he grows up on take out or foods loaded with so much sugar and fat that he does not grow up healthy. Create your life instead of accepting what the world and TV says is the norm. I just don't want young people to make the mistakes of a lot of my friends......there is nothing as important as figuring out what is best for your family and only you can do that. But I found that the cooking the night before or using the crock pot really helped me. I will be praying for you you and yours.
D.

I agree with the crockpot. You can actually put everything in the crockpot the night before and just store it in the refrigerator. In the morning, just put it in the base and turn it on low - it'll be done when you get home.

I also make food on the weekends, with enough for one or two more meals during the next week or so. I freeze one to two nights of dinners, and then just heat and serve. Meals that are great for this are chili, lasagna, pasta sauce, chicken (then add a canned or frozen veggie), soups, just about anything. With the chicken, I usually stuff it, bake it, and then freeze. To reheat, just bake off again until it's hot.

When I need to feed my son and we're not eating, I give him either frozen or canned veggies, toast, bean and cheese quesadilla, peanut butter sandwich, or I also have small portions of frozen pasta sauce, which I mix w/ ravioli (ready in 10 minutes).

Hope this helps!

Hey! Try some ravioli or mac and cheese..

Some times what I do is cook up a bunch of meals on the weekend for the comming week and put them in the freezer so all I basicly have to do is get it out and defrost it. this week we are doign chili with noodles, my son is 2 and loves it .

its the winner time now and my friend is my crock pot. i could put a chicken, stew, and differt things now put it on in the morning and it will be ready by time dinner time. and the one kitchen device that will not burn down the house if you leave it on when you are out.

I make a chicken pot pie, I get peas, carrots, chicken, 1 can of cream of chicken, and 2 packages of cresant rolls, Mix the peas, carrots, chicken, cream of chicken in a pot. With the can of chicken can fill it up with milk and pour it in. Let that cook until the chicken is white. Pour the filling into a cassarole dish. Get the cresant rolls and spread them out ontop of the filling. Follow the time and degree on the cresant roll pkg. It normally takes 25 min all together. If you have any questions please call me ###-###-####

C. G.

i am a single mother of 2 and not sure of the quick and easy recipes but maybe if you check out kraft kitchens ... they will have some quick and easy ideas.. it always took forever when i had a husband to cook for. my boys which are 7 and 10 dont seem to care as long as they can eat something...hope this helps...