Let’s face it: Even if life is busy, we still need to eat.
I really do like to cook, but one of the casualties of my large family, homeschooling lifestyle has been frequent, fancy, experimental cooking. More often than not, I need quick, easy, nutritious meals that my family will actually eat. What simple dinners do you put together from stuff you have on hand? I really mean simple. You have to be able to describe your “recipe” in a few sentences like this:
Cook cubed chicken in a little oil with salt and pepper, add to prepared herb and butter flavored rice (from a box) along with frozen broccoli florets. Cook till broccoli is tender, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and serve with rolls.
Spill it, moms. You know you “cook” this way. Help the rest of us expand our repertoires.
Toss a can of drained tuna into enough cream sauce. Season it with what you like: curry powder, etc, and serve on toast, rice, noodles–whatever you like. I like it with sauted onions and green peppers mixed in. Parmesan cheese on top is good too. Be creative! Yummy…
EZ Chicken Noodle Soup
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups favorite veggies (carrots, corn, peas, etc)
1 cup uncooked medium egg noodles
2 cups cubed cooked chicken OR turkey
MIX broth and veggies in saucepan. Heat to a boil.
STIR in noodles and chicken. Cook over medium heat 10 min. or until noodles are done.
Grilled Veggie Pasta! YUMMY!!!
Grill a bunch of fresh vegies-squash, peppers, zuchini, broccoli, onions, garlic-whatever- with some oil on a slab of aluminum foil till the brown a little bit.
serve over cooked penne pasta with parmesan on top.
YUM!
Hahahahahaha…come on Danielle, I can’t cook the way even your short recipe reads….you’re assuming I have chicken on hand and that I have time to cube it! 🙂 But I sure can relate to Cris (June Cleaver after a six pack) and her tossing a pound of bacon on the floor and standing back!
Here’s how this home schooling mom of nine has down-spiraled into preparing meals:
1. Ask 16 year old to make dinner.
2. Ask 15 year old to make dinner.
3. Boil noodles, add Ragu. Make sure they drink their milk for protein. Count the Ragu as their vegetable.
4. Ask 13 year old to make dinner.
5. Serve Dannon yogurt, microwave popcorn, milk, fruit.
6. Ask 12 year old to make dinner.
7. Wheaties, Cheerios, Rice Krispies…….
8. Tell the kids to go to the barn and eat some of the horses’ grain or hay – it’s loaded with fiber. (Naw, I don’t really do this one, but we do really have horses, whose care adds to the lack of time to cook for the humans!)
All of these require 5 minutes or less to make, and the ones prepared by the kids require no time of mine at all!
But seriously, although we do eat the above "menus" sometimes for dinner (except the grain and hay), the older kids help a lot with the cooking. They have a binder we’ve put together of recipes they like to make and they can check to see if we have the stuff on hand. Preferably before 5:30 pm.
And I do throw a roast or chicken in the crock pot at times, or make some actual meals, but those also mean I have to plan ahead and actually shop for the stuff. Well, my husband does the shopping, so I have to remember to tell him what to get if I’ve actually had time to look through the pantry and plan something…..well, you can see why we have cereal sometimes for dinner!
And although I love cooking, and regret that home schooling a large family means that I can’t cook too much these days, we still eat a pretty balanced diet and no one goes hungry. And I WILL peruse the comments more slowly to glean a few actual recipes we might use!
Crustless Spinach Quiche (good for Friday)
10 oz pk frozen spinach, microwaved enough to thaw it. (Five minutes or so, depending on your microwave–or you can do this in a skillet, if you really want to.)
dried minced onions (or not.) (About a tablespoon)
one and one half cups shredded cheese (colby-jack, cheddar, mozzerella, whatever. You can use a bit more if you like.)
5 eggs, beaten
salt&pepper to taste if desired
Heat oven to 350. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray. Layer spinach, dried onions, cheese, eggs, & seasonings in pie plate. Bake at 350 about 30 to 40 minutes or until eggs are set. Cool slightly, slice and serve. Recipe doubles easily and can be made in a 9×13" pan.
Super easy:
Dad’s Specialty
Slice a package or two of smoked sausage (we like skinless) and throw it in the crockpot before you leave for work in the morning. Empty a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce into the crockpot on top of the sausage. Fill the bottle 1/2 full with water and shake (to get all the sauce) dump water into crockpot. Cook on low all day long. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.
Not quite as quick but delicious:
Halloween Casserole
Brown 1 lb ground beef add a package of brown gravy mix and 1/2 cup of water to beef. In round casserole dish, put a bag of frozen diced potatoes, toss with about 2 T olive oil. Make a well in potatoes, add beef and a can of mixed veggies. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and french fried onions on top. Bake until heated through and golden on top at 350 (about 30 minutes). Add some more cheese five minutes before taking it out!
Thanks for this post, Danielle. I’m very much looking forward to trying some of these recipes!
Beefy Rice Casserole
Cook one box of beef flavored rice mix according to the directions on the package. Meanwhile, brown half a pound of ground beef with half a cup of chopped green pepper and half a cup of chopped celery. Add the cooked rice to the ground beef mixture and heat through. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
The original recipe stated to bake for 10-15 minutes but I found it wasn’t necessary and nice not to turn on the oven. I serve it with whatever vegetable I can find for a side dish. This serves 5 of us and is a great recipe when I only have a small amount of ground beef.
We have two "special" dinners a week meaning the nights when I actually make a recipe dinner. The rest of our nights are usually something very simple and quick…these suggestions are some of our favorites.
Quick Macaroni & Cheese:
Boil elbow macaroni,drain, add a bit of butter or margarine, salt, pepper, a gurgle or two of milk, a handful or so of shredded cheddar, some cubed up velveeta to taste. Stir together well and serve.
Quesadillas:
Flour tortillas, buttered and browned with cheese, frozen pre-chopped green peppers and onions, sandwiched in between. Served with salsa and/or sour cream.
Kiddie dogs:
Can of crescent rolls, unrolled and wrapped around hotdogs (we don’t do the cheese slices but most people do) and baked in the oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Served with ketchup and/or mustard.
Beans And Rice:
Cook up a pot of brown rice seasoned with salt/pepper/tad of butter. Heat up a can (or two) of Ranch Style Beans and serve over the rice.
Breakfast Burritoes:
Flour tortillas filled with hot scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese and served with salsa.
Bacon and Egg Sandwiches:
Fry however many eggs you want with a slice of american cheese on top and in another pan fry some bacon also. I do one egg and one slice of bacon cut up per sandwich. Toast the bread, put miracle whip on the toast slices and make sandwiches with the eggs and bacon. These are so yummy and comforting!
Daddy’s Buffalo Chicken Wings:
Dh put a large baking sheet of frozen chicken wingettes in the oven and bakes them for 1 hour at 400. He pulls them out, salts and peppers them. He mixes in a bowl some melted butter and some Frank’s red hot sauce and dips the wings in this sauce but does not re-bake them. He pulls some of the chicken pieces aside for the kids who don’t like the hot sauce. He serves these with ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing. This is most always our Friday night dinner.
Pasta, Pasta, Pasta:
I will make a pot of pasta and add butter, milk, some kind of sauce if I have it handy, some kind of cheese and add available veggies.
All of these easy dinners are generally served with glasses of milk, raw, cut-up veggies and ranch dip. The kids will eat almost any vegetable imaginable if they can dip it and it’s crunchy.
Crock Barbeque Chicken: (even company loves this)
Chicken in the crock, slice an onion on top, dump a bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce on top. Cook all day.
One of our favorites is Shepherd’s Pie
Brown 1 lb of ground beef or turkey, drain. Add 1 can creamed corn, 2 cups frozen peas and carrots, and 3/4 cup of milk. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. While simmering make instant mashed potatoes (approx 4-5 cups potatoes). Place in greased casserole dish and cover with a layer of mashed potatoes. Dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.
I brown my meat and simmer everthing in my dutch oven, so I don’t have to transfer it to a casserole dish, and it works well if you make extra mashed potatoes for another meal and save them for the topping.
Thaw a bag of frozen chicken breasts. Trim fat and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Tony Chacheres seasoning. Place chicken in crock pot. Melt 1 stick of butter in a sauce pan add 8 Tbls. flour and stir till blended. Start adding water slowly until a gravy consistency. Pour over chicken. Add one sliced onion. Cook on high 5-6 hrs. Serve over rice. We like to have green beans on the side. Very delicious! Kids love it, all 9 of them.
Brown some ground beef, possibly with some diced onions. Add a large can of brown beans, some ketchup and a dab of mustard. Heat until warm. Eat with buttered bread on the side, slices of cheese, and pickles of course!
We loved this as kids. My brother had my mom give the "recipe" to his wife when he got married.
Easy Recipe 1. Fry onion, crushed garlic and diced bacon. Add one can of crushed tomatoes. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Serve on spaghetti with grated cheese. Serve with a green salad and garlic bread.
Easy Recipe 2. Slowly bring a can of coconut milk to heat. Add 2 tablespoons of green curry paste and stir until dissolved. Add chicken breast pieces (cut into small portions). Simmer 5-10 minutes. Add green beans and simmer until they have cooked. Add a dash of fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. (Kaffir lime leaves add a beautiful flavour – you can find them at asian grocers. Remove before serving as you would a bay leaf). Serve on white rice.
Crock pots are God’s greatest gift to busy moms! Here are 2 of my family’s favorites:
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken: Put as much boneless, skinless chicken into a crockpot as you need to feed your group. Squirt in some BBQ sauce and add a squirt or two of catsup, add some water. If you want to be fancy, you can add a bag of baby carrots and some sliced onions. Cook on low all day, and in the evening, serve with cooked rice and a salad. The way I make it, the "sauce" ends up rather thin, not like sticky bbq. My picky family loves it. You can adjust the proportions on the sauce/water to suit your family’s taste.
Crock Pot Italian Beef
Put a 5 pound roast into your crock pot, add a big jar of pepperoncini AND the liquid from the jar. Add garlic powder and oregano to taste, and a cup of water. Cook all night on low. Shred up the beef with a fork in the morning, and if you’re having a party/get together, you’re ready to put it in buns by noon. (Alternately, put this together early in the morning, and you can serve it for dinner in the evening.) It’s especially good with shredded mozzarella on it.
Bon Appetit! Thanks, Danielle, for a great recipe exchange idea. LOVE your blog!
Brown 2 lbs. hamb. meat in large pan, season to taste, add some kind of taco or Pace sauce, add can of whole kernel corn (drained), add a cup of cooked white rice, simmer for about 5 min. Serve over corn chips. Top with grated cheese. Fast, easy, will go fast! Make more next time!
Pork and Spanish Rice: Cook 1 package Spanish rice according to directions (including the can of tomatoes). Meanwhile, cube up some boneless pork chops and saute them with a chopped onion in a little olive oil. Mix the cooked pork and onion with the cooked rice. Serve with salad and cornbread.
I"ve seen a lot of crock pot roast recipes but this one IS easy and healthy and Feingold-friendly (I got it from a friend who has a child on Feingold I).
Flour large beef roast and sear in pan with a bit of oil. Plop in crock pot. Pour one GOOD beer (I use Sam Adams Boston Lager) and 2 c. chicken stock over roast. Add one quartered onion, baby carrots, red potatoes and a dash of salt. Cook 6 hours on low (or 4-5 on high). Stand back and listen to the rave reviews! 🙂
Here’s something my mom made once and it was good and super easy. Put some chicken breasts in bottom of pan, top with mozzerella cheese, pour over diced tomatoes and bake.
I suppose you could cook up noodles and place all over that if you want or even add bread crumbs, depending on how much time you have and whether or not you have the ingredients.
A family favorite is Fiesta Dinner. We serve it as a buffet. Everyone layers the following onto their plates:
rice
ground beef
melted cheese (microwave the jar cheese to warm it)
olives
sour cream
salsa
If you want really easy crockpot stuff, you can use beef, pork, chicken, turkey, whatever you’ve got. Put a can of whole berry cranberry sauce over and cook.
You can also use teriyaki sauce over any meat and cook in crockpot along with a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies and serve over rice.
Italian dressing works well too. As does BBQ sauce and you can either add veggies right in or not.
This is a really good one that I got from a crockpot cookbook: place chicken in crockpot with a jar of salsa and cook (I think it said like 10 hrs?) and when done, shred chicken and add 1/2 c or so of sour cream. Place in tortilla shells with lettuce and whatever else you’d like.
Easy:
Have a baby and let everyone you or your husband or your Mother-In-Law know, know about it. Make sure your freezer(s) is/are empty. Watch the meals roll in.
We have experienced an abundance of generosity from friends and family following the birth of our 7th child. It’s going on 3 weeks since she was born, and we still have meals trickling in!
Seriously, though, the ideas others have posted are good ones. I especially like the Sam Adams crock pot roast! Yummy!
Recipe: we had this last night. I’m granma, mother of 8 and this is a favorite….
as many turkey drmsticks as necessary for your family..or chicken, brown in a little oil for more color..or not.
Boil in a couple of cups of water ’till done, don’t overcook. remove frombone and set aside. add sliced carrots,onion (any kind to taste). a tsp or two chicken base. salt and pepper. If your kids will eat peas add a few. cook till carrots are tender, add noodles and last return meat to pot and heat. It’s very good and very easy.
Should have some broth but not soupy.
Well, to add to the expensive meals that everyone seems to like:
Fry a few pork chops. Slice some potatoes and fry just long enough to become slightly crispy in the same pan. Return everything to the pan (I use an electric frying pan) and cover with a can of cream of mushroom soup mixed to half thickness. Cook until everything is done.
Cream of mushroom soup is great as a sauce base if you can eat it, I pour it over chicken and uncooked rice, add enough water and cook in the oven. I’ve only tried this with white rice, but you shouldn’t have to use white rice, there’s enough time to cook rice in the time it takes to cook the chicken. Throw in a few veggies with the rice. To make an every day meal out of that one, substitue peanuts for the chicken.
I also recommend the More With Less cookbook, it has a lot of quick meals as well as great suggestions for what to do with leftovers.
Two of our very favorites:
Make your own salad night!
Lots of cut up lettuce
tomatoes
shredded cheese (swiss, cheddar)
french-fried onions
croutons
olives
bacon pieces
hard-boiled eggs
chicken nuggets (cut up) or chicken chunks
peas
And whatever else you like on your salad
Your choice of dressing
Put it all in bowls on the table and everyone makes their own.
Serve it with dinner rolls. Done.
Mini Meat Loaves
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup bread crumbs (plain or seasoned)
1/2 cup french-fried onions (or more)
1 tsp. salt
3 lbs. ground meat
Mix first six ingredients together. Crumble meat on top; mix well. Shape into 12 – 14 mini meat loaves. Top each with ketchup, spaghetti sauce, or BBQ. Bake 35 – 45 minutes at 350. My kids LOVE the "mini" part. Great with mashed potatoes and peas.
BTW – adding wine is the Italian "secret" to great meat balls, so I just tried it with my meat loaf:-)
Taco Soup 30min.
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can white beans(navy works)
1-2 cans diced tomatoes (depending on how much you like tomatoes)
1 can corn (frozen works too)
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg hidden valley ranch mix
1 lb hamburger meat
brown hamburger meat in pot, add other ingrediants and boil for 10-15 min. My friend does not drain the juices from the beans where as I find the juice gross and just add some water depending on how thick I want the soup. This is a favorite in our house and I have even made it in a hotel on the little stove top 🙂 Super easy and way too yummy.
If you have them chips and shredded cheddar cheese they are nice additions but not necessary. I like to freeze this soup in little portions, makes for a nice quick lunch for busy moms who don’t like PB& J 🙂
Feeds about 6 (2 adults and 4 little hungry folks)
We really like Chinese takeout, so a quick fix at home is this: Cut up chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Cook over medium heat in 2 Tbsp oil for 6 minutes. Add a bag frozen veggies (broccoli, snap peas, or our favorite – the broccoli stir fry mix) and cook for 5 more minutes. Add 3-4 Tbsp soy sauce and cook for 5 minutes more. Serve over cooked rice.
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
In a skillet blend together one bottle of chili sauce and one can of cranberry sauce. Roll one pound of ground beef into balls and drop into boiling sauce. Cover and let meat cook through.
Migas
Heat some oil and cook broken up corn tortillas until crisp. Add 1 egg per tortilla and scramble. Serve with refired beans and crispy bacon and salsa.
I forgot to add that the taco soup recipe below is really quick and good, too. I use one pound ground beef, 2 cans ranch style beans, 2 cans hominy, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 pkg dry ranch seasoning and 1/2 pkg dry taco seasoning. If I need extra liquid I swish water around in the bean cans before adding it to the pot.
One of our favorite is really simple: saute a green pepper or two (diced) with a little oil or butter. When tender, add one jar spagetti sauce, 1lb Italian sausages (light ones do well, too) and cook on medium until the sausages are done through–about 20 minutes. Serve with rice, noodles, toast or garlic bread. MMMM… Serves 5 or 6 at our house.
Danielle, I really enjoyed your latest book. I’ve gone through it twice so far!
I was going to comment yesterday, but my house developed little people chaos syndrome. My 3 & 1/2 yr old and 2 year old twins started destroying the house and the 4 month old began his late afternoon cranky time, then I had to scurry off to throw some dinner together. Needless to say, with my 4, I do that often.
Last night it was the bacon, egg, and cheese on toast.
Tonight it will be: cook polish sausage in skillet, throw on can of sauerkraut and heat, "bake" potatoes in microwave, and heat up frozen veggies. Easy and can do while holding baby in one arm.
We also do pancakes, waffles.
Then there is: brown hamburger, throw in can of black beans, bag of frozen corn, fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, cumin. Tomatoes or onions if you want. Heat and serve.
I also tried making "Breastfeeding Salsa" this year, with tomatoes, green pepper, fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, salt, and black pepper. No hot peppers, garlic, or onions. It tasted good and my husband even liked it. And the baby didn’t seem to mind!
I enjoy your blog and I’m so glad to have some new ideas now for quick and easy dinners. We get tired of the same old stuff!
My kids won’t eat anything in sauce or gravy of any kind which makes it hard for me to use a lot of the suggestions. And they’re also not big casserole fans…the meat, potatoes and vegetable have to be easily identifiable. BUT they love the following recipe which I adapted from the show Everyday Italian on the Food Network.
Orecchiette (it’s a small ear shaped pasta) with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli
Bring large pot of water to boil, cook frozen broccoli for 5 minutes, remove. Add 1 lb. pasta. Meanwhile brown 1 lb. sweet Italian turkey sausage in a large skillet in 3 tbsp. olive oil. Add 3 minced garlic cloves (I use the jarred kind) and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (if desired). Add broccoli and pasta to skillet. Toss with grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
My mom had eleven children. One of the recipes she made and we all loved was called:
Fricassee (French canadian prefered dish)
Take any leftover meat, cut in chunch
Stir fry with onions or onion salt
Add potatos cut in slice or cube
Add vegetables if you so desire
A can of carrot or fresh carrots wil do ok or even turnip for extra flavor.
A little salt and pepper (since I don’t use salt I use lemon pepper flavor).
Add water to cover the whole thing,
Bring to a boil and let simmer until vegetables are tender.
It takes about 15 minutes to do the whole thing
It is cheap, fast and nutritrous.
I serve mine in a plate so I can mash it all together.
I even sometime put a little ketchup or mustard on top of the whole thing in my own plate.
You can serve wheat ot white buns cause some people like to dip them in the juice.
It’s delicious easy and nourishing specially for a big family
I live alone now but still make a big batch cause it is even better warmed up the next day for lunch
Hope you like "Fricassee"
Gigi
Can anyone stand any more recipes?
"Cheesy Tortillas" I make this on average once a week.
Whole wheat tortilla spread with fat-free refried beans, sprinkled with cheese and whatever else you like. Roll up, put on tray, bake in 300 degree oven until hot. (Not original, but very fast.)
"Meat Loaf" This is so fast I am surprised I didn’t see a million versions of it.
1 lb. ground beef
a handful or two of crushed saltines, corn flakes, or bread crumbs
1 egg
1/3 cup dried milk powder (optional, but it produces a very tender meat loaf)
1/4 cup ketchup
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. onion or garlic powder (I like it oniony, so reduce if needed)
1 tsp. or so thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup water
Put it all into a big bowl and mash it with your hands until mixed. Put into a loaf pan, squirt some more ketchup on top and spread around. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Very good.
Throw in as many baked potatoes as you need, plus extras for eggs.
"Eggs with Stuff" This one is the same as the others below.
Scramble eggs with leftover cut-up baked potato, onion, peppers, cheese.
"Melts"
pitas topped with leftover steamed vegetables
topped with cubed ham or whatever meat
topped with cheese
Bake in 300 oven until hot and melted
Easy peasy "White Chicken Chili" – low weight watchers points too!
1 large jar white beans (no need to drain)
1 jar salsa (we like mild)
1 can corn
1 can black beans (if you have them)
1 can chicken (or leftover chicken)
1 pkg white chicken chili spice mix
garlic to taste
1-2 cans chicken broth
Dump in crockpot on high. Ready in 30 minutes or less. We serve in bowls and top with cheese and/or sour cream. Yummy 🙂
I love all of these recipes and will absolutely have to print this out!
There were some similar recipes to this one – hopefully not the exact same – but here is the easy, yet delicious, recipe I fix when I’m in a hurry:
"Mom’s Soup" (my title for it, but "canned soup" might be a better title):
1 can Progresso Minestrone soup
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can Ranch style beans
1 lb. hamburger meat
Brown the hamburger meat. Add other ingredients and heat through. Serve with oyster crackers or cornbread. So, so easy!