
Okay, I'm no Rachel Ray. I can't do it in 30 minutes. It takes me over an hour to prepare dinner and it's killing me. Can some more experienced moms please share some tried and true tasty dinner ideas that truly take less than 45 minutes to put on the table?
Maybe this will be beneficial for other moms too. |
Mac n Cheese Lasagne:
Make Kraft Mac n Cheese according to directions While pasta is boiling, brown 1 lb. ground beef or turkey In a 9 x 9 inch pan layer 1/2 the mac n cheese, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, 1/2 of the ground meat, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers one more time. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve with veggie of choice. |
Beef Noodle stir fry:
Get some thin beef steaks and slice into thin strips. Cook in hot skillet (coated with veggie oil) until almost cooked through. Add sliced green onion. Remove from pan. Get a package of shredded cabbage (slaw mix) and cook in same pan, also coated in oil until tender. Throw into bowl with reserved beef. Get 2 packages of ramen noodles and break into pieces. Add to pan with 1 1/2 c. water and 1 of the seasoning packets. Boil until noodles are done and most of water absorbed. Return beef and cabbage to pan and season with soy sauce, if necessary. Spaghetti with meatballs: Mix 1 lb of lean ground beef with 2/3 c seasoned bread crumbs, handful of parmesan, 1 tsp. oregano and basil each and 1/2 tsp. salt. Pour in about 3/4 c. spaghetti sauce. Mix and form into meatballs. Bake on broiler pan in 375 degree oven for approx 15 min (I always "sacrifice" one to make sure they're done). Pour remainder of spaghetti sauce (I buy the largest size jar) into saucepan and sprinkle some oregano and basil in and let simmer while meatballs cook. Get water boiling for noodles. When meatballs are cooked, toss in simmering sauce and let rest while noodles boiling. I can seriously get this meal done in just over 30 min I've made it so many times! |
Chicken and rice.
Recipe is on a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup - see the back label. But roughly it's 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of rice and one can of water. Mix in a glass baking dish. Add boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Put paprika on top of chicken breasts. Cover tightly with foil and put in the oven 45 minutes at 375. It's 45 minutes, but it only takes 5 minutes of preparation time. |
Fajitas -
Marinade chicken in olive oil, lime juice, cumin, paprika, cilantro and garlic Chop in slices: Red onion, green pepper, red pepper (I do the above in the morning bc I like the flavors to soak in - but you can do it 10 min prior) Whenever you are ready to make it - use a grill pan and grill - takes 10 minutes tops. I make a box of rice/beans on the side first so it is simmering and done by the time the fajitas are done and then obviously just warm up tortillas Voila - easy and quick Pounded Veal/Chicken or thin Beef Scallopini Dip pieces in a bit if flour, then in a whipped egg, then in bread crumbs, and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side - I make a side of pasta with marinara on the side |
Grilled cheese or quesdillas? Could you use a crock pot to cook up something during the day? |
Meat loaf. All it requires is dumping ingredients into a bowl, squishing them together, putting them in a bread pan (or molding into a loaf shape), cover with some tomato sauce or barbeque sauce, and baking. You do have to chop an onion, but that's about all the prep work.
Broiling fish is a snap. Take a thin fish filet like sole or flounder, salt+pepper, drizzle some olive oil (rosemary olive oil adds some zing), sprinkle breadcrumbs and/or parmesean, broil for 10 minutes or so. You can also bake slightly thicker fish for 10-15 minutes @400. Salt+pepper, drizzle butter and lemon. Or if salmon, coat salmon in teriyaki sauce (thicker kind is better) and pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Obviously the cook time for salmon depends on the thickness. Generally, any item that goes in the oven is a big plus. The cook time is a bit longer, but you do not have to be in front of the stove stirring, flipping, etc. And that means you can get a vegetable and salad together. Grill a steak. Prep time is minimal - salt/pepper, pat dry the steak and throw on the grill. If you only do it once in a while, it is a treat. It requires some flipping, but to minimize your effort, put a remote controlled meat thermometer in it and then go outside only when the temp hits 90 degrees, flip, and take it off when the thermometer hits your desired doneness. As long as you know how to set the grill to avoid flareups, your steak will be fine without you fussing with it, leaving you to cook something else in the meantime. Better yet, do pork tenderloin. You an prepare a marinade the night before (or buy one in a bottle), stick it in a ziplock bag, and pull it out when you get home from work. Pork tenderloin cooks on a grill just about as easy as a steak. Just remember to dry off the surface and turn more frequently than a steak. You an even buy them pre-marinated, but sometimes they are too salty for my tastes. A salad helps make any meal feel more complete. It's easy to keep on hand 5-6 bottles of dressing, some crumbled blue cheese/feta/parmesean, dried cranberries, nuts, etc. Then all you have to do for a good salad is toss some things in a bowl and mix. It does take some work to find salad dressings that aren't gross, but they exist. Keep on hand some frozen veggies. If you are tired and don't want to do a fancy vegetable prep, nuking some corn and adding a pat of butter, or heating up some other vegetable from the freezer is great. It doesn't have to be fancy, but your meals feel much more like a real dinner when there is a vegetable and salad to go along with them. |
Boboli pizza and salad; you can make what ever kind of pizza you want cooks in about 10 minutes
I buy family packs of boneless chicken divide it up and put in in ziplocks with different marinades then freeze it. They while it defrosts in the fridge or on the counter while you are at work it marinades and is ready to grill/bake once you get home. quesadillas: diced chicken or deli turkey, black beans, rotel, low fat cheese 5 min in the pan find good boxed sides/rice; we eat lundberg( I think this is the brand) risotto probably twice a week it is quick 20 min on the stove and add veg and a little parm cheese and it is great breakfast for dinner make something like chili or soup on the weekend then you can heat it up for leftovers and take the 30-45 minutes to make cornbread/biscutes/rolls/sandwhiches to go with it |
OP, you should order the small magazine "Everyday Food" by the Martha Stewart Company. Its also a show on PBS, I think.
I have gotten many awesome, very short (with short ingredient lists, which I love) meals from them. The best: One dish dinners. Take cous-cous (with oil and seasonings, read the box), add cut carrots and raisins (or craisins) and almond slivers and put in a casserole/lasagna dish. Add on top seasoned fish (salmon is best). Pop the whole thing in the oven at 375 until the salmon is done, serve right away, one dish to clean. Lots of great ideas like that, plus kid-friendly food, too. |
meatballs and gravy:
1 bag frozen meatballs (thawed in the fridge -- or can thaw in the microwave) 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 pack onion soup/dip mix 1 can beer Mix soup, onion mix and beer in the pot, add meatballs and simmer for about 30 minutes. For a little extra touch -- I add a little chopped mushrooms or chopped parsley towards the end, but I usually have to pick them back out for the kids, so I don't bother. Serve with egg noodles or rice, or rolls. |
I chop up the following
carrots, green peppers, portabello mushrooms, diced onion brown ground turkey or ground beef - drain add veggies & a can of roasted tomatoes add in a box of rice a roni (or whatever rice you like to use, sometimes I just add brown rice) substitute beef stock for the water in the rice a roni and cook Yummy rice dish and healthy I second either Everyday Food, Rachel Ray Magazine, or Family Circle. All have awesome quick recipes. |
Turkey burgers: 1 pkg ground turkey (at safeway this is 1.3 lbs), 2 tbls bbq sauce, handful (quarter cup or less) chopped onion, sprinkle of garlic salt. Mix with your hand and form into patties - I make 6 (wrap extras in tin foil, they'll keep well in the fridge for 4 days or freezer indefinitely). Cook on grill or covered grill pan or frying pan 5 min side, and serve on a bun however you like a burger (cheese, lettuce, pickle, mustard, ketchup, etc).
While they're cooking, nuke your favorite veggie side. I find starch unnecessary because of the bun, but you could add a quick side if you want. Bean quesadillas: chop a red pepper, green pepper, and onion (or whatever else you like - shrooms, zucchs, spinach all work fine, as long as you pour off excess water), and saute in a little bit of oil for 10 min until soft. meanwhile, heat 1 can refried beans in microwave (these are super healthy - high fiber, high protein, lowfat, and not too bad on sodium). remove veggies and excess water from pan. warm tortilla on 1 side in pan (about 1 min), flip, and add veggies, refried beans, and shredded cheddar and/or jack, fold over tortilla (or place 2nd heated tortilla on top), and heat on both sides til cheese melts. Serve with salsa/guac/sour cream. 1 10-inch tortilla worth is enough for an adult without a side, and you can do 2 tortillas worth at a time in a single pan. |
Chicken and potatoes: this is one of my favorites. Prep is fast but baking is slightly longer than 45 minutes. Place chicken tenders and bite-sized pieces of red potatoes in a baking dish and cover with Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing. I like this dressing and make it with olive oil, but you could use any Italian dressing that you like. Coat generously. (I use half a bottle of the dressing.) I usually push the potatoes to one side and cram the chicken on the other side of the dish. Top chicken and potatoes with parm cheese and bake on 400 degrees covered. Uncover and bake for 30 more minutes. I usually serve with frozen veggies, the kind that can be steamed in the microwave for 5-minutes. You can let the chicken marinate in the dressing all day if you like. This smells so good while baking and tastes delicious. |
I just posted the chicken and potatoes idea... meant to add a couple more:
Campbell's Tomato Soup and Caesar salad - add milk instead of water to the soup and add in pieces of fresh asparagus. Cook asparagus in soup until tender. Add pepper. Serve with Caesar Salad (one that comes in a bag with the dressing, etc) and bread. Turkey Tacos - start with a whole wheat tortilla and spread a layer of refried beans over it to cover. Stand a crunchy taco shell or two inside, like Taco Bell's double decker taco, and fill with ground turkey, cheese, avocado, salsa, and yogurt mixed with hot sauce. So good! |
Try using a crock pot. It takes me 30 minutes to fill the crock pot in the morning, plug it in and it's ready at 5pm. No stress at dinner timebwhen the kids are most needy. I have a couple of cheap Pillsbury crock pot recipe books that got me started. You can search www.pillsbury.com for crockpot recipes. I made spaghetti sauce in it today and beef stew yesterday. I also like to make vegetarian soups and chili in it. |