When I became a stay at home wife/mom, I envisioned making all these glamorous impressive dinners. And I actually did, for a while. And then Tripp started to crawl. And then Tripp started to walk. And then Tripp started to think, and plan, and scheme. And then Tripp turned into a Tasmanian devil. Not sure if any of you have tried to make an elegant meal with an almost three year old in tow, but it's HARD. Seriously hard and time consuming and not cost effective at all. So my recipes have turned into quick, same old, chicken and pasta dishes. And here's where I need your help! We're tired of eating chicken and pasta. TIRED OF IT! We're starting to cluck and grow feathers. That's how tired of it we are. Would you please, if you get a moment email me, or leave a note on my FB page or in the comments section of this blog, letting me know your favorite weeknight go-to dishes? I would love some changes in our standard menus and I know the boys in my life would appreciate it too!
For those of you who aren't tired of eating chicken and pasta, I'm including some easy, cheap, family friendly, and Tripp-approved recipes!
Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Chicken & Rice Casserole
Chicken Stir Fry
2 t. oil
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
3 c. frozen stir fry vegetables, THAWED (I aways forget this step)
1/4 c. Asian Sesame with Ginger dressing from KRAFT (I buy the frozen veggies at Sam's & they actually have sauce in the bag if you don't have the dressing on hand)
2T. soy sauce
1T. honey
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
4 cups hot cooked instant white rice
Cook chicken over Med High heat. Add veggies, dressing, soy sauce, & honey. Mix well. Sprinkle with nuts & serve over rice.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
2 cups penne pasta
2 cups shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (or 1 cup - to be honest, I can't remember! but you'll be able to tell if you need to add more)
1 T. dijon mustard
2 chicken breasts
8 slices cold cut ham
1/2 chopped onion
Cook pasta as directed. Cut chicken breast & ham into bite sized pieces. Cook in skillet with onion until chicken is cooked through. In a 2 qt. casserole dish, add chicken, onion, ham, & penne. Add one cup swiss cheese, cream, & dijon mustard. Mix together. Top the mixture with remaining swiss. Cook for about 20 minutes or until cheese browns.
The NEW Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
No offense to my mom who cooked this A LOT when we were growing up, but I'm kind of tired of poppy seed chicken. And I NEVER have poppy seeds on hand. Allen's grandmother made this chicken dish recently and I really liked it; best part about it - no poppy seeds!
2-3 boiled chicken breasts, shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8oz. container sour cream
8 oz. cooked egg noodles, cooked
Mix everything together! Top with crushed Ritz crackers! Drizzle 1/2 stick melted butter over top. Cook @ 350 for about 30 minutes! VOILA! Easy-peasy, folks!
And a few beef dishes:
Beef & Spinach Pasta Bake
(my sneaky attempt to get Tripp to eat spinach. I flat out lie and tell him it's lettuce. He loves it.)
Easy Beef Stew
2 lbs. lean beef stew meat
6 medium potatoes, peeled & quartered
4 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks (or frozen)
1 onion, cut into large chunks
1 package onion soup mix
1 can tomato soup OR tomato sauce OR V-8 juice (just something red & tomato flavor)
1/3 cup red cooking wine
2 cups or more water
1/2 t. seasoning salt OR 1/2 t. salt + 1/2 t. pepper + dash garlic powder
Blend liquid ingredients in crock pot; add meat & vegetables and blend. If needed add enough water to cover. Cook for about 5 hours.
Meat & Potatoes Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
3 cups peeled, thinly sliced potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
Brown meat & onion; drain. Put meat in bottom of 9x13, then layer with potatoes. Mix soup, milk, salt & pepper; pour over potatoes. Top with shredded cheese. Bake @ 350 until cheese is browned.
There you have it! Some of these recipes I have to tweak based on what I have on hand. But I really don't think you can mess up on any of them. I once forgot to cook the noodles for the chicken egg noodle casserole and it was still good. Chewy, but edible. :)
OK folks, it's 2:30-you've got 3 hours to send me some recipes! Happy Monday!
6 comments:
Dearest Daughter, You are going to LOVE this....as we speak, your grandfather, is cooking a roast/carrots/potatoes for me, (I mean I am only 52 and it's hard to juggle work and all...)so what can I say?!? Maybe Buster, next door will cook supper for you tonight.
In my defense, you know there are "hunters" joining us for supper, so that explains some of it, right?? Luv, mama:-)
well, I think we are eating the exact same things you are, so I am not much help. I will rack my brain to think if there is anything else I can add. We do have spaghetti night once a week because my kids LOVE it, and it's one of the only meals that John will actually eat (he is extremely picky and hardly eats at all).
Rub it in, ya-ya! And I think I'll pass on dinner from Buster :-)
Roast again?
We ended up at Cracker Barrell after GMJudy spent so long in line at Wall Mart, she was too tired to cook what she bought. :(
Hey D-Daddy! That's usually what I do too! When I go to the grocery store, I normally save a little cash so I can run through the drive-thru on my way home. :-)
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