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Answers: I am trying really hard to do this dinner thing at least 6 nights a week,running out of ideas anyone know of anything to mix up the monotony a tad?

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check out www.kraft.ca they have a good variety of meals that take less than 30 minutes and just might be able to break the monotony you are in. happy cooking.

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i would advise bread and water this is a stable diet and everyone likes it

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Tried making taco salad bowls? My kids loved helping me with this one. Get the medium soft tortillas, hamburger, taco seasoning, refried beans, and whatever toppings you like on your tacos. Use a cupcake pan, put the tortillas in them scrunched up to look like a bowl. Bake them in the oven until golden. Then just fix your tacos....can eat the bowl and all.

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I feel your pain....I have been doing the same thing. It is actually amazing how much money you can save by cooking. So it has been a positive for me. :)

Here is one of my recipes......

Easy, Tasty, Bolognese

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
10 baby carrots, minced
1 lb. spicy Italian sausage, you can use sweet if you don't like spice.
2 cans beef broth
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
2 cups wine (I use Zin for this), use what you like to drink!

Saute onion and carrots in olive oil until translucent. Add Italian sausage and break up, cook until no longer pink. Add the broth, tomato paste and wine. Let simmer on medium heat for at least 30 minutes. The longer this one simmers the better it is. Simmer in a crock pot while you are at work....yumma!

Serve it over your fave pasta...I love it over angel hair.

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DELICIOUS CHICKEN CASSEROLE

1 lg. bag frozen chopped broccoli
Cooked boned chicken breast (enough for your family)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. shredded cheese (Cheddar is good)
1/4 tsp. curry powder
Bread crumbs

Cook broccoli until tender, drain. Place broccoli in the bottom of buttered 2 quart casserole dish. Cover the broccoli with cooked, boned chicken (optional: cut up). Mix together the following and spread over top of chicken: 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup mayonnaise, cheese and curry powder. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot with butter. Serves 6.

FAMILY MEAL LOAF RING

1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce, divided
1 tsp. prepared mustard
2 lb. lean ground beef
1 med. onion, minced
1/4 c. cracker crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine brown sugar, tomato sauce, and mustard. Set aside. Combine beef, onion, cracker crumbs, eggs, salt, and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce mixture, and stir until well mixed. Place mixture in 6 cup micro-proof ring mold. Pour remaining tomato sauce over meat.

Cook on high, 12-14 minutes, or until done. 6 servings.

FAMILY SKILLET MEAL

1/2 lb. ground beef
2 1/2 c. canned tomatoes
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. chopped cabbage
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 c. grated cheese (opt.)

Brown ground beef. Add tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Add cabbage, onion, parsley, salt and macaroni. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for 15 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top, if desired.

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Good for you! If more people would take your attitude, the world would be a much healthier place!

Have a look at this recipe but most importantly the host site for loads of ideas, tips, recipes and links.

Simply multiply the ingredients for the quantity that you need.

Good luck!

Lamb Burgers with Seasonal Salad

For one person, you will need:

250g (1/2 lb) minced lamb
1 large garlic clove (crushed or very finely chopped)
1 small red chilli pepper (deseeded and very finely chopped)
1/2 small red onion
Tbsp of fresh mint (roughly chopped)
1/2 small beaten egg
Salt/freshly ground black pepper
A little plain flour for dusting
Sunflower oil to fry with

150g (6oz) small new potatoes
Handful of lamb's lettuce
3 closed cup mushrooms (quartered down through the stem)
6 radishes (halved)
Salt/freshly ground black pepper

The first thing to do is to get the potatoes on to boil in salted water. Do not peel or chop them. They should take about twenty to twenty-five minutes. Drain them and set them aside to cool while you cook the burgers.

When the potatoes are boiling, start preparing the burgers. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. There is no implement unfortunately which substitutes adequately for the human hand during this process, so it's time to get the sleeves rolled up! Divide the resultant combination in two and form two round balls. Then simply flatten them to about 2cm (3/4 inch) in thickness. Dust with flour (which helps protect them during the initial stages of the cooking process) and cook for ten minutes each side in a frying pan or skillet on a low to medium heat.

Just before the burgers are ready, half your potatoes and mix with the remainder of the salad ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately.

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make your own taco night
beef stew
bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches
chicken cutlets
macaroni and meatballs

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one of our favorites at my house is to have pancake night. we just buy the muffin mix packets for like 89 cents a pack and make pancakes that way. its good and cheap!

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