7 Easy meals for a busy week?!
Answers: Anyone have any suggestions for some easy meals for a family of 4 for a 7 day peroid? THANKS!
ummmm
mac and cheese
top ramen
lean cuisine
doritos with more doritos
cheetos (the cruncky ones...none of those puff things)
3 musketeers
taco bell
yeah....i think that's pretty healthy. and easy.
Sunday: roast chicken, potatoes, green beans. Roast an extra chicken, because...
Monday: Chinese chicken salad with the leftover chicken.
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday! You can do some of the prep work the night before -- chop olives, grate cheese, etc.
Wed: Put up a beef stew in the morning in the crock pot. Serve over egg noodles. Green salad.
Thursday: Pork chops on the grill, Brussels sprouts -- steam and toss in a little butter. If you buy the fresh ones, you will like them, I promise. Rice pilaf from scratch: sautee onions, garlic, and pecans. add rice and chicken stock, simmer.
Friday: Let's cheat and have fish sticks in front of the tv. Green salad, fries or baked potatoes.
Saturday: I'm tired. Let's go out.
sunday- stew-start stew in morning in crock pot
monday-baked pork chops with packet potatoes, salad
tuesday-breakfast dinner- eggs, toast, bacon, fruit
wednesday-pasta night
thursday-cut up roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, cooked veggie
friday- italian bread pizza's with salad
saturday- chili done in the stock pot
all of these could be done with prep time on average of 10 min- 20 min
average week for me
Loaded baked potato dinner: (my fav!!)
5 large potatoes
1 medium onion
1 cup sourcream
2 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
10 slices bacon
-boil potatoes than coarsly mash into the bottom of a baking pan
-spread sour cream,shopped onion, and garlic powder on top
sprinkle half of the cheese on top.
-fry bacon until crisp
-than place on top of potato mixture
-sprinkle with remaining cheese
bake at 350 for 15 minutes until cheese is melted
chicken & mushroom rice:
5 boneless chicken breast
1 &1/2 or 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 cups rice
1 tsp garlic
1 cup cheddar cheese
bake chicken until well done
boil rice on stove
after rice is done mix cream of mushroom soup in it and add garlic powder
pour in pan over top chicken
sprinkle with cheddar cheese
chicken casserole:
3 cans cubed chicken
1 box stuffing mix
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
make stuffing as it says on the box
mix chicken,can of cream of chicken soup, & sour cream together
pour in pan, spoon stuffing on top
ranch pork chops & rice:
Prep/Cook: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops, 3/4" thick
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's? Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 soup can milk
1 pkg. (1 oz.) ranch salad dressing mix
Paprika
Directions:
HEAT oil in skillet. Add chops and cook until browned.
ADD soup, milk and 1/2 pkg. salad dressing mix. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 min. or until done. Sprinkle with paprika.
SERVE with Ranch-Style Rice.
TIP: Ranch-Style Rice: Add remaining salad dressing mix to water when making rice.
tuna noodle casserole:
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 35 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) Campbell's? Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup Soup (regular or 25% Lower Sodium)
1 cup milk
2 cups frozen peas
2 cans (about 10 oz. each) tuna, drained
4 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. butter, melted
Directions:
1. Stir soup, milk, peas, tuna and noodles in 3-qt. casserole.
2. Bake at 400°F. for 30 min. or until hot. Stir.
3. Mix bread crumbs with butter in bowl and sprinkle over tuna mixture. Bake for 5 min. more.
TIP: For a Cheese Topping: In place of buttered breadcrumbs, top with 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese over hot casserole.
my kids love this one!
pizza casserole:
1 pkg.pepperoni
1 pkg. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Shells & Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (8 oz.) pizza sauce
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, brown meat with green pepper and onion in large skillet; drain. Stir in pizza sauce and pepperoni
SPOON prepared Dinner into 8-inch square baking dish; top with meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese; cover.
BAKE 20 minutes or until heated through.
Monterey Chicken Fajitas:
Prep/Cook: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 medium green pepper, cut into 2"-long strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's? Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup Pace? Thick & Chunky Salsa
8 (8") Mission? Fajita Size Flour Tortillas, warmed
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook and stir until it’s well browned.
2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the pepper and onion. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in the soup and salsa. Cook until the chicken is cooked through*.
3. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with the cheese and additional salsa. Fold the tortilla around the filling.
TIP: *The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 160°F.
easy stuff:
1- meatloaf
2- pasta
3-soup and sandwiches
4- frozen pizza
5- boxed meals (hamburger helper, mac and cheese, etc.)
6+7- any leftovers from the previous nights OR order in
balance off any of these meals with fruit and/or a salad and you're good to go!
One way we plan and enjoy great meals during the week is to grill extra items on the weekend. For example, we'll put on several extra boneless chicken breasts while grilling steaks or burgers, then freeze the chicken breasts to use on a salad or in another recipe later in the week. Or we'll do an extra pork chop or two to put in red beans & rice for a later meal.
A way to make this easy is with the cookout calculator at charcoalbob.com. Just enter the details about your grill (gas or charcoal) and specifics about each item to be grilled (thickness and doneness of steaks, pork chops, etc.). It will give you instructions for when to put on and turn each item so that everything comes off the grill at the same time, cooked just the way you want it.
We've found that this "planned leftovers" approach allows us to enjoy many of our favorite foods and recipes on a tight schedule, and also helps with our grocery budget.