GrAb BoWl/BaSkEt!

How many of you moms need an easier way to pack lunches, or provide snacks in a rush, or are busy with a baby/toddler while another kid is pulling at your leg saying "I'm Hungry"?
I'm just preparing for baby #2 and can already see myself pulling my hair out when I'm trying to feed or change or provide for the baby and my 4 year old is tugging at me for a snack. And right now at 4:30 in the morning my pantry gets raided when I'm scrambling for some snacks to take with me to work to get me through the next 12 hours. And being hypoglycemic with this pregnancy, snacks are a must throughout the day. This was the best thing I've added to my pantry, it's making work mornings a lot less stressful, it makes my 4 year old feel like he can be more independent when he's asking for a snack, he can just go in and pick one out. It adds a lot of space getting rid of the boxes that all these things are in. And yes, I bagged those animal crackers individually, and it was totally worth the 7 minutes it took me to separate a 2 pound bag because now my 4 year old will actually eat them. When they are in the huge bag, they go stale sooner because the bag is not sealed, and I was always putting them in a little bag or bowl for him anyway. This way, they are already prepared and we can grab them on the way out the door or whatever. Things in my "Grab Bowl" this week:

Fruit Snacks
Animal Crackers
Goldfish Crackers (you can buy the big box and separate them the same as the animal crackers, or buy the snack bags like I did)
Fruit Roll Ups
Granola Bars

I'm going to throw together some "trail mix" in those snack sized baggies as well sometime in the next week or so. You can put whatever you'd like in the trail mix, or buy the already made trail mix and separate it into the baggies. I'll be using:
Nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds)
Raisins or Craisins
M&M's
Marshmallows
Maybe some chex corn cereal or cheerios?

It doesn't take much time or effort at all to just throw some items in a bowl or basket for your kids or even yourself to be able to grab instead of standing in the pantry hunting. Especially when you've got things like 2 pound bags of animal crackers, goldfish, or a bag of trail mix. It's just easier if it's separated into snack sized portions and ready to go! And honestly you can do it in a half hour while your kids are at school, napping, or at bed time =) It's easy and worth it!

Easy Chicken Bake

I noticed this recipe on the back of a box of Stove Top Stuffing and the picture looked really yummy, so I thought I'd try it...and I'm glad I did! It was a really quick, easy, & tasty meal!

1 pkg (6 oz. box) of Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing Mix
1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup Sour Cream
1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, & drained

::Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside
::Mix chicken, soup, sour cream & veggies in 13x9-inch baking dish; top with stuffing
::Bake 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

I liked this recipe because it was easy, it was quick, and it required minimal ingredients that you would usually have on hand. I loved how creamy the chicken & veggie mixture was, underneath the moist, yet not mushy stuffing. I let it set up for about 10 minutes after taking it out the oven, before serving and it was the perfect texture!

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

My sister told me of this recipe, I don't have it written down, I just made it from what I could remember and it turned out really good. The only thing I'd change is I'd serve it with rice instead of noodles, and I added a veggie =)

Chicken Tenders (sis uses the frozen ones, I just bought about 1 lb)
4 oz cream cheese (half of the 8 oz bar you buy at the store)
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup (no water or milk added)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (no water or milk added)
whatever seasonings you'd like I used:
Salt
Pepper
Minced Garlic
Lemon Pepper
Seasoning Salt

Throw everything in the crock pot and let it cook on low for about 6 hours (if you use chicken breasts I'd do it for 7-8 hours)
Just before serving the chicken cook your noodles or rice (I used macaroni noodles this time and it was okay, but I'd save some of the soup, sour cream, cream cheese mixture to mix into the noodles, they were a little dry) I also boiled some carrot match sticks with my noodles to give it a little color and to get my 4 year old another serving of veggies for the day =) That's it! It's easy, and yummy!!!

Left Overs!

Tonight I used our left over pulled pork in tortillas with some Spanish Rice and Sour Cream. Served with chips & salsa, it was a hit! The cumin in the pork gave it a little kick, and tasted great as a Mexican dish as well!

Melt In Your Mouth Pulled Pork

Tonight's dinner was yummy and easy! Just what you wanted right!?

Here's what I used:

3 lb pork roast
minced garlic
diced pepper
diced onion
pinch of cumin spice
salt & pepper
bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

I put the pork roast in a crock-pot with about 2 cups of water, garlic, pepper, onion & spices. Cooked on low all day (about 8 hours); drained the roast, added a bottle of BBQ sauce and shredded with 2 forks!

Serve on whole wheat buns with green beans, or french fries, or chips, or a green salad, or pasta salad (which I have a great, easy recipe for, watch for it in the near future!) or whatever else you'd like!

Potato Topped Chicken Casserole (or Chicken Topped Potato Casserole in my case ha ha)

This recipe was contributed by: Mary Ann Dell from Phoenixville Pennsylvania. She wrote: A friend gave me this easy, fast and delicious recipe. Any cheese you have on hand will work fine. It's perfect for those nights when you want something hearty and homemade.

Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each)

4 lbs medium red potatoes, quartered
3 lbs ground chicken
4 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs tomato paste
1-1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp minced fresh thyme
1-1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
6 tbs butter, cubed
1-3/4 cups (7 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

::Place potatoes in Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

::Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the chicken, carrots and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the flour, tomato paste, salt, pepper and thyme. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 6-8 minutes or until thickened.

::Divide mixture between two greased 13x9 in. baking dishes. Drain potatoes; place in a large bowl. Add milk and butter; mash until smooth. Stir in cheese. Spread over chicken mixture.

::Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake the remaining casserole, uncovered, at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

::to use frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 50-55 minutes or until bubbly.

I still have yet to purchase a dutch oven! So here's how I made this casserole:

I used 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. Put the chicken, chopped carrots, chopped onion, tomato paste, salt, pepper, thyme, and chicken broth in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

30 minutes before chicken is done, start the potatoes. I just boiled mine on the stove top for 20 minutes until they were soft. I didn't use butter or milk for the potatoes, I used sour cream!

Drain chicken and shred with forks. I spread the mashed potatoes in the bottom of the casserole dish, topped with chicken, and drained the chopped carrots and onions and added them to the top of the chicken. Topped with cheese and baked at 400 for 15 minutes until the cheese was melted and bubbly.

Our whole family LOVED this recipe! It turned out so yummy! I just made one great big casserole instead of two, and it fed our family of 3 dinner, and lunch for the next 2 days! This is definitely one you HAVE to try and one that I will be making more of and freezing for crazy work days!

Savory Chicken Dinner

(this recipe was submitted by: Leslie Adams, Springfield Missouri. She wrote: The chicken and potato meal-in-one recipe is simple to assemble, and it all bakes in one dish so there's little cleanup)

2 envelopes savory herb with garlic soup mix
6 tbs water
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 large red potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, halved and cut into small wedges

::In a small bowl, combine soup mix and water; pour half into a Ziploc Brand Storage Gallon Bag. Add chicken. Seal bag and toss to coat. Pour the remaining soup mixture in another Ziploc bag. Add potatoes and onion. Seal the bag and toss to coat.

::Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Transfer to a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour potato mixture over chicken

::Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until vegetables are tender and meat thermometer reads 170, stirring vegetables occasionally.

***I couldn't find Savory Herb with Garlic Soup mix when I went grocery shopping, so I substituted with Onion Soup mix, cut out the onion in the recipe and added some garlic. It turned out really good! My 4 year old and my husband LOVED it! They ate every last bit! This is so easy, and the clean up is very minimal. You could even prepare this in the morning or the night before for a hassle free dinner!

Ground Beef Spiral Bake

(recipe by Monika Rahn, Dillsburn Pennsylvania) she wrote:
This recipe is easy to make, tastes just great, and freezes well. This meaty casserole is perfect for big groups since it has classic ingredients everyone loves!

1 package (16 oz) spiral pasta
2 lbs ground beef
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 jars (28 oz each) spaghetti sauce
2 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cups (16 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

::Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, (I used a skillet, I have yet to purchase a dutch oven)cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes.

::Stir pasta into meat mixture. Transfer to two greases 13-in x 9-in baking dishes. Sprinkle each with 2 cups cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.

::Bake the second casserole, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

::To use frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

****I halved this recipe and only made 1 casserole to make sure we all liked it before I bothered with freezing one for later. Next time I'll definitely be making 2 casseroles and freezing one of them for a quick meal on a day I work. My 4 year old and my husband loved this new concoction so we'll be adding it to our menu more often. It's super easy, and tasty!****

Lunch Box Special

Orange juice adds zest and apples add crunch to this dressed up version of a plain peanut butter sandwich!

This makes 4 sandwiches!

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup finely chopped apples
1/2 cup finely chopped dates (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
8 slices bread

*In a bowl, combine the peanut butter and orange juice until blended. Add the apples and dates and walnuts if desired. spread on four slices of bread; top with remaining bread.

See like I said, this recipe sounds pretty fool proof...not many people can mess up a sandwich right? If ya ask me, I think raisins or craisins sound much better than dates! But suit yourself!

(this recipe came from Taste Of Home Magazine, the recipe was contributed by: Bernice Morris-Marshfield, Missouri)

HAVE NO FEAR!

Okay, Okay, Okay! I KNOW! I'm the biggest slacker EVER! And I apologize! BUT I am about to make it up to all of you! Especially those of you mommy's out there with school aged kids! That's right! I've got THE PERFECT Back To School meals! With a little help from Taste Of Home magazine, we will all be eating quick, easy meals, lunches, and snacks! I ran into this little blessing of dinner madness solved in the grocery store today and have been skimming through recipes for about 30 minutes! ALL 95 OF THEM actually sound easy, quick and yummy! The recipes call for ingredients that we all actually have in our kitchen, and a lot of them call for enough ingredients to make 2 meals and you can freeze them for up to 3 months! NOW IS THAT LIFE SAVER OR WHAT? There's a few quick breakfast recipes, baked goods, and fun snacks for sack lunches! I only have a preschooler so I don't really need to worry about sack lunches quite yet, but I can get in the habit, and who DOESN'T need a quick lunch idea for at home or work? I plan to try at least 3 of these new recipes in the next 2 weeks...so keep an eye out. I don't want to post the recipes until I try them, because the last time I posted a recipe before I tried it, it turned out HORRIBLE and I felt bad for everyone that had it on their dinner list for the week (1 person that I know of ha ha ha) I will however post a quick lunch recipe right after this. It seems fool proof, and I just don't know if anyone could mess it up...I think I'll try it tomorrow for lunch at work!