Busy, Busy, Busy

I really try to cook every night for my litle one. I do feel fortunate, as he's not a picky eater. I always have pasta and sauce, or canned tomatoes, on hand, shredded cheese, frozen chicken nuggets and french fries( are much healthier than fast food,)frozen veggies, and chicken. You can get a lot of variations with these few items.

i have a good thick soup recipe that's easy and inexpensive. My son who's three loves this. You brown 1lb of hamburger in a skillet add onion while browning if you like. Season your meat with salt pepper and some garlic powder. Once browned drain excess fat and place meat into a 4 to 5 quart pot. add a 29 oz can tomato sauce, a 28 oz can of diced tomato with juice, 8 oz bag frozen mixed veggies, 1 cup barley and about 3 or 4 cups of water or to desired thickness of soup. season with a generous amount of seasonall or to taste. Let cook of low heat I like to slow simmer for 2 to 3 hours stirring occasionally. This is great for a large crock pot. Freezes well.

I hear you! I am always trying to cook dinner with three kids destroying the house so I try to make it as easy as possible. Buy some chicken thighs and make sure you leave them in the refrigerator to thaw the day before. Take their skins off, put them on a grilling pan (That sheet with slits in it that goes over a shallow pan) Brush them with some olive oil and any spices you like. Garlic and thyme works best but anything you like will do. Turn the oven on to broil at 450 and put them about 2 - 3 inches under the broiler. Cook them on one side until they look slighly crispy on the edges, then flip them over, brush the other side with your olive oil and spices, and do the same to the other side. (About 10 minutes each side). At the same time take some brocolli (Costco has big bags of precut, prewashed) put it in a pot, put a litle water in it and steam it for about 10 - 15 minutes or until it turns dark green in color. Take a box of brown rice ready rice. Put one bag in the water to boil for five minutes. Dinner of brocolli, chicken and brown rice should be done in about 20 minutes. You can substitute drumsticks for the thighs if your son likes them better but they are harder to take the skin off.
If you have time on the weekend you can also make your own 'Ready rice" by cooking a huge pot of brown rice until almost done and then seperating it into 2 cup packs and putting them in the freesez. They defrost in 1 minute in the microwave and cook in about ten minutes and you can add flavorings.

Hamburger helper is the greatest thing out there! There are lots of different kinds, and it really is good for your child. Also spaghetti (though I use shells because they are easier for my daughter to pick up with her fork). My daughter loves both of these, and they are easy to make and clean up from! Plus, while they are cooking, you don't have to watch them much and so you can spend more time playing with your child. Just a suggestion!

My saving grace, when I worked and went to school, was the crock pot. You maybe take 10 minutes to prepare your ingredients, toss them in the pot, and let them cook all day while you're working. That way, you have a healthy meal that's ready to be eaten as soon as you get home with little to no fuss. They also make bags in the frozen food section that you can toss into the crock pot now, making it even easier.

stir frys are always quick and easy. most stores carry already cut stir fry veggies. All you have to do is brown what ever meat you have in the freezer (cut into bite size pieces) mix in veggies and put over rice or noodles.

You can always use brown rice vs white for the health factor.

I know how you feel. I am a single mother and work part-time. I have both daughters help make their own food. I try to get organic food, so even if it is a quick and easy meal, it is also good for them. I also try to keep the house stocked with healthier snacks and raw fruits and veggies, which is better than cooked stuff, anyway.
Best of luck with your career. Enjoy your family. Hope I was able to help.--M.

I have found that it just takes planning. I avoid processed foods and fast foods as much as possible.
I sit down, look thru the ads and make up a menu. I also buy meat that is on sale or go to Costco.

Being you are not home during the day - utilize your crock pot. It's great here in AZ during the winter AND the summer.
Or:
grilling chicken or burgers takes no time at all.
Marinate some chicken, then throw it on the grill when you get home with some veggies and or fries. (I found some sweet potato fries in the frozen section - they are SO good).

Over the week-end cook up a couple things. Like a whole chicken and a roast. Then have left overs a couple times during the week.

Minute Rice has some great ideas on the box. I did a bbq pork skillet a couple weeks ago - it was nummy.

kraftfoods.com is a great site for recipes.

Good Luck - this can be a struggle, I try to plan at least 5 meals, then write them on a post it note on my frig, it takes a lot of stress off my day! :)

L.
http://www.mineralmakeup4less.com

I am also a single, working mom and I usually cook on the weekends and eat alot of leftovers on weeknights. But, I always have a few really quick meals that I can put together quickly during the week too.

For recipe ideas Kraft puts out a quarterly magazine with lots of kid friendly recipes. It's free and you can sign up at http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/FoodandFamily/ They also have a bunch of recipes on their website. You have to watch is because their recipes aren't always as healthy as I'd like but they are kid friendly. I am also a fan of allrecipes.com as a place to find good recipes. They have alot of crockpot recipes if you are interested in that route. Alot of times in the reviews, people will mention if their kids liked the recipe or not. I also subscribe to Everyday Food which has alot of good healthy recipes in it. I think the subscription costs me $20 per year.

I find too that when I don't feel like cooking, I can give my son yogurt, some canned or frozen vegetables and some fruit and he is very happy. Another quick meal that I like to make is baked eggs. Spray a baking dish with Pam and break several eggs (how ever many you think you'll eat) into the pan. If you're only making 2 or 3, make sure you use a fairly small dish (I use a 7 x 7 in dish for 3 eggs). Optionally, you can cut up some butter into small pieces to scatter on top. Season to taste with salt and pepper (adding a bit of thyme is nice too especially if you don't use the butter). Sprinkle with a little bit of mozarella and/or parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes or until the egg whites are set. Serve with canned/frozen veggies and some fruit and you're done. Or if you don't want to turn on the oven, just scramble the eggs, make some toast and have breakfast for dinner.

I'm also fond of meals where you marinade meat overnight and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes to cook it. Try this pork chop recipe with some steamed vegetables. My son likes it alot. It takes me about about 10-15 minutes before I go to bed at night to get the marinade started. You can even clean and chop your veggies the day before too.

Spice Rubbed Pork Chops

4 boneless pork loin chops, 1/2 in thick
1/4 c lime juice
2 tbl olive oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic minced

Trim fat from chops. Place chops in a plastic bag in a shallow dish. In small bowl (I use a measuring cup) combine all ingredients except pork chops. Pur over chops and seal the bag. Marinate in refrigerator 4-24 hours, turning bag occasionally (I usually just flip it once in the morning before I go to work). Drain chops and discard marinade. Preheat broiler. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 6-8 minutes or until done and juices run clear, turning once halfway through broiling.

Note: If your chops are thicker that 1/2 inch, move them a little bit farther away from the heat and increase the cooking time a bit. They will be firm on both sides when they are done.