Dinner Ideas - Mansfield,TX

My favorite cook book is called Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. My family loves it. I have made almost every single recipe in it and only one has been rejected as "not very good." The recipes are simple and just plain good. I use this cookbook every single week and often 3-4x a week. I don't usually do her weekly menu, just pick and choose what we are in the mood for.

She also has an online service that I've also used (savingdinner.com) and she will email you good recipes each week. I've used this service as well, but if you have the book you really don't need it.

VickiS

kraft.com is a great place to find simple and easy recipes. I have found many new ideas there. Simple and easy.

Kraft Food and Family! You can sign up online to get it in the mail each quarter. And the previous issues are online archived with some GREAT recipes! We try at least 4 or 5 recipes out of each one and my kids and husband love them!

www.kraftfoods.com/kf/FoodFamilyArchive/

If you go to allrecipes.com they have an entire section devoted to quick and easy (http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-Cooking/Quick-and-... ). We have found some terrific recipes here (last night we tried a basil roast beef sandwich 10 minutes top, served with a salad -yummy, cheap and fast!). And my husband takes left overs for his lunch at work every day and all the recipes we have tried seem to reheat just fine. If you aren't familiar with the site, you can read the reviews from others who tried the recipe. I always check out what others rate it before I try it.

A couple of things we love to eat:

Turkey cooked in the crock-pot
- Frozen turkey breast, pack of french onion soup mix (dry), and can of cranberry sauce (not the jellied kind)
- Add a little water and cook over night or until done
- You can eat it as sliced turkey, on sandwiches, etc. My kids love it

Baked chicken nuggets
- Cut up chicken breasts and dip in egg white
- Crunch up whatever you have around the house - cereal, chips, crackers, etc. and dip the chicken in the crumbs and bake
- Much healthier than fried nuggets. I usually slice up potatoes and shake them up in a baggie with a little olive oil, rosemary salt and pepper and bake on a cookie sheet to go along with the chicken.

If you like casseroles look online for recipes. I usually double the recipe and freeze in aluminum throw-away pans. Then I just pop one in the oven for dinner.

lots of websites to choose from - one of my faves is www.Allrecipes.com, you can find just about anything, and they have lots of reviews. Also, I like the meals in a box option for lazy nights - they have everything you need in the box - my family likes Creamy chicken & biscuits - you mix up the ingredients, pop into the oven for a few minutes and you're done - they have several varieties - extremely easy meal and usually just one dish to wash. My husband's grandmother gave me a recipe for "hamburger pizza" - you take ground beef, add a little seasoning( I use italian and pepper), mix with a little bisquick - just to get a meatloaf type consistency, form into the bottom and sides of a round cake pan - like you're making pizza dough, maybe a little thicker - bake in the oven untl it's browned well ( I like to drain off grease at this point), top with spaghetti or pizza sauce ( as much as you like) and top with your favorite pizza toppings, we use cheddar cheese, bacon and pepperoni - but you can use onions, mozzerella, bell peppers, velveeta, whatever toppings you want. Put back in the oven until it's reached the desired doneness - then cool and serve. Based on the thickness of the hamburger crust, your cooking times and temps vary - I just start out with like a basic temp of 350 for about 10 minutes and keep checking -- my kids love this one, they're 6 and 4 and they like to help spread the sauce and sprinkle on the ingredients.

Hope this helps some!
Laura

Here is a recipe I got from Campbell's website. My picky son loves it. And my 3 year old daughter too

Campbell's Beef Taco Skillet

1 lb. ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
6 flour tortillas (6"), cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Cook beef in 10" skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat.

Stir soup, salsa, water, and tortillas in skillet. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 min. Stir. Top with cheese.

CHeck out Meals in Minutes by the American Heart Aassociation. Its an fantastic healthy cookbook. I use it daily.

I have a few casserole dishes that I picked up when my husband and I took in 3 very large Polish Basketball players (along with our, at the time, 3 other children). I had to make large quantities, so the easier the better....also, when making casseroles and such with chicken, just pick up a rotisserie chicken at the deli to save loads of time, and it is more tasty than just boiled or baked chicken!

Ritz Chicken

Layer chicken on bottom of 13X9 pan
Mix together 1 can cream of chicken soup, 8 oz. sour cream and I usually add a little pepper. Spread mixture over chicken. ( I usually double this mixture ). Coursely crumble a sleeve or so of Ritz Crackers. Layer on top of chicken and soup mixture. Drizzle with 1/2 C melted butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until bubble....My family loves this!

Here's an Italian one...

8 oz. cooked egg noodles
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. sour cream
1 lb. ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
dried parsley

In 13X9...layer egg noodles. Mix together cream cheese and sour cream. Spread over hot noodles. Blend ground beef and spaghetti sauce. Pour over cheese mixture. Sprinke with mozzarella cheese and dried parsley. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

These are just a couple. I have also taken basic casserole ingredients like cream soups, chicken, turkey, etc., stuffing mix, noodles, etc. and mixed them up a bit by adding veggies, mushrooms, cheese, bacon or whatever I have on hand. Sometimes it's just easier to look in the fridge and pantry, see what's there and go for it, rather than worry about following a recipe and it usually turns out great and the kids and hubby love it either way! :-) Good luck!

Check out the campbells soup recipes. I actually have a book of them. You can often find them in the discount section in book stores, or look online to buy used. :)

There is also a book called "Six Ingredients or Less." Fast, easy, delicious meals.

You can have the items from either of these books around and throw together a yummy dish in minutes with easy clean up. (If you don't mind using soup mixes that is.)

Bon Appetite!

try www.rachelrayshow.com she has lots of easy and quick recipes most in 30 minutes or less. She has started a new thing where the meals to feed 4 to 6 is less than $10. I have tried several in the last few weeks and they have worked out great.

Spanish Rice Casserole is one of my favs!!! My mom used to fix it all the time. It's easy (only 3 ingredients) and tastes just as good warmed up :).

Spanish Rice Casserole:
1 lbs. ground beef
1 can ranch style beans
1 can or box of spanish rice (found in mexican section of grocery store)

Brown the beef. If you got the box of spanish rice-fix it according to directions on the box. If you go the can-just pour it in along with the beans into the beef. Stir together and heat. Done :).

You can eat it like a casserole and serve it with chips and sour cream or my hubby likes me to fix rotel dip with it and he turns it into one big dip. It's really yummy!

Here are a couple new recipes I tried out. They are new to me and my family loved them:

Fireside Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck pot roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb. butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 small onions cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 oz can reduced-sodium beef broth
1 2oz can tomato sauce
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
2 tbs cold water
4 tsp cornstarch
1 9oz pkg. frozen green beans (I used a can of green beans)

stir all ingredients except the last 3 into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hrs (or high for 4-5 hours). Turn to high heat setting and add (combined previously in small bowl) cornstarch and water and stir till well mixed, and add green beans. Cook covered about 15 minutes or until thickened. Makes 6-1 1/3 cup servings.

Pineapple chicken

1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used breast, cut up)
1/2 tsp curry seasoning blend
1 red sweet pepper, cut in strips
1 pineapple, peeled cored and cut in large chunks (I used 1 can pineapple chunks, drained)
1 serrano pepper thinly sliced (I omited this - couldn't find it and didn't want the extra spice)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar

Sprinkle chicken with curry seasoning. In 12 in skillet quickly brown chicken on boths sides in 1 tbsp hot olive oil over high heat. Reduce to med high. Cook 12 min until tender and no longer pink

For sauce, in second skillet cook sweet pepper in 1 tbs hot olive oil over med-high heat 3 min. set aside. Add pinapple, cook 5 min or until brown. Add serrano pepper. Cook one minute. Stir in coconut mil and brown sugar. Heat through. Serve sauce with peppers over chicken. Makes 4 servings.

*I cooked the pepper and pinapple together, and next time, I'll probably put it in with the chicken before serving it. It wasn't spicy at all and we ate it with rice - my little kids loved it.

Bell Pepper Casserole:

2 lbs ground beef whatever grade you prefer.
Boil in the bag Minute rice I prefer white but brown might work
1 big can of tomato sauce (hunts is the brand I buy)
Bell peppers (2) medium size

Brown the ground beef, cut bell pepper into small pieces saute in butter in saute pan while browning ground beef. Cook Minute rice boil in the bag in the microwave. When bell pepper and ground beeof are cooked mix together with tomato sauce and rice in large skillet (use the large skillet to cook the ground beef in) mix all ingredients together and bring it all to same temperature. Serve with salad and french bread. Makes alot so you can eat for a couple of days and is great heated up.

I understand!
My most used kitchen appliance over the years is probably the crock pot. It's a great time saver.
Roast beef - cook with dry mix onion soup and about 1 cup water add onion, potatoes, tomato sauce - whatever. A second meal can convert roast to TexMex by adding salsa to meat and veggies and serving on tortillas

Also, there are numerous sources of recipes online, my favorites:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/
http://www.recipesource.com/

Good luck!

There is a program mid day in my area on food network that gives a lot of receipe ideas about how to cook one thing an have different meals from one basic ingredient they cooked earlier, that you may check to see if it is in your area. Meatloaf can be made with potatoes and veggies, and then made into meatloaf sandwich the next day for taking a lunch.
Macaroni & cheese as main dish with veggie and salad, and then the next day make macaroni salad and broiled chicken breast or something like that.

Check out papmperedchef.com. They have a great recipe search. You can also bake a chicken in less than 30 minutes in their deep covered baker. Also, they have a cookbook that is called dinner in 29 minutes, and they mean it!
Call me if I can help you with anything.
K. Neely
###-###-####

Chicken Spaghetti
4 boiled chicken breast-cut into chunks
2 cans cheddar cheese soup
1 can cream of chicken
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 cup of chicken broth from the chicken you boiled
1/2tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Spaghetti

In saucepan add soups,broth, and seasonings and heat til bubbly. Boil spaghetti in Chicken broth(you will need to add water to it) Drain, and add sauce mixture and chicken. Mix together and it's ready. You can also add some grated cheddar cheese on top. It's very yummy!

Hi H.,

I am not a gourmet but something fun for everyone might be.. BBG Cupcakes (or whatever you want to call it)

Brown ground beef. (you can add onions, olives, carrots, or whatever)
drain fat
add sauce of choice (BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce or ketchup w/parsley)
1 - 2 cans biscuits

Place biscuits in cupcake pan, pressing dough around the edges. Spoon in beef mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake according to biscuit directions on package. Can easily be heated in microwave.

My kids like pushing dough all over sides and putting cheese on top. You can customize to your families likes and dislikes.

HOpe you find what you are looking for.

H.,

I can help you. Homemade Gourmet can help you with quick and easy, great tasting home cooked meals that are easy on your budget. If you would like to learn more, checkout my website at www.homemadegourmet.com/gfitch.

Or email me at ____@____.com

The food taste great! It is easy to cook! Some of the meals can even be cooked in about 10 min. Seriously! Your family will beg for more.

I would love to help you with your mealtime challenges.

G.

Super Suppers is a good option, since they let you make a bunch of meals and then prepare them for the freezer. That way all you have to do is take them out the night before and let it thaw in the fridge, or simply bake them from frozen.

Also, a friend of mine just sent me this email. I like Homemade Gourmet mixes when I'm really in a pinch!
~~~~~~~~
Are you a dinner diva or a dinner disaster????
Come to my home to make meals for your family and you will be the Queen of the Kitchen!

Please join me on Wednesday October 8th from 6:30-8:00p.m.
You will leave my home with meals to fill your freezer therefore,
Putting dinner on the table in the month of October will be a breeze!

You bring the meat in ziplock bags in a cooler with ice and I will provide the additional ingredients and the recipes with cooking instructions. The best part is, I clean up the kitchen!!! Below are the 7 meals we will prepare that night. You can choose to make as few as 4 or as many as all 7–could it get any easier then that? All meals are $6.00 each! An additional purchase of at least $25.00 from my HG “store” is also required. You can choose sides, drinks and desserts to accompany your meals you are making or you can purchase additional meal solutions!

Don’t Delay~RSVP By October 4rd—
This event is open to only 10 guests—first come first serve!

A $10.00 deposit and your meal selections are required to hold your spot. No exceptions!

Invite a friend who attends and you will receive a free mix!!!

Look forward to hearing from each of you!
Allyson Bowler ###-###-#### or ###-###-####
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Meal Choices
(All of the meat should be fresh—so you can freeze it for future use)
1. Stroganoff made easy~you bring 2 lbs. round steak--sliced
2. Beef and Veggie stew~you bring 1 ½ lbs. stew meat
3. Sante Fe chicken~you bring 2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4. Peachy Chicken~you bring 2-3 lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breasts
5. Herbed Pork Loin~you bring 2-3 lbs. pork tenderloin
6. Creamy Tortilla Chicken~you bring 2 lbs. chicken strips/fingers
7. Taco soup~you bring 1 lb already browned ground beef or turkey

I make beef tips, pot roast, home made marinara sauce, chicken broccli casserole to name a few. I love cooking and creating favorites in my kitchen! The ideas above reheat well.

Sounds like Weezy takes the EASY way out. Hope her (if she is a her) kids are helathy.

If you're like me, your staples are tacos, spaghetti, etc. - ? If not, try those ;-). But what I love to do is buy organic, flavored chix or turkey ssgs (2-3 links per dish)from Whole Foods or Central Market (on sale for $3.99/lb. often) and keep 'em in the freezer. I cut them up in slices and sautee to make "meatballs" out of them for spaghetti, adding veggies like brocco, etc., for myself. I love Kroger's "Naturally Preferred" organic tom/basil sauce in a jar or Muir Glen's (more expensive).

For great all-around spice mixes I like Cavender's Greek (chix, fish, etc.), Mrs. Dash Original (seasons organic brown rice from Whole Foods bulk aisle, with ssgs and squash/zucch. quarters, or also seasons boiled shrimp...even can make a Chinese sauce with it!), and Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic (for any fish). I buy frozen fillets, thaw them in microwave for 3 minutes and them bake 'em with butter and spice on top.

Good luck! (By the way - the ssgs. have even stood in in my tacos - soft tortilla ones or crispy. OR burritos with wheat tortillas, sauteed onions, peppers, etc.)

Beef strogonoff (sp?)
cook egg noodles
cut up and cook steak
add sour cream and cream of mushroom soup to steak for yummy sauce

french bread pizza
loaf of french bread cut lenghwise
add sauce, mozzarella, and cooked sausage and heat in oven

taco salad
cook meat, add seasoning (sometimes I don't even add that)
in a bowl i put shredded lettuce, meat, tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, and serve with tostitos.

breakfast for dinner

i think the stouffer's (sp?) frozen lasagna is delicious. serve with salad and bread sticks.

A good one that my family likes is Taco soup.

1 lb browned ground turkey or beef
1 can of corn with liquid
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 can garbonzo beans
1 can black beans rinsed & drained
1 package of ranch dressing mix
1 package of taco seasoning
You can also add green chiles or black olives if your family likes them

Put everything in the crockpot for 4 hours on high heat. Top with cheese, crumbled tortilla chips and/or sour cream.

This tastes great fresh and even better as a leftover. Has protein, veggies, etc. Our whole family loves it.

Campell's always has great recipes!

this recipe is super simple and makes a ton and freezes well.

1 box pasta (Barilla plus pasta in yellow box)
put on stove to boil

1lb Velveeta cubed (2%)
1 can diced tomatoes (Ro-tel in blue can)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (can substitute cream of chicken)
1 large can chunk chicken breast (2-3 cooked chicken breasts)
melt together in microwave, on stove (low) or in oven. Pour over cooked pasta and mix.

This will easily feed a family of 6. I put half in the freezer for later.

One of our favorites is cheeseburger pie.

For the three of us, I peel and boil 4 medium-sized potatoes.

While potatoes are boiling, I brown 1 pound of ground beef with some chopped up onion (or onion powder), salt and pepper.

Add 1 can Cream of Potato soup to the beef mixture.

Mash the potatoes with some milk, butter, salt and pepper or however you mash your potatoes. I use my old-fashioned (not electric) mixer, as it's okay to have a few lumps.

Spread the beef/soup mixture across the bottom of a small casserole dish. Spread the potatoes over the beef. Then sprinkle shredded colby cheese over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

I like making this because I can use the 30 minute bake time to start the dishes, pack lunches for the next day, etc. It warms up better than the first time around!

The recipe also lends itself well to experimenting, if you're in to that. You can add bacon bits and have BACON cheeseburger pie. You can add a vegetable (like green beans, corn or carrots) on top of the meat or on top of the potatoes and call it cheeseburger VEGETABLE pie. You can use ground pork instead of ground beef and call it sausage pie ... you get the idea. If you come up with a great variation of your own, be sure to let me know! I get bored with my stuff, too. Tonight I'm trying a quiche recipe I found in a magazine. Wish me luck!!

Here's one I like because it uses tomato soup - a little sweeter than the usual tomato sauce stuff.

1. Boil 16oz of elbow macaroni & put into a buttered 13x9x2 dish
2. Brown 1 lb of ground beef or ground turkey. Place on top of the noodles.
3. Mix in a bowl, 1 can tomato soup with 1 can water. Pour over the noodle/meat mixture.
4. Top with slices of REAL American cheese or Velveeta.
5. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

It is so yummy and reheats well. My family ALWAYS gobbles it up.

One that my family loves is Chicken Spaghetti. It is so simple to make, and tastes even better the second day.

Ingredients:

1) A small pack of chicken (drum sticks or thighs)
2) Package of spaghetti
3) 1 can cream of chicken and cream of mushroom
4) 1 can Rotel Tomatoes (your preference)
5) 1 small box Velveeta Cheese or 2 pks Shredded Velveeta Cheese

In large pot, boil chicken pieces with seasoning of your choice until done. De-bone. Reserve broth to boil spaghetti in. Depending on how much liquid is left after cooking spaghetti(if a lot, drain, reserving for use), if minimal amount, add cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, and Rotel. If using box cheese, cut in small cubes and add to mixture. If using pks (much easier) empty one to one and a half pks in mixture and stir until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Optional:
Add a little extra broth so the mixture is loose but not soupy. Pour into a square baking dish and top with additional Shredded Velveeta mixed with some mild cheddar cheese (shredded, of course). Place in the oven until cheese is melted (or slightly brown. Your preference)

You can also go to campbellskitchen.com and join for some really quick and easy recipes. One of our favorites from this site is called Taco Bake Casserole.

pasta of ur choice
ground beef or turkey
rotel
spaghetti sauce (ur choice)
cheese (ur choice)

cook pasta
brown beef or turkey then add spaghetti sauce stir in pasta place in pan bake for a few minutes. add cheese when almost ready. serve with garlic bread.

my family loves it. it is a little change from traditional spaghetti. and it doesnt cost much and all the ingredients are usually in everyones pantry.

Large can of petite diced tomatoes, regular size can of light red kidney beans, pound of browned ground beef and a package of McKormick chili seasoning. Brown the beef in a skillet, drain the fat, put everything in the skillet, stir until it boils and then let it simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with a salad and crackers. If you like, some grated cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top of the chili. Easy to heat in a microwave later, too. Try recipe.com, they have great ideas. So does Target.com.

Monday- hot dogs
tuesday- hamburgers
wednesday- spaghetti
thursday- ham sandwiches
friday- manwich
saturday- lasagne
sunday- peas & carrots

H.,

Try Wildtree, which is all natural herbs, spices, culinary blends, grapeseed oils, breads, desserts, and more! My favorite part (in addition to being good for you) is how easy everything is to make!! The alfredo sauce is delicious! You can make lemon rosemary salmon, garlic & herb or cajun chicken, rancher's steaks, grilled hickory smoke pork chops...all in 2 steps! There are also soup mixes and desserts that are super easy!

Give me a call or email me if you are interested! I know you will love it!

B. Barnhart
Wildtree Rep.
All Delicious, Nutritious -- Naturally!
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H.,

I subscribe to an on-line meal solutions site that posts a weekly menu and a shopping list for you to follow.
The recipes (except for the crock pot ones) are really easy to make and they taste great. You can sign up for the menu that feeds 4-6 people and you would have plenty of left overs.
They even have speciality plans for people with diet restrictions and a "points" plan for dieters that may be on a point based program.

It's very reasonable in price - $5 per month. They charge you for three months at a time.

If you want more info, please email me at ____@____.com and I can send you the link. The only reason I ask you to email me is b/c as a subscriber if someone uses my link to purchase the meal program I get credit and can eventually get a free three months.

Thanks,
S.

Try kraftfoods.com
They have a ton of EASY recipes. You can sign up and they'll send you a recipe magazine several times a year. I like them more than others because most of the recipes call for stuff that you already have on hand.