Easy Dinner Solutions

Well sometimes I take the old favorites and make them into casseroles or soemthing and that helps b/c the flavors still appeal to the kids but they are technically different meals. There are tons of taco like casseroles out there. You could also do fajitas instead one night. Cut up chicken breasts and season with some taco seasoning or just salt and pepper and get the bag of frozen pepper mix at the grocery store. It's fast, easy, and nutritious! I also like mixing it up with turkey burgers sometimes. Turkey burgers don't really taste like regular hamburgers, but they look like it so my daughter will eat it. I put it on whole wheat sandwich thins and bake some sweet potato fries (also from the freezer section), make a salad and viola! You could also try using pork tenderloin instead of pork chops sometimes. I marinate ours in all kinds of stuff! You could use some fancy mustards, salad dressings, salsa or I really like those pepper jellies and other things that can be used for dips or to spread over cream cheese...those taste really good on top of pork! It's hard to have variety...it can get so tiring when old favorites are so easy! Hang in there and maybe get your kids to help you, it might make it more fun!

Shrimp linguine. Get some already cooked frozen shrimp, thaw, saute in butter and garlic or use olive oil. Boil the linguine, mix together, sprinkle some fresh parsley over it, serve with salad and garlic bread. You can find all this stuff at Trader Joes for less. Don't forget to add some salt to the shrimp while sauteing.

Quesodillas - put in whatever meat/veggie you like and cheese. Little oil in the pan or butter the tortilla - toast both sides. We also like Pizzadillas - same just with pizza ingredients.

Tarragon Chicken:
Chicken Tenderloins
Honey Mustard
Tarragon
Margarine
Lemon Juice

Put the tenderloins in a casserole dish. In a saucepan melt a stick of margarine. Add 2 Tablespoons of the honey mustard, tarragon, and lemon juice. Mix all together and stir well until the butter has completely melted. Remove from the heat and pour over the chicken tenderloins. Place into the oven and bake at about 375 until chicken is completely cooked through-very simple meal and really tasty.

Mushroom Rice:
1 stick of margarine
1 can of French Onion Soup
1 can of Beef Consome
1 small can of mushrooms
Rice you can either do Brown or white. Brown rice takes alot longer to cook.

In casserole dish pour in the cans of beef consome, french onion, and mushrooms. Next pour in the rice-sorry I don't have an exact amount because I just pour in till I see its enough. Stir everything until completely mixed and add the stick of butter/margarine. Cook at about 375-400 degress again I don't have a time I just basically wait until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. If I use brown rice I will usually pre-boil it because it just takes too long for it to get tender and it will be "crunchy" lol!
Then serve corn on the cob, okra, green beans, whatever. Its a great meal that taste really well and it doesn't involve a whole lot out of you either.

I don't know if you have a crock pot, but mine is invaluable when I'm short on time! I do a lot of soups or stews that don't require any other pots or pans to be used. We're having a potluck at my job on Friday so Thursday night before bed I'm putting together Creamy Potato & Kielbasa Soup, but this will work with whatever meats, condensed soups & veggies you like:

8 potatoes, skins on, cut in chunks
1 onion, peeled & chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 14oz can beef broth
1 14oz can chicken broth
2 cans condensed cream soup (mushroom, potato, celery, chicken, any will do fine)
2 cups either milk or water depending on how creamy you want it
2 lbs. kielbasa sliced
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper
Parsley
Oregano
Bay leaf

Toss everything into the crock pot & cook on low 8-10 hours. Add seasoning to taste. You can add cheese at the end also either individually or to the whole pot.

If you chop up the veggies the night before, then in the morning it won't take more than 5 or 10 minutes to toss it all together & you'll come home to a yummy soup!

The library (like the previous poster said) is a great place to find easy cookbooks. I love using their books, and if I find a recipe I like, I just write it down before I return the book.

We like breakfast for dinner every now and then. But you could do a variation - breakfast burritos (tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon or sausage...and any other veggies or topping - peppers, hash browns, etc). I just add applesauce as a side or yogurt and my 3 girls love it. :)

What about just marinating different kinds of meat and then just baking or cooking on stovetop? Chicken breasts - bbq sauce marinade, honey mustard marinade.

Or round steak with chopped green peppers and onions. Cover and simmer for at least an hour til the meat is really tender. Add soy sauce and a little water to get a "gravy" started, then add a little flour to thicken it. Serve it over rice or egg noodles. Simple and REALLY good. My mom used to make it for myself and my 7 siblings. If you shred the meat or chop it small, you can make it go farther, too.

Grilled cheese with ham or turkey in it. BLT variation - press bacon into bowl that has 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheeseto coat bacon and then microwave or bake bacon til crispy. Add to toast that has mayo mixture of parmesan cheese, mayo and a little basil. then put lettuce and tomato on. Yum!

Good luck. I know it can be hard to please everyone's tastes, but hopefully they'll learn to like it all!