This dish is simple. It’s extra thrifty, takes less time to prepare and cook and there’s leftovers for another night’s meal. This recipe I make quite often and rotate the vegetables I use with what I have in the fridge and using make-ahead ground beef, adds to making it a very fast meal to make.  This dish originated from my Busy’s Mom’s Hamburger Helper recipe and experimenting with different seasonings and ingredients. It really is yummy and the kids love it!

Skillet Macaroni and Beef

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups make-ahead ground beef
•  1 1/2 cups frozen green beans
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 2 cups uncooked Radiatori spiral noodles (Costco purchase, makes it fun for the kids, but any small noodles will work)
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 cups of water

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium- high heat, cook the onion until tender. Add the  garlic, green beans stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Add the already cooked ground beef to the skillet, uncooked macaroni, tomato sauce, salt, Worcestershire sauce, spices and water to cover the macaroni and beef mixture.
3. Bring mixture to a boil. Place a lid or foil over the skillet. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 15, or until the macaroni is tender. Stir occasionally.

*You can substitute the green beans with frozen corn or peas and use ground turkey in place of the ground beef. This recipe can be halved, or leftovers can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. If I simmered it a little more on the stove, most of the “sauce” would have been absorbed, but hey that’s what bread is for right?

One of the easiest and my favorite way to make chicken, is to purchase those 2-per pack rotisserie chicken at Costco and toss in the crock pot. I try and cook 1 to 2 chickens per week and turn it into a few different meals throughout the week and make a few make-ahead  meals to freeze.

The crock pot/slow cooker is one of my best chefs in the kitchen. Who else will prep a hot meal for you, while you’re at work, running errands or playing with the kids? Truly, a must-have in your kitchen.

Preparing a whole chicken in the crock pot is SO easy! This is all you have to do…

Crock Pot Roasted Chicken

Yields:5 cups

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme 
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large roasting chicken, 3-5 lbs
• 1  onion, chopped into quarters

Some other great seasonings

• BBQ  spice rub
• Lemon pepper
• Cajun seasoning

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine all the spices. Remove the giblets from inside the chicken, clean the cavity well by rinsing and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Mix spices together in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture onto the chicken, both inside (under the skin too) and out, making sure it is evenly distributed.
3. Place in a baking dish with a lid and cover. Refrigerate overnight. (This is a great make-ahead meal step for busy moms.)
4. Before roasting chicken, stuff cavity with onion, and place chicken in crock pot. Cover crock pot with lid and set temperature to low setting.
5. Cook chicken on low setting for 8 hours. (Should be done by the time you get home from work if you have a normal 8 hour day.)  The  juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of crock pot and the chicken will turn golden brown. Remove chicken and place on cutting board. Cover lightly with foil and let the chicken rest 10 minutes before carving.

*Save the juices at the bottom of crock pot to make Crock Pot Chicken Broth-(recipe posting later.)

Home Made Croutons Are Easy To Make

With a little bit of oil and seasoning, you can have homemade bread crumbs in 5 to 7 minutes-it’s that easy!

Croutons in our house are like potato chips. They get gobbled up before they make it to the salad or topping of a meal. If I want them toi last longer, I simply cube the leftover bread, place in a zip-loc freezer bag and toss in the freezer. When I’m ready to use them, I pull out about a cup or two and toss with oilve oil and a bit of seasoning and bake.

If you have leftover regular sandwich bread or loaves of french bread, making homemade croutons only takes a few simple steps to make.  Simply cut the bread into cubes as shown below, then follow directions below and you’ll have tasty homemade croutons in no time.

 Homemade Croutons

Ingredients:

• Leftover bread or baquette, cut into cubes (white or wheat)
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• Optional: Parmesan cheese, dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary), garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss bread cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and seasonings (see above) on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until golden. Cool.

 Toss a few croutons on some Quick Minestrone Soup from my post earlier that I shared over the weekend for a great combination.

Homemade croutons, stored in a plastic container or a plastic bag, last up to two weeks unrefrigerated.

Enjoy!

A Busy Mom’s Guide To Family Meal Planning

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Need ideas for your weekly meal plan? This week, for my Just In Time Family Meal Planning Challenge, I’m sharing my make-ahead cooking strategy which is guaranteed to save me time in the kitchen and add some tasty dishes to our dinner menu. When you’re especially pressed for time or when you just want to get in and out of the kitchen extra fast, the meals I’ve got planned for this week will have recipes that take no more than 15 to 30 minutes to prepare.  I’ve replenished my pantry and I”m ready to add more meals to my freezer. Let me know if you like this and if it helps you out with planning your meals this week.

My Weekly Meal Plan

Here’s a look at the week ahead with recipes posting throughout the week:

Sunday: Taco Chili, leftovers will be used for the hubby’s lunch. (recipe posting soon) I also made a batch of Quick Minestrone Soup for lunch this week.

Monday: Crock Pot Roasted Chicken, BLT Salad with Homemade Buttermilk dressing and Homemade Croutons.

Tuesday: Skillet Macaroni and Beef (using make-ahead ground beef)

Wednesday: Chicken and Dumplings (recipe posting during the week)

Thursday: Spaghetti Florentine

Friday: Pizza Night!  We’ll have pepperoni pizza for the kids and a specialty pizza for the hubby and I with the traditional Homemade Pizza Dough with Homemade Pizza Sauce

Saturday: Country Supper Omelet

Soup is a great way to make the most of leftover vegetables which can spoil more quickly. Make up a big batch of soup– you can keep the rest in the fridge for light suppers, packed lunches, and even freeze portions in zip-loc bags to eat another day. This soup is great for using up any odds and ends of pasta.

 Quick Minestrone Soup

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 strips bacon, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 large potato, scrubbed and diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• Large handful of spinach leaves
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over a medium heat and add olive oil. Throw in the bacon and fry it gently until it starts to turn brown.( The kitchen should smell fantastic right about now.) Add the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery and cook slowly for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables have softened.
2. Add the tomatoes, potato and vegetable broth, then cover with a lid and bring everything slowly to the boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes, then check (with the tip of a paring knife) that the potato is soft and cooked through.
3. Add the spinach and pasta, and cook for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked. If the soup is too thick for you after cooking the pasta, thin it with a little more broth or water.
4. Finish by seasoning with a little salt and black pepper and pass the Parmesan around the table for people to sprinkle on their soup.

The ingredients I used were just what I had on hand in my pantry and refrigerator. You could certainly use kale, leeks, basil, chick peas or kidney beans in this recipe.

When you think about it, you don’t want to save money at the grocery store only to throw away much of that hard earned savings in the kitchen, right?

What is saving money?

Saving money seems to be something that we all struggle with at one time or another in our lives. Sounds like a fairy tale for some of us, doesn’t it? But truly, saving money is a good thing. And something we should aspire to, especially in the kitchen.  Saving money in the kitchen can actually one of the easiest tasks.

Save: to avoid unnecessary waste or expenses; productive without waste

Here are some tips on saving money in the kitchen:

1. Preventing Spoilage

Spoiled food is simply money lost. You can greatly reduce kitchen waste if you store all your foods properly so they do not dry out or go bad. Make sure your refrigerated items are wrapped or covered and that the containers they are stored in are sealed to keep air out. Some tips for storing some hard-to-keep foods:

• Green peppers can be chopped and frozen in a plastic bag for use as needed.
• To keep parsley fresh, wash gently in cool water, cut off the stem ends at an angle (as you would cut flowers), then stand the parsley stalks in a glass of cold water. Slip a plastic bag over the glass of parsley and store in the refrigerator. The parsley should keep for 10 days. Parsley can also be frozen. Just chop it up, store in a plastic container. And because it does not freeze completely, you can spoon out just the amount you need.
• Don’t slice a lemon when you only need a few drops of lemon juice. Instead, puncture it with a toothpick. The lemon will keep longer whole than halved.

2. Recycling

Much of what gets thrown away in our kitchens can be used. Some tips for putting new life into items that usually get tossed out:

• Single rolls will be perfectly good if you spray them lightly with water, place them in a paper bag or bundle them loosely in foil, and warm in a 375 degree oven for about 7 minutes.
• Turn pickle juice into a salad dressing by mixing it with vegetable oil and some dried herbs. Use it to marinate thinly sliced cucumbers or beets.
• Save the nutritious water from cooked vegetables to use as a base for soup or a substitute for chicken or beef broth in recipes.

3. Substitutes

We all know that recipes are not carved in stone.You will enjoy them just as much if you use less expensive ingredients. A little experimentation can produce some wonderful tasty dishes that cost less than “the real thing”.

• Try using pork or lamb instead of beef; they are often cheaper per serving.
• If crab is too expensive, try tuna.
• Make your own natural food snacks from dried fruits and nuts.

4. Leftovers

Last night’s leftovers can be today’s main course, salad, or sandwich, or they can be frozen for use later as ingredients in soup or casseroles. Some tips to remind you of the many uses of leftovers:

Vegetables

Leftover vegetables can spoil more quickly than you might think. Either use them or freeze them right away.

• Mashed potatoes can be shaped into patties, roll in flour and dip in beaten egg and then in bread crumbs, and cook 2 minutes on each side.
• Cold cooked vegetables make a great salad. Just toss with dressing.
• Freeze leftover vegetables to use in casseroles or soup.

5. Poultry, Meats, Fish

A number of recipes I make are using  leftover chicken and turkey, beef or pork. Some ways to use these leftovers:

• Dice cooked chicken for use in soups, salads, sandwiches, or chicken pot pie.
• Chopped chicken, turkey or leftover beef mixture is great in spaghetti.
• Turn leftover spaghetti sauce into chili by adding pinto beans, onions, beef and chili powder.

6. Dairy Products

Lots of people are not sure what to do with the other half of an egg where the recipe calls for egg yolks but not the whites, or vice versa.

• To saved unused egg whites, freeze them in ice cube trays, one white per segment. They will thaw easily for later use in angel food cakes, meringues, macaroons, and soufflés.
• Use uncooked egg yolks for making mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, or custards.

Saving Energy

You can definitely cut back on your utility bills with efficient use of your kitchen appliances. You’ll find, over a period of time, the small savings will add up.

• Your oven will do double duty if you cook two items rather than one whenever possible.
• Turn off the oven after most of the cooking is done. There will still be enough heat to finish things off.
• If you have an electric stove, be sure the bottoms of your pots are smooth and lie flat on the stove.
• Put a lid on the saucepan when you are boiling water. The water will come to a boil faster.
• Whenever possible, use your toaster oven or electric skillet instead of the oven.
• Whenever possible, cook stews, pot roasts on top of the stove instead of the oven.

 What do you do to save money in the kitchen?

Make Ahead meals allow us to prepare our meals ahead of time, save our sanity, and gives us more flexibility for those busy evenings filled with activities, so that we will have more time with our family. Plus, our pre-made freezer meals are ten times healthier than those pre-packaged meals from your grocer store’s freezer.

This Shepherd’s Pie recipe was the third recipe made during this week’s Make Ahead Meals.

Meal planning becomes easier for busy moms on weeknights with easy make ahead recipes saving time in the kitchen.

Shepherd’s Pie

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen Make-Ahead Ground Beef
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups frozen corn or your favorite vegetable
• 1 cup beef gravy (gravy leftover that had been frozen)
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup cheddar jack cheese, shredded

With the Make Ahead Ground Beef  I made at the beginning of the week,  I was able to create three tasty dishes this week.

• Tamale Pie
• Zesty Taco Ring Bake (recipe coming soon)
• Shepherd’s Pie (recipe above)

On Valentine’s Day, I wanted to try something a little different approach to our family meal. I wanted something fresh tasting and healthy. Spinach doesn’t make it to our table a whole lot for reasons unknown really. I love a good spinach salad but always afraid the kids with give me that Ewww!!!! comment.

One way that I’ve found that works and the kids seem to really enjoy having fresh spinach  is to marinate it in the dressing for awhile before I serve it. In this way, the spinach gets a little bit of extra flavor at the last minute before serving, resulting in a very fresh and still crisp salad.

The addition of oranges, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds lends texture and complexity at the same time as sweet, tart, and nutty goodness.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken and Gorgonzola

 Serves: 6

Dressing:

• 1 Tablespoon balsmic vinegar
• 6 strawberries hulled and sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds (optional)

Salad:

• 8-10 ounce bag fresh spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled
• crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Directions:

• Create the dressing by adding balsamic vinegar, strawberries, salt, pepper, tarron, sugar and lemon zest to food processor or blender. Blend until well pureed.
• While blending, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the dressing.
• Place in a mason jar with lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Prepare the salad: spinach, red onion, sliced strawberries. Drizzle some dressing over the top. Mix lightly. Add grilled chicken and Gorgonzola cheese. (I have an easy way to “grill” the chicken for those of you who don’t have an indoor or outdoor grill that I’ll write up in another post. It’s so easy!)

Classic Strawberry Cheesecake

Serves: 16

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup butter , melted
• 2 (4-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 eggs
• zest of half a lemon

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Mix graham crumbs, 3 Tablespoons sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

3. Beat cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Add lemon zest and mix. Pour over crust.

4. Bake 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours. Serve with stawberry glaze (recipe below)

Strawberry Glaze:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar

 Directions:

1. Add strawberries to medium saucepan. Add water and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture is thick and clear. Cool room temperature.  Place atop chilled cheesecake. Pour glaze over. Chill 2 hours.

Yummy!