Menu 1

COMFORT:
Blueberry Flax Pancakes - I make a scratch pancake mix, but you can just use a mix as well. (Link to recipe discovered on www.kellymccaleb.typepad.com)
Chicken Quesadilla Pie - Huge hit with the family. I used whole wheat wraps instead of tortillas, but that made it a little mushy. I would just use flour tortillas if I made it again.

VEGETARIAN:
Mexican Quinoa Salad - Make sure you salt this enough to bring all the great flavors out. Also, it's delicious, but definitely needs some pita and hummus or a smoothie to round the meal out. (Link to recipe discovered on www.kellymccaleb.typepad.com).
Stewed Vegetable Gratin - Absolutely delicious. My baguette dried out (I waited to long to use it), so I just cut it into crouton size pieces and used it that way. Still totally delicious!
Mushroom and Poblano Tostada

SLOW COOKER:
Smoky Beef Tacos -
~Leftover meal~ throw your favorite Barbecue sauce on the meat, add some coleslaw and throw it all on some hamburger buns and you've got a 5 minute meal the next day!

FAST:
Chicken with Poblano Cream - you could just use a green bell pepper if you're not into spicy.
Pasta Salad*

FUN:
The Ultimate Steak Sandwich - AMAZING. Note to self: make this for guests to impress them. Make sure to use Tyler's shingle-pound method, it really tenderizes the meat and it eats deliciously. I also loved the arugala mayo, but you could simplify life and just use arugala and mayo separately on the sandwich. Lastly, I used the cheese for the base for the Chicken with Poblano Cream from this menu for the next night, it was super fast and easy!
Oh, and Gruyere is so expensive, I thought a mixture of swiss and feta, or even just swiss or cheddar still made a great sauce.
Kebabs*

SWEET TREAT:
These cinnamon rolls - You will never have a better one!! I find I need to cook them about 17 minutes for perfection. Also, if you make it without a breadmaker (like me), just mix the ingredients in order after letting the yeast proof (I use 1/2 C water and then when the yeast proofs I add 1/2 C milk instead of the 1 C milk).

***Recipes not found on internet***
Pasta Salad:
Any curly/fun/spare pasta will do
Add some combination of: cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, baby corn, artichoke hearts, chicken (if desired)
Throw it all in a bowl and add your favorite Italian dressing to the desired amount.
Mix it around, pop it in the fridge. Delicioso.
Kebabs:
You can grill 'em or broil 'em, either way, they're delicious! I use:
Mushrooms, potatoes (blanched), tomatoes, broccoli (blanched), and onions - or some combination of those
Chicken, shrimp, steak... any of these alone or in combination with each other
I throw whatever I have in the fridge in a blender for a marinade, including any combination of:
Oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, basil, milk, mayo
Drizzle it over the chicken and let it sit until that night. Makes for a fast/easy meal!

A Word About Vegetarian Meals

Many of the recipes that I will post under the 'vegetarian' category are not exactly vegetarian as they often contain beef or chicken broth. If you want to truly make them vegetarian, just substitute vegetable broth, coconut milk, etc...etc...

Company Coming?

Ideas for serving:

Tyler Florence's Chicken Cordon Bleu
*use his technique to make these hours in advance, leave them in the fridge and they will be beautiful once you bake them
Tyler Florence's Ultimate Steak Sandwich
*use his technique to make the steak very tender. These are really like gourmet Philly Cheesesteaks.
Butternut Squash Curry with Couscous and Mango Chutney
*so easy and delicious! You can even make it vegetarian or vegan by switching to vegetable broth and coconut milk. Absolutely DELICIOUS!

Tips

We all know that what takes 15 minutes while you're kid-free and have the energy takes 45 minutes when your kids are hanging on you and your energy level is low! Making dinner, or at least doing all the chopping and prep work, during lunch time/kid's nap times makes dinner a breeze. Just when evening is hitting, your energy is at its lowest, and kid-chaos is setting in, your prep time is slashed in half and you can just pop dinner in the oven, or saute it up! Kids are happy. You're happy. Ahhhh.

***

When you make homemade pizza, double the dough recipe. When you roll it out, freeze half of it rolled up like any pre-made pie crust you could buy at the store. Then you can have homemade pizza in a pinch anyday! Cheaper and yummier than store-bought!

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We eat smoothies at our house almost every night. It's a great way to get fruits (and veggies!) into your kids, as well as round out a vegtarian meal.

This recipe is extremely forgiving and fluid (as you will notice) - so just use what you have, sometimes I even throw in canned peaches if I have to.

Simply throw some combination of the following into a blender:
1 Banana (a must-have)
A bunch of fresh and or frozen strawberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Whatever fruit we have on hand (kiwis, peaches, apples, etc.)
I have even been known to throw in mint!

Then come the disguised veggies:
A small tomato
An avocado
Some babycarrots

Sometimes I throw in sprouts and bell peppers, too! You can even try a little flax seed meal! Smoothies are great disguises for all kinds of healthy foods.

Blend it up with some milk, yogurt, and maybe some juice (My Favorite is Bom Dia! juice - a mixture of Acai berry and Blueberry juice, which you can find at Costco) to the desired consistancy and serve! We put it in a cup with a straw for the little ones and they slurp their veggies right on down!

Sweet Treats

Cinnamon Rolls
Rice Pudding - Just use leftover already-cooked rice to make this yummy treat in minutes!
Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Fun Meals (to make and to eat!)

The Ultimate Steak Sandwich
Kebabs - any meat or vegetables skewered with a creamy marinade on them - pop them on the grill or under the broiler until cooked through
Halibut with Grilled Eggplant Salad
Steak with Spinach Couscous
Almond-Apricot Chicken with Mint Pesto
Spicy Grilled Tilapia with Creamy Grits and Mushroom Scallion Sauce
Feta Chicken with Zucchini

Fast Meals

Chicken with Poblano Cream (if you don't like spicy, try a green pepper instead)
Pasta Salad: Pasta (cooked according to package directions), Olives, Cucumbers, Grape tomatoes, Artichoke hearts. Toss it all with your favorite Italian dressing and some chicken (canned works if you're in a hurry) or tuna and you are good to go!
Veggie Burgers or regular burgers on buns
Middle-Eastern Grilled Chicken
Salmon with Sweet Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Relish
Fruited Curry Chicken Salad (serve on crescent rolls or Navajo Fry Bread)