One of my best friends has 3 kids at home, she calls me upset alot because she claims she has no food. I know for a fact her mom will buy her groceries, and that she does have at least a bit of food, I think what the problem is, is that she just doesnt think she can cook anything more than ramen noodles and mac and cheese. Both have good merits, but neither of those are anything you want to feed continually to 3 little kids.


So, I'm going to buy her a crockpot, and I'm going to make her a "Busy Mommy Cookbook". I'm also going to take her grocery shopping, She's super picky, no onions or tomatoes, but I'm know she can feed her family of 5 far better than she thinks she can on a budget.


so post em if ya got em please! Thanks ahead of time!

 

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Quick Minestroni

serves 6


1 onion chopped (can be omitted since she doesnt like them)

1 can stew tomatoes (or 1 cup of pasta sauce since she doesnt like tomatoes)

1 bag italian style frozen vegies

1-2 cans kidney beans or garbanzo beans or any kind of beans really.

2 bullion cubes

2-3 cups of water

8 oz noodles

1-2 teaspoons Italian seasonings, or oregano and basil, some garlic or garlic powder, whatever seasonings you like.


Saute onions in a little bit of oil. Toss in tomatoes, frozen vegies, kidney beans, bullion cubes, water and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender. Serve with some french bread.


Very cheap and very quick and not too bad for you.


Black Bean and Salsa Soup

serves 4


Ingredients:

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth

1 cup chunky salsa or taco sauce type stuff.

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup sour cream, optional

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, optional


Directions:

In a food processor or blender combine beans, broth and cumin. Blend until fairly smooth


Heat bean mixture in a medium saucepan until thoroughly heated. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced green onions.


I served this with Bisquick biscuits with some cheese and chipotle powder added to the mix.


Lentils and Rice

serves 4


Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

1/2 cup dry lentils, rinsed

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 1/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1/2 to 3/4 cup instant brown rice (whatever makes 2 servings of your brand. Do not use boil in bag)

4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese


Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, lentils, and onions; cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add rice; cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with fork. Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese. Cover, let stand for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.


Potato Soup

serves 6


Ingredients:

6 pieces of bacon cooked

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrot, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon crushed rosemary

6 cups chicken broth

6 cups potato, cubed

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Cook bacon until crisp in a 8 quart saucepan. Drain bacon and wipe pan clean.


Add olive oil, onion, carrot and celery to pan as they are cut. Saute until onion is soft but not browned. About 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and saute for 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, potatoes and cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. About 10-15 minutes. Mash vegitables with potato masher or put about 1/2 of the soup in a food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in cheese, heating until just melted, do not boil. Chop bacon and add to soup. Serve at once with a loaf of crusty bread.


All very cheap. All can be doubled and put in the freezer for a date.

 

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pork chops in brown gravy

brown the chops, put in teh crock, add veggies of your choice if you want any. i do onions and carrots, tad bit of garlic. she can pick and choose. add a cup or 2 of water. salt, pepper.


cook on low 10 12 hours.


turn on high and add your slurry of water and self rising flour to thicken and make gravy.


eat after it boils a tad to thicken

 

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most pasta dishes are cheap and easy, like spaghetti with (insert sauce here), lasagna... nowadays with lasagna you can use the no-boil noodles even.

I love breakfast for dinner too, it's easy, make eggs, use Bisquick and make pancakes, that sort of stuff.

other things...roasting chicken or a turkey breast is dead easy or you can pick up a cheapo rotisserie chicken at the supermarket, pair with a random starch (rice, pasta, potatoes) and maybe roast some green beans or steam some random other veggie to go with it.

stews are easy and filling, they taste good and they can be pretty nutritious. start them up and forget them for a while, works well when you have small kids to look after.

or broil up/pan-fry some fish.

tuna salad is also super cheap and super easy and tastes great.

seriously your friend should just go google some recipes, the internet is loaded with easy recipes for dinner.

edit: forgot another favorite, pita pizza, get a bunch of pitas + tomato sauce + shredded mozzarella and whatever toppings you like, then the kids can help assemble their own pizzas. heat them in the oven for a little bit until the cheese melts. really hard to screw up.

 

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http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html

A couple of things I'll make for a quick dinner are quesidillas (sp?) or hot ham and cheese sandwiches. Add a veggie and maybe a salad or applesauce and you have a quick, easy dinner.

For the quesidillas, just cook some boneless, skinless chicken breasts your favorite way (I usually boil them in chicken stock until done), cut into bite sized pieces and layer with shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses on a flour tortilla in a pre-warmed skillet. Place another flour tortilla on the top. Warm on one side till cheese starts to melt and tortilla begins to brown, then turn over and do the same on the other side. Use a pizza cutter to cut into pie shaped pieces and dinner is done. The kids love them and they contain ingredients that most every kid likes. You can even keep cooked chicken on hand in the fridge or freezer in Ziploc bags for times when you're in a hurry and don't have time to cook them.

I'm sure you can show her how to make hot ham and cheese. It's one of Aime's favorite dinners.

They also make microwaveable chicken nuggets that only take a minute to make. Add a veggie and some fruit and there's another quick dinner that the kids love.

Silver

 

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These are two incredibly simple meals that require very little effort.


Yellow Rice and Hamburger

1 pkg Vigo Yellow Rice

1 lb. ground beef

1 small can green peas, drained

salt & pepper

onion powder (optional if she really hates onions)

garlic powder


Cook the rice according to package directions - this entails bringing water to a boil, dumping everything in the water, stirring, turning down the heat, putting a lid on the pot, and setting a timer for 20-25 minutes. It's pretty difficult to screw up.


In another pan, brown the ground beef and season with salt, pepper, onion powder (optional) and garlic powder. When finished, drain any remaining fat and then stir in the peas.


When the rice is done, combine the ground beef/pea mixture with the rice and you have a really simple meal. I like to douse mine with Tabasco, but that's probably too hot for little kids.


Scalloped Potatoes and Hot Dogs

1 pkg. Scalloped Potatoes

1 pkg. Hot Dogs


Prepare scalloped potatoes according to package directions (involves boiling water and pouring it on package ingredients). Use half a pack or more of the hot dogs; cut into bit size pieces and add to the potato mixture. Place in 450 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.


Add a cooked vegetable or apple sauce as a side and you've got a complete meal.

 

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Scalloped potatoes and homemade mac and cheese are also pretty good with either bite sized ham pieces or those Little Smoky cocktail wienies.

Silver

 

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Buy her a children's cookbook. The recipes in there are usually very simple but tasty enough for kids. My daughter's cookbooks have recipes for sloppy joes, scalloped potatoes, baked pork chops, chicken and dressing and many other things.

 

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We do this, but instead of chicken, we open a can of refried beans and spread it on. This is one of my "Food storage recipes", because you can make it using all stored food, if you like. My kids like olives and mushrooms on them, and we use frozen shredded cheese. In the time it takes the frozen cheese to melt, the tortillas get lightly browned. If I have some, I'll toss some Romaine lettuce on there too. A bit of salsa might be good. I've even done PB&J, in a pinch.


My 6 year old daughter calls them "Burrito Pizza".. she loves that we cut them into "tiny pizza slices".

 

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