New Recipes??? - Minneapolis,MN

visit momslikeme.com
Click on the Twin Cities page and there will be many groups you can become apart of and join. We chat a lot about "What's for dinner" and have some great ideas. Today I shares a great idea for Pumpkin Butter!

Here is an easy chicklen and rice recipe.

2 cups rice white or brown, I do one cup of each.
1 large can of cream of chicken soup.
1 pkg chicken breast or thighs.

In 9X11 pan put rice and soup in. fill up can with water and stir together. Season with a little seasoning salt, and pepper. Place chicken into mixture, make sure it is covered with the rice and soup mixture.
Cover with foil, bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

It is yummy and can be heated easyt he next day.
Serve with a vegetable and fruit and you ahvea complete meal !

Hi T.,
We are a family of with boys ages 12 months to 13 so I know your pain! I thought I would share a tip that has cut my combined monthly spending at target/cub/rainbow from 900 a month down to 300 a month!! I've been using this website for 3 months and my savings and spend has been significant!

Go to www.pocketyourdollars.com

Here are some ideas from that site:

http://www.pocketyourdollars.com/2009/07/how-do-you-avoid...

From there someone posted http://freezersupperswappers.wordpress.com/
on the blog which also has tons of make ahead recipes for people that don't have time and want to try new things.

You will get money saving coupons,tips, recipes, free entertainment, etc... I just love this site. I don't know what I'd do without it. My goal is to cut back spending enough to finally be a stay at home mom. :-)

I hope this helps you!
A.

I work all day I am up at 6:00 am out the door by 7 and home at 5:30 some nights and 7:30 two nights when I work a part time job so I have gotten to be a pro at fast cooking or crock pot cooking. When I make roast I will brown (seer) the roast in a fry pan then put into the crock pot with one envelope lipton onion soup and beef broth just about 4 cups and then add carrots, alot of the times I buy potatos when they are cheap and I will make a major batch of mashed potatoes and freeze them so that when I come home I take out the roast and slice it or shred it for sandwiches and then just take out the potatos maybe before I go to work and put them in the fridge and then I just slide them out of thr bag and heat them up and I use the juice in the crock pot pour it into a sauce pan and make a quick gravy with corn starch, water and flour. about 2tblsps of ea flour and cs and add to a coffee cup of warm water and stir until disolved then add little by little to boiling juices and it turns to a delish gravy. Very quick
Here is a swedish meatball/meatloaf recipe too:

1 1/2 lbs of ground meat (I like hamburger but I have used turkey and pork for this too and I have mixed them)

1 box of stove top stuffing (for pork)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of water

mix all together and cook as a meatloaf at 375º for 1 hour
or form into little meatballs and place them in a shallow dish on foil and cook for 25 min on 375º

You can serve them on egg noodles OR mashed potatoes

The gravy is just one glass jar of heinz savory beef gravy heated on the stove and add 1/2 cup sour cream if I make potatoes I double the batch of gravy... This is some good stuff if you like swedish meatballs.:)
I have a few more if you would be interested in more please shoot me an email.
A really good one for artichoke chicken not sure if your into artichokes though...
____@____.com

My 2 year old loves the Yum Yum's I make and Homemade Chicken Pot Pie. Here's the recipes!

Yum Yum's
1 lb hamburger
1 can Chicken Gumbo Soup
2 TBS Ketchup
1 TBS Mustard
1 TBS Worschestire Sauce
2 TBS Dried Minced Onions
Hamburger Buns

Brown Hamburger and Drain. Add remaining ingrediants (not buns) stir and simmer for at least 10 minutes covered. Serve on hamburger buns.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
1 Storebought Rotisserie Chicken (or you can use 4 cooked chicken breasts)
1 can VegAll
1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 can low fat Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Box Pillsbury Pie Crust (use both crusts)

Preheat oven to 350
Take chicke off bone (I also remove skin) and dice into bitesize pieces. In a large bowl mix veggies, broth, and soup, then add diced cooked chicken. Put one pie crust in bottom of pie plate, add chicken mixture, put top crust on and crimp edges. Bake for at least 60 min. Sometimes I bake longer until brown on top. Let stand for 10 min before cutting. Serves 4-6 (I say 4). I serve with a bagged salad mix and sometimes lemon jello... recipe follows.

Pineapple Lemon Jello

1 pkg Lemon Jello
1 Large Carton Cottage Cheese (Lowfat)
1 Large Can crushed pineapple
1 cup water

Bring water to a boil. Turn off burner. Add lemon jello and stir until dissolved. Add cottage cheese an stir. Add pineapple. Pour into 9x9 pan. Put in fridge until set about 4-6 hours.

Hope you and your family enjoy these!
L. L.

Here's a salmon recipe that I love (and I'm not much of a fish eater):

Salmon Teriyaki (from the Ultimate Healthy Eating Plan by Liz Pearson & Mairlyn Smith)
13 oz salmon fillet
2 Tablespoons sodium-reduced soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper or foil. Place salmon in pan. Mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and fresh ginger. Pour over the fish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is just done. Serve with brown rice and spoon the sauce overtop.

To be honest, I just use regular soy sauce, vinegar, and ground ginger (use about half as much if you use ground ginger). It is likely less healthy this way but I use the ingredients I have on hand. Hope you like it :)

If you don't have one already, pick up a rice cooker. You can get a good starter one for around $15 at Target to see if you like it. Then, you can use it to cook brown rice,white rice, jasmine rice, etc. or quinoa, or other grains. It's super easy, and then you can prepare a protein (perhaps pre-seasoned frozen chicken breasts, salmon, etc.) and microwave some frozen veggies. It's all easy, not too expensive, healthy.

I find that when I'm using the rice cooker we eat much healthier meals, but it's still really easy and inexpensive.

A couple of ideas for you - great for leftover meats and other items:
Enchiladas - I sometimes use chicken, shredded beef or ground beef.
Heat meat in a can of enchilada sauce. Add taco flavorings if you want, or add a can of diced green chili's.
Put meat mixture on tortillas and roll up. You can also add shredded cheese or rice before rolling. Put in a baking sheet and top with a little enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. Put in oven til warm. Serve with chopped onions, cilantro and taco sauce for topping. I like to top mine with shredded lettuced too, and some like sour cream.
You could do something similar with ham and broccoli and cheese roll-ups. These can be made and frozen, then just heated when ready to eat.

Another easy dinner is baked potatoes. Bake them, then either just add toppings such as diced ham & cheese, bacon and sour cream, broccoli & cheese, chili or taco meat, etc.
Last time I did this I baked the potatoes, then scooped out the center and added milk & butter and creamed the potato like a mashed, then returned that to the potato. I put these in the fridge (can be frozen too) til time to heat them up - about 1/2 hour in the oven.

One super easy dinner we have - spaghetti. I have a favorite jarred sauce, all I have to do is cook noodles, heat the sauce (usually add meat) and bake some garlic bread. Yum!

I am the same way. I hate making the same things over and over. I started trying new receipes that sounded good that I found in magazine articles, the newspaper, as well as Kraft Kitchens and other sites on line. I have found qute a few that we call "keepers" and we make over an over again. I have a really good potato soup recipe, chimichangas, sweet and sour chicken, crab rangoons as well as others. If you are interested in any of those, let me know and I will send them to you.

For one whole year, when I had a family to feed, I used a book called "Saving Dinner" that had recipes for each week, based on seasons, with a grocery list that you could print from their website. The recipes were easy using standard ingredients, not all were fast, but this took away most of the decision making and grocery list making. I took notes in the book about which ones we liked and still use some of them now. http://www.savingdinner.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Dinner-Recipes-Shopping-Fami...

They have a weekly "menu mailer" option that will send you a week's worth of menus at a time, also, with freeze ahead options, crock pot options, etc.

I have recently started using my crockpot alot because it does not take much work and it is cheap. I just add some meat (beef roast, chicken, pork) then add a can of cream of mushroom soup and whatever veggies I have in the fridge (potatos, carrots, onions, etc). Then put it on low for 8 hours.

Yum!

My weekly food budget is $100.00 for 4 of us. Most times I come out of the store going under. I also use coupons every week. I plan out my meals on Sunday when I get the newspaper. I buy one of those 3lb chicken boneless chicken breast packages every week. Our main protein is chicken but I do sometimes buy steak or fish when it goes buy one get one free. I also switched stores from Pick n Save to Woodmans and have found I get more food for my buck. I take about a hour on Sunday and look at menu ideas on Foodnetwork.com or through yahoo. Now that it's getting colder I find myself making soup once a week and it's a great budget stretcher.

Last night we had steak(a family steak or london broil) it was big enough to serve all of us. I made a blue cheese sauce to go under the steak but it also goes really good with the veggies or you can substitute american cheese. The left over cheese you can make mac and cheese the next day by slowly reheating the cheese while mixing it and add it to pasta. Top with bread crumbs. Bake for 25minutes at 350.

cheese sauce
2TBSPs flour
1 cup non fat milk (or milk you have on hand)
1 container of blue cheese or half a brick velvetta
2TBSPS butter or country crock
salt and pepper 1/4 tsp
1 cup shreaded cheese if making mac and cheese.

Add the butter to a middle sized pot with the flour. Using a wisk mix the butter and flour until a golden brown. Add the milk mixing out any lumps. Begin adding the cheese. Keep the heat on low and mix until almost boiling.Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper.
I also use the cheddar cheese mixture for chili cheese fries. Or as a sauce over veggies.

Easy Chicken Nuggets
3 defrosted boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks
2 cups seasoned panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
preheat oven to 425

Cut chicken into bite sized chunks or strips. Dip in egg mixture and then in bread crumbs to coat. Put on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam and bake for 25 minutes at 425 turning once during baking. Serve with a honey mustard sauce made with mayo, honey, and dijon.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
1 can of chicken gravy
1 cup frozen mixed veggies
2 boneless chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 can of biscuits
Preaheat oven to 350

Brown chicken on stove top until no longer pink. Add gravy and mixed veggies. Put biscuits in the oven on a cookie sheet for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Stir gravy mixture until veggies are heated. Place gravy chicken mixture in a caserole dish and top with preheated biscuits. (it's a good idea to preheat the biscuits or the bottoms may be soggy and not cook through) Bake for around 25minutes or until biscuits are baked through. Serve each biscuit with a spoon full of gravy mixture.

I absolutely LOVE the Pampered Chef "magic pot!" The 30 min Incredible Chicken Recipe is great and prepared in the microwave which is great. There is also a fajita recipe too...If you want some help with recipes, let me know. I have a plethora of recipes at my disposal!

Rush Hour Chicken Fajitas
1-2 lbs Chicken
1 Tbs Southwest Seasoning or Chipotle Seasoning
1/2 tbs Oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
12 Flour Tortillas
Jar of Salsa

Medium Onion
Red Pepper

1 10oz Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese

Sour Cream, Roma Tomatos, Green Onion, lettuce if desired
In Deep Covered Baker, place Boneless skinless chicken. Cut Onion with
Mandolin and Pepper. Brush Oil on chicken and sprinkle Southwest
seasoning. Place in microwave , covered for 14 minutes.
Dice tomatoes, green onions, place in Bamboo Round Bowls. Add sour cream to
bamboo bowl and salsa. Place bowls on bamboo cracker tray. In medium Bamboo
bowl, grate colby jack cheese.
On Large Bamboo Platter, place flour tortillas. Remove chicken from
Microwave, with salad chopper chop chicken mixture as desired. Place in
Large Bamboo Bowl and set on Large Platter.
Have your family or guest put together their fajita as desired.
Enjoy !!!

The Pampered Chef ®
30-Minute Chicken
Recipe

Chicken

1 whole chicken (3 1/2-4 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Seasoning Mixture

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

For chicken, lightly spray Deep Covered Baker with oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken cavity. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat using Kitchen Shears, if necessary. Tie ends of legs together with cotton string. Lift wing tips up toward neck, then tuck under back of chicken. Place chicken onto Cutting Board; brush with oil using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush.

For seasoning mixture, combine ingredients in Prep Bowl; mix well. Completely coat outside of chicken with seasoning mixture. Place chicken, breast side up, into baker.

Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 25-30 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer registers 165°F in thickest part of breast and juices run clear. Remove from microwave. Cover with lid and let stand 10 minutes (temperature will rise to 170°F).

Yield: 4-6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 490, Total Fat 29 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 165 mg, Carbohydrate 2 g, Protein 52 g, Sodium 450 mg, Fiber 0 g

Variation: All-in-One Chicken Dinner: Prepare chicken as directed above and place into baker. Combine 1 cup each celery and carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces, and 3 cups red or russet potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces, in Classic Batter Bowl. Toss with additional seasoning and oil, if desired. Arrange vegetables around chicken. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 35-40 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer registers 165°F in thickest part of breast and juices run clear. Remove from microwave. Cover with lid and let stand 10 minutes (temperature will rise to 170°F).

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrients per serving: Calories 580, Total Fat 29 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 165 mg, Carbohydrate 23 g, Protein 54 g, Sodium 500 mg, Fiber 3 g

Shopping List
1 whole chicken (3 1/2-4 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Variation: All-in-One Chicken Dinner:
1 whole chicken (3 1/2-4 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 carrots
3 celery stalks
3 cups red or russet potatoes
Additional seasoning and oil (optional)

© null The Pampered Chef used under license.