Hi ladies,
I really struggle with this area. Sometimes the responsibility of preparing all those meals makes me crazy! I can't be the only one, so...
What are your best quick cooking ideas - preferably somewhat healthy?
Let's share some ideas to make our days smoother and saner.
Blessings,
Christine

Hi Christine,
I really like using my crockpot. You can put chicken in with about anything (e.g. a bottle of italian dressing, bbq sauce, lemon pepper and seasoning salt and some water, or other sauce of your choice) you can foil wrap veggies and place on the top of the meat, put it on low and eight hours later you have dinner. Right now with the summer heat we eat alot of salads with meat. I take spring salad mix or spinach add some feta cheese, madarin oranges, candied pecans, cranberries, and top with a raspberry vinegarett dressing (optional: add chicken).
Another salad favorite is Oriental Chicken Salad: salad, chicken, madarin oranges, almond slices, you can use a premade salad dressing or make your own from top ramen oriental noodles (use the noodles as the topping) and mix the seasoning packet with seasame oil and soy sauce a bit of sugar and water (I like to use the water drained from the oranges). You can add some terriaki sauce in place of or in addition to the soy sauce.
Hope you try and enjoy!

I forgot to add in the oriental salad I also put cilantro. You could also add water chestnuts. It's a easy salad to vary with the ingredients on hand(smile).

I have a couple of cookbooks that have recipes for good wholesome meals in 20 minutes. Plus, a lot of the recipes are "one pot meals". Weekdays are Quick Meals and Easy Meals in Minutes (a Time Life book).

Hi jkpainter,
Do you have the ISBN numbers on those books? Thank you!

I sure do! Weekdays ISBN is 0-7835-4834-6 & Easy Meals ISBN is 0-7835-5278-5. There is another cookbook I use called Fix-it & Forget-it: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker. Its ISBN is 1-56148-339-7.

JK,
Thank you! I'm going to check them out.SMILE
HAve a great weekend!

Hi Ladies,
Thanks for the great ideas. I made chicken in the crock pot with Ital dressing and it was awfully salty/tangy - almost too much so. Crock pot does weird things to the texture of meat, doesn't it? I still use it, but I'm not crazy about it.
Anyone have and bean crock pot recipes?
Blessings,
Christine

Christine, try adding 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar and a bit of water/broth next time. I know I have a bean recipe - it'll take me a couple of days to find it - when I do I'll post it.

When I cook in the crock pot I usually wait until there is only about an hour of cooking time left and then I put in the seasonings. Esp. if using something like Italian dressing. If the crock pot is making the texture of your meat weird it probably means you do not have enough liquid (water) I hope this helps.

Hey tenfeet and Ann Marie,
Thanks for the ideas. I'm going to try them.
How about that bean recipe?
Christine

I use a pressure cooker a lot. I can cook dried beans in about 45 minutes, ditto for a roast & veggies, soups & stews, chicken & rice, many things!
a quick supper this evening was:

Chicken Cacciatore
hot bread sticks
salad
red grapes
water

Cacciatore
about 4 lbs of Aldi chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 onions, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, mashed
2 small cans of mushrooms
at least two cans of diced tomatoes
olive oil
Italian seasoning

Saute in olive oil

cook 2lbs of spaghetti
mix together

add 2 jars of Aldi Portabella spaghetti sauce and 1/2 jar of water

Hot bread sticks
hotdog buns sliced lengthwise and toasted in oven with butter and garlic

edited to add the canned tomatoes to the Cacciatore!!! (Oops)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: quiverofeight,

Quiver,
Sounds yummy!
Your kids eat mushrooms? Lucky!
I've never used a pressure cooker. Surely, they must be more modern than in my mom's time.
Where do you even buy one?
Blessings,
Christine

quote:

Originally posted by christinefield:
Quiver,
Sounds yummy!
Your kids eat mushrooms? Lucky!
I've never used a pressure cooker. Surely, they must be more modern than in my mom's time.
Where do you even buy one?
Blessings,
Christine

It IS yummy!
I bought my pressure cooker from Sam's!
I left out the canned tomatoes in the Cacciatore receipe but edited them. Mommy's brain

I can sometimes buy whole portabella mushrooms from Aldi. the older ones loooove these grilled with avocado or guacamole & cheese. they make a great meatless burger, too!

Here is a my variation of the popular Chicken & Rice Casserole....

3-4 lbs chicken, cut up OR
boneless, skinnless breast
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 onions, chopped
at least 2 cans chicken broth
favorite herbs
cream soups, I use about 8 cans total (mushroom, celery, chicken)
cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

Saute first five ingredients in olive oil.
Add broth, herbs and soups.
simmer on stove.
sprinkle with shredded cheese, if desired
drizzle with olive oil
Serve with brown rice.


You can layer uncooked rice with chicken sauce and cook in oven at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Just add extra liquid.

I hope this makes sense. It really is yummy and easy.
This recipe feeds my family of 10 fairly cheaply. I get my chicken from Angle Food Ministries or the Tyson Company Store or Aldi. Everything else comes from Aldi. It is really good with a crusty french bread.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: quiverofeight,

Yum! Thank you!
Christine