How To Get a Healthy Dinner on the Table in a Flash

I don't know about you, but right around 5 o'clock the kids fall to pieces.  They could have been angels all day long then *WHAM* grumpy kids that fight scream and do all manner of things to keep you from getting dinner ready on time.  It happens so frequently at my house that we have deemed the experience the "Five o'clock Fussies." Well, this mom has a few tricks up her sleeves!

I usually plan a dinner menu for the week based on what is in season and what's on sale.  I also make sure a have the ingredients for a couple of my favorite no-fuss 30 min meals.  We try to eat fresh whole foods (shop the perimeter of the grocery store) so we uses lots of veggies.  One trick to help make dinner a breeze is to prepare the veggies before hand.  You can chop a couple of recipes worth on the weekend when you have a second pair of hands around, or I'll sometimes do my prep while the kids are down for their afternoon nap.  Once you have all the chopping done, stick it in a covered bowl in the fridge until you need them (keep potatoes in a water bath, but only do this when you'll use them the same day)! I often do this with salad, washing and tearing it to size and spinning it in the salad spinner.  I take the basket out, dry the inside of the bowl and dump the salad mix in and cover it.  It keeps for close to a week for me!

My second trick is to make extra.  I will cook a Sunday dinner such as roasted chicken, but I'll roast two birds instead of one.  I'll serve the breast meat from one of the birds and carve the remaining meat for two other meals.  The second day I'll make a salad and top it with some chicken breast.  The third day, I'll use the carcasses to make chicken stock, and then make a chicken soup with the dark meat that is left. If leftovers aren't your thing, you could always assemble a casserole ahead of time, just stick it in the freezer or fridge depending on when you'll use it (ziti bakes are great for freezing!)

When all else fails, I go to my quick and easy stock meals.  We have several go-to recipes: Fiesta Chicken from The American Test Kitchen Family Cookbook; Bird on a Biscuit from A Man, A Can, A Plan by David Joachim; or I'll whip together a quick pizza with refrigerated pizza dough.  These meals are quick (30 minutes or less) and require very little prep or active cooking, get for the days when nothing seems to go right!

I'm so glad I finally posted about this, I had wanted to for a while.  I finally got around to it because of a great contest going on for a Samsung Refrigerator (great seeing how mine is dying!).  To check out the contest go here.  Wish me luck!

I'm Back!

Don't worry, I didn't fall of the face of the earth! I was never really gone, just very busy. My mother came to see the boys (and my husband and I she claims, though I know better!) and my husband just turned the big 3-0. So I've spent most of my time enjoying the company of my mother and spoiling my husband. In so doing I neglected my blog, though I do have several topics I'm working on for this week.

My mother is always good for teaching my children some new habit while she is here. This time she taught my youngest how to clap and yell "Yea" and to walk (the walking was really just a coincidence, but I'll try to blame her anyway!)

Here are a few shots from making the birthday cake for my hubby with my oldest. He loves to help me bake! I would normally make the cake from scratch, but I opted for a box mix this time. I did make the frosting from scratch, the can stuff just doesn't taste right! I failed to get a pic of the final product, but I assure you that it looked and tasted yummy!

Labor Day 2009

Today is traditionally a day of rest in the United States. A day for workers to enjoy the end of the summer. One of my favorite activities for labor day is the family barbecue. We actually grilled last night, under threat of rain - though did not see more than a sprinkle. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of BBQ chicken, stuffed bacon wrapped jalapenos, fresh sweet corn on the cob and roasted asparagus. Even the kids enjoyed the meal (minus the jalapeno!) with Logan wolfing down a pureed version of the feast.

The chicken was done by pounding three chicken breasts with a mallet until there were an even thickness. Seasoned with salt and pepper then grilled until cooked through. Then they were coated with BBQ sauce on both sides and and grilled until the sauce started to brown and get crispy in places.

The jalapenos were sliced in half and the seeds and ribs scrapped out (you might want to wear gloves - hubby didn't and ended up having his hands burn). They were then filled with a cream cheese spiced with Armadillo Rub (Texas steak rub - basically paprika, garlic, onion, and various pepper powders mixed together). The peppers were then reassembled, wrapped with bacon and secured with a toothpick (make sure you soak the toothpicks so they don't burn on the grill!). Grill until the bacon is crispy and the pepper is soften and slightly charred on the outside.

The asparagus was done one of my favorite ways. Wash the asparagus then pat them dry. Snap or cut the woody ends off, then peel the outer skin off the bottom section. If your cooking with kids you could have then help with the snapping of the stems (Aidan was too busy playing Wii to want to cook with me!) Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. I actually cooked mine in my Foreman Grill but you can do them under the broiler or in a vegetable basket on the grill. Cook until bright green and softened.

The corn was done simply by boiling for about 6 min in a lightly sugar seasoned water. Another good place for kiddos to help is with the shucking of the corn - though you might want to check them over for silk strands if your dealing with young kids.

We are using this day to get caught up on some of our household projects. This morning I finished planting a small garden we added to the side of the house and my husband is outside currently moving a few plants around in our front garden and mulching. I am hoping to get started on building our compost bin this afternoon - a segment a will photo blog and share with all of you!

Well, I am off to labor on this labor day. I hope you enjoy your Labor Day festivities (or rest as you should!)

The Cure for the Picky Eater

As most people with young children know, there comes a time when your child will turn up their nose to anything you offer them. Just think of the TV commercial where there is a little girl in the grocery store saying "I don't think I like waffles." If you have experienced this I have a solution for you! Now this probably won't work for every food and possibly not every time, but I think it's worth a shot. Today I decided that my sons boycott of eggs was going to come to an end. In his short three years of life, I haven't once been able to get him to eat eggs - until today!
I proclaimed mid-morning that he was going to help me make lunch today, an exciting event for him. A little before lunch, I got out all the supplies we needed to make some wonderful egg salad sandwiches. He helped me put all the ingredients for the sauce in the bowl and mix it up, chop the eggs (with a closed chopper), mix again, and assemble his sandwich. He was delighted by the entire process, including wearing his very fashionable apron.

I am happy to report that the sandwich was a success and he ate the sandwich - spinach leaves and all!