Tuesday, October 2, 2007

I Need Help in Feeding My Family

Works For Me Wednesday is doing it backwards this week. Instead of us sharing what works for us, we should be asking questions on what works for others. Shannon encouraged us to be specific. I can think of one thing I need - it can be looked at specific or general. Basically, I need help with FOOD TO COOK FOR MY FAMILY. I need simple, quick recipes. If you have one posted in your blog, you can just provide a link (leave the link in the comment). Honestly, I need help on this area. I had been feeding my kids too much pizza. hot pockets, SPAM, Ramen noodles (we call it saimen here on Hawaii). So dear friends, please share some of your simple recipes.... pretty please. It can be for breakfast, lunch or dinner, even snacks will do :). I'll post the link here too after you leave it on the comment section :) To peek on what others need help with, and maybe offer some help - go to WFMW hub.

THANKS TO:
Nap Warden for the Snap Crackle Pop Recipe
Southern Girls Home Cookin'

UPDATE 1: I'd be posting more links from the comments later - got to prepare dinner for now ;)

UPDATE 2: Wow! I woke up this morning with 24 comments waiting to be moderated! You guys are the best! Thank you..thank you. I will be posting the links here tonight. I was supposed to start my vacation today but I am delaying it one day. I need to go to work today and will start my vacation tomorrow. Oh, I have a fun post about our family backyard camping that I will be sharing/posting tomorrow so please stop by sometime again in teh next following days. Thanks again - I'll try these recipes you've generously shared - YUM!

UPDATED 3 -
Here's the 2nd batch of commenters - thank you for your tips! I will list some more later tonight - got 43 comments - this is great!

Janelle - http://southerngirlshomecookin.blogspot.com/

Capturing Today - http://m4d-ranch-recipes.blogspot.com

Angie - http://randomangie.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe

O a.k.a. MemeGRL – best crockpot recepi (see comment for recipe)

Scrawny Mommy – German Pancakes – yum! (see comment for recipe)

Ewokgirl – Enchiladas (see comment for recipe)

Robin - http://mypursuitof.blogspot.com/search?q=crockpot+recipe





44 comments:

Cynthia said...

http://napwarden.blogspot.com/2007/09/snap-crackle-pop.html I know this sounds weird, but it was fast, easy and good...try it!

Janelle said...

Check out this food blog that my friends and I contribute to. All the meals are user-friendly with kids in mind. Nothing hard or complex. It has really helped me in this area.

Good luck.

http://southerngirlshomecookin.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

We cook almost everything from scratch - some easy, some a little more involved. My favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner that I've shared can be found at

http://m4d-ranch-recipes.blogspot.com

And I add new ones when I can!

Angie @ Many Little Blessings said...

Here is the link to my "recipes" label category on my blog. Lots of easy recipes!

http://randomangie.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe

Oonie said...

Best Crockpot Recipe Ever. My boys will both eat this ad infinitum.

I include the whole recipe here from my friend but we never make it to the BBQ.

For a 3 pound pork loin roast: I put it under the broiler for about 15-20 minutes in the morning, just with a little pepper and kosher salt. (And poultry seasoning if I feel kicky.) Then, it went into the crock pot (on high) for 5-6 hours, along with a sliced onion, a little salt and pepper, 1 clove garlic (pressed), 1 bay leaf, ½ cup water and 1-2 Tablespoon soy sauce.


After it cooked, I removed the meat and bay leaf, then whisked in flour to make gravy from the drippings. Served over mashed potatoes. (note: I add butter or milk too, or skip adding entirely and just use the juice)



Second day – made homemade BBQ sauce:

3 cups ketchup

2 cups water

Dash Worcestershire

Dash olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoon brown sugar

1-2 teaspoon chile powder


Then, “shred” leftover pork with fork, add to BBQ sauce. Cook on low all day. Serve on Kaiser rolls with cole slaw! YUMMY!

Char said...

We love these for breakfast, or quick dinners!

German Pancakes

4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp. butter
Powdered sugar
Syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in oven-safe pan. Mix dry ingredients and beat in eggs one at a time. When butter has melted, pour mixture into pan over butter and cook for ten minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve with powdered sugar and syrup.

(P.S. I have reduced the butter by half to be health-conscious. You may want to add more per your personal taste!)

Anne Marie@Married to the Empire said...

If y'all like enchiladas, you should like this. It mimics the flavor of enchiladas, and it's super simple to throw together.

Brown 1/2 lb. ground beef with some diced onion and green bell pepper. Mix the cooked ground beef with an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce and a large can (28-ounce) of hominy. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top, then bake for 5 minutes more.

If you want to spice it up (I usually do, but I don't have little ones with sensitive taste buds), you can add chili powder to the tomato sauce.

Anonymous said...

I asked two questions, and this was one! I'll be back to see what answers you got. :-)

Robin said...

Crockpot Sticky Chicken - http://mypursuitof.blogspot.com/2007/06/crockpot-whole-sticky-chicken.html

Robin's Top Secret World's Best Brownies -
http://mypursuitof.blogspot.com/2007/05/robins-top-secret-worlds-best-brownies.html

I'll be back to see what you get.

Great question.

Amy said...

I recently left a comment for another blogger who had asked for meal ideas. You can read my easy recipes here.

Jane said...

http://mycrayonbox.blogspot.com/search/label/Recipes

Here are two of mine!

Kathy in WA said...

Wow - look at all those great links and recipes. You obviously asked a GREAT question. Now I need to bookmark this spot to come back and follow all the links. Of course, I'm afraid I spend more time reading over recipes than actually cooking. That doesn't help!! :)

Duckabush Blog

Unknown said...

Hi Liza! I'll eventually post this on my blog, but for now, here's a simple recipe for alphabet soup.

1 lb ground turkey or ground beef - brown it in a stock pot
drain off excess fat
add 1 large can of diced tomatoes
add 1 can of beef stock
add 2-4 cups of water, based on your preference
bring to simmer
add salt, pepper, and dried basil to taste
just before serving, add alphabet pasta

Simple, and made with ingredients that I usually have on hand.

Aisling said...

Simply Simple meat in sauce
http://www.foodandfitness.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/2007/05/favourite-ingredient-friday.html
Zoe's Pasta bake
http://www.foodandfitness.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/2007/04/tasty-thursday_22.html
Cheats Fish Pie
http://www.foodandfitness.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/2007/03/fish-pie.html

Debs said...

If we're in a hurry we tend to make some sort of stirfry. Just cut whatever vegetables you have into sticks (this can be done in advance in bulk, or just anytime you have a spare moment peal a carrot etc). Also take some meat (beef, prok, chicken, turkey..) and cut that into strips, or instaed of meat you can add nuts or beans.
And then cook in a bit of oil for about 10 mins. I generally toss in the meat, onions and carrots first, green beans\brocoli\courgetter\aubergine next, lastly add things like mushrooms and peppers. It doesn't matter if the veg is still a little crunchy at the end - that can be better for you nutrientwise!
Add a dash of soy sauce and serve.
We'll have it with rice or noodles or just on it's own.

It can be as varied as the number of vegetables you can think of, and it's really easy to stretch it for that latecomer who arrives as you're about to dish up!

*carrie* said...

Liza,

Paninis are super easy to make at home, and are a nice shift from normal sandiwches: http://watibg.blogspot.com/2007/08/panini-its-whats-for-dinner-wfmw-post.html

Milehimama @ Mama Says said...

Homemade hamburger helper recipes and taco salad are two of my staple dinners. You can vary them enough so even if you have them 3 times a week, they'll actually be different meals!
http://milehimama.blogspot.com/search?q=hamburger+helper

Chrissy said...

I haven't added more recently, been a bit busy, but I have a recipe blog where I provide step by step instructions with pictures of the simple meals I make for my family.
Hope they help

http://dinner-myplace.blogspot.com/

Amy said...

I like the Six Ingredients Or Less Cookbooks, there are a number of them to choose from. You don't get overwhelmed with all the ingredients and preparations for a meal.

Amy Bennett said...

Go buy a Chuck Roast and throw it in your crockpot all day with a dry pack of Onion Soup and 1/4 cup of water. Make some easy, easy sides like instant potatoes with it and heat up some peas. I also make the gravy from the leftover juice in the crockpot.

You can make roast beef sandwiches the next day with the leftovers.

My 4 year old ate 3 helpings of the roast beef yesterday for lunch.

amy
http://blog.sabennett.com

Veggiemomof2 said...

You can go to my blog by clicking on my name & check out my "Menu Plan Monday" posts to see what kind of foods I make, but I can tell you this is where I get 95% of the new recipes I make..We rarely find something we don't like on here:

www.kraftfoods.com

C said...

Here are my healthy eating posts: http://christinemoers.blogspot.com/
search/label/healthy%20eating

There are only a couple of recipes sprinkled throughout.

My greatest suggestion is to make old favorites with better ingredients. Chicken strips and fries? Coat some chicken tenderloins in milled flaxseed instead of white flour. Cut the potatoes super thin. Fry everything in canola oil or olive oil (no more Crisco or vegetable oil!).

Smoothies are great meal replacer, as long as you're using low fat milk and throw in some wheat germ or flaxseed. Stevia is a wonderful sugar replacer (and it's natural - won't have all the risks of man-made artificial sweetners).

For an easy meal, throw some fish in to broil, make up some instant brown rice and use your steamer basket for a favorite vegetable. No favorite vegetables for your kids? Batter them in some Ener-G Egg Replacer and whole wheat flour and fry them in canola oil. Sometimes they'll be more likely to try them. Also, it is proven that simply constant exposure to veggies will increase the chances of them trying something they haven't liked previously.

Sometimes for evening meals we'll have whole grain waffles or pancakes (homemade replacing any sugar with honey) and the kids put honey on them instead of syrup. Heck, many times they just eat them plain as soon as they are popping out of the iron.

For an easy lunch, make a big fruit plate and add some graham crackers or whole wheat crackers on the side.

Spaghetti is a great quickie! Just make sure you're using whole grain pasta and a sauce without refined sugar.

Sorry - I could go on forever! We've been making LOTS of eating changes in our home!

SAHMmy Says said...

Ingredients: Chicken, olive oil, butter, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. Brown chicken breast in a combo of olive oil and butter in an ovenproof skillet. Crush a few cloves of garlic, mix with a small amount of olive oil. Spread over chicken (still in the pan); sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper. Pour in a cup of water, cover skillet, and bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes (or really, as long as you want--just don't forget to check that there's still water in the pan every 30 minutes or so) The chicken gets really tender, and the garlic topping smells heavenly! You can serve it up with pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes--we love starch!

Jeni said...

I love the Kraftfoods.com site for easy family meals. I recently made the Creamy Pasta Primavera, and my family loved it!

Anonymous said...

I love easy recipes..here are a few I've posted...
http://joyfulnotes.wordpress.com/2006/07/17/sesame-chicken/
http://joyfulnotes.wordpress.com/2006/07/12/menu-mondayerwednesday/
http://joyfulnotes.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/slow-cooker-thursday-continental-chicken/
Enjoy! :-)

Anonymous said...

How about some American Chop Suey? And for dessert, Mix in the Pan Chocolate Cake and Mix in the Pan Applesauce Cake.

My WFMW question is "Produce, E. Coli, Bacteria, and You." I'd love some input!

Hillary (Mrs. Einstein) said...

http://notthequeen.blogspot.com/2007/
09/my-infamous-chili-recipe.html

http://notthequeen.blogspot.com/2007
/09/another-recipe-chicken-souvlaki
-salad.html

http://notthequeen.blogspot.com/2007
/09/yet-another-recipe-baked-potato
-soup.html

These are three of my favorites. They are kid-tested and approved.

Check back on Friday. I tend to post recipes on Fridays.

TexasTanya said...

OK, these are not my recipes, but I use this site for ideas, and recipes.
www.kraftfoods.com They have lots of kid-friendly recipes, and mine rarely complain.

Kim said...

I haven't read all the comments, so don't know if I am repeating something but here goes:

boxes mac & cheese - add leftover meat and a chopped up veg.

Hamburger helper type meals - you can buy no name brands and even can make your own mixes - Google "homemade hamburger helper"

soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

breakfast for dinner - eggs are great and can be cooked so many ways.

baked chicken pcs with bbq sauce - lipton side dish & veg - very fast and easy

cook ground beef, add water, rice, seasoning, corn or other veg and simmer all together til rice is cooked - thicken sauce - or add gravy mix.

breakfast burritos - scrambled eggs with ham & cheese - salsa added, wrap in a tortilla - can be frozen too (without salsa).

make a couple dozen muffins and freeze some for later

Google "easy recipes" - you will find lots!

Heather said...

You said easy right? Here are my easy plans: Roast in the crockpot with cream of mushroom soup and lipton onion soup and some beef broth. Make potatoes and voila! That's easy.

Anonymous said...

I just posted 2 recipes recently at http://jendisjournal.wordpress.com/2007/10/01/recipes-from-thursday-thirteen/

Tamara said...

2 things: www.allrecipes.com (you can type in the ingredients you already have and they will give you recipes) and me, myself and I:

1 cup white (or brown) rice
1 can french onion soup
1 can beef consumme
2/3 cut up chicken breasts (I cut them to cook them faster)
put all ingredients in foil pan (to eliminate dishes unless you are trying to be environmentally friendly, then disregard this idea)
add a little garlic/garlic (tastefully simple) or just minced garlic
add mushrooms if you like them
put foil on top of the pan
bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through.
This meal goes over sooooo well and is relatively healthy.

Mom2fur said...

Not a recipe, but an idea to make your life easier.
When ground beef is on sale, buy a lot of it. Put it in a big pan in the oven and brown it all...takes about a half hour. Just keep breaking it up and stirring it every so often. Then use a slotted spoon to drain it.
Okay...so now you have about 5 pounds of cooked ground beef, right? Next thing is to store it in freezer bags in one-meal portions. (Whether you want to use gallon or quart bags is up to you.) Press these bags as flat as you can. They store much better in the freezer that way.
Now you have ground beef all ready for tacos, spaghetti, chili...and ewokgirl's yummy-sounding enchiladas!
More tricks: prep all your vegetables the day you get them (or as soon as you can) so that you only have to reach into the fridge to make a salad or other dish. Just don't wash or prep any kind of berry, because they get moldy if you do. But celery, carrots, cabbage...it can all be cut up days ahead of time!

Mom2fur said...

PS...not sure if she answered you or not, but try this blog:
http://overwhelmedwithjoy.blogspot.com/
She has a feature she calls "Five Ingredients Friday"! Sounds perfect for you!

Suzanne said...

I collect all my recipes under the savory tag and you can view them here.

Mrs. Brownstone @ XBOX Wife said...

Hey, Liza. I have posted several recipes that are all pretty easy. You can view them here:

http://xboxwife.blogspot.com/search/label/What%27s%20Cooking%3F

Kelley said...

I personally love the new Pampered Chef cookbook, "29 Minutes to Dinner." Several delicious, quick, practical recipes in there.

lisa h. said...

here's a link to my recipe blog:

http://lisahymasrecipes.blogspot.com/

I've made all of them or at least tasted them from someone else. There are a few easy ones, you can read through and kinda gage the difficulty. goodluck!!

Amy said...

I make a great sandwich which is hearty enough for a meal:

Butter a slice of bread and put it in a pan over medium heat. Add a slice of cheddar cheese. Mix ranch dressing with the "meat" of one avocado, mashed. Once the cheese has melted, remove it from the pan. Spoon on some of the avocado and ranch mixture. Top with lettuce, tomato, bacon, and turkey. Toast another piece of bread for the top.

Cut these in half, because they're messy, but they're SO good! Great for a "company" lunch.

Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Try the website Menus4Moms. http://www.menus4moms.com/index.php

You don't have to subscribe to look at the menus. And they have archives of past menu plans. They help you plan & shop for a whole week of meals that are not too hard to make. It helps me jumpstart some ideas in feeding the family. (Mine don't always eat everything listed on those menus, but I can usually figure something out.)

It's ALL IN THE PLANNING! At the beginning of the week, I make plans on what to have every night, because if I don't we'll be eating pizza or PBJ at the last minute!

I also love to make a double batch of a family favorite & put half of it in the freezer to defrose on a night when there's no time to cook.

Laurel said...

i have some recipes up on my blog if you want to check them out... but my husband is a big fan of any combination of:

spaghetti sauce, cheese, pasta, veggies, cheese, italian sausage or chicken, cheese, and a little parmesan cheese on top.

another standby in our house is meat in the crockpot. i stick a big ol' roast in there in the morning with a chopped up onion or two, then it's phenomenal at dinner. you could make pasta, rice or potatoes to go with it - and steam a veggie in the microwave. the leftover beef could be bbq the next night.

Anonymous said...

I am sure I will stop back by to look at everyone's recipes!! I put up a post with 2 quickies!! One breakfast, and one lunch/dinner.

Lisa said...

This is my struggle as well - working full-time and still trying to keep up a home and provide meals for my family. I'm going to bookmark your comments page...what a resource! I have recruited my husband to be the main cook of the house and he actually said yes! And as long as I praise and rave about the meals he cooks, he's motivated to keep on cooking.

Now can you ask your friends how they keep their houses clean? :)

AngelConradie said...

hhhmmmmm... i can tell about the mac & cheese we make here in south africa...?
one pot cooking- perfect! and i'll give you the 500g macaroni version (which is enough for 8 people).
i cook the macaroni al-dente which is how i like it and once its drained, i mix into it a mixture of 1 cup of milk, 4 eggs & a tomato and onion mixture. in the mixture i've already added some spices and anything else you'd like to add- like chopped bacon, chopped sausages, baked beans, extra cheese... anything!
once its all mixed, i pour it into an oven dish and cover it with grated cheese and sometimes sliced tomato. i bake it till its nicely set and the cheese is crispy.