By Tiffany MacKay
Controlled chaos reigns supreme in my house right now. Because of that I am always looking for quick, kid/husband friendly recipes that take a minimal amount of time and that taste good for both the kids as well as mom and dad. Here are a couple that are on my list of favorites right now:
Pulled Pickled Beef Sandwiches with Cole Slaw
This is a recipe that I got from Paula Deen and adjusted to my family’s taste.
1 Chuck Roast
1 Jar of Pickle Spears
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of minced onion
1 package of shredded cabbage
½ bottle of Hidden Valley Cole Slaw Dressing
BBQ Sauce, we like to use Sweet Baby Rays
4-6 Buns (any kind will do)
Put the chuck roast in a crock pot, pour the entire jar of pickles (juice and all) in. Add the garlic and onion. Cook on low for 10 hours. Mix the cole slaw dressing and shredded cabbage together- I like to do it in the morning or the night before. When you are ready to eat, pull the beef out of the crock pot and shred. Split the bun add some BBQ sauce, a heaping tablespoon or two of cole slaw and add your desired amount of shredded beef. Put together and enjoy!
Yes I know it sounds weird, I got some funny looks from my husband but he tried it and he actually liked it.
Rotini in Alfredo Sauce with Turkey and Broccoli
1 package of Turkey Chops or Cutlets (approx. 1lb)
¼ cup of flour
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ teaspoon of Garlic Salt
1 Family size package of Stouffers Creamy Alfredo pasta
1 bag of frozen broccoli in a steam bag
Cut up the turkey into bite-sized cubes. Put turkey and flour in a zip lock bag and shake, lightly coating the turkey. Pour olive oil into a skillet and heat on high heat. When the oil is hot, shake the excess flour off the turkey and put it in the pan, sprinkle on the garlic salt. Cook the turkey until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes, and remove from heat when thoroughly cooked. Microwave the pasta following the directions on the box. When pasta is finished, cook the broccoli. Mix the turkey, pasta and broccoli together and serve. The entire meal takes about 25 minutes to make, and it tastes great.
What quick meals have you made that are kid and spouse approved?
Heddi
/ February 10, 2012Frittata, quesadillas, fried rice, homemade pizza… Anything where I can take leftovers from the fridge, chop them up, add some new ingredients, and voilà – it feels like a whole new meal. Or at least I try to make my family think so…
Susan Ortler Anganes
/ February 11, 2012Yum! That pulled pickled beef sounds good! I’m going to have to try that
Kristen Eriksen
/ February 12, 2012I stole both these recipes, and we are trying one tonight. Here is one of my favorites: It is a Pampered Chef recipe (to give credit where credit is due)….
Crunchy Whole Grain Chicken Bites
Dressing and slaw Chicken Bites
½ cup (125 ml) reduced fat sour cream 1 lb chicken tenders
2 tbsp reduced fat mayo Remaining dry ranch dressing mix from dressing, divided
1 package dry ranch dressing mix 1 egg white
5 stalks celery 6 cups (5 oz) whole grain chips (Sun Chips)
2 Carrots ¼ tsp paprika
Vegetable oil
Hot sauce and crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 F.
• For dressing, whisk together sour cream, mayo and 1 tsp of dressing mix. Set aside in fridge.
• Cut chicken into pieces. Whisk together 1 tbsp dressing mix, and egg white. Cruch chips in a plastic bag.
• Add remaining dressing mix and paprika to chips and shake well.
• Add chicken to egg white mixture, mix well to coat. Put chicken into bag with chips, and shake to coat.
• Arrange chicken in single layer in baking dish, or stone pan (I love my stone pan for this)
• Spray chicken generously with oil cooking spray. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until chicken is golden brown with no pink in the center.
• Meanwhile for slaw, thinly slice celery on the bias. Peel carrots, cut into julienne strips. (I usually buy them cut up). Combine celery, carrots and ¼ cup of the dressing. Use the remaining dressing for dipping.
• If desired, drizzle chicken with hot sauce, and crumble blue cheese over dressing.
Tiffany MacKay
/ February 28, 2012Thanks for the recipes and comments. I am going to have to try the chicken bites.