Quick and Easy Recipes
I made the easiest best dinner the other night. Chicken breasts and pineapple slices thrown on the grill. That’s it! It took all of 15 minutes and almost no mess at all! I tell you, I am not good at the fast, healthy meals. I often want to go to In-n-Out. Or McDonalds. But then I feel so GUILTY! I know that a little preparation would solve my food problems. I used to buy a bunch of cooking magazines, but now I know I’ll never look through them to find a recipe. I always go online. One favorite spot for quick and easy recipes is ivillage.com/food. I like this site because it has recipes from Southern Living, Cooking Light and All You. It also has this function where users can add a “twist” to the recipe - a comment right on the recipe about the changes they made to make the recipe better. I need all the help I can get! Here are some favorites:
Grilled Chicken Fingers with Manchurian Sauce - chicken fingers in any form are a big hit. Chicken fingers that don’t require oil, bowls of flour, big crazy messes are a big hit with me.
Fruit kabobs - everything is more fun on a stick!
Black Bean Nuggets with avocado dipping sauce - yummy! I leave out the chili powder and hot sauce and my son gobbles them up.
There are a couple new ones I want to try - more kid recipes of course, because that’s the picky audience around here. Like maybe the Salmon Fishcakes or the Pumpkin Fritters.
I actually love to cook and try new recipes. But where do people find the time? And I always seem to be missing one ingredient. That is a bummer.
Anyway, being more prepared with healthy, easy to prepare food on hand is a constant goal. I thought I’d write it here to keep me honest. So let’s make a goal - one new healthy recipe a week. Easy enough, right? We’ll see!
books mystery romance novels: family drama food recipe Susan Wiggs
by Blabby
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Book #35 - The Winter Lodge
The Winter Lodge by Susan Wiggs. Seriously, I’m so far behind on my book reviews, so I’m going to skip the three I owe (from the 48-hour book challenge) and forge ahead. I loved this book - much more so than the first book of the series, Summer at Willow Lake. But, since I did love the characters, I had to continue on with the series. This book had great pacing, great story lines and especially great recipes. I’m glad I purchased this one rather than checked it out from the library.
The story of Jenny Majesky is told here, as well as cameo appearances from well-loved characters from the first book. I was surprised by the twists of intrigue Ms. Wiggs weaves into the story - which is basically one of family with a little romance mixed in. I’m looking forward to the next installment of the Lakeshore Chronicles.
Highly recommended. [rating:5]
More favorites…food, food, food
We’ve been eating some good stuff at my house lately, and I thought I’d share it with you other harried moms. First off, my most favorite new product (about a year old, I think):
Dinner
Bertolli frozen dinner in a skillet meals. There are a few different flavors of the pasta with meat, then there are a few selections of just pasta. Our favorites are the fettucini and the chicken florentine and farfalle. Awesome. Dump the bag into a skillet and ten minutes later is the best meal with only one dirty pan.
I just went on their site looking for the right name of the one I love and noticed a $2 coupon you can print. Definitely worth the effort, because they run on the expensive side ($7 a bag), unless you catch them on sale. I usually buy a few when I catch them on sale.
The portions are not huge, but it’s the perfect amount for my husband and I. Or just me when I’m feeling like eating a big bowl of pasta. Although, then I feel guilty after.
Snacks
Next favorite: Flat Earth chips. Yum. So far I’ve only tried the farmland cheddar kind, but they are awesome, and my son loves them too. Looking forward to trying the fruit flavors. They’re made with all kinds of veggies and baked, so they’re not too bad for you at all. (As a side note, as I was searching for their site for an image, I found the Flat Earth Society - who believes the Earth is flat and that the whole round idea is a wild government conspiracy. Could be, right?)
Breakfast
Final favorite: The green smoothie - thanks to Moxie. I’ve changed up her recipe a little. I put a container of Horizon organic vanilla milk, about 1.5 cups fresh spinach, a banana, and about .5 cups frozen fruit (tropical fruit bag - mangos, pineapple and strawberries) - blend it all up in the food processor. Awesome. You can’t even taste the spinach! What a great way to eat my fruits and veggies. Highly recommended.
Thats it for today. Let me know if you try any of these…or if you have a fast favorite of your own!
