Speaking of Menu Planning...

Here's another fantastic website I just discovered:

Supercook

You add all the ingredients you have at home.

They give you all the recipes you can make right now.

It's pretty sweet!

Menu Planning

One of the blogs that I follow does a weekly menu. They also post recipes and link them to the menu if it is an item that not everyone would know. I really like looking at it to get ideas when I am menu planning. They are not too extreme because these two sisters have families and have to cater to that as well. But they do a good variety and also give suggestions on their sides they put with it. They also have a lot of other fun stuff to look at too! Enjoy :)

sistersstuff.blogspot.com

Easy Chicken Bake

**Courtesy of the cookbook 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker by Stephanie Ashcroft. Love this cookbook! I came home at lunch yesterday to put dinner in the crockpot and didn't have what I needed. So I skimmed my cookbook and found this. I had never tried it, but it turned out very yummy and easy.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I did three large)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup, condensed

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup parsley, fresh copped, optional

Place chicken in greased 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Mix together soup, milk, and seasoning. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 4 hours or on low heat 8-10 hours. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Served with chicken flavored rice, peas, and stawberries.

Whole-Wheat Pancakes

Breakfast is one of our favorite dinners. I found this pancake recipe last year and have used it over and over. I have used different ratios of white and wheat flour and it's all delicious - even when it's all whole-wheat flour. We didn't find it too hearty.

I haven't ever tried the Strawberry sauce. Let me know if it's good!

Speaking of sides, we like to have our pancakes with whipped cream, syrup and fresh fruit (like blueberries, strawberries, or bananas). I usually make scrambled eggs and/or bacon. Then we'll have apple or pear cut-up on the side. If we're really getting into it, we'll make orange julius or strawberry smoothies.

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup non-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• Strawberry sauce, recipe follows
• Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Preheat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over a medium-low flame.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey and vanilla.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom. Then cook until the other side is golden brown. Hold on an oven proof plate in the oven until the entire batch is ready. When all the pancakes are ready, cut them into heart shapes with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the strawberry sauce onto each plate, place pancakes on top and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if using.

Strawberry sauce:

• 16 ounces strawberries, fresh or frozen (unsweetened, thawed)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Puree strawberries to a chunky puree. Heat them in a small saucepan over a low flame, until they are just warm. Stir in lemon juice and maple syrup.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size about 1/3 cup)

Slow Cooker Pork Ribs!

We made these tonight and they were pretty tasty! (I paired it with red mashed potatoes, a fruit salad and some broccoli.)

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup orange marmalade
- 3 T. Ketchup
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 3-4 lbs of country-style boneless pork ribs (we used about 3 lbs, so 2 packages of regular boneless pork ribs).

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, marmalade, ketchup & garlic. Pour half into the slow cooker; top with the ribs and drizzle the remaining sauce on top. Cover and cook for 6-8 hrs. (We did 8 hrs). Makes 6-8 servings.

Southwest Pasta Sala

  Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit with the fam!! Super yummy, super healthy, and super quick!! Gotta love these kinds of dinners! Enjoy!!

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 lb bowtie pasta
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 roma tomatoes, diced or about 3/4 C or halved cherry tomatoes
1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 C sliced green onions
1/2 C frozen fresh corn
zest from 2 limes
optional: 8 oz diced cooked chicken (this is fantastic)
1/2 C Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese (or you could sub grated jack, cheddar or pepperjack)

Dressing:
6 Tbs fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes)
1/4 C white wine or rice vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro

Boil pasta and place it in a big mixing bowl, and then dump on all the good stuff!  Mix that all up.  If you're adding chicken, then add that here as well.  I used Taco Chicken, which I cooked the day before and it was awesome.  Any cooked chicken will do, but grilled pairs well with the Southwest flavors.  And then pour on the amazing dressing.

To prepare dressing place Boil pasta in salted water until cooked.  While it's cooking, prepare dressing.

First zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.

Place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender.  (Basically everything except the cilantro and oil)  Process until smooth.  With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated.  Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool.  Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest.  Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn (no need to thaw the corn),  and chicken if desired.  Toss with dressing.  Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste.  For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving.  Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top.  Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.

Makes about 4-6 dinner sized servings or 10-12 si

Great Idea that saves time and money!

Hey y'all! I just found this excellent tip that I have to share. I haven't tried this yet, but you better believe that I will be soon.

http://cleanmama.blogspot.com/2010/08/done-freezer-cooking-proteins.html

Does anyone already do this?

What are other things are you doing to make dinner run smooth and a bit organized?

this is basic but meal planning is essential for me. I find that most of the stress is deciding what to make and it is such a relief when I already know what I am making and that I have everything I need to make it.

One thing that I am working on is time management with my meals. We tend to eat later than most, due to the fact that I start making dinner when someone starts grazing in the fridge. I have heard a tip that I am trying and that is to just plan on starting dinner at a certain time every night. (4:30)? (I know you have tips on the matter...speak up ladies!)

What about side dishes? I am always thinking and concentrating on the main course and never think about a side dish. Do you always have a side dish?

I would love any input ANYONE has on the subject (or another for that matter) let's get a dialog going.

p.s. thanks to everyone who contributes, this is my go-to-website for meal planning.