If you're like us, you are running out of dinner ideas. The ones where you can make the groceries stretch a little further. Dinners that are healthy that your family will actually eat. Food that you can use that's already in the fridge or pantry.
We have our "go-to's" like *tacos *stuffed peppers *pastas *chicken *burgers *pizza *sandwiches. Here are some to shake up the mix that are easy to whip up with minimal ingredients:
ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
- 1 lb of cooked shredded chicken ( you can use beef or ground turkey as well)
- Half of a large onion
- Red bell pepper
- One 4oz can diced green chiles
- One 15oz can of black beans
- One 15oz can of cream of chicken if you have it (this can be skipped)
- Two 15oz cans of enchilada sauce
- 12 corn tortillas
- 3 cups of shredded cheese
- ***Toppings: cilantro, green onion, avocado, sour cream
Heat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in a pan over med-high. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the diced green chiles, beans, chicken, cream of chicken and two-thirds of your enchilada sauce. Remove from heat and set aside
Pour about half of the remaining enchilada sauce across the bottom of your baking dish (I use glass 9x13). Layer tortilla halves, so that the entire dish is covered.
Top evenly with 1/2 of the chicken mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Add another layer of tortillas and top that with chicken mixutre again. It's like you're making a lasagna. Spread the rest of the cheese on top and drizzle the rest of enchilada sauce over that. Bake for 1 hour. Throw some fresh cilantro or green onions on top and serve with avocado and sour cream.
PULLED PORK
This seriously takes like 5 minutes to prep and you just let it cook in the crock pot all day.
- Boneless pork shoulder
- 1 tbs paprika
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of water
- cup of BBQ sauce (I like the sweet and spicy)
Stir together paprika, salt, garlic powder and brown sugar. Generously rub mixture on pork and put it in the slow cooker. Pour water around the meat, cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. It should be very tender. Use a cutting board to shred the pork. Put the meat back in the crock pot and add in BBQ sauce. Mix. Cover. Cook on high for 15 minutes.
Serve with roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, asparagus. Use in tacos, pasta, or as a sandwich.
SAUSAGE AND PEPPER SKILLET
- Sausage
- Red, green and yellow bell peppers
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Tomatoes or speghetti sauce
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Red chili flakes for a little bit of heat
Heat olive oil over med-high heat in large frying pan. Add turkey sausage and cook for 10 minutes. Cube when cool.
Add mushrooms to skillet and saute about 5 minutes. Add onions and peppers, cooking another 2 minutes. Add sausages back in, along with garlic, salt & pepper and red chili flakes. Add tomato sauce. Cook until hot.
You don't necessarily have to do the mushroom-pepper-onion combo. Take your veggie crisper and dump it up in this recipe. You just can't go wrong. If you want to stretch it a little further for the family put it over pasta, rice, salad or mix in some potatoes.
SRIRACHA MARMALADE GLAZED SALMON
- Pinch of salt
- Four, 4-ounce boneless skinless salmon filet
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- ¼ cup orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Sprinkle salt all over the salmon. Heat a large oven-proof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat with oil. When hot, lay salmon in the skillet, skinned side-down and let cook until the bottom is browned- 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, stir marmalade and Sriracha in a small bowl. Carefully flip fish over and spoon the marmalade mixture over the fish. Transfer the skillet to the oven and let continue cooking until the fish is just barely opaque in the center - about 4 minutes for medium-well.
SWEET POTATO HASH
- Sweet Potatoes (two large ones will feed four people)
- Garlic
- Onion
- Salt and pepper
- whatever meat you have
Microwave the potatoes until you can pierce them with a fork. Heat butter or olive oil on med-high heat in large frying pan. Cube potatoes and throw in the pan with chopped onions and minced garlic. Cook until potatoes are starting to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Put on low heat and add whatever leftover meat (already) you have in the fridge and cook until warm.This is great with sausage, steak and pork. Chicken works too. Sometimes I'll top it with sour cream.
STIR FRY
*Base
- - 1 lb chicken breast, cubed
- - Salt and pepper
- - Broccoli florets
- - Mushrooms, sliced
- - Snap peas
- (or whatever veggies are left in that crisper)
*Sauce
- - Minced garlic
- - 1 tbs ginger
- - 2 tsp sesame oil
- - 1/3 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium)
- - 1 tbs brown sugar
- - 1 cup chicken broth
- - 1/4 cup flour
Heat olive oil on med-high heat in large frying pan. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until cooked through and browned. Set the chicken aside and in the same pan, add a little more oil and mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to soften, add any other crisp veggies- snap peas, broccoli, etc. Cook until tender then remove from pan.
Add another drizzle of oil and saute your garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir until smooth. Return the chicken and vegetables to the saucy pan, stir until heated through. Serve with hot rice, cauliflower rice or noodles.
I would love to see what you're cooking up and share a few of those recipes on the Brie & Baby Three Facebook page (make sure to give it a like). Email me: brie.groves@koaa.com
If you have questions about how I'm able to handle a busy work and home life, join my Facebook Group - Brie and Baby Three to get involved in the conversation.
You can also reach me on my Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram. Or email if you prefer - brie.groves@koaa.com.
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