What a hectic and crazy week! During weeks like this one, I need fast, simple, good old fashioned comfort food. When I’m stressed out, I don’t need stressful meals to prepare.These are the weeks when I am grateful to have married a man with simple taste, who would truly be grateful for just about anything (except beans or onions.)
Monday- Irish Sundaes : This is so easy, and you can make it fun for your family by providing a wide array of toppings. Each of us likes a different type of cheese. I like melted velveeta. David likes the spicy nacho cheese. The kids like grated cheese. I sometimes make taco meat, or have chili for the potatoes. Diced ham is also a fun option, or you can go with chopped cooked bacon. You can do veggies like tomatoes (yes, I know it’s a fruit), olives, onions, broccoli…whatever you like! Have sour cream and butter on hand as well. You can get the large bakers for this meal, or just standard potatoes for the kids.
Tuesday: French Toast : When we usually think of breakfast for dinner, we go to waffles, pancakes, or some type of egg dish. I rarely think of doing french toast for dinner. Serve this up with some type of breakfast meat and fruit, and you are good to go. My kids think it is really neat when I cut their toast into sticks, and give them a little dipping cup of syrup.
Wednesday: Ranch Stew – This is my four year old’s “specialty”. She loves to make this one pretty much by herself, and even made it for her grandparents. It is a quick, throw-together chili that doesn’t need to simmer all day. Brown up a pound of ground beef and drain the fat. Stir in a whole envelope of chili seasoning. Add one can of diced tomatoes or tomato puree ( my husband doesn’t like the chunks, so I usually just run mine under my immersion blender.) Add a can of kidney beans and their juice, as well as a can of corn, juice and all. I like to add a can of diced green chiles to mine. I serve this up with cornbread, and have grated cheese, and green onions for the top.
Thursday: Spanish Rice with Chips : This is my husband’s favorite thing. (I will post the full recipe another day. I can’t give away the farm without having a fair amount of readers!) I basically make up a simple spanish rice and add chicken breast to it, to make it heartier. (I’ve also done it with ground beef.) We like to serve this up over chips, and sprinkle generously with cheese. My husband likes to use the rice as a dip for his chips (which is why we call this recipe “Dippers” at home.)
Friday: Cobb Salad : My husband will eat salad if there is meat in it! My kids don’t like salad, but with the ingredients used to make the salad, I can make them up a plate of the separate ingredients and they are happy. (They really just don’t like the lettuce.) You can make this fun by creating your own little salad bar. (What kid doesn’t like a buffet?) Have lettuce, tomatoes, olives, onions, croutons, hard boiled eggs, cheese, ham, turkey, and whatever else you would like in little bowls ready for your family to select what they would like. I like to pull out my biggest bowls when we do salad for dinner as well. I love diving into a huge bowl of food that I don’t have to feel guilty about!
Saturday: Chicken Burgers and Fries : Yes, even supermoms must resort to using frozen foods once in awhile. Saturdays are a busy day for us, and my husband and I end up eating very late, when he gets home from work. I like having chicken patties on hand to quickly serve up a tasty sandwich. (And, it reminds me of being in elementary school.)
Sunday: This song has probably been in your head at least once if you’ve ever seen the commercial. After singing it so many times, I decided to actually make it, and it was good! We really like this one, and you can vary it up to suit your family’s taste. You’ve gotta try this quick meal! Campbell’s Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole …possibilities. =)
Enjoy this week of fuss-free meals ladies. Happy cooking.
