No matter what your schedule, you're going to end up preparing a
meal on the run every now and again. I try to keep the
ingredients for several quick and easy meals on hand so I'm not
in a bind when I'm rushed for time and have to throw a quick meal
together. Here are some of my family's favorites:
Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
I always keep several cans of Campbell's condensed tomato soup
and saltine crackers on hand. Just add a can of milk or water to
one can of soup and you're in business. My husband prefers his
grilled cheese sandwiches prepared with butter in the skillet,
but I often leave out the butter completely by first toasting the
bread in the toaster oven, adding the sliced cheese, and then
microwaving until the cheese melts.
Stir Fry
There are a number of generic frozen stir fries on the market now
that are very reasonably priced. I have to pick through them to
find a vegetable combination my family likes, but there really
are many to choose from. You just add your choice of beef,
chicken, pork, or shrimp, and it only takes about 10 minutes to
prepare in the skillet. I add a little soy sauce for extra
flavor.
Spaghetti
I always stock up on jars of spaghetti sauce when they're on
sale. I prefer to make my own, but when I'm pressed for time
these jars of sauce come in really handy. My family of three only
eats about half of the sauce at one time, so I freeze the
leftover sauce (the cooked hamburger added), and the next time it
just needs to be thawed out and added to the cooked spaghetti
noodles. We used to throw away a lot of leftover garlic bread,
but I found that especially when we're not planning on having
spaghetti ahead of time, toast with butter and garlic powder is a
very acceptable substitute. We actually decided we liked the
garlic toast better so I don't even bother with the garlic bread
anymore. Just add a salad and you have a complete meal.
Chicken Burgers
I often run across frozen breaded chicken patties on sale. These
make a great quick meal, any time of the day. They can be eaten
alone or on a hamburger bun. Just add mayonnaise, lettuce, and
maybe a slice of tomato. We like to eat these with frozen french
fries and maybe a jello salad.
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About The Author
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of
What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick
easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home
decorating, crafts, and frugal family fun, visit Creative
Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com and Suite 101 at
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/creative_homemaking. To
subscribe to their monthly newsletter send a blank e-mail message
to FreeRecipes-subscribe@egroups.com.
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