Easy, Quick Meal Ideas

By Linda Carol Wilson

Yes, you can make healthy meals at home quickly and easily! Even busy cooks can find time to make these quick and easy buttery citrus fish and easy grilled vegetables. This meal is a lot better for you and your family than a trip through the fast-food drive-thru.

QUICK AND EASY BUTTERY CITRUS FISH

3 tbsp butter flavored sprinkles

1 tbsp lemon pepper blend

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tsp honey

1 lb boneless white fish fillets

In a small bowl combine the butter flavored sprinkles, lemon pepper blend, lime juice, and honey; stir to mix well. Place the fish fillets on broiler pan and broil 6 to 8-inches from the heat until first side starts to brown. Turn fish over and spread the honey mixture over the second side. Broil another 4 to 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Per fillet: 106 calories, 7 grams carbs and 17 grams protein

EASY GRILLED VEGETABLES

1/2 cup mayo style salad dressing

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise

2 yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise

2 bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into fourths

If using an electric broiler, preheat. If using an outside grill, cook over hot not flaming coals. No need to preheat a gas broiler.

Mix the mayo style salad dressing and the Italian dressing until they are well blended. Lightly score the cut sides of the vegetables and brush one side with the salad dressing mixture. Place, salad dressing side up, on broiler pan about 4-inches from the heat. Broil 6 minutes. Turn vegetables, brush second side with the dressing mixture and return to broiler for another 5 to 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Enjoy!!

For more of Linda’s recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com For her old fashion recipe collection visit her at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

Make or buy sugar cookies, and decorate them for St. Patrick’s Day. Spread them with white frosting, and then use tubes of decorating gel and colored candies to add shamrocks, rainbows, and pots of gold. This is also a good opportunity to teach your kids the order of colors in a rainbow. If you bake the cookies in advance, decorating them can be a fun activity for the whole family to do together.

Have a green dinner: Serve as many green foods as possible (salad, green beans, and pea soup are all healthy choices, or add green food coloring to foods to get the tint you want). For dessert, Use mint chocolate chip ice cream to make “leprechaun milkshakes.” You can also make a shake by adding some peppermint extract and green food coloring to vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Here is an activity that is great for talking about shapes and making a cute St. Patrick’s Day craft at the same time. Using black construction paper, cut out a 4-inch square. Then cut a rectangle about 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. Glue the square to the rectangle to form a top hat. Using green construction paper, cut out three small hearts. Glue them onto the hat with the points together to form a shamrock. Cut a small green rectangle and add it as the stem. You can use glitter pens to write names and further decorate the hats. Add a magnet to the back to hang on the refrigerator, or just hang it on the wall for decoration.

Kids love scavenger hunts, so why not have them search for a pot of gold? Write clues on shamrocks cut out of green paper. If you have more than one child, you can either have them work together, or set up separate hunts for each child. The clues should lead them to the place where you have hidden the pot of gold. So, you don’t have a real pot full of gold to give away? Be creative with your prizes. You can use yellow M&Ms, or candy in gold colored wrappers, like chocolate coins. You can also use gold jewelry for the prize. Use toy jewelry for small children, and a nicer watch, bracelet, or necklace for older kids. Yellow or gold colored hair accessories, stickers, t-shirts, and hats can also fill your “pot of gold.”

Little children might enjoy a special present left by a “leprechaun”-look for St. Patrick’s Day party favors like little hats or pots, and fill with small prizes. Leave these out on St. Patrick’s day for the kids to discover. Warning: If you do this once, expect to do it each year!

Sprinkle “leprechaun dust” (aka gold glitter) around the house, so everyone can tell a leprechaun visited!

St. Patrick’s Day can be a lot of fun. With good food, crafts, games, and your imagination, you can go beyond the wearing of the green to celebrate with your family.

Denise Sanger is the owner of NewCoolToysOnline.com which features a fantastic selection of outdoor toys and outdoor play toys for kids of all ages including toddler outdoor toys. The company is located in sunny Florida and may be reached at 877-950-7665.

In our hectic lives there is very little time to be creative when it comes to cooking on a daily basis. When do you get the time to peruse all those glorious cook books and glossy magazines for new ideas? With a little clever meal planning, you can put a new meal on the table every day of the month. This saves your time, money and your sanity!

1 Make a Ground Beef Goulash. If you add another 1lb of ground beef and adjust the quantity of your ingredients, you will be able to make a very easy Beef and Noodle Casserole.

2 There is no point in roasting 1 chicken. Always roast 2 chickens. This means one dirty pan, one load of washing up – but 2 to 3 meals! If you make 2 Oven Baked Whole Chickens with BBQ Sauce, you can easily turn the second chicken into a number of clever leftover meals: Easy Chicken Curry Recipe, Chicken Pasta Bake or even a Chicken Pie.

3 Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb with Lemons and Olives is a treat in our family. But it is just as popular when it re-appears as a Leftover Lamb and Couscous Salad. This has to be one of the simplest meals around.

4 Always make extra tomato sauce. If you do this, you will quickly be able to produce a formidable Homemade Meatball Recipe with Fresh Tomato and Coriander Sauce. Using the same sauce you will be able to produce a completely different meal by way of Oven Baked Fish in a Tomato Sauce. Your family will never guess that they are eating the same sauce: the meatballs and fish impart such different flavors.

5 Make double Sweet and Sour Sauce. Use it one night to make Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe and for a vegetarian option, make Baked Butternut with the same sauce – this sounds unusual but is delicious.

6 Following the principles above, if you are going to make one Easy Pie Crust Recipe, why not make two? Again, one lot of mess but the base of two recipes. In this case, you can use the pie crust for both a Tomato Tart and an utterly delectable Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe.

7 Lastly, double up when you make roast butternut. You can serve the butternut as a vegetable side dish the one night and follow the Butternut Squash Soup Recipe the next night. Alternatively, you could make the Fresh Pumpkin Pie Recipe.

All the recipes above are available at Meal Planning for March

Fiona Lesley has had over 20 years of experience cooking delicious meals for family and friends alike. A teacher by profession, she brings together her years of time and money-saving tips at http://www.easy-meal-planning.com

For the busy cook, skillet meals or dinners can be a lifesaver. These meals are easy, quick, tasty, and combine several food groups into one pan. Clean-up is reduced which is also important to busy cooks. Here are some choices for easy skillet meals. Try the German Skillet Dinner which features ground beef, rice, and sauerkraut. Don’t like German? How about a Chicken Veggie Stir-Fry?

GERMAN SKILLET DINNER

1 tbsp butter
1 can (16-oz) sauerkraut, undrained
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lb lean ground chuck, lightly browned and drained
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can (8-oz) tomato sauce

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Spread the sauerkraut out evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle the rice over the sauerkraut and the onion over the rice. Top rice with the ground meat, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce. Cover skillet and cook over low heat 25 to 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

CHICKEN VEGGIE STIR-FRY

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp canola oil
2 green onions, sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 pkg (16-oz) frozen Oriental mixed vegetables
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Slice the chicken breasts into 1-inch strips. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles when dropped onto pan. Add the oil. Place chicken in skillet and stir-fry about 5 minutes. Add the green onions and garlic; cook while stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and ginger. Add the mixed veggies and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are heated through. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes.

Blend the cornstarch and water together until smooth. Add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Boil until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat and serve while hot. Serve over white rice.

Enjoy!