1 pkg. sausages 
1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 lightly beaten eggs  
½ c. sliced green onion
¼ c. milk  
½ c. diced sweet red pepper
½ to 1 c. shredded cheese 
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. salt 
1 c. frozen hash browns
¼ tsp. black pepper  
¼ c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Put foil into baking cups and set aside.  Cook and drain sausages.  Combine eggs, milk, cheese in a large bowl; add salt and pepper to taste.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the vegetables and sauté until tender.  Combine egg mixture, sausages, and vegetables.  Pour even amounts into the separate baking cups and place in the oven until eggs are set, approximately 22 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

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If you’re like many women today, you’re working a full-time job during the day and then come home to put in at least another eight hours taking care of the home.  Finding things that will make your time at home less taxing would be great, especially when it comes to being able to feed your family nutritious meals that they will enjoy.

Truth be told, everyone prefers to eat a good, home cooked meal.  But if you’ve just spent a draining eight hours outside the home, you may not have the energy to cook from scratch.  You can create great meals that don’t take a long time; here’s how:

  • Make a plan before going grocery shopping.  Creating a meal plan for at least a week at a time will solve two problems. Firstly, you’ll know what you’re going to fix so you won’t be racking your brain after you come home trying to figure out what to fix.  Secondly, you’ll be able to better control how much you spend because you’ll already know what ingredients you need.

  • After you’ve done your shopping, wash all the vegetables and cut them up into the sizes you’ll need for each meal.  This may take a while on the front, but will save you a lot of time when you’re preparing each meal later.  Don’t forget to ask for help from those that are old enough to use a sharp knife.  This will greatly lessen the time you need to spend.

  • Make your crock pot your best friend.  This one cooking tool can make your life so much easier, and your family much more satisfied with the meal.  Put your ingredients into the crock pot, turn it on, and leave it alone.  By the time you return home, you’ll have the makings for a great home-cooked meal!

  • When you plan a family favorite, prepare more than one meal’s worth.  You can double, triple, or quadruple the amount that you make.  Freeze the separate meals for later use.  When you’re craving a particular meal and don’t have time to fix it, you’ll have one in the freezer; all you have to do is take it out and reheat it.

  • If you don’t want to spend an entire day cooking extra meals, plan on cooking enough for one extra meal that you can use as a planned leftover one night.  If you’re using making chili one night, make a little extra that you can add to baked potatoes on another night.

  • Stretch your home-made meal with a great tossed or pasta salad.  Salads are quick, easy, and nutritious.  They’re also good to add when you’re having leftovers.  They’ll stretch the meal quite nicely.

You may not be able to be supermom or superwoman, but you can accomplish your goal of providing nutritious, home-made meals even after working outside of the home all day long.  By using these tips, you’ll reduce some of the time you need to prepare those meals.  You might actually find that you have a chance to enjoy your meal, as well, and that should make you feel super!

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Many times busy parents resort to hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, frozen pizza or frequent trips to a fast-food restaurant.  That’s not healthy for you or the kids – not to mention its pretty rough on the family grocery budget.

Kitchen time savers

There are things you can do to cut down on time spent in the kitchen. Pick one day a week and prepare several freezer friendly meals. You can even go the extra mile and package them in individual serving size containers. Doing so will provide your family with a larger variety of entrée choices, on any given day.

Do you have friends that are intrigued with the idea of a one-day a week cooking spree or a meal planning service? Get together with 2 or 3 of them. Each of you decides on 2 main dishes you want to prepare. Buy enough ingredients to make the entrees for each family.

You need to plan ahead

One simple thing that you can do is keep an ample supply of fresh fruits, salad ingredients, soups and fresh sandwich fixings, on hand. Quick meals such as this are nutritious and don’t require a great deal of preparation time.

If you take on the task of meal planning and want to get in the habit of consistently putting together weekly menus yourself, you may be surprised at how much time it involves.  Did you know that the typical family meal planner spends roughly 3 hours per week combing through cookbooks, choosing recipes and compiling a grocery list? That translates into 156 hours, per year. Yikes! 

A menu service can help

You can say goodbye to last minute thrown together meals and eliminate the stress of dinner planning for your family by subscribing to a meal planning service. This type of service is very affordable, usually costing only a few cents per day. Menus are often designed to be family friendly and easily adaptable.

When you purchase a subscription to a service such as this, your membership will typically feature a weekly menu emailed right to your inbox. This includes seven main dish recipes, side dish suggestions and dessert ideas.  As an added benefit, you receive a detailed shopping list, categorized by aisle, which makes your trip to the grocery store that much easier. Simply cross off items already in your pantry, add any other products you may be in need of and you’re off!

If you enjoy planning your own menu, you may want to consider a dinner planning service, in addition to your own choices. Why? It will still save you time, in the long run. Use the membership menu as a base. Then, search for recipes that will deliciously compliment that weekly plan.

Remember, nothing is more important than family time. Don’t let dinner planning get you down. Consider the suggestions we’ve made and you’ll spend less time
slaving over hot stove and more time with the people you love.

For a free weekly trial of a family friendly menu planning service, visit www.DineWithoutWhine.

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Ingredients:

4 potatoes, cooked and sliced
¼ C. margarine
2 Tbsp. flour
1 C. milk
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ C. onions, diced fine
¼ C. barbecue sauce
1 C. cheese, grated

Directions:

Layer half of potatoes in an 8 inch casserole dish. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and add milk gradually. Stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, onions, and barbecue sauce. Stir in cheese until melted. Pour half of sauce over potatoes and repeat the layers. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 25 minutes.

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Take your kids shopping with you. Let them choose the fruits and vegetables they enjoy. This is generally the simplest way even with children as young as 4 years old. Children learn to eat healthier when they are a part of the cooking and the meal planning for the family.

Children really like color. Even with food, kids will look, then smell, and finally taste. So a variety of color in meals is great. Eating a mixture of foods greatly improves the chances of consuming all the nutrients you and your family need for optimum health.

A exciting way to get your kids to eat vegetables is to use the vegetables as part of a project. Kids get to count, make shapes, and then eat what they create. You get the satisfaction of knowing that you are giving nutritious foods into their diet.

Kids Recipes for Create My Own Soup

Let your children count the carrots and celery pieces. Let them spell their names with the noodles if you include alphabet noodles. You may find other novelty noodles like car shapes, etc. Create a topic of the soup creation.

Cut star shapes out of the carrot slices and zucchini (using an aspic cutter) then set to the side.

Ingredients:
*1-2 carrots
*1 zucchini
*4 cups low sodium chicken broth
*1/4 cup shaped pasta
*Dash of sage
*3/4 cup chopped, cooked chicken
*Salt and pepper to taste

Bringing it All Together:

*Let the kids help you wash the vegetables. Once finished you can wash the carrots and zucchini softly with a vegetable brush.
*Cut the vegetables into 1/4-inch slices.
*Cut star shapes out of the slices, and set them aside.

*In a medium sized pot, bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat.
*Add the carrot stars and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
*Add the pasta, zucchini and chicken. Continue cooking the soup for another few minutes, stirring occasionally, just until the pasta is done. Makes 4 servings.

*Let your kids find their names or count the number of shapes in their soup bowl. The kids will like the adventure and fun, you will feel good knowing they are eating their vegetables.

Would you like more Kid-Friendly Recipes? Christine Steendahl – “The Menu Mom” invites you to visit Kid Approved Meals at www.kidapprovedmeals.com to download your personal 13 week breakfast and lunch menu made just for kids!

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1.     Check out the facilities where the picnic will be held. Is there a grill, ample trashcans, bathrooms, and decent shelter? No one wants to run halfway across the park to locate a bathroom for their little ones. Know the place you will be using before you get there, if possible.

2.     Even if the weather is not hot, the sun can burn. Be sure that everyone has applied a good layer of sunscreen to protect them all day. Waterproof sunscreen works best so protection isn’t compromised. Don’t forget to bring along hats and sunglasses as well.

3.     Completely clean coolers before filling them with ice.  If the drinks are kept separate from the drinks, such as in bags then the ice cooling the drinks may be used to keep drinks cold in cups. And, as the ice melts, drain it into empty containers or cups for ice cold drinking water instead of buying bottled water.

4.     Don’t forget the insect repellant. Check labels to make sure it is safe for kids, if they will be attending the picnic. Avoid the eyes, nose, and mouth when spraying or rubbing it on the skin and reapply as needed to keep those nasty buggers away.

5.     Have adequate refrigeration for cold foods and raw meat. The night before the picnic, refrigerate all raw meats and anything that will need to maintain a cool temperature at the picnic. Move them directly from the refrigerator to a cooler full of ice. Dump the ice from the raw food cooler once the food has been prepared so no one mistakes it for ice to be used in their drink. A small kid pool filled with ice can keep the cold foods cold while everyone is eating.

6.     Cover all foods on the picnic table. Use aluminum foil or plastic wrap and keep your food safe from these unwanted guests.

7.     Bring hand sanitizer and a jug of water for hand washing and cleanup. Hand sanitizer works best when hands aren’t visibly soiled. Use water to rinse off dirt and grime, dry, and then cover hands will a generous dollop of hand sanitizer. The water can be used to cool off hot coals when grilling is complete as well.

8.     Throw away any mayonnaise or milk based dish that has been sitting out for more than an hour. In the heat, it doesn’t take long for these types of foods to go bad. Really, any dish that needs to be served cold should be taken care of after meal time as well.

When you remember these and other picnic safety rules, you’re in for a day full of fun and protection for everyone who attends. 

Enjoy!

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Grilled cheese sandwiches are the least cumbersome meal to prepare. Kids can even learn to prepare it themselves. The ones I used to make contained regular cheese and white bread with margarine to cook it. Here are a few ways to make that grilled cheese sandwich healthier for your little ones.

First of all you need to slim the cheese. Full fat cheeses are a thing of the past. A slice of fat free cheese melts just the same with fewer calories and fat. If American cheese is too boring, try a slice of Swiss or cheddar cheese. Monterey Jack is good on a sandwich, also. One slice of cheese is plenty, but if you are using the fat free kind, you could probably get by with two slices for a creamier sandwich.

What about the bread? The bread is a key element. White bread contains too many sugars that are bad for you. Try whole wheat or seven grain bread. Sourdough bread would make a good substitution. What you want is bread with fewer calories and carbohydrates per serving.

What about some meat? When they added bologna to a grilled cheese sandwich when I was a kid, they called it a “flying saucer”. Adding a slice of meat makes the sandwich more of a complete meal. Depending on what their favorite is, you can add roast beef, sliced ham, sliced turkey, bacon, sausage, or sliced chicken breast.

What about some flavor? Add more taste to their grilled cheese sandwich with a few choice condiments. Adding mustard gives the sandwich a tangy taste. For an even better taste add brown or Dijon mustard. Go south of the border with a bit of salsa added to the sandwich. The salsa will make the grilled cheese sandwich spicy. Roast beef goes well with a dollop of barbeque sauce added for more flavor. If your child is into the simpler tastes, add a bit of fat-free or reduced fat mayonnaise or ketchup to the sandwich. Adding some dressing such as Thousand Island is another great option for adding variety.

Add some crunch to your sandwich. Slice up an apple and place it on top of the cheese. People eat a slice of cheese with apple pie and many cheese trays are served with apples, so why not on a grilled cheese sandwich? Use a Granny Smith apple for best results. They will maintain their form better than a red apple.

Our grilled cheese sandwich is definitely coming together. We have added meat, changed the cheese, changed the bread, and added sauces for added pizzaz. What’s left to do? Let’s see if we can incorporate some vegetables. Pickles work well on a cheese sandwich with bologna. A juicy slice of tomato would add color and flavor to any meat and cheese combination. Get a slice of green with a leaf of romaine lettuce or some shredded iceberg lettuce.

Ditch the margarine. I used to spread a thick layer of margarine on both sides of the bread before I put the sandwich in the pan. Here are a few alternatives to that. Use spray butter or non-stick cooking spray in the pan. Your kids will still have the butter flavor without all the butter calories. Another choice would be to brown the sandwich in the oven. Using a metal tray, spray both sides of the bread with butter spray. Bake the cheese sandwiches in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for about six minutes per side.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are getting a new look. By adding meat, seasoning, and veggies, your sandwiches are now a meal unto themselves. Get your family involved in the cooking. Let them create their own sandwiches.

Would you like more Kid-Friendly Recipes? Christine Steendahl – “The Menu Mom” invites you to visit Kid Approved Meals at www.KidApprovedMeals.com to download your personal 13 week breakfast and lunch menu made just for kids!

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Almost everyone may remember when classroom bulletin boards displayed the food pyramid. The pyramid – there was only one. One size fit all. Everyone needed to subscribe to the same nutritional guidelines. Everyone was told to merely glance at the pyramid to figure out how many servings were needed each day.

Almost all would agree that it is a good thing that obsolete food pyramid has gone by the wayside! It may have taken a while, but the idea that not all people require the same food intake finally caught on. Nor are children expected to follow the same nutritional guidelines as the adults.

If you’re hoping we’ll show you the “kid’s guidelines” there unfortunately isn’t a predetermined guideline. The amount of food from each food group that each person needs to eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle is dependent on their age, sex and physical activity level. One size doesn’t fit all. You can go to http://mypyramid.gov/ to type in some search criteria to get an idea of how much from each food category to eat every day.

Remember balance is the name of the game. Make sure your little ones are eating fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats and beans and grains every day. Then round it off with water, fresh air and exercise. To help you get started, below you will find a couple of nutritious meals for children.

This turkey avocado sandwich wrap uses kid-friendly ingredients for a nutritious lunch or treat.

INGREDIENTS:
• Whole wheat tortillas
• 1 avocado mashed
• Sliced deli turkey
• Shredded carrots
• Shredded lettuce
• Shredded Monterey jack cheese

PREPARATION:
Assemble wraps in the following order: Spread mashed avocado on tortilla; Sprinkle shredded carrots and lettuce on avocado; Lay on slices of deli turkey; Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

In addition, you won’t get any looks of disappointment if you inform the children you’re making chicken nuggets for supper. This kid favorite is just as good in the low-fat, oven-baked version. For quick clean-up and extra crispiness, lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet; and, then place a wire rack on top of the foil.

INGREDIENTS:
• skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in 1-2 inch squares
• non-fat or low-fat buttermilk
• flour for dredging
• finely crushed corn flakes for dredging
• salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375. Prepare three large bowls for dredging chicken – 1 with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, 1 with buttermilk, and 1 with crushed corn flakes. Prepare baking pan by laying a sheet of foil over a cookie sheet; and then place a wire rack on top of the foil. Season chicken with salt and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

Drag chicken pieces in flour. Shake off excess flour and coat with buttermilk. Next, generously coat chicken with corn flakes, and place on rack of your baking pan. Bake nuggets for 15 minutes. These keep well for the next day’s lunch box so make plenty!

The next time you reach into the pantry or freezer to grab something simple to prepare for dinner, take a good analytical look at the ingredients. The idea is not to serve food that is adequate but rather food that is nutritious. Remember that not all of your little ones may require the same servings of food.
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Would you like more Kid-Friendly Recipes? Christine Steendahl – “The Menu Mom” invites you to visit Kid Approved Meals at http://www.kidapprovedmeals.com to download your personal 13 week breakfast and lunch menu made just for kids!

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