Teriyaki Bowls

Susan and I had a delicious dinner last night. Super fast and it doesn't heat up the house. (We all want to keep it cool during the summer).

Bag of BBQ Chicken Teriyaki from Trader Joes
Brown rice (or any variety you like)
Veggies (we used peas, carrots, broccoli, and green beans)

I prepared the Chicken in a skillet (the bag says use the microwave).
Steam the veggies in the microwave.
Cook rice according to package directions.

Layer, serve and enjoy!

Suped Up Rice

Got boring white rice?


Ingredients:

1/2 cups cooked white rice, regular or instant (or brown)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
sliced almonds (raw or toasted/roasted)

Cook rice according to directions. In a skillet, sauté celery, bell pepper, and onion in butter until tender. Add almonds and sauté for 1 minute. Then add rice and sauté for 3-4 minutes (you may need to add more butter so the rice doesn't stick). Enjoy!


I made this up tonight because we were low on vegetables and I was making rice to go with a Chinese orange chicken (Costco!). It was so yummy, and the kids loved it!

marinated flank steak

this is a super easy meal to make. i usually get flank steak from costco because the price seems to be the most reasonable, although its still a bit pricey. the bonus from costco is that you get two flank steaks and can marinate the second one in a freezer bag, freeze it, and have it on hand for another night. the key to this dish is the "special sauce", although marinating it over night definitely helps. i made this yesterday and only let it marinade for 30 minutes, and it was still really yummy.

1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce

mix the above ingredients, adjusting to taste. i've never actually measured them out, so this is just an approximate. put the steak and sauce into a ziplock bag and squeeze out all the air. let marinate as long as possible. bbq on low, turning occasionally and adding sauce to top side. it doesn't take too long, and it smells really good while the sugar is carmelizing. take the meat off the bbq and let it sit for about 10 minutes for the juices to disperse evenly in the meat (and not all leak out when you slice it). when you slice it, cut it at an angle, against the grain to make it less tough. we had artichokes and bread as side dishes, but just about anything works. leftover would be good on a roll. this sauce also works great on meatloaf. does anyone still make meatloaf? i haven't in a long time. i think it needs to be renamed - it kind of just sounds gross!

Short-cut Chili Con Carne

This chili is super yummy and super easy!

1 lb. lean ground beef (you can also substitute turkey, or tofu)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. chili powder
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
2 16-oz cans kidney or pinto beans

In skillet, brown beef. Pour off excess fat. In crockpot, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours. Remove bay leaf.

I love to add frozen corn or frozen pieces of bell pepper to this! Serve with plenty of toppings; I use sour cream, chopped green onions, grated cheddar cheese and olives, and I also like to serve with Fritos scoops (learned this from Lara!)

Make a side of cornbread and you're good to go! Especially great as a Fall or Winter meal.

Basic Tuna Noodle Casserole

I love this recipe because it's total comfort food, very kid friendly, but it can be made healthy at the same time. And it's so versitile. Don't like fish? Use chicken instead. You don't have cream of celery soup, but you do have cream of mushroom? No Problem. Need more greens in your diet? Use spinach and broccoli instead of celery and carrots. You really can't ruin this recipe (I forgot the mayo once and it was fine), so be creative.


Tuna Noodle Casserole

4 or 5 celery stalks chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 carrot or 10 baby carrots finely chopped
2 6oz cans of tuna drained
3 or 4 heaping spoonfuls of mayonnaise
4 oz of your favorite pasta (I like whole wheat egg noodles)
1 can (10 ¾ oz) of cream of celery soup (try the Healthy Request)
4oz of cheddar cheese (or more) grated
¾ of a soup can of milk
potato chips, corn chips, croutons or sliced almonds

1. boil pasta according to the directions, then drain
2. mix celery, onion, carrot, pasta and tuna in a baking pan. Add enough mayo to evenly coat the mixture (more or less depending on your taste).
3. In a small sauce pan add cream of celery soup. Fill the empty can about three quarters of the way full with milk. Add milk to the soup. Stir over medium heat until heated through.
4. Add grated cheese to the soup, stirring until cheese is melted and evenly mixed in.
5. Add cheesy soup to the baking pan. Mix well.
6. sprinkle crushed potato chips, corn chips, croutons or sliced almonds over casserole as a topping
7. Bake for 20min at 425˚

Serves about 6

Cheez-It Chicken

Okay, I know it sounds totally random and even disgusting, but I SWEAR it's yummy! (would I lie?)

boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 for each person)
melted butter
sour cream
cheez-its (crunched up)
*I usually do each of these in a cereal bowl...

1. Dip the chicken in melted butter.
2. Dip in sour cream.
3. Dip in cheez its.
4. Bake at 375 degrees until done (20 minutes?). Just check on it, I can never remember.

Basically, you are doing breaded chicken...but with cheez-its instead of regular old bread crumbs. It's yummy, just try it. Kids love it.

I usually serve with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

Potatoes and Sausage

Okay, so this may sound weird, but trust me, it's good! And it doesn't get easier than this! This comes from my husband's family.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 medium-sized russet potatoes
• your favorite linked (not ground) sausage (no need to defrost frozen sausage)
• Jane's Krazy Original Mixed-Up Salt Marinade and Seasoning
  

Wash potatoes and cut into chunks (smaller chunks cook faster). Put all potatoes in a medium saucepan, and then fill with water until about 3/4 of the potatoes are covered. Slice sausage into bite-sized pieces. Add to potato/water mixture. Then mix in a very generous amount of the Jane's seasoning. If you aren't sure how much to put in, hold off putting it in until the meal is cooked, and then you can add the seasoning by taste (but I think it tastes even better when the seasoning cooks with it). Bring to a boil and cook on high, uncovered (or slightly covered to cook faster), until potatoes are tender (about 15-20 mintutes). Stir/mash until desired consistency.

It's easy to adapt this dish to family size. We usually serve this dish alone. Any suggestions for a side dish?

The Jane's seasoning can sometimes be hard to find. Vons usually has it. If you really can't find it, go to any Borland household. We all cook with it a LOT, and we always have a ton. Some people keep salt and pepper shakers handy by the stove. I keep Krazy Jane's there instead.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4(ish)