I need help with recipies PLZ

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JessyJanePapworth
JessyJanePapworth Posts: 10 Member
in Recipes
As a mom of 6 kids i need snack or meals that i can make quickly and easily that are "cheap" to make. One of my children is mentally retarded and if i am in the kitchen very long he is into everything. Last time i was cooking dinner before my hubby got home my son decided to "flush the kitty" as you can imagine how that ended for him.... Lots of band-aids later, and one very needed kitty bath, we were locking the bathroom door. That does not deter him as he will just find something else to get into lol. I just need some yummy quick recipes.

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  • 180farm
    180farm Posts: 230
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    Meals - I love my crock pot. I put chicken or almost any meat and either soup, broth, or a can of tomatoes with tons of veggies.
    Snacks-ants on a log-you can use peanut butter, cream or cottage cheese
    Cheese and fruit
    Fishy crackers with craisins and almond
    Berries and cool whip
    My daughter is special needs and can't be left alone or she eats everything she can get her hands on. Makes things a little more difficult (as you know).
    The little cutie oranges are good and easy enough for her to peel. Healthy and keeps her Fingers occupied and easy to take places .
    I wish you and the cat good luck.
  • ariant23
    ariant23 Posts: 161 Member
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    I would go with meals prepped after the kids are in bed (I only have 2 and that's really the only time I can do stuff). Sandwiches can be premade. you can also do casserole-type dishes. Do all the prep at night, throw in the fridge, pop in the oven as described in recipe, add ~10-15 min for being in the fridge. Box of pasta, jar of sauce is always quick and easy.

    On the "healthy" side...

    I buy my veggies in bulk and process as much as I can at night, cut up all the lettuce so salad is easy. I pre-cut celery and keep it in tupperware in *water* (look in the prepackaged produce section, and you'll see where I got the idea). It might not be as good as if I prepped it right before we eat, but it's better than the prepackaged stuff from the store.

    As for your son, is there any way you can involve him in the cooking? my 2.5 year old is really good at peeling garlic. keeps her busy and she feels important and invested in our healthy meal. I also have her help me wash the produce (admittedly it takes longer, but she's not causing trouble either). She can also add premeasured spices and stir (not on the stove). She has a "safe spot" in front of the fridge where she sits when I open the oven and move things to/from the stove.

    good luck to you.
  • JessyJanePapworth
    JessyJanePapworth Posts: 10 Member
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    Thank you both :) My son has tried to help me cook and it usually does not go very well. He eats everything he touches (including hot peppers). He is learning to stay out of the kitchen as he doesn't understand what hot is until it is too late. I involve him in baking when i bake. he helps roll dough or sprinkle (in his case throw) the flour. He is only 4 so I am hopeful that it will get easier in the future. I had him eating "Ants on a log" as snack while I started dinner tonight. It worked wonderfully. Of course he painted the table with peanut butter but nothing a Clorox wipe couldn't fix lol. He loves the cuties, we all do. They are just super convenient to grab on the go :)
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
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    Some quick/easy/healthy things you're gonna wanna have on hand, that can be thrown in a pot, pan or dish:

    -Canned Tomato or Pasta Sauce (tomato is always lower cal than cream-based)

    -Salsa (totally versatile, can be put in a sauce, used as a topping, dressing, and can be made 'fun' for picky kids) I use it on pizzas instead of tomato sauce.

    -Shredded Coleslaw mix (sounds dumb, but i hate veggies, and sneak this into stir-frys or sauces, I throw it ontop of pizza, its a quick, easy and cheap vegetable additive) Also, you can shred carrots or other vegetables and basically stew or puree them into almost any dish, to basically trick kids into eating em.

    -Sour Cream (low/no fat) goes a long way in making a sauce, dip or spread. Also really low calorie. Mix some dried soup mix and it can be a snack paired with vegetable sticks (carrot, celery) for your family. Also a sorta fun snack for them.

    If I think of more, I'll let you know.

    I'm a big fan of lazy cooking. Meaning 5 or less ingredients thrown together, making a dish. I cook all day at work and don't wanna be cutting and prepping stuff all day, unless its a special occasion.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
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    Sorta related, I used to cook meals for my ex's 3 cousins. They hated vegetables. The kinda kids whod be like 'what is this?' and pick something out of their food. If you said it was an onion, they wouldn't eat it. If you didn't tell them what it was, they would.

    I'd use the shredded carrot/onion trick when making spaghetti sauce, or a casserole. Cooked into the sauce, they had no idea what anything was.

    I also made sweet-potato fries cause they seemed to like them.

    Little did they know, half the 'fries' were parboiled carrot sticks I tossed in eggwhites and flour.

    ;)
  • JessyJanePapworth
    JessyJanePapworth Posts: 10 Member
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    All awesome ideas. My kids will eat almost anything, we have the eat it or starve rule lol. I got tired of cooking more than one dinner. I also have to watch the same 4 year old because he doesn't know when he is full and will eat until her gets really sick. We had a quick chicken stir-fry. Snap pea stir fry (frozen) then I cooked some chicken and made some rice. 1 out of 9 people went to bed mad because he was forced to eat "that mess". Oh well kiddo I do the cooking not you but if you would like to take over cooking for a large family little man be my guest (said to the 6 year old boy) He pouted and finished most of his dinner. Score one for mom!
  • darciecoles
    darciecoles Posts: 7
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    Some really easy things you can throw together or leave standing if you have to run off to save kitty =)

    -Fruit kabobs with strawberry margarita dip
    1 tub Phily strawberry light cream cheese spread
    1 cup thawed cool whip light whipped topping
    zest and juice 1 lime
    2 1/2 cups cubed cantaloupe
    2 1/2 cups cubed honeydew melon
    24 fresh strawberries, hulled.
    MIX cream cheese spread, Cool Whip, zest and juice until well blended. Refrigerate 1 hour.
    MEANWHILE, thread fruit onto 12 wooden skewers; place in airtight container. Refrigerate until ready to use.
    SERVE kabobs with dip.


    -alternate fruit dip
    8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
    7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
    In a bowl, stir together the cream cheese and marshmallow creme until thoroughly combined.
    Serve with your favorite fruit.

    Also, crackers, cream cheese and apple slices--one of my favs when I was a kid. OR shrimp and ketchup. Weird, but I loved it (my mum had to take the shrimp away from me or I'd eat the whole package).

    As for dinner/lunch ideas, you can always make a flatbread dough and store it in the freezer. This is my current fav. It takes a little bit of time, but you make it up and you have at least 2 meals out of it =)
    yield: Makes enough for two or three 12-inch pizza crusts, depending on thickness

    ingredients
    • 3 cups unbleached flour, plus more for dusting a work surface ** bread flour for a better dough; possibly 2-2.5 bread flour and .5-1 whole wheat flour
    • Fine sea salt
    • 1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    print a shopping list for this recipe

    preparation
    1. Process the flour and 2 teaspoons salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook until thoroughly incorporated, 1 minute.
    2. Put the yeast in another bowl. Whisk in 1/4 cup warm water, then 2 tablespoons of the oil. Let rest until the liquid begins to foam, about 10 minutes, then pour this mixture into the center of the flour. Mix the flour and yeast solution until incorporated. Add 3/4 cup warm water to the flour and mix again until the dough pulls together in a single, unified mass.
    3. Turn the mass out onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead the dough by working it with the heel of your hand. Push outward and pull the inside edge over the top. Repeat the process over and over to create a smooth ball of dough free of stickiness. This should take 6 to 8 minutes.
    4. Brush a clean, stainless-steel bowl with the remaining tablespoon oil and put the ball of dough in the bowl. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
    5. When the dough has risen, divide it in half, or thirds for thinner pizzas, and shape the pieces into balls that will later be patted into the traditional pizza shape. The balls of dough can be individually wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 months.

    Throw whatever toppings and sauce on that you like and voila! Homemade pizza!
  • Ibelievenme2
    Ibelievenme2 Posts: 96 Member
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    Crock pot can be your friend when it comes to dry beans. A meal that goes a long way is boiling chicken, salt and pepper(celery optional) when done add elbow macaroni and a little margarine. One skinless breast makes 6 servings for us. I take the chicken out and tear it real small and then add it back. You also can use chicken backs so much cheaper and the bones in gives it a rich flavor. Ground beef casserole feeds a family of 8- 2 lb ground beef, 2 cups of cheese, a package of egg noodles, bell pepper, onion, small can tomato paste, can of cream of mushroom, salt and black pepper. Boil noodles, cut bell pepper and onions really small add to ground beef and brown add salt and black pepper. In a large bowl mix cream of mushroom, tomato paste and 1 1/2 cups of cheese together. Then add noodles(after you drain noodles) to bowl and mix real good, then add beef(after you drain beef) Mix real well then put into large casserole dish then top with remaining cheese. Oven should be preheated 350 degrees cook for 35 minutes. As far as the chicken recipe I don't measure I just wash chicken and boil for about 1 1/2 hour with salt and pepper pull out chicken boil macaroni in broth til done add chicken back and margarine and serve. You may need to add more salt. This can be done after ever one goes to bed or you get up early.
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    Tacos! Who doesn't love tacos or taco salads? You can sub in ground beef for lean ground beef or ground turkey.
  • mzmarple
    mzmarple Posts: 12
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    I'm retired, so I have plenty of time, but I still cook as if I were working my usual 60-hour week because I really don't like to cook. These tips work well if you have a large freezer for storage. I set aside some time for bulk cooking. Instead of making large meals when I bulk-cook, I make the main ingredients, such as:

    meatballs - I bake instead of fry & freeze in ziplok bags (usually 3-5 pounds of burger at a time);
    ground beef - I brown it, drain it, and freeze - use in chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, etc. Just thaw in the microwave;
    stuffed shells - I boil the shells & fill them, then freeze on cookie sheets & store in the freezer;
    spaghetti sauce - I make this in my crockpot, then store in meal-sized containers (freezer bags work well & they lay flat);
    chili - same as the spag. sauce;
    soup - same as above (when I make chicken soup, I don't add pasta or rice because it gets mushy & takes up too much room. I add that in when I reheat the soup. I also make the broth double-strength, then add water when reheating the soup to cook the pasta or rice);

    Other things I do:
    - roast a whole chicken (you can do 2 at once in the oven) - or cook 1 in the crockpot, then use 1 for the meal & clean the meat off the other one & use for other meals;
    - make a potroast in the crockpot, large enough for more than one meal, use the leftover meat in soup, or slice it to reheat with gravy or for sandwiches;
    - prep veggies when I buy them so they're ready for snacks or meals;
    - buy what's on sale at the supermarket and plan meals around what I have in the freezer, instead of going out to buy what I need for the meals that I planned for the week - this saves time and money.
  • _Sara_A_
    _Sara_A_ Posts: 113 Member
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    Thai Chicken Satay

    1 lb (450 g) cubed boneless, skinless chicken
    1 Tbsp (15 ml) Epicure's Thai Seasoning
    1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
    1 Tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
    3 Tbsp (45 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
    1 tsp (5 ml) sugar

    1. Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
    2. Meanwhile, soak wooden skewers in water to prevent scorching and splintering while grilling.
    3. Thread chicken onto prepared skewers and grill over high heat for approximately 3 minutes per side, or until chicken is fully cooked.

    *I just cut up chicken breasts into chunks but don't put them onto skewers. With kids they might decide they are swords and use them to fight with.


    Pineapple Chicken

    2 Chicken Breasts
    2 Carrots, sliced
    1/2 green bell pepper sliced
    5 garlic cloves
    1 tbsp canola oil
    1 can Pineapple Tidbits
    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 onion

    Cut Chicken into pieces and marinate in pineapple juice. Put oil in frying pan and saute chopped onions and garlic cloves. Toss chicken into frying pan and brown. Add carrots, when cooked add green peppers and pineapple.


    Barbecued Pork

    1kg Pork Chops
    1 tsp Epicure's Chili Seasoning
    1 tsp Epicure's Fajita Seasoning
    1 large onion, diced
    1 cup ketchup
    1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
    2 cups water

    1. Place pork in pot. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over pork and bring to a boil until pork is cooked. If sauce gets too thick, add more water.


    To all of these you can easily add veggies. Especially if you cut up veggies the when the kids are in bed, or have some of the kids help you cut up the veggies.

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