How Easy Dinner Recipes Can Help You Keep All Your New Year Resolutions
A quick survey of my friends showed the usual New Year resolutions.
- Lose weight
- Spend more time with the family
- Get the kids eating healthier food
- Save money
- Pay off the credit card
- Travel more
- Take up a new hobby
Sound familiar?
What if I told you that the key to nailing your New Year resolutions this year is as simple as making a commitment to eating at home with the family?
“Too easy!” you say, “So what’s the catch?”
The catch? No catch, you just have to cook the meals yourself.
Not convinced eating at healthy home cooked meals will solve all these problems?
Let me show you in more detail:
Lose weight: You have more control over food you prepare at home. You’re less likely to go overboard on the carbs and you can watch the fat, salt and sugar content too. Go for fresh, simple food and do as little to it as you can. Combine this with a gentle exercise routine of say, 30 minutes brisk walking a day, and the weight problem will virtually solve itself.
Spend more time with the family: We’re all so busy these days, but if you can make a house rule that everyone is home at a certain time for dinner (at least some of the time), then you get the value of sharing a meal together as well as sharing some time together. This is made all the more special because you’ve prepared the meal yourself. In fact, get the kids involved and teach them some valuable skills while you are at it.
Get the kids eating healthier food: As you take care of your own resolution to lose weight the kids will benefit too from the healthier food. The only difference is that active kids and teens need more carbs than you do, so give them a serving of low GI brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or wholegrain bread.
Save money; Pay more off the credit card; and Travel more: I’ve lumped these three together because they can all be solved the same way. That is, once you are regularly eating at home, buying unprocessed foods, and not forking out a fortune on fast food and take out, you’ll notice a welcome side effect on your budget. You’ll be starting to save money. Money you can put away for a ‘rainy day’, put on the credit card, or save for a decent holiday. Every little bit helps, and in my experience raw fruit and vegetables and other unprocessed foods are much cheaper to buy than food that just needs to be heated and served.
Take up a new hobby: I think you’ve probably already guessed where I’m heading with this one! Yes, why not join the fastest growing movement in the western world and really get into cooking your own food! You don’t need to produce restaurant quality food every night. Who needs that kind of pressure! All you need is to allow yourself to enjoy food, fresh food, with as many of your senses as you can muster, and share the enthusiasm with your family.
Oh, and a source of easy dinner recipes never goes astray. I can help out there too, so be sure to check out my website for heaps of free recipes as well as tips on healthy eating.
So, what are you waiting for? Will you be going to next years New Year’s Eve party knowing that you’ve failed to keep your resolutions again?
Or are you going to enjoy ticking them all off this year? You’ll never have to make a resolution again…or you could have some fun cultivating a whole set of new vices!
Watch the video related to Simple Dinner Recipes
Learn how to tell if the Thanksgiving turkey is done cooking in this free traditional Thanksgiving Day recipes cooking video. Expert: Lori Schneider Contact: www.figscatering.com Bio: Lori Schneider is a chef and owner of Figs Catering in Austin, Texas. Filmmaker: Drew Noah
Help answer the question about Simple Dinner Recipes
What are some of your favorite simple dinner and dessert recipes?
My boyfriend is a big pasta eater and I'm looking to try some new things for myself. I'm way tired of eating the same things. Any one have a simple, tasty recipe that they could suggest I try?
Also, any dessert recipes? (We love brownies, cake, cookies, etc.)
I'll let you know how It goes! Thanks!
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Comments on How Easy Dinner Recipes Can Help You Keep All Your New Year Resolutions
8:45 am
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1 cup chopped green or red pepper
1 8oz jar Pace picante sauce, divided use
1 8oz package Philadelphia Brand cream cheese, cubed
8 flour tortillas (6 inch)
¾ LB Velveeta Process Cheese spread or Velveeta Light, cubed
¼ cup milk
Stir chicken, green pepper, ½ cup picante sauce and cream cheese in saucepan over low heat until smooth. Spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam side down, in lightly greased 8 x 13 baking dish.
Stir cheese spread and milk in saucepan over low heat until smooth.
Pour sauce over tortillas; cover with foil.
Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Pour remaining picante sauce over tortillas.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
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Southwestern Hot Dogs
1 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons salsa
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
10 hot dogs
10 hot dog buns, split
In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cut a 1/2-in.-deep lengthwise slit in each hot dog. Spoon about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve on buns.
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Rosy Beans & Rice
½ cup tomato juice
½ cup quick-cooking rice, uncooked
1 can (19 ounces) Campbell’s Chunky Bean & Ham soup
In large saucepan, over medium heat, heat tomato juice to boiling. Add rice. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 5 minutes.
Add soup; heat through.
Makes 2 ½ cups or 2 servings
For one serving, substitute a 10 ounce can and halve remaining ingredients.
Source: Campbell’s Souper Mealtime Recipes
10:09 am
My quick simple tastey stand by is always a Zesty chicken cordon bleu……..
4 chicken breasts (i use chicken tenders when short on time)
1 cup of your favorite Italian dressing
8 thin slices of deli ham
4 thin slices of swiss cheese
Cook chicken until juices run clear, pour italian dressing over the top and cook another minute on each side. Divide ham and swiss over each piece of chicken. Cover until cheese melts.
I like to spoon the leftover dressing from the pan over the top of the chicken.
I usually make Chedar/broccoli rice on the side (just oen of those packets with all the seasonings inside) and maybe a dinner roll.
I have very picky kids and they eat it every time with out complaints.
9:37 am
Would it get dry if you cooked it exactly like that.
4:18 pm
Below are several ideas for you, the first is my favorite, but not as simple as you may be looking for.
Chicken Quesadillas:
Marinate your chicken breasts in fahita sauce. (I use World Harbor brand…I think that's the name-clear bottle, blue lid-Delicious!) Bake in the oven on 400 degrees until done (about 20 minutes). In the meantime, open 1-2 cans of diced green chilies (depending on your taste.) Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. If you have a quesadilla maker, heat that, otherwise you can use the microwave. Put a soft tortilla shell first, then layer the chicken, cheese, green chilies and bacon bits or crumbled bacon. Place another tortilla shell on top and heat until the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream.
I also make a dinner where I take pizza dough, spread it out on the pan, put on bologna, or salami, or both, (or any other type of pre-packaged lunch meat you have and/or like) with some cheese, roll it up, put butter and garlic salt on the top, and bake it in a 375 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top, and not doughy inside anymore. Slice it up, and it feeds several people. Potatoes and veggies go good with this meal.
You can also make shephard's pie with 1/2-1 pound ground turkey meat, cooked, mixed with 1-2 cans of creamed corn. Put that in the bottom of a baking pan and spread mashed potatoes on top. I usually put american cheese on top, but you don't have to. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. Make gravy for people to put on top, if they want it.
I also make what I call "little pizza's". I take the buttermilk bisquits that come in the blue can in the refridgerated section. I cook up 1/2 pound of turkey meat (but you can do it without the meat) and mix it with tomatoe sauce that I make myself. Put a little bit of the meat/sauce mixture, or the sauce, on each one with a little bit of velveeta, mozzarella, or american cheese on top. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 6-8 minutes (keep an eye on it so they don't burn.) Two cans of biscuits, make 20 little pizza's, served with potatoes and a veggie. Yum!
Hope this helps!!!