Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a favorite at our house and all 3 kids eat it really good which is always a bonus. We buy a routisere chicken from Costco and add a few sides the first night and then the next night turn what's left into soup. Boil the entire chicken in water for a few minutes and let the juices come out and then take it out and add a package of frozen egg noodles (purchased at almost any store in the frozen section) along with one can of chicken base liquid. Let the noodles cook while removing the remaining chicken and add it to the soup. Add a chicken flavor cube if needed and seasoning salt. Very yummy and fast. It is really filling so we don't add many sides, maybe rolls or fruit.

Orange Julius

This isn't a dinner, but hey, let's be honest. Life without sugar is truly no life at all! It's orange, so count it as your pseudo healthy Halloween treat. After all, it contains orange juice and milk, so it must be good for you! :)

Orange Julius

6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8-9 ice cubes

1. Combine all ingredients except ice cubes in blender.
2. Blend for about 1-2 minutes, adding ice cubes one at a time.

Easy add-on to Pasta Roni

So Last night I made one of my lazy night dishes. For those who don't know, Pasta Roni has microwave directions on the side of the box (same water, milk, butter you add to it but you just put it in a 2qt microwavable dish and cook for ~8 mins). Since these can be a little unfilling by themselves, I just throw on some frozen chicken tenerdloins with everything else at the start and then you have a chicken pasta dish! I just cook up some peas or whatever other veggie and you have to go with it. You get a whole meal in less than 10 mins. It's the perfect amount for 2.

Killer Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Who doesn't love grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup? Yet, part of me says, "Am I not too grown up for this?" Well, the answer isn't a strait yes or no: it depends on your ingredients.

Tips for the best growed-up, killer grilled cheese sandwich:
* Use a good quality sharp cheddar cheese. Or, if you're feeling brave, switch out cheddar for gouda, swiss, or whatever type of cheese floats your particular boat.
* Throw in a tomato slice. Fresh veggies = happy immune system.
* If you like pickles, thrown some of them in. They add a zing that can be quite nice.
* Like mustard? Slap some on the inside of a fancy cheezed sandwich.
* Use whatever kind of bread you want, but there's nothing like awesome cheese grilled on bakery bread. Choose whatever you want!

Tips for the best growed-up tomato soup:
*Forget the canned, red-label Campbells. (If you're doing the cheaper, store-version, you've got to cut that out, too). Seriously, it's maybe a dollar more for the good stuff, and that dollar is so dang worth it.
*Before you continue, note that I do not mean make your own tomato soup. Heck, this is an easy dinner. No need for all that trouble.
* Check out higher-quality canned soups. Campbells makes an amazing garden tomato with basil. Check for the white "Select Harvest" label - it's killer.
*Campbells also teamed up with V8 for some amazing boxed soups. The boxed soups (I think) have a better flavor. Their tomato-basil soup is the good kind of chunky and it's to die for.

OK, so now you know all about cheese, bread, and soup. It may end up costing you a dollar or two more to put this one together, but let's be honest. This still isn't an expensive meal. It's fast, it's flavorful, it's comfort food, and everyone likes it. I hate cheese and I like it, so there you go! Killer grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Seven Layer Dip

My husband loves Mexican food so I make 7 Layer Dip a lot for dinner---it is mostly healthy because it is mostly vegetables.

I use:

Refried Beans
Sour Cream (with Taco Seasoning Mixed in)
Corn
Green Peppers
Red Onions
Avocadoes
Olives
Tomatoes
Cheese
And anything else you have or would like to add!

Lemon chicken with potatoes

So tonight for dinner I made lemon chicken with potatoes. I use the frozen chicken tenders. I put a little butter in a pan and brown each side of the chicken pieces. I then rub 3-5 TBSP of lemon juice and 1 TBSP olive oil on both sides. I place it in a oven safe pan and sprinkle fresh or dried Basil on both sides. Now the chicken is ready to go in the oven. I cut up potatoes pieces and put in a zip lock bag (usually the gallon size). Then I put some olive oil in with however much of a packet of the Lipton onion dry soup mix. I shake around a bit and place in a separate dish. I place both in the oven at 350 for 20-30 mins. Makes a great fast meal. If you can't tell I'm all about fast and easy meals.

Chicken cordon bleu

Today for lunch/dinner we had chicken cordon bleu from the frozen section at Costco. If you can't already tell, I love their dinners. They are so good and super fast. It definitely hit the spot.