I will just admit it – I am a horrible cook. I hate grocery shopping, planning meals, prepping meals, cooking meals and really, if truth be told, I don’t really like eating meals all that much either.
I am not a foodie. I am married to a foodie and I have foodie children, but I am fairly certain that I could live off ten foods. Actually, five.
Because I have children, that obviously need to be fed, I learned, not to cook but to be creative. If you have some easy cooking tips – please share. My children will thank you.
Cheating in the Kitchen with Chicken
Monday for dinner
- Go to the grocery store and buy 2 already roasted chickens
- Serve one of the chickens for dinner with boiled corn on the cob (children to shuck), something green (like frozen peas) and broiled buns with butter (and garlic if you like).
Tuesday for lunch
- Using the left over chicken, make a wrap with your favorite veggies. Kids like rolling up their wraps with cheese.
- An alternative is layering the chicken, with veggies and cheese (and some mayo) on a Panini and grilling the sandwich. So yummy!
Wednesday for dinner
Still have leftover chicken? Make chicken salad and either serve as a sandwich with a cucumber salad or in a bowl with a side of veggies. Here is my recipe for a delicious and easy (and quick) dinner:
Chicken Salad
Leftover chicken chopped into small pieces
Minced red or sweet onion
Chopped pickles
Mayo (or yogurt for a healthier option)
Juice from half a lime
Freshly cracked pepper
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. As much of each ingredient as you like.
- Serve in a bowl, on toast or warm buns
Cucumber Salad
- Mix one English cucumber thinly cut (width wise) and half a thinly sliced red onion in a mixing bowl
- Cover with two parts olive oil and one part red wine vinegar
- Sprinkle with sugar, oregano, and salt
- Add cracked pepper
Absolute Silence Pasta
Sometimes I just need quiet. My ears are essentially bleeding from the noise and the chaos of the day. This is my fall back when the kids are crying that they are starving, the baby is pulling at my legs and I just want to collapse on the floor and join them.
Ingredients:
3/4 Package of small rotini pasta (or whichever you desire)
¼ cup of butter
Enough parmesan cheese to cover the pasta
Instructions:
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions. During this time, when hunger is at its height, the boys devour any veggies that I put in front of them.
- Drain the pasta and pour into an oval corning wear dish.
- Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese over the pasta. Leave it to the side.
- Place the ¼ cup of butter (or more if you are in a Paula Deen mood) and crank the heat to high. Let the butter simmer, boil and burn.
- Remove the butter from the heat when it is brown and bubbling.
- Pour the hot butter over the pasta and cheese
- Mix together and serve
- Enjoy the silence that comes over the table
Variations:
You could add shrimp or frozen peas to the mix, but if your kids are like my middle one, they might not like “fings” in their food.
If you are making this for adults or a gourmand kiddo, I would suggest drizzling truffle oil over the pasta. To. Die. For.
4 Mothers 