MPM

Dinners

Slow cooker orange chicken (with green beans and white rice)

Cheesy rigatoni bake (with corn and salad)

Ribs (with homemade BBQ sauce) fries and Texas toast

Turkey and Tortellini (with bread sticks)

Presto Parmesan (with spaghetti and corn)

Lunches

Leftovers

Sandwiches

Poorbois

Pasta

Breakfasts

Waffles

Cereal

Eggs and Bacon

Sunday Breakfast

French Toast

Fresh fruit

Sausage

Build-a-Train

How to play:

You'll need several cardboard boxes large enough for a kid to sit inside.

Put out a variety of art supplies -- markers, stickers, construction paper, glue -- and tell each child to turn his or her box into a train car.

Once they've decorated the outside of their box with wheels, windows, and whatever else they can think of, help them arrange the cars one behind the other, then hop aboard for an imaginary choo-choo ride.

What it teaches:

Perseverance. Games that require team prep work give kids a sense of accomplishment, says clinical psychologist Sandra McLeod Humphrey, author of Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs. The positive payoff introduces children to the good feeling they get when they achieve their hard-earned goals.

Parent tip:

Be prepared to hang on to those boxes; the kids will want to get together and hit the track again and again.

From Parents.com

Rice Roll-ups

Rice Roll-Ups

Stir 2 tablespoons shredded carrot,

1 tablespoon sweet-and-sour sauce, and

1/8 teaspoon salt into

3/4 cup cooked brown rice.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of rice mixture onto a thin slice of deli roast beef.

Top with a slice each of red pepper and avocado; then roll up.

Cut rolls in half diagonally. Repeat steps to make 12 pieces.

Picture and Recipe from parents.com

Pulled Chicken sandwiches

Pulled Chicken sandwiches (kraftfoods.com)

What You Need
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 French bread baguette, 16 to 20-inches long (we used hamburger buns)
4 KRAFT Singles

Make It

COOK chicken and onions in skillet on medium-high heat 8 min., stirring occasionally.

ADD barbecue sauce, water and sugar; stir. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Cook an additional 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

REMOVE chicken from skillet. Shred chicken with fork or chop into small pieces. Return to skillet; stir until evenly coated with sauce.

Cut baguette crosswise into four pieces. Cut each piece lengthwise in half. Fill with chicken mixture and Singles.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Ingredients

Olive oil
2 C. marinara sauce
1/3 C. mascarpone cheese
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley leaves (1/3 that amount if dried)
2 tsp thyme (1/3 that amount if dried)
1 lb cheese tortellini
2 oz thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Lightly oil an 8x8 dish

Whisk sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl.

Cook tortellini in salted boiling water until just tender (about 2 min.) Drain.

Add tortellini to sauce and toss to coat.

Transfer to baking dish and top with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese on top melts. (about 30 min)

Italian Chicken Roll-ups

Italian Chicken Roll-ups

Ingredients:
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
8 thin slices (4 ounces) deli ham
4 slices provolone cheese, halved
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup milk
Cooking spray

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Place a slice of ham and half slice of provolone cheese on each piece of chicken. Roll up from a short side and tuck in ends; secure with a toothpick.

In a shallow bowl, combine the crumbs, Romano cheese and parsley. Pour milk into another bowl. Dip chicken rolls in milk, then roll in crumb mixture.

Place the roll-ups, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet. Spritz chicken with cooking spray.

Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 25 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove toothpicks.

I made these for the first time last night and they were SO good! We also had Cesar salad and Texas toast with it. This is going to be a family favorite!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings (TATT)

Go to Andreas blog for other great recipes!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1-2/3 cups reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix
2/3 cup fat-free milk

Directions:

In a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, saute celery and carrots for 5 minutes.

Stir in the broth, poultry seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered.

Add the chicken. For dumplings, combine biscuit mix and milk. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering broth.

Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering).

MPM

Dinners
Italian Chicken roll-ups *
Baked Tortellini*
Tomato & spinach pasta toss with Texas toast *
Stuffing chicken bake*
Beef Stroganoff*

Lunches
Leftovers
Sandwiches
Mac & cheese
Chicken burgers

Breakfasts
Cereal
Waffles
French toast
Smoothies

Sunday Breakfast
Chocolate chip pancakes
Fruit salad

Fish (Tuna) Cakes

What You Need!

2 cans (6 oz. each) light tuna in water, drained, flaked
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup water
1 carrot, shredded or 1/2 a cup
1/3 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. CLAUSSEN Sweet Pickle Relish

Make It!

MIX all ingredients. Refrigerate 10 min.



HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Use ice cream scoop to add 1/3-cup portions of tuna mixture, in batches, to skillet.


FLATTEN into patties with back of spatula. Cook 6 min. or until golden brown on both sides, carefully turning patties over after 3 min.

We all really liked these. I didn't really know if we would. We had Cesar salad with it and I think it was perfect! It didn't look too pretty while I was making it but trust me it tasted good.

Substitutes. Switch to mozzarella cheese. Use crab, salmon or chicken meat.

MPM

Dinners
Pulled Chicken sandwiches with fries *
French dips with fries
Sloppy Joes (from scratch) * with new potatoes & corn
Fish cakes (with Cesar salad)*
Chicken and dumplings *

Lunches
Leftovers
Sandwiches
Chicken nuggets

Breakfast
Waffles
Pancakes
French Toast
Cereal

Sunday Breakfast
Cinnamon & Vanilla waffles
Bacon
Eggs
New potatoes

I didn't like this on my other blog so I'm going to keep it here. If you see anything you would like let me know and I will put the recipe up. If it has a * it means the recipe is on here already.

I make everything mostly from "scratch". Meaning I don't buy anything that I can easily make like sloppy joe mix (it's so east to just make it yourself!). But I don't make all my own bread or anything crazy like that...maybe one day. Lol.

I will try to post a few pictures of the dinners I make this week.

Weeknight Pizza Casserole

Weeknight Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 3 1/2 oz package sliced pepperoni
1 2 1.2 oz can sliced olives, drained
1 14 oz jar pizza sauce
1 8 oz package shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 C. biscuit mix (Bisquick)
1 C. milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Brown beef in large skillet over med-high heat; drain.

Stir in pepperoni and olives.Spoon into a lightly greased 8x8in baking dish.Top with sauce and cheese.

Combine biscuit mix, milk and eggs, stirring until smooth. Pour over cheese, spreading evenly.

Bake uncovered at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Let stand 5 min before serving.

You can make this with any toppings that you like. Sometimes I don't add the ground beef and I just use whatever kind of pizza toppings we are in the mood for.

Pecan Pie

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
2 cups pecan halves
3 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup sugar
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cover bottom of pie crust with pecans.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and melted butter.

Add the corn syrup, sugar, and the chopped chocolate. Stir until all ingredients are combined.

Pour mixture into the pie shell over the pecans and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet.


Bake for 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes or until pie is set.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Crock Pot Chili

Crock pot Chili
makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef
1 lg onion, diced
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 6oz cans tomato paste
1 16oz can refried beans
2 16oz cans chili beans
2 16oz cans black beans
1 4oz can diced green chillies
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 C. water
2 T. mild chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper

Directions

In a skillet, brown beef and onion: drain.

Place meat mixture in crock pot on high and stir in remaining ingredients.

Cook on high for 30 min then reduce heat to low; cook 4-6 hours.

Top individual servings with grated cheese and chopped onion.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 large bag wide noodles, cooked

2 cans french onion soup

16 oz sour cream

Directions

Brown and drain ground beef.

Warm french onion soup. DO NOT BOIL!

Whisk sour cream into soup until blended together.

Add to beef; Simmer.

Add the noodles or pour over when ready to serve.

The total time is under 30 min. It's so easy to make and it tastes so good!

Beef Stir Fry

Beef Stir-Fry

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep/Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak OR beef top round steak, 3/4" thick*
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Beef Broth
2 tbsp. soy sauce (I add 1/4 spicy miso teriyaki sauce by Kikkoman also)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 cups cut-up vegetables **
1/4 tsp. garlic powder OR 1 clove garlic, minced

Hot cooked rice

Directions:
SLICE beef into very thin strips. Mix cornstarch, broth and soy until smooth. Set aside.

HEAT oil in skillet. Add beef and stir-fry until browned and juices evaporate. Push beef to one side of skillet.

ADD vegetables and garlic powder and stir-fry until tender-crisp.

STIR cornstarch mixture and add. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Serve over rice.

TIP: *To make slicing beef easier, freeze beef 1 hr.

**Use broccoli flowerets, sliced carrots and green or red pepper strips. (we like broccoli, carrots, snap peas and water chestnuts)

cookie surprise cupcakes!

COOKIE SUPRISE CUPCAKES

These are the most amazing things in the world!

You take any kind of chocolate cake mix and mix according to the box




Fill muffin pans about half full and then take chocolate cookie dough (the pre made kind, about 1 TBP) and put down in the batter . I use my cookie scoop, I don't fill it all the way though.


Then bake for 18-20 (I did 18 and they were perfect!) minutes at 350 and when cooled - top with chocolate frosting (& mini chocolate chips!).