Dinner in a Flash!

In starting my blog I have discovered something I didn't realize about myself, how much I dread making dinner. Usually I am exhausted by the evening and want someone else to cook for me. Or we have a ball game or practice somewhere that puts us at home just when dinner should be served.

And I find us tempted far too many times to pick up dinner at a fast food restaurant. Or buying a few things from the "dollar" menu. But then my kids are hungry only after an hour or so when we do that. So I thought I would list a few things I have done that have helped me out.

• Deli Chicken- Often you can buy a 10 piece all dark meat from the grocery deli for about $5. At home make some instant potatoes with a gravy mix. Throw some frozen veggies in the microwave and have a piece of fruit. Very fast and very tasty. In fact I did that tonight and dinner was served in under 7 minutes. One other note the chicken may not be the healthiest choice but it saved me a lot more fat and calories than a Big Mac and fries would have been.
• Marinades- One of the easiest ideas ever! I just have to remember this in the morning or night before. You just dump it in a Tupperware container and add the chicken and refrigerate until ready to cook. When you come home, take the chicken throw it in a pan (non-stick coat first) add a little of the marinade juices and cook for about 7-10 minutes and it's done. Cook your rice at the same time. A lot of bottled salad dressings often times are marinades too, so no thinking involved.
  
• Frozen Lasagna- I would love to say I whip together several of these and store them in the freezer but I am not that organized yet. We all like Stouffer's lasagna. It cooks for over two hours and I can usually start it and have it ready when we come home. If I am particularly organized I will cook it early in the day and just reheat it when we get home. Add a frozen veggie and bagged salad and voila dinner is served.
• Crock Pot- If I know we have something in the evening I can use my crock pot. One very simple crock pot idea we use is chicken gravy with rice. I add boneless, skinless chicken breast with a can of cream soup and a little milk. Let it cook on low for several hours (around 6-8 depending on how much chicken). If you start in the morning you can throw your chicken in frozen. When you come home cook up some instant rice. You can even be healthy and make Instant brown rice. It takes 10 minutes to cook but it is very good and healthier than white rice. A book that has a lot of good recipes for the crock pot that aren't strange is called Fix it and Forget It, Feasting with your Slow Cooker by Dawn J. Ranck
  
• Pancakes and eggs- I am not a breakfast person so my family doesn't get a hot breakfast too often and enjoy having it for dinner every so often.
• Hamburger already cooked- I almost forgot this tip and yet it can save you so many times. I will cook up several pounds of ground beef. Then I will divide it into 1 pound servings in ziploc bags and freeze it. Then it is ready to go. That way I can make spaghetti, tacos or Hamburger Helper in a flash.
• Restaraunts.com- If you have to eat out try this website you can get great gift certificates for a fraction of the cost. Often times they will have discounts on top of the gift certificates making it a super deal. For example we were able to get a gift certificate to a mexican restaraunt for $25 for only $2. In all we spent under $20 for a family of four. That's $5 a plate and that included drinks and a dessert. You often times have up to a year to cash in on the gift certificate you buy. Right now they are offering $25 gift certificates for only $3. Just click here for their website and when checking out use the discount code recipe.
  
• Use Paperware- Clean up is also something I dread so use paperware. It helps to keep the clean up down.
  

Have any other quick dinner tips? I would LOVE to hear them.