I make a handful of the same recipes over and over again. I needed something new and I needed it to be quick and easy. So I decided to pick up this little sliced ham for around $8.
This one was about two pounds so I new I could get at least two dinners out of it. And the best part is that it’s already cooked, you just have to warm it up and add a few side dishes.
Voilà! Dinner is served.
It’s good for you, it doesn’t take much effort and your kids will eat it…if they like ham and the sides you fix.
Dinner #1:
- Ham (I wrapped a portion of the ham in foil and put it in towards the end of the baked potatoes).
- Steamed broccoli (my kids won’t eat this, so they had fruit instead).
- Baked potatoes (my go-to side dish)
Dinner #2 (tonight):
- Ham
- Can of green beans
- Frozen mini ears of corn (I think it’s Green Giant, but I know it’s the one called Extra Dulces Sweet. I’m too lazy to go downstairs and look right now.)
Another thing I do fairly often that is affordable and very easy is Shake N Bake. We make pork chops a lot. Takes about 15 minutes and it’s really good, especially when it’s too rainy to grill.
So what’s your favorite easy dinner? Please tell me, because there’s only so much ham and shake n bake a girl can eat. I need some more easy meals in our rotation.
I’ve got a couple of stand-bys:
Cheesy Mexican pasta — super simple — brown a pound of ground beef in a large skillet. When it is finished, add one can of Campbell’s Beef Consomme soup and two cans of water to the beef in the skillet. Bring to a boil, and then add pasta. I usually use macarroni pasta or shells; about 1/2 – 3/4 of a box, and cook that for the 8 or 10 minutes (whatever the box says). Once the pasta is cooked, add one cup of salsa and one can of Campbell’s Cheddar Chees soup. Mix it all up and yum, yum. Doesn’t sound like much, but I swear everybody eats it up!
Second: Meatloaf the super simple way. Hunt’s makes a seasoned tomato sauce just for meatloaf. Sometimes it’s hard for me to find in my supermarket, but my dad never has a problem picking it up at Food City at home. Using that sauce, you just have to add the meat, the egg and the crackers. I also buy a bag of broccoli slaw in the produce section and kill it in my food processor. Add that to the meatloaf and nobody ever knows.
Finally: another super simple one: Saute onions, garlic and peppers in some olive oil. Add a 32 oz. can of Italian seasoned diced tomatoes and sliced up smoked sausage. Bring all that together over a simmer, while making some penne pasta in a separate pot. Again, yum, yum!
Ooooooh, thanks, Jennifer! And I love the broccoli sneak! Jessica Simspon would be proud.
you mean Jessica Seinfeld? I’m betting Jessica Simpson would just want to know how we could sneak some chocolate in!
Brainfart. Yes, Jessica Seinfeld is what I meant. Thanks for speaking Heather and knowing what I meant.