calling all foodies

I am SO bored of my menus. 
Spaghetti
Tater tot casserole
Lasagna
Baked chicken (spiced, marinated, or plain)
Burgers (ok, I never tire of burgers but we can't eat them nightly)
Enchiladas (healthy or otherwise)
Hamburger Helper (yeah, we're that redneck)
Fajitas/tacos (without toppings because I rarely remember to get them)

Help! I know that some of you are excellent cooks. 
Let's have a little contest
Easiest, yummiest recipe!

Two categories:
Main entrees
Side dishes

Must use the following in entrees:
ground beef OR skinless chicken breasts

Must use the following in side dishes:
corn, peas, green beans (canned)
*we do use other vegetables, just these are the most often*
broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, carrots, lettuce are others we enjoy

*we also enjoy casserole dishes!*

We have zero food allergies that we're aware of, but cannot afford expensive items (i.e. no garlic cloves - those suckers are more than $2.50 a piece!). Please nothing that makes me a slave in my kitchen (bonus points for slow cooker meals).

What will you win (two winners: main dish & side dish)? 
Your choice of the following cookbooks:
Starving Student Cookbook
Casual Entertaining
A Taste of Italy
Just Like Grandma Used to Make

Recipes must be submitted by March 11, 2011. Winners will be announced March 31, 2011 (to give me plenty of time to try them all).

Comments

What about a dish that has the meat AND a vegetable, like broccoli? Or does it HAVE to be corn, peas, or green beans?

And about the garlic, I just get minced garlic in the jar. Cuz if I buy fresh garlic I can't ever use it fast enough before it goes bad. The jar lasts FOREVER though!
Alright, if you say other veggies are okay too, then here we go--one of our favorites and the kids eat it up too!

* Curried Chicken Divan *

1 1/4 cup rice
1 pkg frozen broccoli florets, cooked (or buy fresh and steam about 2 cups)
1 1/2 c cooked chicken and cut to bite size bits
Sauce:
1 can cream of chickien soup
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/3 c milk
1/2 c shredded cheese + some for top
1/2 tsp curry powder

Cook your rice and spread it on the bottom of your casserole dish. Then lay broccoli, then chicken. And cover with sauce. (I've actually started making double the amount of sauce to make it super creamy for the kids). Sprinkle cheese on top. And bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Add a side of fruit and that's a meal!

OR Another SUPER EASY favorite and even better when you can grill...

* Italian Chicken *

Chicken Tenderloins (not the full chicken breasts, but the ones that are cut into strips)
1/2 bottle of Italian dressing

Marinade the chicken in the dressing for a couple hours before dinner. Then cook the chicken in a skillet with a Tbl or 2 of oil.

Side it with buttered green beans and some fruit.
Stacey said…
Mmmm.... I'm going to have to think on this one :) I'll be back!
Cori said…
Corn Casserole (I LOVE IT)
It's easy and cost efficient!

1 can kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 stick of margarine, melted
3/4 cup of Sour Cream
1/2 cup Milk

Mix all ingredients together, put them into a 9x13 GREASED casserole dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until it looks done (i.e. it doesn't jiggle in the middle any more).

Seriously, try this. It is delicious! And, I usually put an entire 16 oz tub of sour cream in mine. :) I like my sour cream; what can I say?
Stacey said…
Mexican Tortilla Skillet
1 pound ground beef
1 can tomato bisque or soup
1/2 cup salsa
6 flour tortillas (small ones) cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (this could be optional)

Brown beef, add tomato bisque, salsa, water, and tortillas. Stir together til heated through. Sprinkle with cheese.



Salsa Chicken
4 chicken breasts
taco seasoning
1 cup salsa (more less to your liking)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (more or less to your liking)

Place chicken breasts in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Sprinkle with taco seasoning on both sides.
Spread on the salsa, sprinkle on cheese, then bake at 375 til done (like 30 min or so?)
Top with sour cream if you like that stuff, lol.
I serve it over rice.

Can you tell we like Mexican style? Yup, it's always a good choice in our house!
Stacey said…
As for sides... I'll have to keep thinking on that one! We usually just eat a big salad, or some cooked veggies with butter and dill.
Hmmm...I'm not much of a cook, but my go to place is kraftfoods.com. Easy stuff, mostly affordable stuff, and simple stuff. And you can usually do some simple substitutions to up the health factor if you want to. I like them because their almost all quick recipes (a must for us) and don't use a bunch of stuff I would never have in my house (and maybe not even in our small town grocery store).

I did notice there's no pork in there. I love to catch those pre-marinated pork tenderloins on sale(especially with a coupon!). All you do is bake them and add sides.

What about other pastas? I'll cook up some chopped peppers, onions, and asparagus, brown some Italian, Polish, or lamb (our own) sausage and then toss it all together with some Italian dressing and some bow tie pasta.

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