Guest Post - Recipes for Busy Parents

Today I'm lucky enough to have a guest post from Nancy, helping in the kitchen, which after last week, you all know I truly need. Hope these recipes strike your fancy!

Life is going so fast these days the last thing most of us want to do is stay in the kitchen all night creating meals. Most of us save the cooking all day for Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays. I’ve been trying to find recipes for my family that they will enjoy but that don’t keep me chained to the kitchen. I’m going to share some of the recipes I’ve found with you. We need to stick together in this parenting business so that we can find more time to spend relaxing with our families.

1. Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce (http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/white-chicken-enchiladas.html) – It sounds complex from the title but it’s really very easy. For those of you who are concerned about the green chili’s the woman who posted this recipe assures us that there is no concern needed as they are not hot and both of her children like them. It’s a very simple recipe using soft taco shells and chicken topped with a creamy sauce. It sounds delicious and like something my family will love. If your family enjoys enchiladas then you’ve found an easy recipe in this one.

2. Chicken Enchilada Puffs (http://tidymom.net/2011/chicken-enchilada-puffs-recipe/) – Here’s another kind of enchilada dish. Not your traditional enchiladas but sounds like a fun recipe. Its crescent rolls filled with chicken, cream cheese, Mexican blend cheese, taco seasonings, and enchilada sauce. They are baked with a little more cheese on top. For those of us who love crescent rolls I think this one is worth a try. It seems like everything tastes better with crescent rolls.

3. Moist Cheddar-Garlic Oven Fried Chicken Breast (http://www.food.com/recipe/kittencals-moist-cheddar-garlic-oven-fried-chicken-breast-82102) – This is one of my personal favorites. Unless you are one of the rare people that don’t like cheese or garlic this recipe is a must try. I’ve made this one a couple of times already. I’m not a big chicken breast fan because they seem to always come out dry… it could be my cooking, but we won’t go there. This one has cheddar and parmesan cheese, with bread crumbs, and dipped in garlic butter. Then you bake it. Only one word to describe – YUM. Add some mashed potatoes and a veggie on the side and you are good to go.

4. Jen’s Incredible Baked Meatballs (http://cookwithhoney.blogspot.ca/2012/04/jens-incredible-baked-meatballs.html) – I know at my house spaghetti is always welcome. Most kids I know love it and meatballs are such a treat. These meatballs are baked, not fried. Sort of like mini meatloaf. Full of flavor from the addition of parmesan, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, and spices these won’t fail to please the meat eaters in the family. We have to watch my son so that we all get some meatballs; he’s been known to eat several before they hit the table.

5. Hamburger Steak with Creamy Onion Gravy (http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2009/02/hamburger-steak-with-creamy-onion-gravy.html) – The name pretty much says it all. Make patties out of ground chuck or whatever grade of meat you like, coat in a little flour and then brown them, sauté some onion, thicken it into gravy and simmer your patties for a little while. Served with rice or mashed potatoes and mmm, a nice comfort meal. It’s quick and tasty.

6. Parmesan Chicken Bake (http://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2012/07/parmesan-chicken-bake.html) – This one is fast and easy. Six chicken breasts covered with either light mayo or Greek yogurt and fresh parmesan cheese, add to this a little garlic, salt, and pepper and pop it into the oven to bake. The recipe cautions to make sure you cover all exposed chicken with the sauce to keep it from drying out. The blog that this recipe came from said that it’s even good the next day. Many times I’ve used the frozen chicken breasts for dishes like these. They are good to have on hand, just defrost and you are ready to throw this meal together.

7. Million Dollar Spaghetti  (http://ashleykaitlin.blogspot.com/2011/01/million-dollar-spaghetti.html) – This is super easy and is along the same lines as very easy lasagna. Cook your hamburger and add the spaghetti sauce while cooking your pasta. Mix together your cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese. I have made this recipe and it calls for an entire stick of butter which I did not use. I did coat the bottom of my baking dish with butter. I was glad I did not use it as it is already very rich and it would end up swimming in butter. You layer the spaghetti, meat sauce, and then the cheese mixture, then the spaghetti and meat sauce again. Top it with sharp cheddar or the cheese of your choosing and bake. It really is very tasty.

8. Hawaiian Baked Ham and Swiss Sandwiches (http://www.navywifecook.com/2011/11/hawaiian-baked-ham-and-swiss-sandwiches.html) – When I saw a picture of these I knew I had to make them. If you’ve never had King’s Hawaiian Rolls then you don’t know what you’re missing. One of these heated with butter…*sigh*. Anyway… these just look delicious. From time to time it’s nice to have something out of the ordinary for a meal. These are ham and Swiss sandwiches on special rolls with what sounds like a wonderful sauce. A sauce consisting of butter, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and poppy seeds. It says to put some on bottom of baking dish before you put in the rolls and then pour over the top and bake. If this doesn’t sound good to you I think you need to go to the blog and look at the picture. That may just convince you, it did me!

9. Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-grape-pasta-salad-50400000115388/) – I thought I’d offer up a nice pasta, veggie, and fruity salad for you as well. This one is just too good to pass up. It does have pecans so if you have any nut allergies at home you may want to leave them out or pass this one by. It has red grapes, red onion, and bow tie pastas; it’s a very pretty salad. A nice sweet/tart dressing tops it off. There are many broccoli salads out there on Pinterest, I think what drew me to this one was the pecans. (Or it could have been the picture; I’m a very visual person, especially when it comes to food!)

10. Bacon Egg Breakfast Casserole (http://www.grouprecipes.com/1462/bacon-egg-breakfast-casserole.html) – Here’s a breakfast idea for you, something you can make the night before and toss into the oven in the morning. It starts with sliced bread on the bottom then it’s covered with pound of two different cheeses and a pound of bacon! Sound good so far? It’s not for the faint of heart. Then you mix together your eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and pour it over the top. It says you can freeze it or put it in the fridge over night. It bakes for 45 to 50 minutes. This would be nice to have when you have guests and don’t feel like flipping pancakes or scrambling eggs the next morning. I’m a terrible breakfast cooker… everyone’s starving and everything has to be done at the same time. Is anyone else like me? By the time I sit down everyone else is done. This sounds much better to me!

11. Delicious Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-raspberry-oatmeal-cookie-bars/detail.aspx) – I wanted to share a couple of quick dessert recipes that looked good since this is my favorite part of the meal. These sound almost healthy with the oatmeal and the raspberry filling. All there is to it is brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, oats, and butter mixed to make the crust and topping. Press two cups ofthis mixture down on the bottom of the baking dish, spread with seedless raspberry jam, and top with the remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes and let it cool before slicing it into bars.

12. Cherry Cheese Delight (http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cherry-Cheese-Delight#.UBBtGL-pLNY.pinterest) – I love cheese cake and cherries and this recipe looks like a close cousin. The crust has pecans in it which makes it a selling point for me. You need to bake the crust for 20 minutes and then you just mix up the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and whipped topping and pour on top of cooled crust. Add two cans of cherry pie filling on top and refrigerate for two hours. It’s very simple to put together and if you put it together before your evening meal it will be ready for dessert and coffee time later.

I hope some of these recipes will work well for you and be a good fit for your family. It’s always nice to have a simple yet delicious dinner or dessert idea on hand.

Author Bio

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny, www.enannysource.com/ etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com