Hellobee Boards

Rotiserrie chicken shredded in salad with balsamic vinaigrette, tacos, omelettes, grilled sausages or hamburgers, pasta with meat sauce or trader joes vodka sauce, ravioli.... Hmm what else...

Easy peasy taco soup:

Into the crockpot the night before:
1 pound chicken breast
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
Cover with enough water to submerge everything very well (or use chicken stock)
Heavy sprinkle of bullion cubes/seasoning (omit if using chicken stock)
Heavy sprinkle of garlic salt

Pop it in the slow cooker in the morning, cook on low 8 hours.

Immediately before serving, add desired toppings (crushed tortilla chips, avocado, sour cream, cheese, hot sauce, etc.)

I like to do one or two things after the baby is in bed for the night to ease my dinner prep during the week.

Right now, our favorite summer meal is this pasta: I will chop and roast off some small tomatoes and zucchini tossed in olive oil and garlic at 400F for 20 minutes. While that's going, I boil a box of short pasta until its just shy of al dente, rinse with cold water, toss with olive oil, and throw in the fridge. While the pasta is boiling, I slice and saute some sliced chicken sausage until its browned and throw that in the fridge. The veggies come out of the oven, all of it and the juices get thrown into the fridge as well. When we get home and need dinner, DH will grab DS and start bathtime while I pull out a big pan and add my pasta, sausage, and veggies to the pan, add a big splash of wine and a dollop or two of jarred sauce, give it a mix, and then throw the lid on with the flame on medium so everything can warm and mingle together. It takes under 10 minutes and tastes fantastic.

Pizza night is fast, especially if you use those Boboli crusts. You can chop up your toppings while the oven preheats and throw a bag salad on the side.

I always have hot rice in the rice cooker and that saves us a lot of time. A really easy and fast kid-friendly meal is to chop up onions, peppers, and whatever other veg you like and stir fry with slices of kielbasa or any other kind of sausage that's already pre-cooked, like Aidell's, and add a splash of ketchup, sweet and sour sauce, or BBQ sauce right at the end (with a bit of water or broth if its too thick), and serve over hot rice.

I have learned that unless I am home by 4, I cannot get a meal on the table if there is food prep involved. Most I can manage is to transfer something from the fridge to the oven or boil water for pasta.