Easy Dinners for Families with Twins and Multiples

By Sue Peterson

1)      Easy chicken parmesan - Purchase Purdue precooked Italian chicken breasts. Cover with sauce and mozzarella cheese and cook at 425 degrees for 10-13 minutes. Meanwhile, heat additional sauce and cook pasta. Serve with bagged salad.

2)       Crock pot country-style ribs - Purchase country-style ribs (with or without bone). Place in crock pot sprayed with Pam. Cover with jar of barbeque sauce. Add ¼ cup water if necessary. Heat on low all day or for 3-4 hours on high. Serve with white minute rice and steamed vegetable.

3)      Teriyaki chicken wings - Purchase large bag of chicken wingettes and defrost. Make sauce by mixing together 2 cups brown sugar, 10 oz jar of soy sauce, and 1 cup white vinegar. In large zippered freezer bag, sprinkle wings with garlic powder, and then cover with sauce. Marinate for 1 or 2 days in refrigerator. Place wings in large baking pan. Cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees until golden brown and bubbling. Transfer to crock pot to keep warm. Serve with rice pilaf and steamed vegetable.

4)      Crock pot chicken - Place 4-6 boneless chicken breasts in crock pot sprayed with Pam. Add 1 package of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix and ¼ to ½ cup water. Heat on low for 3 hours. Remove chicken and add 1 package of softened cream cheese and 1 can of cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup. Mix together (hand mixer works best) and then return chicken to crock pot. Heat for 1 additional hour on low. Serve with rice and steamed vegetable.

5)      Crock pot parmesan chicken - In large bowl, mix 1 jar of cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup mix with 1½ cups milk, 1 package of dry onion soup mix, and 1 cup uncooked converted rice. Place chicken (4-6 boneless breasts) in bottom of crock pot sprayed with Pam. Add 1 tablespoon butter onto each piece of chicken and then pour soup mixture over all. Sprinkle ¼ cup of parmesan cheese over mix. Season with salt & pepper. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Serve with a steamed vegetable.

6)       Baked ziti - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine 1 container (15 oz) of ricotta cheese, 2 beaten eggs, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. In another bowl combine 16 oz of cooked ziti and 1 jar (26 oz) of pasta sauce. In a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, spoon ½ of pasta mixture, evenly top with cheese mixture, and then add remaining pasta. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake 30 minutes until heated through. Serve with additional sauce if desired and bagged salad.

7)      Crock pot sweet & sour meatballs - Mix 1 jar of chili sauce with 1 small jar of grape jelly. Place 1 bag of frozen meatballs into crock pot. Cover with chili/jelly mixture. Add ¼ cup water if needed. Heat on low for 8 hours. Serve over plain pasta or minute rice with steamed vegetable.

8)      Tacos or nachos - Prepare ahead by chopping lettuce and tomatoes, and placing them in individual bowls (or muffin tin) along with jarred salsa or taco sauce and Mexican cheese. Heat ground beef according to taco seasoning directions. Heat taco shells with or without meat inside. Serve with taco fixings and heated refried beans. Or serve as nachos by topping taco chips with meat, salsa, sour cream, etc.

9)      Easy chicken quesadillas - Purchase cooked chicken (Purdue) or pre-cook chicken breast and cut into 1-inch pieces. Preheat broiler. Place soft flour tortillas on a cookie sheet. Spread refried beans on them. Add salsa, chicken chunks and taco cheese. Place another tortilla on top and add more cheese. Broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese melts and chicken inside is heated. Serve them topped with non-fat sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and more salsa.

10)  Salsa chicken  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 4 boneless chicken breasts in baking dish. In small bowl, mix 1 jar of salsa (16 oz) with 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Pour over chicken and bake for 50 minutes. Serve over white minute rice. Can be made ahead and reheated.

11)  Crock pot chili - Heat 1 lb ground beef in skillet. Drain fat and add 1 package of Old El Paso chili seasoning mix, 1 can of chili beans, 1 jar of salsa and water per package directions. Mix together in skillet and then transfer to crock pot. Heat on low during the day and on high for last 10 minutes. Serve in bowls with Mexican cheese, taco chips and a dollop of sour cream.

12)   Calzone - Purchase Large Pizza Dough from Papa Gino's for approx. $2. Roll out dough into rectangle on cookie sheet, add your favorite toppings to one half of the dough - ham, cheese, pepperoni, marinara sauce, etc. Wrap unfilled half over to form into a calzone (can brush top with melted butter & egg whites, if desired) and bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

13)  Buffalo chicken wraps - Purchase Tyson frozen buffalo chicken (or similar). Cook according to directions, then chop and place inside tortillas with blue cheese dressing (optional) and lettuce. Roll up and enjoy!

14)  Pasta with meatballs or meatball subs - Purchase frozen or fresh meatballs and jarred sauce. Heat on stove while cooking pasta. Serve with bagged salad and fresh bread. Or purchase sub rolls and serve as subs with sauce and mozzarella or parmesan cheese.

15)  Chicken Caesar wraps - Purchase bagged Caesar salad mix and precooked Purdue chicken. Mix up the salad, add the chopped chicken and roll into wraps.

16)  English muffin pizzas - Purchase store-brand English muffins. Slice open and place on cookie sheet. Top each ½ with jarred pizza sauce. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings (pepperoni, veggies, etc). Cook in oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese melts. (My kids like making these themselves.)

17)  Grilled steak, chicken, burgers, etc. - Grill up your favorite meat and serve with rice pilaf and steamed veggies.

18)  Visit Make & Take Kitchen or Dream Dinners, etc - Many locations now offer you the ability to pre-make meals and freeze them until you are ready to cook them. For added fees, they will make them for you and deliver them to your door. Check out their websites at www.makeandtakekitchen.com or www.dreamdinners.com.

All non-crock pot meals can be made ahead and reheated or prepared up until the cook stage and then cooked.

Other easy meal ideas include - hot dogs and beans, deli sandwiches, frozen chicken patty sandwiches, frozen pizza, sloppy Joes, Boboli pizza, frozen waffles with fruit, tuna salad or chicken salad sandwiches, chicken nuggets with mashed sweet potatoes or frozen French fries, or store-bought rotisserie chicken served with mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

For additional crock pot meals, visit www.familycrockpotrecipes.com.