Easy Dinners for Hard Days ;)

I’m positive you know what I’m talking about here. Some days… well, dinner just isn’t going to happen. At least not dinner in any sort of healthy form.

Unexpected things happen, crisis occur, you’re sick, your child’s sick, etc., etc., etc.

I think we all have “go to” meals that are simple and quick and that we almost always have on hand. I’ve been thinking about ours lately and thought it might be fun to share them in a post.

Just so you know, these are quick meals that are not necessarily something you want to feed your family every day; the main thing about these meals is they are simple, simple, simple. And tasty too! I also try to keep a bag of prepared salad in our fridge so we can get in something green along with our quick meal. I’ve been using at least one of these every week lately.

1. We always have a couple of frozen pizzas in the freezer, this is staple in our house.

2. Chicken and rice wraps: Make a box of Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain and Wild Rice. When it’s done, mix it up in a bowl with canned chicken breast (yes, canned, it won’t kill you), ranch dressing and some chopped walnuts. Roll it up in flour tortillas, yum yum yum.

3. Maid Rights – My mother-in-law calls these sloppy joes, but to me a sloppy joe is tomato based. Brown a pound of hamburger meat with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. When it’s done, add in a can of Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo soup (no water added), a blob of ketchup and a blob of mustard (gross, right?). Mix it all up and serve it on buns or regular bread. Also very yummy.

4. Sloppy Joes, there are a lot of fast recipes out there for these. The one I have uses tomato soup as the base.

5. Pancakes, Bacon, and eggs. If you want really simple, use a package of pancake mix. We always have the ingredients for this on hand (maybe not the bacon), and scrambled eggs are super easy!

6. Chicken or Turkey A La King. Use leftover chicken or turkey (or canned, or poach a couple of breasts in water beforehand, then shred). Mix your shredded chicken or turkey with a can of mushroom soup, a little milk, some black pepper, and a dash of seasoned salt. Toast a bunch of bread. Serve the chicken / turkey mixture on top of the toast and eat with a fork.

7. This one we jokingly call a heart attack waiting to happen… velveeta cheese, canned chili, a can of Rotel (chopped tomatoes and chili peppers), a can of water, browned hamburger meat (if you have time), a little chopped onion, cayenne pepper… eat with corn chips and sour cream. This one is good for a really hard day. ;)

8. Premade pesto, egg noodles, and leftover chicken all mixed together.

9. Frozen fish sticks and french fries. :)

I would LOVE to add some more quick and easy meal ideas to our list. If you have any, please leave them in the comments below, or blog about them and leave the link!

Have a beautiful day! :)

What’s in the Bible Blog Tour – Review and Giveaway!!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

I recently received the first two episodes of this new series from Tyndale Publishers. The series, which is called “What’s in the Bible?” was created by Phil Vischer who also created the wildly popular Veggie Tales series.

The episodes are fast moving and have fun, quirky characters that will draw children in. Phil himself is in each episode too, answering various questions that arise about the Bible.

It’s a bit like a lesson on the Bible itself – how we got it, who determined which books would be in it, etc. And then a story from the Bible itself; The first episode’s Bible story is the creation of the world, the fall, and Noah’s Ark. The Bible story in the second episode is about Moses and the Exodus of God’s people from Egypt.

There are some parts of the stories that I felt were inappropriate for someone my son’s age (3 1/2). This isn’t because anything was done improperly by the writing team, but simply because some of the scenes of the Bible (such as Joseph being sold, Abraham about to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, etc) are something a 3 year old can not comprehend without being terrified. Also, the “lesson” about the Bible at the beginning of each episode is a bit over a preschooler’s head, in my opinion.

I think children 5 years and older would love these dvds, and I highly recommend them for that age.
Thank you to Tyndale for providing me with this review copy free of charge.

See more about this fun new series at the What’s in the Bible? website. There is a trailer here. And some coloring pages here

Here’s the great part… Tyndale has sent me two certificates for free dvds to give away to my readers!! Because there is one certificate for the first episode, and one certificate for the second episode, I’m giving them both to one winner! :) Only US and Canadian entries, please (sorry!).

To enter, leave a comment below – this is the mandatory first entry.

For extra entries…

Subscribe to Tired, Need Sleep or Follow and let me know in another comment.

Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave another comment letting me know.

Good luck, everyone! The contest will end at midnight this Friday, March 5th, and I will post the winner on Saturday! Make sure you leave me a way to get in touch; I will pick a new winner if I do not hear from the first winner within 48 hours.

Have a beautiful day! :)