Easy lunch ideas...

With Summer here, I'm all about saving time in the kitchen.

Here are a handful of ideas that are quick and easy. With a little prep work, you won't be stuck in that kitchen on those beautiful days....

Homemade lunchables:
These can be made so many different ways, and are ALWAYS a hit with the kiddos. I have those little divided containers and fill them with finger foods.

Here are some examples:
Mini crackers
Cheese cubes
fresh veggies
fresh fruit
granola
Pretzels
granola bar cubes (cut a granola bar into bite sized pieces)
Pepperoni
Beef Jerky

You can also add a cup of yogurt (Still sealed) to the container.

I spend about 20 minutes each Sunday making the weekly lunchables for my husband and girls. During the week, I just pull them out and they're ready for a quick lunch, a trip to the park or anything else that makes me want to stay out of the kitchen....

Hot Pockets:
You can find the recipe HERE.

Take an hour once a week to prepare them, them pop them in the freezer. Easy to heat up, and you can fill them with just about anything.

Grab a sandwich maker.
These things are great, and you can typically find then for $5-$10 at Target and Walmart. Just put down a piece of bread. Fill with what ever filling you'd like (Shredded cheese and Ham for example), top with second piece of bread, close, and you have a lunch in less than 5 minutes, with no oven or stove top.

Fruit Bowls:
When my girls are running around the back yard having their fun in the sun, Fresh fruit is exactly what they are craving. I premake bowls of fruit, and they are easily pulled out for a refreshing lunch.

Start doubling your dinner recipes.
You're already cooking, why not just double it and freeze the second half in individual servings for an easy to heat up lunch.

The trick to quick and easy lunches is spending a little time to prepare. I usually spend about an hour on Sundays making my salads, the lunchables, fruit cups and hotpockets. Doubling those dinners doesn't add any extra time when I'm cooking so that's easy.

Doing this once a week will easily cut your prep time, and time with the oven on, into 1/4 of the time...:)

Eggplant Parmesan

What you need:

6-8 sliced pieces of eggplant (1 inch thick)

1/2 cup Dijon or coarse ground mustard

1/3 cup apple juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 cups soft bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

Preheat oven to 375. With heavy duty foil, line a 13x9" pan and add a wire rack. In shallow dish, mix mustard, apple juice, garlic, and 2 Tbsp. melted butter. In other pan, mix the crumbs, Parmesan cheese, 3 Tbsp. melted butter, salt, pepper, and dried basil. Mix thoroughly. Coat eggplant in the mustard mixture, then roll it in the Parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture until completely coated.

Place the Parmesan eggplant on rack on top of the foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and thoroughly cooked.

Sauce:
2 cans of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried minced onion

In a saucepan, mix all of the above, and let simmer on low heat while chicken bakes.

When eggplant is done. Pour sauce on top of eggplant, top with grated Parmesan, and return to oven until cheese has melted.

Winners of the Stressless Kitchen Gadget Giveaway....

And the winner's are....

 

 

 

Anonymous

I love cooking and baking but I suffer from Fibromyalgia and have to have my 15 yr old daughter do simple things for me, like opening cans, pressing my garlic and we love garlic!
I would love to win these gadgets so I can actually do it myself! It has been 5 yrs since I have done that myself!

j.l.rice@verizon.net

 

 

Jennifer

Thanks for all you do with your blog. I can't begin to tell you how helpful I find your advice. I would love to win this giveaway. I love being in the kitchen. These products look like they would make cooking a lot easier. As much as I love to cook, I'm all for easy. lol jncrooks4@gmail.com

Please watch your email. I will need you to reply with your mailing address so I can pass it along to the sponsor for shipping...:)

Congratulations again!!!

Grillin' Nachos...

What you need:

6 cups tortilla chips
1 can of black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed
1 can chopped green chiles, drained
1 Packet of mild taco seasoning

3 tomatoes, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

Heat your gas or charcoal grill. Spray a large foil pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread out tortilla chips in pan. In bowl, stir together beans, chiles and taco seasoning packet. spoon evenly over the chips. Top with the tomatoes and onions. evenly spread the cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Place foil pan on grill over medium heat. Close grill. Cook 7-9 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. Serve with sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole.

Removing watermelon stains...

Tis the season! The weather is getting warmer, and the watermelon is sweet! We go through A LOT of watermelon in our house, during the summer months, and those stains are the worst.

Here are a few ways to get rid of those stains.

OxyClean:

Soak the stained item in a cup of Oxyclean, and about a gallon of HOT water. Allow to soak for at least 30 minutes. I always let it soak overnight. Wash as ususal.

Vinegar and Baking soda:
Now I tried this and it didn't work UNTIL, I used the hottest water possible. 1 cup Vinegar, 1 cup baking soda and a sink full of HOT water. Allow to soak overnight! Wash as usual.

Dishwasher detergent:
You need to be careful with this, but if used properly, it works great (This is the best for whites).
add 1 teaspoon of dishwasher detergent (Powder or liquid)  to 3 cups of water. Soak a washcloth in the solution, then use that wash cloth to blot the stain. It will remove it, but make sure you launder the item right away. If it sits for too long, it will start to fade the colors.

Nothing else is working?
Soak the iten for 5 minutes in a solution of 1/2 cup amonia to a sink full of HOT water. Wash immediately (This can also fade colors if not washed right away).

The key to all of these is to use HOT water. Now with most stains, you don't want to use hot water, but with Watermelon, it's the only thing that works. :)