Quick Easy meals for back to school...

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With back to school plans coming in the next few weeks, I'm trying to figure out how to balance things already around the house. Things are sure going to change around here and figuring out what to make for dinner is just going to add to the day to day stress ahead.
Quaker Maids has some great quick and easy recipes to help parents this school year, they both sound really good and with a few adjustments for my own families diets, I might just try these out.

Easy Summer Meatball Dinner
• 1 15 oz. can whole potatoes, drained, rinsed, cut into chunks
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 14.5 oz. beef broth
• 32 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 12 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
• Approx. 15 oz. meatballs.

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes, onions, beef broth, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, pepper and vegetables. Bring to a boil on stove top. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Add meatballs, cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.

Meatball Pitas
1 package of Mama Lucia Italian Style Meatballs
8 small pita breads
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup cubed feta cheese
1⁄2 cup chopped black olives
1⁄2 cup chopped shredded lettuce
1⁄2 cup chopped onion
1⁄4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of oregano

Heat the meatballs on the stove top with red pepper flakes and oregano. Heat the pita breads in the oven on low heat until warm. Once heated, place 2-3 meatballs in each pita bread. Top with feta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. As cheese begin to melt, top off with lettuce, onion and black olives. Serve “taco style” for a snack or main meal.

Cooking shouldn't be frustrating....

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I’m a stay at home mom, that doesn’t always mean that I like cooking, or that I even feel like cooking. Sometimes during the week I get busy and even the thought of cooking a meal seems like a chore rather than a pleasure. Sometimes even the ‘creativity’ of cooking bogs me down and it can be a challenge just wracking my brain thinking of what family-friendly meal I can come up with that night.

Recently I was introduced to the Making Life Better website which has given me plenty of great meal ideas for our home; I’ve even tweaked some to fit my diet needs. Now, Making Life Better has created recipe demo videos, featuring Jennifer Bushman, the Kitchen Coach, which offer recipe demonstrations and tips that you can watch anytime - even while cooking in your own kitchen! They offer quick and delicious recipes using high quality yet affordable and convenient foods, then mix in some fun with fun recipes and create family theme nights.

Being able to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with the family is a plus in my books. And with easy recipes like the Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie, you can even get your family involved in making dinner since the ingredients are simple and the process is easy and quick. After dinner why not create a delicious dessert together like a Bananas Foster Sundae made with Bryers All Natural Vanilla ice cream.

The recipes and videos can be a great addition to your weeknight cooking routine, and can make it a lot of fun as well. You can also stop by their Youtube channel and check out some of the Cooking Coach Videos: www.youtube.com/makinglifebetter2009. Stop thinking of cooking as a chore and join me and countless other moms who are just in love with the idea of Making Life Better.

Thanks To: Mom Central