Quick and Easy Meals-Part 1

I was asked to give a presentation to my ward Relief Society Sisters.  They wanted me to share ideas to keep meals simple and quick for busy women.  We all know how important eating dinner together.  But it can be hard to do someday's when you are all running to and fro.  I thought I would share with you the information I gathered.  I got a lot of recipes from friends and neighbors and compiled these in sections of:  Crock Pot,  Microwave, On the Stove,  Sandwiches, Frozen Meals, Salads, Casseroles, and Website Helps.  

If you have recipes that you use that are quick and easy please post them in comments.  Hope this helps keep your meals simple gets your family together!  

Part 1:

“Consider 5 fundamental practices that have the power to fortify our youth:  family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, family dinner together, and regular one-on-one interviews with each child.  It takes courage and will power to avoid over scheduling so that your family can be home for dinner.”—Elder Larry R. Lawrence.

Tips in keeping meals simple-

• Plan ahead—try to make a meal plan for a month or week at a time and then check your plan the night before or morning of, will save headache later on-make a shopping list at the same time so you will have everything on hand when you need it
• In planning meals I like to alternate meats and this helps me plan.  Example:  Mon-Beef Tues-Chicken Wed-Pork Thur-Veggie  Friday-Fish  Sat.-Leftovers Sunday-Breakfast
• Food Storage—if you have items on hand that you use a lot; you won’t be running to the store a lot. 
• Use what you have to avoid waste and don’t be afraid of adapting a recipe to fit with what you have
• Make mixes of commonly used items
• Make multiple meals at once and freeze for another day

Crock Pot

Pork roast, 2 apples sliced, 1 onion sliced, 32 oz veggie broth, fresh rosemary chopped and 4 cloves garlic minced. Put everything in Crockpot, cook on low 8 hours high 4-6 hours....

Pulled pork in the Crockpot. One pork roast (have the butcher cut the fat off if you can), on jar of picante salsa, 1-2 cups brown sugar, I do about 1 1/4. Let it sit in crock on high all day, the longer it cooks the better it is. You can pull it apart about half way through. You can eat it on sandwich rolls or in tortillas or in salad.

Ribs in the Crockpot. Smother in bbq sauce, so tender after cooking all day!—Serve with baked potato or cook potatoes onions and carrots with it all day.

Carnitas in the crock pot. 1 pork shoulder roast, 1onion chopped, 4cloves garlic minced, 3/4 c water, 1/4 c brown sugar, 2tsp chili powder, 1 orange quartered, 1 lime quartered, 1/2 tap salt, 1/4 tap pepper. Put everything in the Crockpot for 6-8 hours on low. Shred and serve with tortillas, lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, and limes

Beef Roast-Roast. 2 cans mushroom soup, 1 dry onion mix cook on low.

‎Pork Roast. 3 pound pork roast in crock pot with an envelope mushroom onion soup mix and a can of whole cranberries. Cook on low 5 to 8 hours. This is the best roast ever!

Chicken soft tacos. Just throw a few chicken breasts into the Crockpot, pour a jar of salsa over the top and let it cook on low all day (or on high if you only have a few hrs). Use it as the base for tacos, adding whatever other ingredients you enjoy. OR pour

BBQ chicken sandwiches.  Pour BBQ sauce over the chicken breasts, after putting them in the slow cooker. Serve on hamburger buns.