Show Me the Dinner!

Ladies Love Lasagna!

Lasagna is a very popular recipe around our home. I make it from scratch (if you consider Prego, Kraft, and pre-made noodles homeade).

10 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (97% lean), cooked and drained
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups mozerella cheese
1 large size Prego traditional Italian sauce

Mix cheeses together and set aside. Brown meat. Boil noodles until soft. Pour sauce into ground beef and stir until well mixed. Layer in 9 X 13 dish as follows:

• Enough sauce to cover dish(to prevent sticking)
• 4 noodles
• 1/3 sauce and meat mixure
• 1/2 cheese
• 3 noodles
• 1/3 sauce and meat mixture
• 1/2 cheese
• 3 noodles
• remaining sauce
• sprinkle with any remaining mozerella cheese

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This recipe usually takes around 25 minutes to prepare and freezes well both before and after cooking. Enjoy...Lilly and Gabby sure do!

The rest of the 'show me the dinner' story:

Recently I participated in Kelly's 'Show Me Your Life' blog carnival. It was so fun and, being a stay at home mom with not a lot of interaction with other adults, I really enjoyed peeking into the lives of mothers just like me. This week I am participating as well. The topic, you ask...go to dinners!

While it is likely you are asking yourself what this has to do with Miss G and Miss L, twins, or our family in general, I disagree. People always ask me, "How do you do it?" Or they say, "Oh, I can't imagine what having twins must be like." Well, here is a little taste, pun definitely intended, of how I go about making sure our family enjoys home cooked meals that promote family time and are budget friendly.

When I first heard the topic was 'go to dinners' I decided I would sit out this week. You see, if I wait until the day of to decide what I'm going to fix, our go to dinner of choice is Arby's or McAllister's. I would never be able to whip out lasagna like above if the planning hadn't started earlier in the day. Part of being a stay at home mom, with 18 million responsibilities and two children constantly under foot, is planning like crazy. How do I plan for meal times? I thought you'd never ask.

Every two weeks I sit down with a list of recipes (main courses) that are Dada, Gabby, and Lilly approved and create a menu of meals for two weeks. And by menu, I mean list. Seriously people, I have no time for fancy-ness when it comes to cooking. Get in, get it made, shoveled in, and get out! That's my philosophy. So once I have a menu (list) I go about making a grocery list.

A little about grocery lists...during the week I keep a piece of paper on our bar where I write down things we need to pick up during out next trip to the grocery store. For example, I write down yogurt, applesauce, etc. Basically things that I don't actually use in recipes (for the most part). And here is where I lose half of you reading this...When I sit down with the list from the bar and start to write down what I need for meals, I don't write it out at all. I type it. I know...it sounds crazy, but I type way faster than I write. Plus, once you type a list of meals and grocery list one time, you can save it and go back to it each time. It saves unbelievable amounts of time! For example, every two weeks I buy things like milk, bread, grapes, etc. Well, because I have a saved document, there is no additional work!

I also have my meal ideas typed up. Every new two weeks, I bold face the meals for that period and move them to the top of the list. Super simple. Nevermind the fact that I look seriously OCD while at the grocery store. I just do what works for me.

Work smarter, not harder. Motto # 12,367

In addition to being organized when it comes to planning for meals, I try to plan out when and how much I'll cook. For example, if Shaun is grilling steaks or whatever, I know to buy lots of food that we enjoyed grilled so that he can cook it at the same time. He has the grill going anyway, so why not? He cooks up all the meat, we package it so that it is sealed and freeze safe, and the use it when we need it. Some of our favorites are hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, marinated chicken breasts, and ham steaks. You might be thinking that freezing these foods would take away from the taste, but I would have to disagree. Something about having a grilled main course on a week night, makes the food that much better! I am also a fan of Reynold's oven bags which help maintain flavor and moisture during reheating. Tip: it is always best to season right before you serve. If you season and then freeze, the food has a tendency to dry out.

I also double up other recipes like casseroles and more involved side dishes. I've found that it is much less work to make two or three meals of the same recipe at once instead of taking the time to do it 2 or 3 nights. Many of the ideas I've come to use came from a style of cooking called Thirty Day Cooking. I've customized it to work best for me, but it is worth checking out!

So, what exactly do I cook when I have not planned? What are my go-to dinners?

OR

I wasn't joking before. :)

Click here for other 'go-to' dinner ideas!