Saving Time in the Kitchen

It’s 4 p.m., and the kids are coming home from school. Your better half will be home with in the hour. And there you sit, still in your P.J.’s, surrounded by paperwork. You haven’t even thought about what to make for supper! Relax. With a little forethought you can put a delicious meal on the table, and it doesn’t have to take hours.

The first step is to make sure you have food available to make. There have been times when I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had time to shop. That’s when I rush to the freezer and pull out something I have made previously. A little defrosting, pop it in the oven-and viola! A home cooked meal.

If you don’t have a freezer, you should invest in one if financially feasible. If money is tight, check out the classifieds for a used freezer. When there is a great sale on an item, you can buy ahead, and freeze the extra. If you take one day a month, make up hamburgers, meatballs and a few casseroles to freeze; you will always have an emergency meal available.

And don’t forget the leftovers! Here are two very quick meals you can make with leftover chicken breast.

Chicken Nachos
1can of cheddar cheese soup
½ cup salsa
2- 5oz. cans of chunk chicken (or cut-up leftover chicken)
Sliced, pitted olives
Sliced green onion
1 bag of tortilla chips

In a saucepan, add soup, salsa, and chicken. Use low heat, stirring frequently. Serve over tortilla chips. Top with green onion and olives.

Serve raw broccoli, carrot sticks and celery sticks beforehand for a nutritious appetizer.

Cheesy Chicken - in- a- Biscuit (one of our favorites!)
1 to 2 cans of refrigerated biscuits (the wheat biscuits are sooo yummy with this recipe!)
1 cup diced cooked chicken breast
1 (10.5oz) can of cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. parsley
½ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, soup, cheese and seasonings. Mix well.

Separate biscuits and place each one in a muffin cup. Press the dough up the sides of the cup. Fill each biscuit with the chicken mixture. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Serves 5.

*** Serve with salad so you get your veggies! ***

Next article- quick & easy ways with hamburger.