Using Tried and True Family Favorites to Spice Up Dinner #seizingfamilytime

Tonight was one of those nights. I WANTED to bundle kids and husband in the van to go out to dinner. I WANTED to call for a pizza. I WANTED to get Chinese for dinner. After a week of eating out at BlogHer followed by eating out while on vacation with my family, I am in no mood for cooking. I WANT to put a “Kitchen Closed” sign on the door, but I can’t. I need to get back to cooking for my family.

But, cooking is hard work, isn’t it? If you skip around on my blog you will notice a lack of cooking and recipe posts. I have a bunch of go-to meals for school nights, but in the summer I leave most of the cooking to my teacher husband. He is “Mr. Mom” while I spend as much time as I can working. Once the school year begins, we’re in for a new phase of life around here.

My teacher husband is now a high school administrator. Gone will be the nights where he can swoop in and cook dinner. He will spend most early evenings in meetings or at sporting events at his high school. I welcome this transition. It is what he needs to be doing. But, I am a little worried about how our evenings will run. I will need to do meal planning that is for sure.

I recently was made aware of a new recipe site for people like me who are short on time when it comes to getting a meal on the table. With soccer practice, volleyball games, swim practice. and homework, I will need to find a few meals to add to my cooking repertoire. The site is Ready Set Eat and the recipes all include Chef Boyardee products as one of the ingredients.

Each of the meals listed on this site can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. Am I right that any any recipe over 30 minutes is a no-no for a busy school night?? In our house, I need quick recipes but also tasty ones. The recipe for Pepperoni Spaghetti Bake uses the following ingredients, reduced fat milk, Chef Boyardee Spaghetti & Meatballs, shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, and turkey pepperoni. Mmmm. And tasty.

You can create a Chilironi meal using Chef Boyardee Beefaroni, Hunt’s Fire roasted Diced Tomatoes, Hunt’s Tomato Sauce (no salt added), dark red kidney beans, Rosarita whole pinto beans, chili powder, and ground cumin. I love spicy food, don’t you?

Recipes that incorporate not only family favorite items, but items that I already have in my pantry are super helpful. No last minute grocery shopping needed for this busy soccer-volleyball-swimming-karate work-at-home mom!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Chef Boyardee and received a gift card to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.