Easy Dinner options

For some reason,  the dinner hour tends to be insane around my house. All of my kids are cranky but especially Little Miss M who at 8 weeks is teething and has acid reflux. So if I cook, I tend to hear a lot of screaming. So meals I can just throw in the oven and not have to do much at actually dinner time are the best. One option is the crockpot and I love them but recently I have become a big fan of frozen prepared meals.  There are two different type of options, both of which I love.

First is Schwan's Frozen food. I love them because not only are there meals pretty good, but they come right to your door! Their food can be a little pricier than typical frozen food but it is still cheaper than takeout. They have everything from prepared meals, breads, ice cream and even frozen meat and vegtables. They change their catalog every couple. This has been great with a newborn because it means not having to go to the grocery store for meals.

Another option is meal prep places like Main Dish Kitchen or Super Suppers. There you can either prepare the meals or they can prepare them for you and then you just pick them up. If you don't live right near one, see if they have delivery service to your area. I live in a small town that does not have one but  with Main Dish Kitchen I can order and pick them up at a store that they deliver to.

I also heard that PF Changs has new frozen foods in the stores but I haven't had a chance to check them out.  Do you have any easy dinner options you use?

Recipe of the Week: Mediterrean Chicken

This is a great recipe that I make all the time. I modified it from a recipe in the Junior League of Grand Rapids cookbook, "Grand Temptations." The book is available at www.juniorleaguegr.com. I basically just changed a few items like fresh tomatoes and thyme to canned and dried since I have that stuff available in my kitchen at all time and do not have to worry about it spoiling before I can use it. I am always looking for recipes that work with pasta since my kids love plain pasta and I can only eat red sauce so many nights a week.

Serves 4

1 tbsp of olive oil
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup of balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes drained
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
2 to 4 oz of crumbled goat cheese
1 package of pasta of choice

Boil pasta. At the same time heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic powder and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and add to skillet. Cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through stirring frequently. When chicken is cooked stir in vinegar, tomatoes, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes. In the last minute add 1 to 2 oz of goat cheese and stir. Put over pasta and sprinkle more goat cheese if desired.